---
"Marine Admiral... Aokiji?!" The sight of the tall, dark-skinned man with curly hair and a green eyepatch made everyone tense.
Luffy and the others recognized him immediately, remembering the harrowing encounter on Long Ring Long Land. They had barely escaped then, only because Aokiji had shown mercy. Now, seeing him again was like watching their worst nightmare come to life.
Robin's face turned pale, dread tightening in her chest. Twenty years ago, Aokiji had spared her life, but that act had haunted her, a constant reminder that he could find her and end her life whenever he wished.
"It's Admiral Aokiji!" a Marine shouted, and cheers erupted among the Marines. Their morale, shattered by the devastating power of the Uchiha trio, surged. With Aokiji here, they believed victory was assured.
Crack!
Shisui, noticing the intense aura radiating from the newcomer, appeared beside Akira, his expression growing serious. Itachi joined them, his gaze fixed on the Admiral, fully aware of the danger they were facing.
"Mr. Kuzan… I'm sorry you had to see us like this," muttered a weary Vice Admiral Strawberry.
Akira, unfazed, chuckled. "Hey, it's not like I wouldn't have let you go. You're the ones who insisted on staying."
Aokiji looked at Akira, assessing him carefully. "Uchiha Akira, huh? I've read about you. Quite a stir you've caused."
Akira arched a brow. "So, you know me?"
"Your story's been in the papers. Boa Hancock's partner—the rumors called you the pretty boy beside the pirate empress," Aokiji replied coolly, his eyes narrowing. "But I see now that you're more than a tagalong."
"You even have a Thunder Fruit user under you. No wonder you overwhelmed my men."
Five Vice Admirals defeated, and half the Buster Call fleet reduced to debris—the sheer loss was staggering. It was the first time in Marine history that a Buster Call had been brought so low.
Akira shrugged. "Just luck."
Aokiji's gaze hardened. "The weak call it luck. The strong know it's about control. Powerful Devil Fruits always find their way to powerful people. But don't think that luck will save you now… it ends here."
With that, cold air gathered around Aokiji, his collar rimed with frost. The ice spread across the ground, freezing it in an instant.
Shisui responded swiftly, surrounding himself with intense lightning that generated enough heat to push back Aokiji's frost. The opposing forces clashed, filling the air with hissing frost and vapor.
Boom!
Itachi, already prepared, formed a single-handed seal. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" He expelled a massive fireball that cleared the frost around them, blazing toward Aokiji.
Aokiji raised his arm, freezing the fireball on contact until it solidified into a giant ball of ice.
"So… you use fire as well. No mercy, then." Aokiji's face darkened as ice began condensing along his arms.
Crack, crack!
Electricity surged around Shisui's arm, snapping and sparking as he prepared to counter Aokiji's next move.
"Ice Block: Raving Pheasant Beak!" Aokiji's hand shot forward, conjuring a massive wave of ice in the form of a giant pheasant, its piercing cold sweeping across the battlefield.
"Thirty Million Volts Thunderbird!" Shisui called out, unleashing a massive, eagle-shaped bolt of lightning that crackled with deadly energy.
The two powerful attacks collided mid-air, thunder crashing against ice in a blinding explosion of white and blue. A shockwave spread outward, scattering the broken remnants of the frozen Bridge of Hesitation and splintering it like glass.
The Marines could only watch in stunned horror as Shisui held his ground against a Marine Admiral, a feat they could scarcely believe.
Aokiji landed nearby, his demeanor more serious than before. "Arara… Looks like I'll need to take you more seriously. You're quite a formidable opponent." He leapt up, his arms forming several massive ice spears in the air. "Ice Block: Partisan!" he shouted, hurling them at Shisui and his allies.
Shisui reacted instantly, weaving a quick hand seal that combined his chakra with his Devil Fruit power. "Lightning Dragon!" A crackling dragon of lightning spiraled to life, surging forward to meet the ice spears. The two forces clashed with a deafening roar, sending shockwaves rippling across the frozen sea. Nearby battleships splintered and Marines were thrown backward by the blast.
Shisui grinned, exhilarated by the challenge. "You're strong… this is what I was hoping for!"
Aokiji narrowed his eyes and formed another attack, an icy sphere aimed to freeze Shisui in his tracks. "Ice Ball!" But as the sphere shattered, all that remained was a chunk of frozen wood.
"Arara... Amazing escape technique you have there," Aokiji murmured, impressed but on edge.
Thunderclouds gathered overhead, swirling and darkening as Shisui raised his arm. Lightning arced through the clouds, lighting the sky with his next technique. He unsheathed a small blade, infusing it with Armament Haki and coating it further in chakra, causing it to glow with an ominous power.
"Raigo," he muttered, building some thunderclouds above them. The rumble grew louder, and he felt the energy surge through his body as he prepared for his next move.
"Thunder Breathing: Sixth Form - Rumble and Flash!" With blinding speed, Shisui dashed forward, his blade leaving a trail of lightning in its wake.
Bolts crashed down, coiling around his sword as he slashed toward Aokiji in a barrage of lightning-fast strikes. Each swing emitted a deafening boom, the combination of his thunderclouds and relentless attack creating a storm of raw power around them.
Aokiji found himself barely able to deflect each blow, his face darkening with each hit. By the time Shisui pulled back, the ground around them was scorched, his clothing singed and tattered from the sheer intensity of the assault.
Robin watched, wide-eyed. "This is…" Her voice was a mix of awe and disbelief. Today had already been unbelievable, witnessing the destruction of the Buster Call and now seeing Shisui, the one who had done it, fighting against her second nightmare with such ferocity. A feeling of admiration grew within her, mixed with something else she couldn't quite put into words.
---
Aokiji straightened, his face still calm but his clothes visibly damaged. "Not bad… Uchiha Shisui," he murmured, his voice lower than before, a rare tone of respect threading through his words.
Akira stopped the fight. "Shisui, let me handle this."
"But Brother Akira, I haven't had my fill yet!" Shisui protested.
"We don't have time. This is Enies Lobby, and Marine Headquarters is less than half an hour away. If we linger and the other Admirals arrive, things could get… complicated."
Aokiji stared at Akira with a hardened expression. Despite the calm, ice-cold demeanor he was known for, the appearance of these Uchiha shinobi had shifted something within him. "Do you really think you can take me down so easily?" he challenged, an edge of disbelief in his voice.
Akira smiled lightly, unphased by the Admiral's question. "Nothing's easy against an Admiral, but I'd like to think I can handle this."
As Aokiji's cold stare intensified, he called forth his freezing aura. "People fear the Admirals for a reason. We've earned that respect in blood. And you, Uchiha... harboring criminals under the guise of a 'security company'? You're no better than them."
Akira's voice turned steely. "Criminals? That's a little harsh. We're simply protecting our client. Think of us as private security." He shrugged. "But since you're so set on it, I guess we'll have to settle this here and now."
Aokiji's hand rose, forming a ball of freezing energy in his palm. "Ice Time Capsule." He released the attack, sending a chilling blast toward Akira.
In an instant, Akira disappeared, dodging the frost wave as it struck a Marine battleship, freezing it solid in mere seconds. The Marines on deck panicked, leaping off the ship to avoid being encased in ice.
Akira chuckled, raising his voice. "I'm not the one attacking your own men, Admiral. Doesn't it sting a bit to see them suffer because of you?"
"Shut up!" Aokiji growled, his usually calm expression betraying a moment of frustration. He raised his hand again. "Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
A massive icebird materialized from Aokiji's hand, hurtling toward Akira. But Akira responded by lifting his leg, gathering his energy as flames enveloped his foot.
"Tempest Kick: Blazing Phoenix!" A fiery bird burst forth from Akira's kick, its flames intensified by his mastery of Breath of the Sun. The two birds, ice and fire, collided mid-air in a violent explosion of steam and energy.
Boom!
The impact shattered another Marine warship, adding to the debris and chaos on the battlefield.
"One more gone," Akira commented as flames danced along the broken hull of the ship. Only three warships remained, trapped in the frozen waters, unable to maneuver or escape the devastation around them.
Nearby, Vice Admiral Doberman regained his footing, pulling himself up from where Shisui had kicked him earlier. "We need to request reinforcements!" he shouted, his voice filled with urgency.
The nearby Marines were stunned. "But… Admiral Aokiji is here! Do you really think he needs backup against three criminals?"
"These aren't ordinary criminals!" Doberman barked. "If we let them escape, there will be unimaginable consequences. Contact Marine Headquarters—now!"
...