Aokiji, no longer holding back, unleashed the terrifying power of an Admiral within a mere minute, demonstrating his overwhelming strength to Maude and the others.
If it weren't for Tatamu throwing Maude and Sabo away at the last second, Aokiji's assault would have frozen all three of them together.
Although they narrowly escaped, the threat posed by Aokiji remained like a blade hanging over Maude and Sabo's heads.
"Tatamu…"
Landing on the ground, Maude quickly adjusted his stance and glanced at Tatamu, who had been turned into an ice sculpture by Aokiji.
He knew that anyone frozen by Aokiji's abilities could survive if thawed in time. However, if Aokiji shattered the ice sculpture, not even a miracle could save them.
Realizing this, Maude immediately pulled out his flintlock pistol and aimed at Aokiji, pulling the trigger.
Bang!
The lead bullet hurtled toward Aokiji.
Aokiji tilted his head, easily dodging the shot, and glanced at Maude and Sabo.
At that moment, Morley broke free from the ice using her Devil Fruit ability and charged toward Aokiji from behind.
Her trident, coated with Armament Haki, stabbed fiercely at Aokiji's back.
Hiss!
However, Aokiji had preemptively created a hollow in his body using his Logia powers, allowing the trident to pass harmlessly through.
Morley, unamused by the missed attack, gripped her trident tighter and twisted the shaft.
The trident's prongs began spinning rapidly like a fan, turning Aokiji's body into shattered ice.
"Still couldn't touch him, huh…"
Watching Aokiji reassemble his body from fragments, Morley's eyes flashed with disappointment.
Her Push-Push Fruit powers could only activate upon direct physical contact. Aokiji clearly understood this and gave her no opportunity to land a hit.
Reforming his body, Aokiji glanced at Morley and remarked lightly, "Your ability is quite troublesome."
Before his words even settled, he raised his hand, summoning four icy spears that hovered in midair.
Under Aokiji's control, the spears shot toward Molly.
"Phew!"
Morley exhaled deeply, plunging her trident into the ice beneath her feet before levering it upward with force.
Her Push-Push Fruit activated!
The ice field softened, transforming into a rolling wave that surged forward, shattering the incoming spears before continuing toward Aokiji.
"Oh my, my…"
Aokiji immediately recognized the limitations of Morley's ability. He leapt gracefully into the air, easily avoiding the oncoming surge.
Taking advantage of his evasive maneuver, Morley rushed toward Tatamu, intending to use her ability to push away the ice encasing him.
Aokiji, however, had no intention of letting her succeed.
From his airborne position, Aokiji unleashed five icy pillars from his palms, aiming directly at Morley.
The pillars descended like divine punishment, trapping Morley within their frigid grasp.
"You scoundrel!"
Morley, visibly irritated, swung her trident like a whirlwind, shattering the icy prison.
Aokiji capitalized on the opportunity to close the distance, releasing an intense burst of cold air as he lunged at Morley.
Within seconds, Morley was frozen into an ice sculpture once more.
Although Aokiji couldn't inflict lasting harm on Morley or fully immobilize her, he could effortlessly restrict her movements.
Her giant body, a distinct advantage in many situations, also presented a vulnerability. Aokiji only needed to target a single point to freeze her colossal frame.
With Morley subdued, Aokiji shifted his focus back to Maude and Sabo.
Leaving the strongest opponent for last was clearly his strategy.
Repeatedly seeing Morley frozen despite her impressive strength, Maude and Sabo quickly realized that she alone could not hold Aokiji back.
Escape now seemed like an impossible dream.
Their only option left was to confront him head-on!
Exchanging a glance, Maude and Sabo reached a silent understanding in an instant.
Maude sheathed his flintlock and drew his katana, Chidori, positioning the blade horizontally before him.
Sabo gripped his battered steel pipe, Armament Haki coursing through its surface, and assumed an offensive stance.
This wasn't reckless courage—it was the only way to face an overwhelmingly stronger opponent.
Before Aokiji could close the distance, Sabo took the initiative, his Haki-infused pipe leading the charge.
"You youngsters these days are truly something else," Aokiji remarked, his voice tinged with genuine admiration as he noticed the mastery of Haki from both Maude and Sabo.
But admiration didn't mean mercy.
Cold air emanated from Aokiji's body as he resolved to freeze these two upstarts in a single exchange.
As the gap closed, Sabo made an unexpected move—he hurled his steel pipe straight at Aokiji.
"Oh?"
The unorthodox tactic caught Aokiji off guard. Out of instinct, he shifted to his elemental form, allowing the pipe to pass harmlessly through him.
As Aokiji reformed, Sabo closed the distance, leaping toward him with his clawed hand aimed at Aokiji's throat.
Aokiji swiftly countered, grabbing Sabo's wrist mid-strike.
Suspended in midair, Sabo felt the cold seeping from Aokiji's grip as he struggled to break free.
Just as Aokiji prepared to freeze him, Maude intervened, his katana slashing toward Aokiji's arm.
Anticipating the attack, Aokiji partially shifted into his ice form, allowing Maude's blade to pass through without harm.
The momentary distraction freed Sabo, who launched another attack with his Dragon Claw directly at Aokiji's chest.
Once again, Aokiji's mastery of his Logia powers rendered the strike ineffective, his body turning intangible where the claw would have landed.
"An impressive synergy," Aokiji praised, before crossing his arms and reaching for both opponents.
In one fluid motion, he grabbed Sabo by the neck and Maude by the arm holding his blade.
"Ice Time!"
Frost spread rapidly from Aokiji's hands, engulfing both Maude and Sabo.
Sabo gasped, his breathing labored as the cold constricted his throat.
Maude, sensing the ice creeping up his arm, dispelled the Haki from his blade and redirected its flow to counter the freezing effect.
Aokiji's gaze met Maude's for a fleeting moment, a hint of approval flickering in his eyes.
But this was no time for satisfaction.
A sudden volley of gunshots rang out, breaking the tension.
Aokiji's calm expression shifted instantly. Without hesitation, he released Maude and Sabo, retreating several steps.
Two lead bullets streaked through Aokiji's fading afterimage, shattering the ice behind him.
The remaining bullets sped toward Gion and Wolfrat.
Gion, relying on Observation Haki, narrowly evaded the lethal shot aimed at her.
Wolfrat, less fortunate, took a bullet to the abdomen, collapsing silently to the ground.
The deadly precision of the shots left no doubt in their minds.
"Sol…"
Maude's eyes lit up with hope as he recognized the unique sound of those shots.
Seizing the moment while Aokiji's attention was diverted, Maude broke free from the lingering frost on his arm and pulled the injured Sabo to safety.
Before they could retreat far, another gunshot echoed across the battlefield.
This time, the bullet wasn't aimed to kill—it struck the ground near Maude's feet, leaving a shallow mark.
Maude's eyes flicked to the bullet hole, his mind racing.
A sharp whistling sound pierced the air, drawing everyone's attention toward Mad Hat Town.
A small, compact figure hurtled through the sky like a meteor, slamming into Aokiji's frozen field.
Boom!
The ice shattered like a bomb, sending shards flying and a cloud of dust into the air.
"Sol!"
That landing…
Someone had thrown him!
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