Aokiji unleashed his most powerful attacks. "Ice Ball!!", "Storm Pheasant's Mouth!!", "Frozen Time Capsule!!", "Two thorny spears..."
No matter what skill he used, the result was always the same. As soon as his ice touched Adrian's right hand, it was instantly absorbed.
"Damn it, what trick are you using? Why are you immune to my power?" Aokiji couldn't believe his eyes.
He'd been a Marine Admiral for years and had never encountered anything so bizarre. It was completely unscientific.
"Immune?" Adrian sneered, shaking his head. "Aokiji, don't you get it? It's not immunity—it's absorption! Just to remind you, one of the first Devil Fruit ability I got was Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit."
"Sand-Sand Fruit?" Aokiji repeated, his face still etched with confusion.
"As a Marine Admiral, you're so ignorant!" Adrian raised his right hand and slammed it down onto the ground. "Aokiji, let me show you the horror of the Sand-Sand Fruit today. It's your real nemesis."
"Erosion of Reincarnation!!"
The hand, which could absorb any moisture, pressed heavily against the ground. In the next second, the vast, frozen ice field began to melt instantly. The original landscape was revealed beneath the ice, leaving Aokiji astonished.
But that was just the beginning. The ground began to shrivel and crack, transforming into a barren, hopeless desert.
"This…" Aokiji finally understood why his Ice Age was useless. Rocks, soil, vegetation, even building debris—everything on the surface—had turned into endless yellow sand in the blink of an eye. This was the true terror of the Sand-Sand Fruit.
Aokiji now agreed with Adrian's words. While "Ice and Fire" might be evenly matched, the Sand-Sand Fruit was a complete counter to his Frozen Fruit. No matter how cold and solid he made the ice, it was still just water, and any water was powerless against the Sand-Sand Fruit.
Panic set in. For the first time, Aokiji felt death looming, and a shameful thought of running away crossed his mind.
"Hey, when you're fighting me, you shouldn't get distracted."
Adrian's cold, playful voice came from behind him. Aokiji's pupils shrank, and a chill ran down his spine. He tried to dodge forward, but it was too late. His legs were already entangled by two "sand arms."
BOOM!
A whip kick, flickering with a violent current, sent Aokiji flying. The crackling arcs paralyzed his reflexes. Before he could get up, a shocking wave of sand, covering the sky, surged toward him.
"Ice Age!!" Aokiji froze the oncoming sand wave without hesitation. In a single breath, all the yellow sand around him was turned to ice.
"It's useless, Aokiji!" Adrian smirked, pressing his right hand to the ground once more.
Swish!
The ice melted instantly.
Rumble!
The yellow sand rose into the sky again, a hundred-meter-tall sand wave relentlessly pushing Aokiji back. Adrian didn't need any other abilities. The Sand-Sand Fruit alone had driven Aokiji to a dead end. The battle had become a cat-and-mouse game, and Aokiji's downfall was only a matter of time.
"Hey, is it true? Kuzan's ability is being nullified?!" Kizaru exclaimed in disbelief. He couldn't believe Aokiji was so weak. Or, was it that the Sand-Sand Fruit had become so powerful? In Crocodile's hands, it was just… common.
Could it be… is Aokiji just tired?
Kizaru stroked his chin, his gaze fixed on Adrian with a resentful look. The kid himself had said that any means were fair game in a fight.
It should be fine for an old man like me to sneak attack him, right?
Thinking this, Kizaru's fingertips flickered with a dangerous laser light.
BANG, BANG, BANG!
Three bullets, wrapped in Armament Haki, passed directly through his temple. Van Augur's Haki wasn't strong enough to overwhelm Kizaru, so the attack didn't cause any substantial harm. But it was enough to interrupt his sneak attack.
"Oh, little brother, it's very impolite to interrupt someone's attack~~" Kizaru's eyes shifted, locking onto Van Augur in the distance. He transformed into a streamer of light, ready to attack.
"Hey, Kizaru, you're making me mad by ignoring me like this!"
As the voice fell, Shiryu's sword, also wrapped in Armament Haki, was already in motion. Unlike Van Augur, Shiryu's Armament Haki was strong enough to hit Kizaru's true body.
"It's really a headache, Warden Shiryu—no, the former warden—you've ruined my beloved coat~~" Kizaru, interrupted twice, was on the verge of losing his patience. His figure instantly appeared beside Shiryu, his right foot raised high and glowing with a dangerous light.
"Speed is power. Have you ever been kicked by light?"
Cold sweat beaded on Shiryu's forehead. His strength was somewhere between an elite Vice Admiral and a Admiral, and it was a struggle to deal with a fully-powered Kizaru. The kick was less than a meter away; there was no time to dodge. He had to block it.
Shiryu gritted his teeth, a fierce light flashing in his eyes, and his blade Raiu slashed to the side, meeting Kizaru's flash kick with a heavy impact.
"Oh, you actually blocked it? It seems the old man really underestimated you~~" A hint of surprise crossed Kizaru's face, but as an Admiral, he still didn't take Shiryu seriously. "But you're still going to die!"
Kizaru raised his finger, the dangerous laser light flashing again, this time aimed directly at Shiryu's head.
BANG, BANG, BANG!
The classic three-hit combo from Van Augur struck Kizaru's head again.
"Little brother, you're really annoying." Kizaru's face darkened. Are you messing with me?
The laser beam at his fingertip abruptly changed direction and exploded in front of Van Augur.
Much better. The world is a lot quieter now.
"Now it's your turn~~" Kizaru smiled wretchedly, about to turn his attention back to Shiryu.
BANG, BANG, BANG!
The classic three-hit combo reappeared.
What is this endless loop?!
BOOM!
At that moment, a violent vibration shook the ground beneath everyone's feet, and a searing heat swept out. Kizaru's face changed. "No, that lunatic Sakazuki is really angry."