Ice and flames collided head-on, instantly generating massive amounts of steam. In just a few seconds, the entire area where the two stood became shrouded in thick white mist.
"Admiral Aokiji!!"
The Marines stared into the distance with excitement.
Once he had appeared, it meant the enemy had absolutely no chance of surviving!
"He actually dares to fight Admiral Aokiji?!" a Marine captain exclaimed in disbelief.
"Does he even understand what an Admiral represents?!"
That was the Navy Headquarters' highest combat power—
fighters capable of clashing head-on with Yonko-level monsters!
"No idea," another Marine said, watching the battlefield.
"But since the Admiral has stepped in, this is no longer something we need to worry about. Let's hurry and rescue the Vice Admirals."
After the earlier lightning strike, countless people were still floating on the sea, waiting to be pulled aboard.
At that moment, the three Vice Admirals lay flat on the ocean's surface, silently staring at the sky, as if replaying the battle in their minds.
After a while, once their bodies recovered enough to move, the three began swimming. They rescued several nearby Marines, then sat down on the shore without saying a word.
Ten warships.
Five Vice Admirals.
Ten thousand Marines.
And in the end… they still needed Admiral Aokiji to clean up the mess.
The reality was difficult for all three to accept.
"Vice Admiral, what should we do next?"
Momonga and Strawberry remained silent, their faces dark as they stared toward the battlefield.
Finally, Onigumo spoke.
"Go rescue our comrades at sea. Bring them onto the bridge."
"The rest… leave it to the Admiral."
There was enough space here to accommodate the wounded.
At the same time, the two figures exchanging attacks atop the warship both paused.
The steam lingering around them slowly spread outward, though it did not dissipate completely.
"Ara ara… you really are a frightening ninja," Aokiji said.
"Save the compliments," Jin replied.
"And also… hasn't anyone ever told you that you give off a lazy vibe?"
"They have," Aokiji shrugged.
"My teacher used to say that all the time. But I'm used to it now."
Ever since the Ohara incident, his blood had never truly burned the same way again.
"The side effects of a Devil Fruit?" Jin asked.
"You could say that," Aokiji nodded.
"Alright, kid. Let's stop wasting time. We've got wounded over here that need treatment."
His Observation Haki clearly sensed the state of Onigumo and Doberman—their life auras were fading fast.
If they weren't treated soon, they really would die here.
The boy before him was indeed powerful—strong enough to take down two Vice Admirals.
But against him… this was where it ended.
"Mm. My companions are waiting for me too," Jin nodded.
"So let's finish this quickly."
"You won't get the chance to see them again—"
"That's not for you to decide!"
As Jin's words fell, two figures suddenly burst out from the area where Luffy and Rob Lucci had fought.
They were the two shadow clones Jin had deliberately left behind.
Aokiji noticed the change instantly—his Observation Haki had never been shut off since his arrival.
"Clone-type ability…" he murmured.
Between the frozen figure earlier and these two new bodies, it was easy to deduce one of the ninja's abilities.
Clones.
Another hallmark of ninjutsu.
"So you plan to win by numbers?" Aokiji asked.
"Not at all."
Jin brought his hands together.
"For true powerhouses, numbers lost their meaning long ago."
"Next… I'll show you something new."
"Fire Release · Great Dragon Flame Technique!" ×3
The three figures simultaneously unleashed enormous dragon-shaped torrents of flame, soaring straight into the sky!
The terrifying heat warped the air itself, rapidly altering the temperature of the entire battlefield.
Aokiji looked at Jin in confusion.
If it was an attack, why aim the flames upward instead of at him?
"You're not telling me this is just to show me fireworks," Aokiji said.
"Fireworks, huh…" Jin replied calmly.
"You could see it that way. It's just that these fireworks behave a little differently."
As his words ended—
Poof.
The two clones vanished into smoke.
The sudden change instantly put Aokiji on alert.
Something's off about this kid…
Though he couldn't tell what was coming, experience told him something bad was about to happen.
He spread his Observation Haki across the battlefield, searching carefully—
yet found nothing unusual.
Then—
Dark clouds began to gather above Enies Lobby, slowly swallowing the light.
The sudden change made many Marines cry out in fear.
"Damn it—don't tell me this is lightning?!" a Marine captain shouted.
Earlier, one of the Straw Hat Pirates had already used lightning through some strange device.
And now…
The entire sky had gone dark!
RUMBLE—!!
A deafening thunderclap echoed, as if the end of the world had arrived.
As lightning gathered in Jin's hand, a massive silhouette gradually appeared within the storm clouds.
"Lightning…"
Aokiji's lazy demeanor vanished completely.
His gaze locked onto the sky with absolute seriousness.
Now he understood what the boy intended to do—
to strike him using the power of nature itself.
"Kid, that's ruthless," Aokiji said gravely.
"Do you have any idea how many people will die if that comes down?"
Even now, countless Marines were still floating in the sea.
If that attack struck—
anyone touching seawater would almost certainly die.
"And why should I care?" Jin sneered.
"When you took Robin away, did you ever care how we felt?"
"Since that's the case…"
"Don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
"Enjoy it—this is my farewell gift!"
"Lightning Release · Kirin!"
BOOOOOM—!!
A colossal lightning kirin emerged from the clouds like a divine beast, its eyes locking firmly onto Aokiji below.
"ROAR!!"
"That really puts me in a tough spot… but—"
Aokiji vanished in an instant and reappeared beside Jin, placing a hand on him.
"If I don't let you release it, that solves the problem."
"Ice Time Capsule!"
CRACK—!
In a single instant, Jin was frozen solid.
Yet before Aokiji could relax, he saw mockery in the frozen man's eyes—
as if this outcome meant nothing at all.
The next second—
BOOM!
The frozen Jin shattered, transforming directly into crackling lightning!
Aokiji's expression finally changed.
"…Another clone?!"
His Observation Haki blanketed the battlefield—
yet aside from this one, there were no other familiar presences.
And still… this one had been a clone as well!
Zzzzt—!
Lightning surged outward through the ice, instantly linking with the storm above.
The already-guided Kirin responded at once.
In the next moment, the terrifying lightning beast leapt down from the heavens—
charging straight toward Aokiji!
"ROOOAR!!"
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