This is really a huge headache…
Aokiji cursed inwardly.
That damned brat—not only had he left clones behind to toy with him, he had even summoned such terrifying lightning.
Aokiji himself wasn't afraid.
But the Marines below were.
If the attack struck the sea directly, every person touching the water would die instantly.
Even if he blocked it, the electric current absolutely could not be allowed to spread into the ocean.
Thoughts raced through his mind as he raised one hand and released his freezing power in an instant.
Crack—!
In the blink of an eye, the water vapor produced by their clash was frozen solid, forming an enormous platform of ice!
Perhaps due to sheer luck, the warships in Aokiji's area were already heavily damaged—pillars collapsed, debris scattered—and the other ships were far away. As a result, there was relatively little clutter trapped inside the ice.
"Up you go!"
Aokiji braced both hands beneath the massive ice slab, bent his legs, and lifted it upward, rising into the air with it!
He was planning to take the attack head-on—alone.
"Admiral Aokiji!!"
The Marines cried out in shock.
Was this the true power of an Admiral?!
Creating something this massive in an instant—and then lifting it into the sky—this was strength on an entirely different level.
ROAR!!
The colossal lightning beast slammed straight into the giant ice mass.
BOOOOM!!
In that moment—
The sky lit up.
The blinding light from the lightning illuminated the battlefield, as though daylight had returned to Enies Lobby.
But every Marine knew the truth.
That wasn't light.
That was an attack powerful enough to wipe them all out.
"ADMIRAL!!"
BOOOOM!!
The thunderous explosion shook the air violently. Marines screamed as they covered their ears, faces contorted in pain.
The three Vice Admirals reinforced themselves with Armament Haki, sitting firmly on the ground and staring upward.
If even an Admiral couldn't stop such a wide-ranging attack—
then none of them stood a chance.
BOOOOM!!
At last, with an earth-shaking detonation, the massive ice platform shattered apart—most of it vaporized on the spot.
Wooooom—
The shockwave surged outward wildly. Distant towers were instantly devastated.
Yet because of Admiral Aokiji's actions, the force did not spread downward into the sea.
That alone was a miracle.
Still, to the Marines, it felt like they had just survived the end of the world.
Aokiji descended from the sky and landed atop a ruined warship, silent.
Smoke drifted from his hair.
His clothes were blackened and scorched.
He had not blocked the attack unscathed.
And more than his appearance—
his expression was darker still.
"…Got completely played," Aokiji muttered.
"A farewell gift, huh…"
This sea was becoming more unpredictable by the day.
"Did the Admiral… get injured?" a Marine captain whispered in disbelief.
"But he's a Logia user!"
Why would an attack without Haki hurt him?
"Because he was protecting us," Momonga said grimly.
"If the Admiral had turned intangible, how could he have held that ice block?"
A Logia body wasn't nearly as solid as people imagined—especially when supporting such a massive construct.
Only a body reinforced with Haki could withstand that level of pressure.
The Marines fell silent.
So… they had been the ones holding the Admiral back.
"As expected of an Admiral," Onigumo muttered.
"He really blocked it."
If Aokiji hadn't arrived today, their losses would have been catastrophic—perhaps even total annihilation.
"…Wait. Where's the ninja?" a Marine officer suddenly asked.
The moment those words were spoken, Onigumo's expression darkened.
Wasn't the answer obvious?
"Looks like we were fighting clones the entire time," Strawberry snarled.
"What a truly despicable bastard."
What he couldn't understand was this—
If it was only a clone, why avoid close combat?
Did clones fear death too?
Or was the man simply enjoying humiliating them?
"Wait—you mean that wasn't even his real body?!"
"Then… do we pursue?" a Marine asked cautiously.
Even though all their ships were damaged, reinforcements from Marineford could arrive within half an hour.
With warships, pursuit wasn't impossible.
"Of course we pursue!" Momonga snapped.
"The Navy suffered this humiliation because of that damned ninja!"
"If I don't cut him down myself, I'll never swallow this anger!"
Since becoming a Vice Admiral, he had never felt such shame.
Not even when facing the monstrous pirates of the New World.
He turned sharply toward Aokiji.
"Admiral Aokiji, please authorize pursuit!
Once we request reinforcements—"
"That's enough," Aokiji interrupted calmly.
He glanced at Momonga.
"The Navy deployed a national-level force—the Buster Call—and still failed to capture the Straw Hat Pirates."
"We've already lost."
Continuing the chase had no meaning.
The Navy's dignity was already damaged beyond repair.
"But the Navy's honor—and the World Government's—"
"Take that argument to Fleet Admiral Sengoku," Aokiji replied.
"See whether he agrees with you."
After saying that, he no longer paid Momonga any attention.
Momonga opened his mouth… then closed it again, sighing deeply.
Report directly to the Fleet Admiral?
Without Aokiji's backing, Sengoku would almost certainly order them to withdraw and recover.
This loss…
was simply too great.
"Has headquarters suffered damage like this in years?" Onigumo said quietly.
"The last time might've been when Golden Lion stormed Marineford alone."
"…You're saying—"
"Yes."
"That man will be a terrifying enemy in the future."
Even so, Onigumo didn't insist on pursuing the Straw Hats now.
They likely couldn't catch them anyway.
Trying to chase a ninja who could manipulate water—on the sea itself—was practically a joke.
"Why are you all just standing there?!" Aokiji barked.
"Clear out five usable warships immediately and send the wounded back to headquarters for treatment—now!"
"Yes, sir!"
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