The two of them fell into a brief standoff.
Kuzan looked down and slowly wiped away the thin trail of blood on his arm. His expression turned completely cold, and the last trace of casual amusement disappeared.
The way he looked at Aiden was no longer like he was looking at an interesting kid, but at a serious threat that had to be eliminated immediately.
"...I take back what I said," Kuzan said in an icy voice. "You aren't just an accomplice to demons. You are... ten thousand times more dangerous than those professors."
He slowly raised his hand, and the cold air began to gather once again. Kuzan's killing intent spread through the area.
"Young man with the glasses, you are strong. However, if the Buster Call is stopped by you like this, the Marines will lose all face."
He was clearly about to use his real power to end this battle once and for all.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
Kuzan swung one hand, and the cold air instantly froze into several lifelike ice birds.
Carrying a freezing chill, they shrieked and rushed toward Aiden from different angles!
"Again? Does it ever end?!"
The ice birds were incredibly fast and agile. Aiden knew that if he relied only on sword slashes, he might not be able to stop them all.
In the next second, a strangely shaped pistol appeared out of thin air in Aiden's empty left hand.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Aiden didn't even bother aiming. With his terrifying Observation Haki locked on, the path of every ice bird was perfectly clear.
He fired five shots in an instant. Five bullets coated in Armament Haki struck the core of every ice bird with perfect accuracy!
Crack!
The five "Pheasant Beaks" shattered in midair at the same time, turning into a sky full of ice crystals.
Kuzan's cold gaze fixed on Aiden's left hand. That gun... it had appeared out of nowhere.
"...A space-type Devil Fruit?" The thought flashed through Kuzan's mind, and he immediately began recalling every detail of the battle so far.
Kuzan's gaze moved from Aiden's gun to his sword, then to his fists.
Martial arts, swordsmanship, Haki, marksmanship... this guy had pushed every combat skill imaginable to an absurd level.
Kuzan's eyes finally landed on Aiden's far-too-young face.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
"This isn't just genius anymore... what kind of monster is this guy?!"
Kuzan took a deep breath of cold air. He knew that this kind of enemy absolutely could not be allowed to escape.
"Just how many more surprises do you have?"
He slowly raised his hand. This time, his killing intent was far stronger than before.
"This is bad..." Aiden sensed the surging killing intent from the other side.
The hand gripping his sword had started to sweat slightly.
"Are we really going to keep fighting? Even if I go all out against this future Admiral, the best outcome is both of us ending up badly hurt. On top of that, it would make too much noise."
"My goal is to stall him, not risk my life fighting a monster like this here!"
Aiden's gaze swept across Kuzan's cold face, and an idea suddenly flashed through his mind.
Attack the heart.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan!" Aiden's voice rang out clearly through the sound of cannon fire. "Are you really proud of this Buster Call?!"
Kuzan's movements paused. He looked at him coldly. "Hmm?"
"These professors were only studying history, and because of that, Ohara has to be destroyed!" Aiden pointed at the giant burning tree in the distance.
"Tell me, what kind of bullshit logic is that?!"
"This is for the future of the world." Kuzan shrugged, his expression returning to that lazy kind of seriousness. "Besides, those professors did break the law."
"To save the future, you have to burn the past?!" Aiden pointed at the nearby ruins being hit by cannon fire.
"Is this what the Marines call Justice?!"
Kuzan was silent for a moment. He looked at the burning giant tree, and a faint trace of struggle flashed in his eyes.
But he still took a deep breath, preparing to continue his mission. "Words are useless. My mission is..."
"BOOM!!! ROAR!!!"
Just as Kuzan raised his hand again to attack, a wave of cannon fire suddenly erupted from the distant sea!
Aiden and Kuzan turned toward the source of the sound at the same time.
They saw an evacuation ship packed with civilians being struck head-on by the broadside cannons of a Marine warship!
The shells exploded across the ship in a chain reaction!
Wood splinters, fire, and the screaming civilians were all thrown into the air together.
In just a few seconds, the ship turned into a sea of flames and quickly sank beneath the ocean.
Kuzan's pupils shrank. For the first time, disbelief appeared on his lazy face.
He recognized the flag of the warship that had opened fire.
"...Sakazuki... that bastard..." Kuzan forced the name out through clenched teeth.
Aiden was just as shocked. He immediately pushed his Observation Haki to its limit and scanned the direction Smoker and the others had gone.
After confirming that their ship still hadn't left the port, he let out a breath of relief.
But his anger was completely ignited in that moment.
Aiden snapped his head back and threw a question straight at Kuzan's soul:
"Vice Admiral Kuzan!!"
Aiden's voice crashed down like thunder, even drowning out the sound of the cannons. "Is this the Justice you believe in?!!"
He pointed at the sinking evacuation ship.
"You're even going to slaughter civilians who just want to survive!?!"
"I... I'm not like that guy!!"
Kuzan had been hit right where it hurt, and he seemed to lose his composure.
His aura immediately dropped, and his voice turned dry. "I... I'm just... carrying out the mission..."
"Carrying out the mission?" Aiden pressed him without mercy.
"Is your mission to be an accomplice to the man who sank a civilian evacuation ship? What's the difference between you and him?!"
"..."
Kuzan completely failed to find the right words. He looked at that stretch of sea, then at the bloodstain on his arm.
Suddenly, he let out an "Ouch."
Aiden: (´・ω・`)?
"Oh boy..." Kuzan suddenly grabbed the arm with those shallow scratches. "It hurts so much... I can't keep going..."
Under Aiden's confused stare, this future Marine Admiral acted as if all the strength had drained from his body.
He flopped onto the ice without a shred of dignity.
"Aaah... it hurts so much, I'm seriously injured..." Kuzan began speaking in a dry, flat voice, as if reading from a script.
"My bones were broken by that young man with the glasses and his mysterious sword technique... I can't move... Ah, it's no use, I'm going to fall asleep..."
After saying that, Kuzan didn't forget to pull down his green sleep mask over his eyes.
Just like that, right in front of Aiden, he "fell asleep" on the spot.
"zzzZZZ..."
Aiden: (*ﾟﾛﾟ)
"Did I just pass a negotiation check?!"
He understood immediately. Kuzan was holding back and letting him go in his own way.
Aiden didn't hesitate any longer. He turned around and prepared to run toward the port.
"Hey..."
Just as he ran a few steps, Kuzan's voice came from behind him.
"I need to know... who defeated me today," Kuzan said lazily. "I need something to report back."
Aiden stopped in his tracks. He turned around and raised a hand, using his index finger to push up the plain glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"Arise." His voice was calm. "My name is Arise."
After saying that, Aiden's figure turned into an afterimage.
He didn't stay a second longer and completely vanished into the thick smoke and fire.
Only Kuzan was left behind, lying on the ice, continuing to "sleep soundly."