Upon hearing this, Ian, who was about to continue his attack, stopped, rested his axe on his shoulder, and smiled at Kuzan.
"No problem, Admiral Aokiji!"
This time, he did not refuse Kuzan's request!
As soon as he finished speaking, countless rays of light instantly converged upon him.
Kuzan stared intently at Ian, even though the dazzling light stung his eyes, as if he were looking at the sun; he still refused to look away for a second.
Although he knew this wasn't Ian's strongest form, after all, they weren't on Ohara, but his form in the midday sun... Was still something he was also looking forward to.
"Let me see just how strong you really are now, Ian!"
Under the scorching and dazzling light, it was impossible to see Ian's figure clearly, but Kuzan still stared wide-eyed, without moving his gaze or even blinking, his face showing a serious and expectant expression.
It was only a few seconds, not even a leaf that had just fallen from the tree had landed on the ground, but that moment seemed to last an incredibly long time.
After an unknown amount of time, just as the yellowing leaves were about to fall to the ground, the light finally faded away.
An indescribable aura suddenly surged forth.
And Ian emerged from the dazzling light, causing Kuzan to widen his eyes in disbelief.
He stared intently at Ian, whose height had suddenly swelled from less than three meters to six meters, with veins coiling like a dragon, muscles bulging, eyes burning with the fire of the sun, and an aura that was both sacred and violent.
This guy has actually developed his Devil Fruit abilities to this extent?!
Keep in mind that it's only a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit!
Kuzan seemed to have figured something out as well.
He frowned as he looked at the muscles that were constantly breaking and healing beneath the bulging veins and the blood that was flowing uncontrollably. "It seems you still can't fully control this power?"
"That's right!"
Hearing Kuzan's words, Ian was able to grin and say, "But it's much better compared to when I fought the Five Elders before."
"Very well, since that's how it is... Let's finish this quickly!"
Since the other party had said so, Kuzan didn't hesitate any longer. His body radiated a chilling aura once more, as if even the air itself was being frozen. He stared directly at Ian and said, "Use all your strength, and end this battle with your final move!"
"As you wish!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ian pushed off with his right foot and shot towards Kuzan.
At that moment, all the light was drawn to Ian, who, with endless holy and scorching light and an invincible aura, raised the axe in his hand toward Kuzan.
Faced with such a powerful and terrifying attack, Kuzan's expression hardened, and he dared not relax for a second.
At this moment, he felt as if he were facing a blazing sun, as if everything in the world was about to be burned away by this sun.
He frantically pushed his Devil Fruit ability to its limits, and a chilling aura surged forth, freezing the earth, air, and seemingly everything in that instant.
A fraction of a second. But in the places illuminated by the blazing sun, no matter how much he tried to summon ice, he still couldn't shake the intense heat.
At this moment, the entire island seemed to be divided into two: one half was a land of revival under the warm sun, and the other half was a frozen wasteland shrouded in cold waves.
In that instant, the blazing sun and the freezing ice finally collided.
Countless wisps of cold wave enveloped Ian, and the scorching rays of light pierced through the ice that brought coldness to the world.
"Boom!!!"
This is a collision of ice and sunlight!
Suddenly, the ice and snow melted, and the sun shone brightly, but then the sun was extinguished, and the sky was enveloped by ice.
Only… at that very moment when cold and heat mingled, a roar suddenly resounded throughout the entire world.
"No, you're really going to break my left feet?!"
...
No one knew how much time had passed; perhaps it was just a blink of an eye, or perhaps a quarter of an hour had already gone by.
But at this moment, the midday sun had already set, the ice had vanished, and the sun that had descended upon the world was nowhere to be seen.
All that remained were the now-cratered island and two men lying in the ruins, panting heavily.
Ten days and ten nights of continuous fighting, coupled with the intense clash just now, have left both of them extremely exhausted.
Especially for Ian... In the collision just now, although it was only for a moment, it caused his injuries, which had just healed, to flare up again.
Fortunately, the sun hasn't set yet. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to move again.
Of course, the two people lying on the ground still had smiles on their faces as they looked at the calm sky, and even had the energy to make jokes.
Kuzan: "You wouldn't actually be trying to settle a personal grudge, would you?!"
Ian: "What? I've been working really hard to help you train!"
Kuzan: "Then why do you keep striking my left foot? Are you trying to break my left foot to get revenge for what happened back then?"
Ian: "No, I just thought you might get your leg broken, so I'm training you in advance!"
And so, time slipped by little as the two chatted on and off.
Until the moment the sun touched the sea.
Kuzan, seemingly having regained some strength, finally stood up, put his hands in his pockets, took a deep breath, and, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, smiled slightly while saying, "I should go back now."
"Is your battle against Sakazuki about to begin?"
"There's still some time, but I need to rest a bit and take a shower anyway."
Kuzan chuckled, stretching his body. "Ten days and ten nights without stopping. If someone didn't know better, they'd think you were running for the Fleet Admiral position."
He paused for a moment, then, without lowering his head, continued gazing at the setting sun, "Ian, are you really not coming to the Marines? If I become Fleet Admiral, perhaps I can help you..."
"Alright, forget it!"
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