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A chilling white aura like a thin, icy mist emanated from the frozen sea.
A gentle breeze swept through and dispersed the mist.
Kuzan's towering figure emerged into view, with half of his body and cheek encased in blue ice. He slowly raised his head.
Crack!
The ice mass shattered, revealing his tattered robes and the abrasions beneath.
Even with his preemptive elementalization, it was clear that he hadn't fully evaded Kojin's explosive strike.
"Such an unprecedented pressure..." Kuzan murmured, narrowing his eyes.
From the moment Kojin entered his field of vision, he never ceased his relentless advance. His growth rate was akin to a monster among monsters.
Starting with a vast gap between them, Kojin gradually narrowed the distance, surpassing him step by step and ultimately delivering that shocking spectacle at Marineford: capturing Golden Lion Shiki.
Kuzan realized that the man before him had grown so much that he could no longer see his back.
From that day two years ago, the thought had ignited in his heart, starting with shock, then clenching his fists, and he had resolved to catch up with his former friend no matter what.
Since then, he had never slacked in his training, relentlessly honing his skills.
"I haven't been standing still either! Kojin!"
Kuzan's eyes flashed with sharp intensity. An ice mass materialized in his hand and condensed into an ice sword. An invisible aura surged forth and enveloped the frozen blade.
'Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki): Hardening!'
The Three Monsters earned their title precisely because of their extraordinary innate talent.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a piercing whistle tore through the void.
Brilliant blue arcs of electricity erupted and hurtled downward like lightning.
Kuzan's eyes flickered as he recoiled sharply backward.
Just as his figure vanished, a long blade crackling with thunderlight slashed through the afterimage, mercilessly cleaving the ice.
BOOM!
The searing heat of the Thunderlight burned a hole through the ice. A violent surge of sword energy followed, carving a long, narrow gash across its surface.
"Quick reflexes!" Kojin grinned as he twisted his body and unleashed another slash with his Thunder Blade.
Kuzan's Ice Military Sword met the blow, blocking the attack.
"Observation Haki, huh?"
Hearing this, Kojin's eyes narrowed and his expression turned icy.
For someone who had mastered Observation Haki, a technique that allows one to sense external presences, his complete lack of detectable aura was enviable.
Thunderlight flared around Kojin's body.
In an instant, he was behind Kuzan, his fingers splayed wide.
"Three hundred million volts!"
"Divine Punishment!"
Crackling sizzle!
The dazzling thunder pillar instantly expanded and surged forward, engulfing Kuzan's entire body.
As the light dissipated, Kuzan's figure reappeared. His entire body had been transformed into an ice mass that shattered into fragments on the ground.
"Truly the Logia with the strongest offensive power," Kuzan remarked gravely. "Even I could barely withstand it!"
Dark smoke billowed from his body, a testament to the damage he had sustained despite having activated his elemental form beforehand.
"If you can't handle the warm-up, how long do you think you'll last in the real fight?" Kojin grinned.
Before his words had left his lips, thunder flashed, and his figure vanished.
Kuzan's expression grew serious, and a faint crimson glint flickered in his eyes.
Against the lightning-fast speed of the Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder Thunder Fruit), only Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) could offer any real defense.
Sizzle!
A bolt of lightning suddenly flashed. Kuzan turned, and the sight that met his eyes sent a jolt through his heart.
A massive bolt of lightning, thousands of meters long, hurtled down from the dome above toward him. The searing electric light burned his vision and reached him in an instant.
Boom!
The thunderous roar reverberated as the lightning streaked across the sky, searing vast plumes of white steam from the hard-as-iron ice surface. This starkly revealed the terrifying energy and temperature contained within the strike.
"Looking somewhere else?" A voice suddenly rang out.
Kuzan's pupils constricted. Kojin had suddenly emerged from the lightning, his fist surrounded by electric light as he swung it down with all his might.
Caught completely off guard, Kuzan could only raise his arm in a desperate attempt to block.
Bang!
A terrifying force surged through his arm, bypassing his outer defenses and penetrating his body.
Pfft!
Kuzan's mouth snapped open, and a mouthful of blood gushed forth.
His body was instantly hurled backward and slammed onto the ice with a thunderous bang. He skidded thousands of meters before coming to a halt.
But Kojin's assault didn't end there. Wielding a ten-kilometer-long lightning bolt, he swung it violently.
Pī Li Pā Lā!
Vast swathes of ice erupted into white mist and rapidly melted into seawater that surged forward like a tidal wave and slammed into Kuzan's crumpled figure.
Kuzan reacted with lightning speed, leaping off the ice almost instantly.
But the lightning bolt was already upon him.
"It's like a storm! Gale! Downpour!"
He's not giving me a moment to breathe!"
With a grim face, Kuzan frantically darted to evade.
But even his blinding speed couldn't outrun the thunderlight. Black smoke billowed from his body, and pain contorted his features.
Is this the gap between us?
Muttering to himself, Kuzan retreated. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and watched the rapidly contracting lightning bolt, his eyes filled with solemn intensity.
There was no doubt that the man in front of him wasn't using his full strength. This was just a friendly sparring session, a warm-up between comrades.
Yet, even this restrained clash left Kuzan feeling pressured.
Huff... huff...
The sea breeze whipped across the icy surface, carrying shards of ice with it.
The two men stood face-to-face, their gazes locked.
In that instant, they both moved simultaneously.
Thunderlight erupted as Kuzan leaped high into the air, slashing his ice Military Sword ruthlessly downward.
Bang!
The Thunder Blade clashed with the Ice Military Sword, sending a shockwave rippling outward. The ice beneath their feet shattered with a sharp crack.
Immediately afterward, however, Kuzan's body slid backward.
In terms of raw power, he couldn't match the muscular man backed by an Oni before him.
"You've improved a lot!" Kojin grinned, stepping forward.
His step was as swift as lightning, arcs of Haoshoku Haki Infusion crackling around him, leaving Kuzan no chance to catch his breath.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The elemental blades in their hands clashed incessantly, sending shockwaves through the air.
"So, you've mastered both Armament and Observation Haki?" Kojin exclaimed in admiration. "As expected of you, Kuzan! You've already gained the strength to fight me on equal footing!"
You can never underestimate anyone, especially the future Three Admirals. In just two short years, they had refined their Devil Fruit abilities and mastered Haki.
The Kuzan standing before him already possessed the initial form of the future Three Admirals; his strength was no less formidable.
"You're being too modest!" Kuzan spat through clenched teeth, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his lips.
In the direct clash, Kuzan was steadily forced back; the immense force emanating from his opponent's Thunder Blade had begun to affect his internal organs.
'Is this Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)?' he wondered.
The two figures moved with lightning speed, shifting and maneuvering. Thunderlight and Ice Mass collided repeatedly, hissing and erupting into white mist.
It was clear that Kuzan was at a disadvantage. Yet, this battle was merely a clash of their Rokushiki techniques and sword skills.
"Heh heh. This isn't humility, but rather... recognition of my old friend's strength!" Kojin chuckled.
Wielding the Thunder Blade in one hand, he swung it in broad, sweeping arcs, infusing it with Flowing Sakura and Conqueror's Haki. In this duel, he clearly held the advantage.
After a dozen breaths, Kuzan leaped forward, his hands outstretched.
"Ice Age!"
This was his most powerful freezing attack. An icy aura instantly enveloped Kojin's entire body, leaving him no time to react before he was encased in frost. His hair, skin, and robes were instantly coated in frost, which spread rapidly. Even his blood and cells seemed to freeze solid.
A bone-chilling cold pierced him!
But in that instant, Kojin burst into laughter, his body shuddering violently.
"Armament Haki!"
An invisible aura surged through his body, dispelling the cold and shattering the surface ice.
Kuzan's eyes darkened, and his shock deepened.
His opponent's Armament Haki was honed to perfection, capable of coating his entire body.
'How did he do that?'
Immediately afterward, searing thunderlight erupted once more.
"Five hundred million volts!"
Kojin murmured, raising his right hand and aiming it at Kuzan.
"Heavenly Punishment!"
Whoosh!
A blue pillar of thunder roared forth, instantly engulfing Kuzan and hurtling into the distant horizon. The entire world blazed with blinding light.
The thunderlight flashed for five to six breaths before finally subsiding and restoring calm.
Ten kilometers away, Kuzan collapsed, black smoke rising from his body. He lay motionless in the shape of a cross.
"If you've decided to be my enemy, don't hesitate! Kuzan!" Kojin sighed softly, slowly retracting his right hand.
The frigid wind carried a hint of scorching heat amid its icy chill. Suddenly, blue arcs of electricity surged around him. With an expressionless face, he murmured, "
"Energy shield." A blue energy shield swiftly expanded, enveloping him within a hundred-meter radius.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Blazing magma fists slammed against the shield, sending ripples across its surface, yet proving completely ineffective.
Kojin turned to face the figure standing a kilometer away.
"Someone who shouts about 'Absolute Justice' shouldn't be resorting to sneak attacks."
His eyes turned icy as he called out the newcomer's name.
"Sakazuki!"
Sakazuki's expression was glacial, and his voice was equally cold. "Any means are justified when dealing with a traitor like you."
Kojin chuckled.
"Don't fabricate excuses for your fear and guilt.
You simply know you're no match for me."
Upon hearing this, a flicker of murderous intent flashed in Sakazuki's eyes, and his face darkened further.
"You dared to defect. You should have known what fate awaited you."
Kojin chuckled dismissively.
"Since when did I ever say I was defecting?"
After a pause, he calmly added: "I'm merely upholding the justice I believe in."
Through his domain perception, Kojin confirmed that the Ohara scholars were now safe under Bullet and his subordinates' protection. The civilians from the rescue ship had also been transferred to the battleship.
Saul had already joined T. Penn, Eveya, and the others on the deck, where they were excitedly chatting with Robin.
At that moment, he realized that his opponent was none other than one of the future Three Admirals!
"No matter what you say, you can't hide your act of treason. You're a disgrace to the Marines, Kojin!" Sakazuki sneered.
Magma roiled and gurgled around his body, rapidly expanding and coalescing on his right arm.
"A wretch like you, should be purged from existence!"
Sakazuki's killing intent burned openly in his eyes, completely undisguised.
With a sweep of his right arm, a fiery fist erupted from the magma and hurtled toward Kojin.
"Meigo — Nether Hound!"
Yet Kojin remained frozen in silence, his face darkening ominously.
Suddenly, his right hand twitched, gripping the hilt of the Longblade at his waist—a weapon he had never used since obtaining it.
A crimson-black light erupted, and the bright, gleaming blade slid from its sheath.
Electrical sparks crackled and intertwined, zipping and hissing across the blade's surface.
"You really... Are quite annoying!"
The chilling voice echoed through the air. Kojin looked up, his eyes widening in shock.
Buzz!
A massive wave of Conqueror's Haki surged forth. The crimson-black lightning coiled around the Longblade, flickering violently and coalescing into twisting, jagged lines.
With a flick of his wrist, he swung the Longblade.
Kā cā!
Ten thousand meters away, the frozen wasteland cracked and splintered from the shockwave of the Conqueror's Haki.
Then, two deep, resonant words echoed across the heavens:
"Divine Departure!"
A blinding light erupted, and a faint golden dragon seemed to rise, its roar shaking the heavens.
Before Sakazuki's eyes, a dazzling blade of light flashed.
Before he could register the opponent's sword swing, an overwhelming force slammed into his entire body. His elementalization was instantly suppressed, as if completely neutralized.
Bang!
Without pausing for a moment, his body shot backward through the air.
Click!
Kojin sheathed his longblade; his face was dark and gloomy. He watched the figure hurtling through the air before him, lightning crackling around him, and took a decisive step forward with his right foot.
Whoosh!
His figure vanished in an instant, reappearing directly above Sakazuki.
He shot his right hand out and clamped it tightly around Sakazuki's head.
"Only for you," he said.
Icy words escaped his lips.
"I can't muster even the slightest fondness for you!"
Thunderlight erupted from between his fingers, illuminating the entire sky.
Simultaneously, he clenched his right hand into a fist and slammed it downward with all his might.
Bang!
Sakazuki's head was instantly smashed into the ice below. The brutal force caused the surrounding ice to collapse and shatter.
Kojin slowly rose to his feet, his cold gaze fixed downward.
In the next instant, however, Sakazuki suddenly snapped his eyes open. His head was embedded in the ice, blood was streaming from the wound, and his face was twisted in pain.
"The feeling's mutual!"
Magma surged through Sakazuki's body as he leaped forward, his fists whistling through the air.
"Inugami Guren — Dog Biting Crimson Lotus!"
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Kojin had no time to react. The searing magma dog head instantly pierced his abdomen.
Kojin lowered his gaze to his waist, where his abdomen was now hollow and broken, with arcs of electricity crackling across the ruptured flesh. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I underestimated you!"
Sakazuki seized the opportunity and swiftly retreated.
However, the next moment, his body froze.
A shadow had silently descended behind him, its dark form looming over him.
The frigid, predatory aura emanating from the figure froze him to the bone.
(End of Chapter)