"Huh, why did it suddenly get so cool?"
Naruto and Yamato curiously came to the side of the ship, looked down, and saw that the sea below was completely frozen!
"Wow, we've encountered strange weather again! The sea is frozen solid!"
Yamato became excited upon seeing the frozen sea and eagerly wanted to jump down, but Naruto pulled her back, saying in a deep voice, "Idiot, this isn't the Grand Line. There's no such extreme natural weather here. Someone used their ability to freeze the sea!"
Naruto looked at the vast frozen sea below, his expression solemn. To be able to freeze the entire sea as far as the eye could see in an instant meant that the person who did this was very, very powerful!
"Oh? Is that so?"
Yamato reacted to Naruto's words, then looked at the frozen sea below and said curiously, "To be able to freeze such a large area of the sea in an instant, the person who did this is even stronger than me!"
Yamato also had the ability to create freezing air, but even if she used all her strength, she could at most freeze a few kilometers of sea around herself. This was completely incomparable to freezing a sea so vast that its end couldn't even be seen.
"It's him!"
At this moment, a pale Robin suddenly spoke, her voice trembling.
"It's Kuzan. He's here!"
"Kuzan? Who's that?"
Yamato heard Robin's words and asked curiously. Then she looked at the trembling Robin and said in surprise, "Robin, are you very afraid of him?"
"That person is terrifying!"
Robin answered with a trembling voice, her eyes filled with fear, as if she were recalling something extremely horrifying.
"Oh la la!~"
At that moment, a somewhat lazy voice sounded.
Everyone looked over and saw a figure wearing a hat with the Marine emblem and a black coat, slowly riding a bicycle across the ice.
He stopped below the small boat floating in mid-air, then raised his head and said:
"Nico Robin, no matter what, I saved your life. For you to call me terrifying… that's truly disheartening!~"
This man was Kuzan, one of the three "Strongest Vice Admirals" of Marineford and a "Monster Marine Vice Admiral." He was destined to become an Admiral—the highest combat power of the next generation of the Marines.
He was also a Logia-type Ice-Ice Fruit user.
"It's not like I asked you to let me go!"
Robin lay on the side of the boat, staring at the man on the bicycle below with fear and anger mixed together. Gritting her teeth, she said:
"If I had a choice, I would have preferred you to kill me together with Saul that day. Then I might even have thanked you!"
"Oh la la!~"
Kuzan scratched his head helplessly after hearing Robin's words.
"This is truly troublesome. Can't you live well with gratitude? Saul also hoped you could live well."
"Live well?"
Robin's emotions instantly became even more agitated.
"In my current situation, does it look like I can live well?!"
She yelled at him, nearly collapsing.
"You personally killed Saul, so how can you still say his name like nothing happened?! Who do you think ruined my life to this point?!"
Kuzan listened to Robin's almost hysterical shouting, then turned his head speechlessly.
He looked at Issho, who was standing calmly on the other side of the ship with his staff-sword.
"Is this your new backing, Nico Robin?"
"He seems very strong."
"You flatter me."
Issho replied humbly, then spoke toward Kuzan below.
"The title of 'Monster Vice Admiral' of Marineford is famous even to someone as unknown as myself."
"Please don't say that. Personally, I don't like being called a 'monster.'"
Kuzan scratched his head again.
"Although I haven't heard your name, the powerful aura you emit cannot be hidden."
"Well… I'm not very good at being polite, so I'll just be direct."
"I haven't seen your bounty poster, which means you shouldn't be a pirate or a wanted criminal of the World Government."
"However, the little girl on your ship is a major criminal wanted by the World Government."
"I came here for her."
Kuzan looked directly at Issho.
"I wonder if you would be willing to hand her over to me."
"Don't even think about it!"
Before Issho could answer, Yamato angrily shouted first.
"You Marine hat bastard! Robin is our companion!"
"If you want to take her away, you'll have to kill us first!"
"???"
Kuzan's expression stiffened slightly when he heard Yamato shouting.
He glanced at her briefly, then simply ignored her and looked back at Issho, waiting for his answer.
In Kuzan's view, Issho was the only adult present, so he must be the leader of the group.
Moreover, the aura emanating from Issho made even him feel extremely troublesome.
Before the battle had even started, he already felt a headache coming on.
But precisely because of this, he felt even more uneasy about leaving Robin beside such a dangerous person.
That was why Kuzan rushed over immediately after learning about Robin's recent situation.
"This is truly difficult."
Issho remained silent for a moment after sensing Kuzan's gaze.
Then he turned slightly in Robin's direction, feeling her intense tension and hopeful gaze.
He gently shook his head toward Kuzan with a small smile.
"Our Miss Robin doesn't seem to want to leave with you."
"So I cannot agree to your request."
"That's right!"
Yamato shouted again, pointing her spiked club toward Kuzan.
"No matter what kind of monster you are, we will absolutely not let you take Robin away!"
"Oh la la… this is truly troublesome."
Kuzan ignored Yamato again and simply spoke to Issho with a pained expression.
"I didn't originally intend to fight anyone this time."
"But if that's your answer…"
He stepped off his bicycle.
Then he raised his hand toward the small boat floating in the sky.
"I'll just have to take her by force."
"Want to fight?"
Yamato immediately pulled out her spiked club from behind her back.
"It's about time we fought!"
After speaking, she leapt directly from the ship, swinging her club down toward Kuzan.
"Wait, Yamato, you idiot!"
Naruto tried to stop her, but it was too late.
He cursed under his breath and immediately jumped down as well.
At the same time, he shouted in his mind:
"Big Fox! Lend me your Chakra! The maximum amount!"
"Oh!~"
Inside the sealed space, the Nine-Tails responded and began pouring Chakra into Naruto.
Even before the battle had begun, both Naruto and the Nine-Tails could clearly feel that the man below was a powerhouse on the same level as Issho, perhaps even stronger!
Yet Yamato had charged in without preparation.
She was far too reckless!
"Thunderclap Eight Trigrams!"
Yamato descended from the sky, her spiked club wrapped in Armament Haki, smashing down toward Kuzan's head.
BOOM!
Kuzan's upper body shattered instantly.
"Killed him?"
Yamato looked at Kuzan, who now had only half a body remaining, with a confused expression.
She had felt this man was extremely strong, so how could he be defeated so easily?
"Don't be silly, little girl."
Kuzan's shattered body quickly regenerated.
"Oh la la…"
He looked at Yamato with a complicated expression.
"Kids these days are truly terrifying."
"You're so young, yet you've already mastered Armament Haki."
As he spoke, he raised his hand.
A freezing shockwave burst from his palm.
"Ice Time Capsule!"
CRACK!
Before Yamato could react, her entire body froze into a solid ice statue.
"Yamato!"
Naruto's eyes flashed with killing intent.
In an instant, a Rasengan crackling with lightning and flames formed in his hand.
He slammed it directly into Kuzan.
"Fire God of Thunder: Great Spiral Technique!"
BOOM!!!
A huge vortex of lightning and flames erupted, completely swallowing Kuzan.
When the vortex dissipated, Kuzan's figure had vanished.
But Naruto did not relax.
Because he knew that attack could not possibly defeat him.
"Oh la la!~"
A mass of frost gathered together.
Kuzan's body reformed.
He looked at Naruto with surprise.
"Another child… and you seem even stronger than the last one."
"This is getting troublesome."
Inside the sealing space, the Nine-Tails spoke.
"Naruto… that ability… is this the so-called Logia type?"
"It should be."
Naruto responded mentally while keeping his eyes locked on Kuzan.
CRACK!
Suddenly, cracks spread across Yamato's frozen body.
The ice exploded apart.
Yamato broke free and shivered violently.
"Hiss… so cold!"
She shook her body like a wet dog, then stepped beside Naruto.
"Even though I can control freezing air too, I was frozen instantly."
"That means his ability is even stronger than mine."
"Be careful."
"You don't need to tell me that!"
Naruto snapped.
Orange Chakra erupted from his body.
Five tails swayed behind him.
"Yamato, listen carefully."
Naruto leaned close and whispered.
"That guy is extremely strong."
"Probably stronger than we can handle."
"So don't hold back. Use your full power."
"Got it!"
Yamato nodded seriously.
Her body instantly transformed into her strongest Human-Beast form, freezing clouds swirling around her.
"Oh?"
Kuzan's expression changed.
"A Mythical Zoan."
"This is quite the ability."
Then he looked at Naruto.
"And your strange power… which seems even stronger."
"It looks like you two aren't ordinary kids."
"In that case…"
Kuzan's voice grew colder.
"I guess it's fine if I get a little serious."
His body vanished instantly.
He appeared between Naruto and Yamato.
His hands, releasing terrifying freezing air, grabbed toward both of them.
"Thunderclap Eight Trigrams!"
"Flame Rasengan!"
Naruto and Yamato reacted instantly thanks to their Observation Haki.
Her club and his Rasengan collided with Kuzan's hands.
BOOM!
Steam exploded everywhere.
Inside the steam, Kuzan's lazy voice echoed.
"Young man, you thought flames would counter me."
"But that was actually a bad move."
Naruto's heart sank.
"Damn it!"
"Ice Age!"
A terrifying wave of freezing air exploded outward.
The steam froze instantly.
A massive iceberg formed around them.
Naruto and Yamato were completely sealed inside.
Even Naruto's Tailed Beast Chakra could not move for a moment.
"Naruto! Yamato!"
Robin panicked from the ship above.
Her eyes filled with guilt.
She felt it was all her fault.
She was about to jump down—
But Issho stopped her.
"Don't be impulsive, Miss Robin."
"They are fine."
"They are only temporarily restrained."
"Oh la la… he's right."
Kuzan emerged from the iceberg.
"I wouldn't seriously fight two children."
Then he looked up at Issho.
"But now… it's finally your turn, isn't it?"
"It is my honor."
Issho nodded.
He stepped to the edge of the boat.
Then he spoke gently to Robin.
"Please rest assured, Miss Robin."
"As long as you do not compromise…"
"I will not allow anyone to take you away."
He paused.
"At least not before all of us are defeated."
Then Issho leapt from the ship and landed calmly in front of Kuzan.
---
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