But then suddenly, there was a direct "bang—".
It sounded like a sharp blade striking an even harder steel plate, and Aokiji's eyes widened slightly, because he saw his ice blade blocked by Tatsumaki's Armament Haki-clad arm.
But this wasn't what surprised him most; after all, Haoshoku, Observation Haki, and Armament Haki could all be acquired through training and a certain amount of talent.
Moreover, he could tell that Tatsumaki's Armament Haki, which she was currently displaying, and her Haoshoku from before, both seemed to have just awakened. However, if it was Armament Haki awakened on the spot, even if it could block his ice blade, it shouldn't be able to do so this easily, without her retreating.
What surprised him was that Tatsumaki's method of defense against his ice blade attack was not just Armament Haki wrapped around her arm, but also Psychokinesis.
Above the pitch-black Armament Haki, there was also condensed, solidified Psychokinesis, and this was why Tatsumaki could withstand Aokiji's ice blade without retreating a single step or showing any wavering.
"Hmph," Tatsumaki snorted again, but to be honest, Aokiji's sudden attack did startle her, but Tatsumaki was too proud to show it.
But at the same time, she was enraged once more, unleashing powerful Psychokinesis. Aokiji felt as if an invisible train had hit him, and he was instantly sent flying, at a speed like a kite with its string cut in a strong wind.
Aokiji, who had already turned into a pile of ice shards, was flung back onto the island, then reformed into a person. It was fortunate that he passively used Elementalization, otherwise Tatsumaki's move would have caused him considerable damage.
"Oh dear, it seems close combat won't work either," Aokiji said, looking up at Tatsumaki in the sky, somewhat helplessly rubbing his head.
Through their previous exchanges, he understood that Tatsumaki's Psychokinesis was indeed very powerful. If it weren't for Elementalization, he would have suffered greatly and been injured long ago.
Tatsumaki's Psychokinesis was strong, but it couldn't harm him in his Elementalization state. However, he also couldn't do anything to Tatsumaki, because her Psychokinesis was very strong, making long-range attacks completely ineffective, though close combat was still an option.
But as Admiral Level powerhouses...
Aokiji could feel that even though the other party was just a Little girl much younger than him, her experience was equally rich. After that previous encounter, she wouldn't let him get close easily.
After all, Teacher Zephyr was right; they, the Three Admirals of the Navy, were indeed very reliant on their Devil Fruit Abilities.
Compared to their Devil Fruit Abilities, their other aspects, while not weak in this great sea, ultimately led them to develop their Devil Fruit Abilities beyond their other skills.
To put it this way, when it came to martial arts, Six Powers, and the like, even Momousagi and Tokikake, the two Reserve Admirals, were slightly stronger than them.
As for Haki, they were fine. After all, the Three Admirals all understood the importance of Haki in this great sea. Although none of them possessed Haoshoku, their training and mastery of Observation Haki and Armament Haki were very strong.
But in any case, it would be very difficult to get close to Tatsumaki again using the Soru and Moonwalk he had demonstrated earlier, given his mastery and ability. She would certainly be on guard. However, as it stood, it seemed neither of them could do anything to the other.
"Forget it, this mission isn't about capture anyway, but rather a test. I'll just symbolically fight a bit more." Aokiji's head ached more the more he thought about it, then he stopped thinking altogether and once again unleashed his techniques, sending a barrage of Freeze-Freeze Fruit abilities towards Tatsumaki, as if they were free.
However, in the face of Tatsumaki's powerful Psychokinesis, the tangible ice was easily blocked by her. And just as she had said herself, with Tatsumaki now on guard, it became extremely difficult for Aokiji to get close, unable to even approach within five meters of her.
But the power of the two combatants created a huge commotion on this isolated island battlefield, with ice and snow covering the ground, and the earth shaking.
Either a piece of the island was broken off, or another part was frozen solid.
The Straw Hat Pirates watched, deeply shocked. Was this the battle of the top powerhouses in this great sea?
Nami, who had initially been worried, no longer feared that Tatsumaki would be no match for Aokiji, because given their current evenly matched struggle, even if Tatsumaki couldn't win, she probably wouldn't lose either.
In her eyes, this battle might end in a draw.
And as the battle continued, even The Girls of the Pink Hat Pirates were full of admiration, praising Tatsumaki's immense strength.
They were also very fortunate and happy to have such a powerful combatant as a companion in Tatsumaki.
But at the same time, their hearts were also filled with confidence, especially Shiro and Kuina, as they were not far behind Tatsumaki, and the other girls were also confident they could catch up.
However, Nami's thought was also their thought: the battle between Tatsumaki and Aokiji would likely end in a draw.
But only Luna showed a meaningful smile; in this battle, Tatsumaki could only win, not lose.
Although the current battle situation indeed showed both sides unable to do anything to the other.
The reason Tatsumaki couldn't deal with Aokiji was still his Elementalization; Psychokinesis, being pure physical damage, was ineffective.
However, to counter Elementalization, while Tatsumaki didn't possess powerful energy attacks, her Armament Haki was newly awakened, and she wasn't skilled in close combat. After all, Haki needs to be combined with strong martial arts or exquisite swordsmanship to achieve greater effects, where 1+1 is greater than 3, but in this regard, Tatsumaki was also somewhat at a loss against Aokiji.
But there are other ways to deal with Elementalization, or rather, it's a common weakness of all Devil Fruit Users.
That is, seawater and Sea Stone.
Tatsumaki was also very clever and quickly used Psychokinesis to manipulate the seawater outside the island to attack Aokiji.
But unfortunately, Aokiji is a Freeze-Freeze Fruit User. He simply froze the incoming seawater into ice blocks, rendering it ineffective against him.
But if seawater wouldn't work, then there was Sea Stone, which is harder than diamonds and steel, and can instantly render a Devil Fruit User powerless upon contact. Even a Devil Fruit User's attack struggles to damage Sea Stone.
It is something even more terrifying than seawater for a Devil Fruit User.
And currently, on their ship, Sea Stone was not in short supply, as the Navy had sent so much last time, and Long Long hadn't used much of it.
They had even crafted many weapons and handcuffs from Sea Stone to better deal with Devil Fruit Users in the future.
Thinking of this, Luna gave a wicked smile, then immediately used her communication device to secretly contact Tatsumaki, and at the same time, told Long Long to bring out a few Sea Stone weapons.
Also, they should ideally be suitable for Tatsumaki's Psychokinesis.
Tatsumaki, who had once again easily parried Aokiji's attack, was first stunned when she heard Luna's message, then immediately overjoyed.
But knowing that Shiro still had to retrieve them, she could only continue fighting Aokiji for a while longer.
Meanwhile, Carmen and the other two had also returned—yes, returned—because the battle between Tatsumaki and Aokiji had accidentally affected the Straw Hat Pirates earlier.
Also, to provide a quiet environment for Luffy and Robin to recuperate.
The Straw Hat Pirates had already left, as they feared Aokiji would go back on his word, just like before.
He had clearly said he wouldn't deal with them, but then immediately beat them up. If the Pink Hat Pirates hadn't suddenly appeared there, Robin and Luffy might have been in mortal danger in their eyes.
After all, they couldn't tell that Aokiji had gone easy on them; their strength was too low to perceive it.
But regardless, the Straw Hat Pirates had now left.
Carmen and the other two could only return. Carmen, the two others, and Kuina were all immediately a bit disappointed about meeting again only to have to part so soon.
It was Luna who comforted them, saying they would meet again in Water Seven and might even spend some time together.
They then immediately cheered up; that was much better.
"I'm here!" But suddenly, a voice came from behind The Girls. The Girls turned to look and saw Shiro emerging with several weapons.
There were four longswords, four long spears, and even four hammers, a total of 12 weapons, and judging by their material...
It was clear they were all crafted from Sea Stone, without any other material mixed in.
"Perfect timing, ha ha ha, Tatsumaki!" Luna's eyes lit up when she saw them, then she immediately turned around and shouted loudly to Tatsumaki.
"Hm? Oh! Haha, they're finally here! Hey, Admiral Aokiji, right? You're definitely going to lose now." Tatsumaki heard the voice, first turned her head to look, was stunned for a moment, then became overjoyed.
She immediately taunted him, her voice brimming with confidence.
But as she spoke, she casually waved her hand, and the 12 weapons Shiro had brought out immediately glowed with a layer of green light; they were being controlled by Psychokinesis.
As if given invisible wings, the 12 weapons immediately floated up and flew to Tatsumaki's side.
Like a fleet of patrol ships protecting an aircraft carrier, they were the most loyal and strongest guardians.
"Hmm, no way?" Aokiji's face instantly changed when he saw these twelve weapons, even showing some shock.
No kidding, he frequently dealt with pirates, and the most common thing he used was Sea Stone chains. After all, unlike Akainu, that iron-blooded Admiral who annihilated pirates, he preferred to directly capture pirates and send them to prison.
He had a bit of conscience, sending them to prison to live out their lives.
But at this moment, Aokiji also recognized that these 12 weapons were made of Sea Stone.
This was going to be troublesome now.
"Hehehe, take this!" Tatsumaki sneered twice with ill intent, then with a casual wave, four long spears shot out like bullets from a barrel.
They rapidly approached Aokiji, who immediately dodged. He knew very well that at such high speed, coupled with the hardness of Sea Stone, anything he released would easily be shattered. Moreover, his Freeze-Freeze Fruit Ability, in terms of offensive power, was inherently inferior to Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit and Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit.
But he still underestimated Tatsumaki, especially the explosive combat power of the Psychokinesis-Psychokinesis Fruit combined with Tatsumaki's inherent Psychokinesis, once the two powers merged.
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