Fight?
There was no chance he could win.
But should he really leave just because Roy told him to?
That would be humiliating!
Moreover, the word "Justice" emblazoned across his back would never allow him to be frightened away by a few words without even putting up a fight.
If he failed to complete his mission, the furious Five Elders might genuinely strip him of his position as a Marine admiral.
For a moment, Aokiji found himself caught in a dilemma.
"Zephyr asked me to send you his regards. He also said that you're welcome to speak with him whenever you like, especially if you still feel uncertain about the justice you believe in."
Roy pressed the issue further.
He could have simply killed Aokiji, but Aokiji was one of the few people in the Marines whom Roy genuinely respected.
Furthermore, Zephyr had indeed mentioned Aokiji before, so Roy decided to do him this favor.
"Zephyr-sensei?"
At the mention of Zephyr, Aokiji's expression immediately softened, but the emotions in his eyes became even more complicated.
That was especially true after hearing the message Zephyr had entrusted to Roy.
Was he uncertain about the Marines' justice?
Deep down, he really had begun to feel a trace of doubt.
However, the war against the Whitebeard Pirates was about to begin. He could not afford to let his thoughts wander.
"But as a Marine, I cannot flee without fighting. So…"
Aokiji straightened his body, and both his gaze and expression turned deathly cold.
The ground beneath his feet froze instantly, with the ice radiating outward from him in every direction.
"Everyone, run!"
Luffy hurriedly fled with his companions. Even while escaping, he did not forget to turn around and shout:
"Thank you, Rayleigh-ojisan! And thank you too, unknown pirate!"
"Unknown pirate?!"
Rayleigh nearly threw out his back while retreating.
The ice spreading across the ground seemed to pause for an instant, while the companions fleeing alongside Luffy also stumbled.
"Are you really that oblivious?!"
Everyone screamed the same retort in their heads.
Even the corner of Roy's eye twitched.
Yep.
That was Luffy, all right.
Roy looked over the vast area of frozen ground, his eyes filled with admiration as he turned toward Aokiji.
"A Devil Fruit awakening? As expected of one of the Marines' monsters. However, the last Marine monster I faced was killed by me more than ten years ago!"
Roy took a single step forward.
The ice surrounding him instantly shattered!
Bolts of lightning erupted one after another, forming a raging storm that swept up massive chunks of ice and surged toward Aokiji.
"Ice Age!"
With a serious expression, Aokiji fired two pillars of ice from his palms, freezing the lightning-filled storm before him.
"Not bad, but that's all."
Roy's voice suddenly came from behind Aokiji, causing his expression to become grave.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
Aokiji gathered cold air around his right arm before whipping it backward and releasing an ice bird with tremendous impact force.
The massive bird shot directly behind him, freezing everything along its path.
However, before the ice bird could even approach Roy, it instantly disintegrated.
"Electromagnetic: Molecular Decomposition."
Using electromagnetic force, Roy directly separated the molecules that formed the ice particles making up the bird.
Once those particles were separated, the ice bird they had formed naturally collapsed.
"Ice Block: Partisan!"
The failure of his ice bird did not affect Aokiji.
He stepped backward and crossed his arms into an X. Four trident-shaped ice spears formed in the air before shooting toward Roy.
At the same time, Aokiji continued moving his hands, firing wave after wave of freezing shock waves at him.
"Ice Time Capsule!"
"There are clearly four trident-shaped spears, yet the move's literal name is 'Two-Thorned Spear.' And those are nothing more than musket-like shock waves. What do they have to do with a capsule?"
As Roy complained, a fiery red sphere of light ignited above his right hand.
"Flame Bullet!"
"BOOM!"
The two attacks collided, producing a violent explosion.
Amid the dust and flying shards of ice, Roy's voice rang out.
"I don't have any more time to waste on you. We'll settle this with the next move. Brace yourself—and try not to die."
Upon hearing those words, Aokiji's body instantly transformed into ice.
He pushed every ounce of his strength and focus to their absolute peak.
"Ice Ball! Ice Time!"
With a solemn expression, Aokiji released five pillars of ice from his palms into the area around him.
The pillars converged, freezing him within an enormous sphere of ice that served as a defensive barrier.
"This is the ultimate attack that took down Kaido. Let's see how well you can withstand it!"
Roy brought his hands together.
"Ka… me… ha… me…"
"HA!"
"BOOM!"
A brilliant blue energy wave resembling a falling meteor instantly struck the massive ice sphere surrounding Aokiji.
An earth-shattering explosion erupted.
The resulting shock wave rolled across the entire island, and even the surrounding sea churned violently.
"If you're still alive, go back and tell Sengoku and the Five Elders that, sooner or later, the Thunder God Pirates will go to war with the World Government."
Roy's voice drifted over from the distance.
He had clearly already left the area.
The ice fragments shattered by the explosion suddenly gathered together in midair, forming a human figure.
"Thud!"
Aokiji fell weakly onto the ground.
Blood continued to spill from his mouth as he coughed, and his entire body looked exceptionally battered.
"The Thunder Emperor made it look so effortless. I never imagined the attack would possess that much power."
Aokiji's voice returned to its usual lazy drawl, and his entire body relaxed.
"It looks like this mission has failed after all. Honestly, nothing has gone right this year. I'm going to receive another thorough scolding when I return. Still, since the Thunder Emperor interfered, they probably won't remove me from my position as an admiral… right?"
...
At that moment, beneath one of the massive Yarukiman Mangroves, Roy gave Rayleigh a faint smile.
"I've heard a great deal about you, Dark King Rayleigh-san."
"You flatter me."
Rayleigh smiled.
"I still remember the first time we met, even though it was many years ago. I merely wanted to see what the so-called hero of freedom who attacked Mary Geoise looked like. That was why I deliberately accepted the commission to coat your ship."
Rayleigh could undoubtedly be considered a legend of the Grand Line.
However, compared to the Roy of the present day, Rayleigh already belonged to another era.
Now, as long as Roy wished, he could reach Laugh Tale at any moment.
He did not need the Road Poneglyphs.
Instant Transmission alone could take him there.
Among the emperors of the sea, both Whitebeard and Red-Hair Shanks had already been defeated by Roy.
Only Big Mom had yet to fight him, but Roy had stopped taking her seriously long ago.
(End of Chapter)
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