Chapter 319 - 158

Chapter 158: Ice and Magma, The Battle for Fleet Admiral!!Luffy was drifting slowly through the New World,but a major event that would determine the fate of the Marine was unfolding!Former Fleet Admiral Sengoku had resigned to take responsibility for the tragic outcome of the Marineford War,and the vacant position of Fleet Admiral was like a lit stick of dynamite, instantly igniting a power struggle within the Marine.Aokiji Kuzan, the leader of the moderate faction, had won the full support of Sengoku and the senior veterans with his calm and inclusive style of conduct, as they firmly believed that only gentle governance could maintain the balance of the seas;while the core of the hardline faction, AkainuSakazuki, had garnered the support of the vast majority of the rank-and-file soldiers through his iron-fisted philosophy of Absolute Justice, and even received the explicit endorsement of the Gorosei, the world's highest authority.The compromise of the moderates and the radicalism of the hardliners clashed, striking blinding sparks,and every corridor in Marineford and every warship was filled with confrontational arguments and hidden hostility.The conflict between the two factions had escalated to an irreconcilable point.Finally, the Gorosei issued a decisive order to end the dispute in the most direct and cruelest way possible:let Aokiji and Akainu engage in a duel to the death; the winner would be the new Fleet Admiral of the Marine!...The New World, Punk Hazard!This place was once a Marine research base where Vegapunk conducted his famous research,but two years ago, Caesar's experiment led to the release of massive amounts of poison gas, turning the island into a dead zone.On the island at this moment,Akainu had a resolute face, his eyes as sharp as quenched steel; he wore the Marine Admiral's coat of justice, his figure burly and upright, exuding an aura of iron-blooded slaughter.Aokiji was tall and slender, with curly hair and thick lips, often wearing an eye mask; he wore a white suit vest and a dark blue shirt, draped in a Marinecoat, displaying a lazy, domineering presence."Ara ara, I never expected it, Sakazuki, that there would come a day when you and I would cross swords!!"At this moment, Aokiji was no longer his usual lazy self; his eyes were filled with bone-chilling cold.The aura around him changed abruptly at that moment.With him as the center, pale frost surged and expanded like a tidal wave; everything it touched froze, and even the air condensed into tiny ice crystals."Enough talk! Between you and me, there can only be a fight to the death!"With a sinister laugh, Akainu slammed his military boots onto the ground— Boom!The ground for ten miles around instantly cracked like a spiderweb as crimson magma, like a raging dragon, erupted from the fissures, the scorching heat waves threatening to incinerate everything.In just a single breath, the entire island was shrouded in a desperate landscape of ice and fire; half was frozen for miles, the other half steaming with flames, as if a natural disaster had descended. This was the terrifying pressure of an Awakened Logia user!A hint of an eerie red glow flashed in Aokiji's eyes; he tapped his toes on the ground, his figure retreating like a ghost.At the same time, he shouted coldly: "Ice Block: Partisan!"The water vapor in the air was instantly drawn out and condensed, and dozens of incomparably sharp ice spears appeared out of thin air.The spear tips glinted with a bone-chilling cold light, shooting toward Akainu like meteors, so fast they tore through the air!However, Akainu's eyes remained calm. He suddenly clenched his right fist, and a crimson magma symbolizing the destruction of hell, wrapped in terrifying heat, condensed."Meigo!"The scorching wind from his fist vaporized all the incoming ice spears into a sky full of white mist.But Aokiji did not stop; he raised his left hand abruptly.The extreme cold qi spread wildly along his arm, instantly transforming into a massive ice bird that blotted out the sky.As its transparent wings flapped, the space it passed through seemed about to freeze, and it swooped down toward Akainu with an irresistible force!"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"The extreme low temperature rushed toward him, as if an entire iceberg had collapsed, even freezing the light until it seemed sluggish.But in Akainu's cold eyes, a fierce, arrogant light ignited, and a bloodthirsty curve appeared at the corner of his mouth as his giant magma fist, carrying the power of a volcanic eruption, slammed forward!The crimson magma instantly crushed the ice bird, but Aokiji's extreme cold did not dissipate; instead, it stuck firmly to Akainu's body like a maggot on a bone..."Kuzan, can you only hide and dodge? If you have the guts, fight me head-on!"Akainu roared, pressing forward step by step, the magma burning the ground with a crackling sound.Aokiji's mouth twitched, and he cursed inwardly:Play melee with a control type against a burst type?Except for that monster Kaido, who dares to take a Meigo head-on?"Ara ara, your provocation doesn't work on me; I have my own way of fighting."He breathed out a puff of white mist, his expression becoming increasingly grave, and the cold air around him grew even more biting."Is that so?"Akainu suddenly lowered his center of gravity, his internal magma power exploding completely, and the magma erupting from the ground fissures was like a beast unleashed.Carrying a world-destroying heat, his giant magma fist, flashing with a fierce light, smashed toward Aokiji.That crimson color, symbolizing destruction, rapidly enlarged in Aokiji's pupils!Aokiji gritted his teeth helplessly, clenched his right fist, and frost instantly condensed into a thick gauntlet, wrapped in incomparably powerful Armament Haki, and smashed it against the giant magma fist."Ice Iron Fist!"The blue-white extreme cold fist and the crimson flame fist collided violently in mid-air— Boom!A terrifying wave of air swept in all directions, and a sky full of white mist rose up, shrouding the entire island."Heh, Kuzan, is this all the ability Garp taught you?"Akainu suddenly increased his force, the power of the magma erupted, and the powerful shockwave instantly sent Aokiji flying.In mid-air, Aokiji suppressed the surging blood in his body, and with a thought, countless ice spears condensed again, stabbing down toward Akainulike a rainstorm."Small tricks!"Akainu swung his giant magma fist, the wind from the punch carrying high heat, incinerating all the ice spears.But at that very moment, Aokiji's eyes suddenly sharpened— "A weakness!"The sky-filling white mist instantly gathered in front of him, and Aokiji stomped heavily on the ground, shouting coldly: "Ice Time: Partisan!"Bone-chilling ice thorns broke through the ground like a giant dragon, and with a crisp cracking sound, they instantly wrapped around Akainu's limbs.The ice crystals spread at a speed visible to the naked eye, and in the blink of an eye, he was frozen into a crystal-clear ice sculpture!Aokiji raised his hand without hesitation, and another lifelike ice bird condensed into shape, shooting out with a sharp whistle that tore through the air.But his own figure was retreating frantically, the cold air around him raised to the extreme.— He knew well the terror of Akainu!Sure enough, inside the ice sculpture, a flash of crimson light suddenly lit up, and the extreme heat instantly melted the solid ice!"Crack — Boom!"Akainu broke out of the ice, his entire right arm having completely turned into boiling magma, bubbling and popping; the dripping magma burned charred deep pits into the ground as he sneered and approached:"Kuzan, if you could use this thought and effort to cleanse the seas, would there still be so much scum in this world?""Sakazuki, you are too extreme!"Aokiji's eyes were cold, but the anger in the depths of his eyes burned brighter and brighter,"If you become Fleet Admiral, comrades, subordinates, and even innocent civilians will become bargaining chips for your cleansing of the seas!""As long as the goal can be achieved, anyone can be a bargaining chip!"Akainu did not stop, his magma power becoming even more violent, "This is Justice!""You damn bastard!"Even though he had long known Akainu's philosophy, the anger in Aokiji's eyes still erupted completely.What surged around him was no longer cold air, but killing intent so surging it was almost tangible.The intertwining of extreme cold and anger made the temperature of this ice-and-fire island even more eerie!— He would absolutely not allow Akainu to turn the Marine into a machine that only knew how to kill!!Two waves of red and blue energy, as tangible as reality, surged out from around the two men, transforming into distinct torrents of energy in mid-air, clashing, tearing, and crushing each other fiercely!The cold air was like a raging wave formed of ten-thousand-year-old black ice, carrying a biting chill that froze everything;the magma was like a fire dragon erupting from the purgatory of the earth's core, burning with a ferocity that incinerated all things.Where the two forces clashed, the steaming white mist and flying sparks intertwined, causing the space itself to tremble slightly.The coats behind them were whipped by the chaotic airflow, flapping loudly, like war flags dancing wildly.This was the ultimate confrontation between cold and magma, and even more, it was a life-and-death collision of two philosophies of justice —one side holding fast to its bottom line, using ice to guard the order in its heart;the other side paranoid and extreme, using magma to incinerate all "obstacles",there was no retreat, only a fight!...Marineford, the Marine Headquarters.The silence of the Fleet Admiral's office was broken by a crisp "crunch" sound, and the rich aroma of senbei spread from the source, bringing a touch of worldly atmosphere to the solemn hall.Sengoku sat opposite, his brows knitting almost imperceptibly, but in the end, he said nothing.After all, it was Garp; this old guy could always find amusement in the most inappropriate situations."Do you think Kuzan can do it?"He finally spoke, his gaze falling on the proposal for the successor to the Fleet Admiral on the desk, his tone carrying a bit of caution.Garp was chewing with his cheeks puffed out; hearing this, he casually picked his nose and laughed heartily and confidently:"Relax, relax! You're looking down on my direct disciple way too much, aren't you?"Sengoku rolled his eyes at him, secretly complaining in his heart.With this old guy's teaching style, he was purely leading his students astray.Usually, it was either the "Fist of Love" greeting his disciple's head, or him leisurely watching people punch warships and smash mountains.Kuzan had reached his current height solely due to his innate talent, combined with that pure, almost stubborn state of mind."Seriously, I thought you would recommend Sakazuki."Garp suddenly put his arm around Sengoku's shoulder and grinned,"Among the Three Admirals, only that guy Akainuwould let you command him as you please, right?"He wasn't wrong; in his early years, Sengoku was a hardline hawk, acting decisively and ruthlessly."It's not the same."Sengoku rubbed his temples, his expression adding a touch of helplessness,"Sakazuki is a pure soldier. If Kuzan is elected, even if he isn't convinced in his heart, he will still follow military orders.""Soldiers don't need unnecessary thoughts; they only need absolute execution."He paused, his tone deepening:"But if Sakazuki sits in the position of Fleet Admiral, Kuzan, who cannot stand his brand of 'Absolute Justice', will in all likelihood leave the Marine."The aroma of senbei was still lingering, but the air in the Fleet Admiral's office had unknowingly grown heavier.