Chapter 353 - 192

Chapter 192: Island of Ice and Fire: Absolute Justice!The scents of burning and freezing collided in the air, emitting a hissing groan.On the land of Punk Hazard, one half was a hell of eternal flames, the other half a purgatory of piercing, eternal ice.Right on the frontline where these two met, two men had been locked in a standoff for ten days and nine nights.Sakazuki—Marine Admiral "Akainu," stood upon the scorched earth where magma surged.His Marine coat was riddled with holes, his exposed skin covered in frostbite, but his eyes were hotter than the magma beneath his feet.His "justice" allowed for no stain, no compromise; much like his Devil Fruit ability, it sought to incinerate all evil, even if the flames consumed the innocent in the process.Opposite him, Kuzan—Admiral "Aokiji," sat cross-legged on the edge of a frozen cliff, frost that would never melt congealed on his legs.His usually languid face was tense now, the right side of his body covered in thick ice armor, while his left leg throbbed with the searing pain of magma burns.His "justice" was one of measurement and mercy, a cold, calm judgment rather than a fanaticism that burned everything away."Kuzan!!" Sakazuki's voice sounded like rolling magma from deep underground."Your hesitation and weakness are the very cancer preventing the Marine from eradicating evil."Kuzan exhaled a breath of white mist, which instantly condensed into tiny ice crystals in the air:"Sakazuki, your 'Absolute Justice' will burn away not just pirates, but the humanity of the Marine as well.""Humanity?" Sakazuki sneered as the magma beneath his feet spread."In the face of evil, humanity is unnecessary; only iron and fire are needed."——————Ten days ago, Marineford, Fleet Admiral's office.Sengoku removed his frog-like glasses and rubbed his brow wearily.Standing across the desk were the Three Admiralsof the Marine—Sakazuki, Kuzan, and the "absent due to injury" Borsalino."The World Government has approved my resignation."Sengoku's voice echoed in the spacious office."But the next Fleet Admiral must be chosen from the two of you."The air in the office seemed to freeze.Sakazuki straightened his back, like a volcano about to erupt; Kuzan leaned against the wall, looking casual, but his eyes were as sharp as ice picks."Sakazuki's 'Absolute Justice' showed its power during the Marineford War," Sengoku said slowly, "but Kuzan's 'Calm Justice' is more balanced for handling the complex situation after the war.""Balanced?"Sakazuki interrupted."Fleet Admiral Sengoku, it is that very 'balance' that allowed Roger's bloodline to survive for twenty years!""It is 'balance' that allowed Whitebeard's remnants to escape! We need complete eradication, not balance!"Kuzan opened his eyes:"Complete eradication? Just like when you ordered the shelling of the civilian ship at Ohara?""Sakazuki, sometimes the methods we use to eliminate evil create new evils themselves."Their gazes collided in the air, almost sparking with real fire.Sengoku sighed: "I have already recommended to the Gorosei that Kuzan succeed me as Fleet Admiral."Sakazuki's fist clenched tightly, and the temperature in the office rose sharply."But," Sengoku shifted his tone,"the Gorosei believe that in this era where pirate powers are reshuffling, the Marine needs a tougher leader."Kuzan's pupils constricted slightly."So they have finally decided,"Sengoku stood up, his gaze sweeping over the two,"that you will decide it yourselves, in the most traditional way of the Marine—strength."The corner of Sakazuki's mouth curled into a scorching arc:"Just as I intended."Kuzan remained silent for a long time, then finally nodded slowly:"...I understand."——————At this moment, Punk Hazard, the tenth day.The sky was divided in two.One half was a thick, dark cloud formed by volcanic ash, with magma raining down like drops of water; the other half was a raging blizzard, with hailstones smashing into the earth like bullets."Meteor Volcano!"Sakazuki turned his fists into massive magma, pounding violently towards the sky.Countless magma fists fell like meteorites, covering the entire ice field."Ice Age!"Kuzan pressed his hands to the ground, and the extreme cold spread instantly, freezing the falling magma into black rock in mid-air, only for it to be shattered, melted, and frozen again by subsequent magma... a repetitive cycle.For ten days, the geography of this island had been completely altered.Both had reached their limits.Sakazuki's left arm was permanently frostbitten, the nerves dead; Kuzan's right leg was severely burned by magma, with irreversible damage to both muscle and bone.But their battle was not just about power; it was a life-and-death clash of two ideologies."Why don't you understand, Kuzan!"Sakazuki roared after another collision,"Pirates are evil! Sympathizing with evil is hypocrisy!""The scholars of Ohara studying the poneglyphwere shaking the foundations of the world!""They all had to die, including those civilian ships that might have been hiding scholars!"Kuzan's breath turned into white mist in the bitter cold:"Sakazuki... I saw the desperate faces of those children on the shores of Ohara.""They knew nothing, they were just born in the wrong place... Does your justice not even allow for that?""It does not!"Sakazuki's massive magma fist slammed into the ground, red-hot magma surging from the cracks,"The slightest bit of weakness will let evil fester!""—For the safety of the majority, the sacrifice of the few is necessary!""—Then who gets to decide who is a 'necessary sacrifice'?"Kuzan created a massive ice saber,"You? The World Government?""How is this self-righteous 'justice' any different from the lawlessness of pirates!""Meigo!"Sakazuki's magma fist suddenly accelerated, piercing through the ice wall Kuzan had hastily created, striking straight at his chest.Kuzan elementalized his body at the last moment, but the extreme heat of the magma still burned his internal organs."Argh!" Kuzan coughed up blood mixed with ice shards."It's over, Kuzan!" Sakazuki transformed his entire body into a magma giant,"Great Eruption!!"The final strike, capable of altering the terrain, descended.Kuzan knew this was the deciding moment.He could choose to dodge, to preserve himself, but that would mean Sakazuki would become Fleet Admiral, and it would mean the Marine would head down that unquestioning, ruthless path.Or...Kuzan closed his eyes,recalling the faces of those children on the Oharacoast,recalling what Sengoku said to him on the eve of his resignation:"Kuzan, sometimes standing by your own justice requires more courage than following orders."He opened his eyes, his deep blue pupils reflecting the overwhelming magma."Ice Age: Final Stand!"The extreme cold no longer spread but condensed into a single point.Kuzan recalled all the cold air scattered across the island over the past ten days, creating an unprecedented realm of absolute zero in front of him.This was not to freeze the enemy, but to freeze the "result."Magma and extreme cold collided.There was no explosion, no deafening roar.Only a strange sound, as if the world itself were groaning.The magma began to solidify one meter in front of Kuzan, turning from scorching liquid to dark red solid, and then to cold black rock.But Sakazuki's impact force did not dissipate; it pushed this constantly growing black rock pillar, slowly but unstoppably moving forward.Fifty centimeters... thirty centimeters... ten centimeters.The tip of the black rock pillar stopped right in front of Kuzan's chest, the last trace of heat devoured by the cold.But the rock pillar did not stop growing—it pierced out from behind Kuzan, carrying his blood, and quickly cooled into a sharp black crystal in the cold wind.Sakazuki's massive magma fist was also completely frozen at the same time, the cold spreading along his elementalized arm, invading his very body.He groaned, forcibly shattering the ice, but his right arm had temporarily lost all sensation.Both men collapsed at the same time.Punk Hazard fell into an eerie silence.Only the gurgling sound of slowly flowing magma and the clicking sound of ice constantly growing.After a long time, Sakazuki struggled to stand, his right arm hanging limply, but his left fist remained clenched:"Stand up, Kuzan. Is your justice... ending here?"On the ice, Kuzan struggled to support his body.There was a terrifying piercing wound on his chest, where ice crystals were spreading, forcing the bleeding to stop.He looked at Sakazuki, then at this island permanently altered by their battle.Half fire, half ice, just like their irreconcilable ideologies."Sakazuki..." Kuzan's voice was weak but clear,"Your justice may lead the Marine to victory... or it may lead to ruin.""Then you should have stopped me with your life,"Sakazuki walked towards him, magma gathering in his left fist, "if you truly believed you were right."Kuzan looked at that magma fist and suddenly smiled.There was no bitterness of a loser in that smile, but rather a strange sense of relief."I couldn't stop you..." He slowly stood up, the ice crystals at his wound cracking,"just as you couldn't completely convince me."Sakazuki's fist stopped in mid-air."But I can choose not to participate." Kuzan turned, dragging his injured leg towards the coast,"You won this battle, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki."Sakazuki's magma fist slowly extinguished: "Are you leaving the Marine?""—I am leaving your Marine!"Kuzan did not look back,"I will find the real answer in my own way. About justice, about the world..."Sakazuki watched silently as his former colleague drifted further and further away.In the end, he did not pursue, nor did he stop him.He simply stood where he was until Kuzan's figure disappeared at the edge of the ice field.Two days later, Marineford officially announced: Sakazuki defeated Kuzan and succeeded as Fleet Admiral!!At the same time, the former Admiral Aokiji, Kuzan, left the Marine due to his defeat and his whereabouts were unknown.Punk Hazard permanently became the "Island of Ice and Fire," half burning, half frozen.Just like that battle, witnessed by no one but which decided the future of the Marine,Just like those two forever incompatible forms of justice,They continued their silent war on this great sea