Intense Armament Haki flowed across the edge of Kaito's golden blades.
The power contained within that slash was unmistakable.
If Kuzan failed to evade it...
He might have to trade his bicycle for a wheelchair in the future.
Rather than contest Kaito's monstrous strength head-on, Kuzan decisively used the force generated through his ice saber to push himself backward.
He retreated swiftly.
Kaito immediately pursued.
With both golden sabers flashing in rapid succession, he launched another relentless assault.
"Ice Block: Twin Thorn Spears!"
Dozens of razor-sharp ice spears materialized around Kuzan, each one coated in Armament Haki.
Just as Kaito's blades descended, the entire barrage erupted toward him at once.
What appeared to be a retreat had instantly become a counteroffensive.
Facing the rain of incoming spears, Kaito altered his attack without hesitation.
His twin sabers transformed into an impenetrable wall of golden blade light.
One spear after another was either sliced cleanly in half or knocked aside before it could reach him.
"Frozen Time Capsule!"
The moment his feet touched the glacier again, Kuzan launched his next attack without giving Kaito a chance to breathe.
He thrust out his palm.
A violent shockwave of freezing air exploded forward.
It engulfed Kaito almost instantly.
Crack!!
Still occupied with destroying the remaining ice spears, Kaito was unable to evade the blast of cold.
His entire body froze solid in an instant.
A massive block of ice sealed him completely inside.
His physical strength really is monstrous...
But as long as I keep my distance, he's still manageable.
Kuzan exhaled a stream of frosty breath.
Seeing Kaito imprisoned inside the ice, he calmly lowered his arm and stepped forward.
This time...
He had no intention of capturing Kaito alive.
He intended to kill him.
Part of the reason was Kaito's increasingly brutal actions, which Kuzan found impossible to tolerate.
The greater reason, however, was the danger Kaito represented.
Even after only a brief exchange, Kuzan had already realized that Kaito possessed the same terrifying physical power as monsters like Charlotte Linlin.
Someone like that...
Was far too dangerous to leave alive.
Compared to imprisoning him in Impel Down...
Destroying him here was the safer option.
Crack...
Boom!!
Just as Kuzan approached the frozen prison—
Countless cracks suddenly spread across the enormous block of ice.
Almost simultaneously—
The entire glacier exploded into countless fragments.
Kuzan's expression shifted.
He immediately leaped backward.
His eyes widened slightly as he watched Kaito emerge from the shattered ice completely unharmed.
Just like Kuzan earlier, Kaito casually shook the remaining frost from his body after breaking free with the force of his Armament Haki.
A puff of cold breath escaped his lips.
Holding one golden saber casually across his shoulder, he smiled at Kuzan.
"That was dangerous."
"I was almost killed just now."
"Don't joke."
"You don't look like someone who was in any danger."
Kuzan's voice remained calm as he stared at Kaito's body.
There wasn't even the slightest trace of frostbite.
Unlike Ice Age, which sacrificed freezing intensity for massive range...
Frozen Time Capsule focused entirely on concentrated freezing power.
Its freezing ability was considerably stronger.
Yet Kaito had taken the technique head-on.
Not only had he broken free almost immediately...
He hadn't even suffered frostbite.
Not only has he mastered advanced Armament Haki...
His physical durability is probably on the same level as Charlotte Linlin's.
Kuzan silently reassessed his opponent.
The caution—and killing intent—in his eyes deepened.
"That's Marine Admiral Aokiji!"
"I thought he had already returned to the Grand Line! Why is he back in East Blue?"
"The captain will be fine!"
"He's a Marine Admiral, but our captain is a monster too!"
"Don't waste time!"
"The captain bought us time by breaking the ice! We have to clear a path and get out of here!"
"Right! Once we leave, the captain won't have to worry about protecting us anymore!"
Meanwhile, the harbor remained in complete chaos.
Robin and the others had naturally recognized Kuzan the moment he appeared.
His sudden arrival shocked everyone.
Watching Kaito battle one of Marine Headquarters' strongest forces filled the crew with anxiety.
Fortunately, before anyone could rush to help, the three rescued ships had already returned with Kaito's orders.
After hearing those instructions, Lafayette and Law immediately understood Kaito's intentions.
Without hesitation, they began carrying them out.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Cannons roared continuously.
Although Kuzan's ice covered the sea in an astonishingly thick layer, the concentrated bombardment from the War Pirates gradually blasted open a navigable channel.
One ship after another advanced through the broken ice.
While continuing to fire nonstop, the fleet steadily pushed toward Reverse Mountain.
On the deck of the flagship, Tashigi stood beside Robin.
Noticing Robin's unusually pale face, she asked worriedly,
"Robin... are you alright?"
Robin took a slow breath before shaking her head.
"I'm fine."
She forced herself to calm down, refusing to let the fear rising inside her take control.
Her eyes never left the distant battlefield.
When Kuzan had first appeared...
Panic had almost overwhelmed her.
The fear she had carried since childhood instinctively resurfaced.
But after seeing Kaito stand against Kuzan without retreating...
Her panic gradually faded.
I'm not the same person I used to be.
Even if it's a Marine Admiral...
My captain will protect me.
Robin silently strengthened her resolve as she watched the battle unfold.
Clang!
Boom!!
Kaito's twin golden sabers slammed once more into Kuzan's ice blade.
The collision released another tremendous shockwave.
Visible rings of compressed air burst outward, while the surrounding glacier collapsed into a massive crater.
Although rescuing Smoker remained one of Kuzan's objectives...
Facing Kaito's relentless offensive, he simply had no spare attention to monitor what was happening back at the harbor.
"Frozen Moment!"
As their weapons clashed again, Kuzan once more felt the overwhelming force transmitted through Kaito's blades.
His feet sank deeper into the glacier beneath him.
This time, however...
He had anticipated exactly that.
Before Kaito's monstrous strength could fully overwhelm him, Kuzan released an explosive surge of freezing air directly through his ice saber.
The frigid energy raced along both golden blades.
In an instant...
It surged toward Kaito's hands, attempting to freeze him once again.
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