Battle at Marines Headquarters
"Stupid kitchen..." Charlotte Wilhelm muttered under her breath.
After a moment of intense effort, under the watchful eyes of Shimotsuki Ryuma and the others, Aokiji's battered body completely shattered into crushed ice. Ten meters away, another "Aokiji" condensed, appearing unharmed.
"As expected of a Marines Headquarters' Admiral candidate, this Devil Fruit ability is really troublesome to deal with..." the sword hero Ryuma remarked in amazement.
"No time for chitchat with him!" Feathered Serpent Kuer stomped his foot and charged forward like a wild beast.
"BANG!!" His black fist, crackling with lightning, pierced through the air only to be blocked by Aokiji's crossed arms. Even so, the Admiral was still overwhelmed by Kuer's powerful strike and sent flying backward.
"Phwooosh—"
Cold air surged outward, causing the surrounding temperature to drop sharply. Aokiji, while still airborne, didn't remain idle. He unleashed a massive ice puck between his hands, directing it toward the rampaging Feathered Serpent Kuer.
"BOOM!" Caught off guard, Kuer was directly engulfed by the ice puck's tremendous force. Within moments, his entire body was sealed inside a massive iceberg.
"Thirty-Fold Cut!"
Before Aokiji could further strengthen the ice prison, Shiryu of the Rain rushed forward with decisive intent.
"HAH!" A fiery slash cut through the air. Under the miraculous power of the Momo Momo no Mi, the already astonishing slash increased thirty-fold in both speed and size, making it nearly impossible to defend against.
The massive slash, imbued with flowing Haki, struck like lightning. Aokiji had no choice but to elementalize his body, which split apart like fragmented ice, divided cleanly in two.
"Whoosh..." The exaggerated slash continued unabated, blasting into the distance at terrifying speed.
"BOOM..." A deafening explosion echoed as the thick layer of ice was torn apart.
But this time, Feathered Serpent Kuer, who should have been completely frozen, began to move his dark eyes within the ice. Shocking cracks immediately spread across the entire iceberg, growing denser until the ice cracked inch by inch.
"WOOHOOHOOO!" Kuer's signature laugh rang out.
A pair of gigantic feathered wings emerged from his back, shaking violently.
"Chaos Blade Storm!"
"SLASH-SLASH-SLASH..." One after another, wind blades materialized, tearing through the atmosphere. Even the extremely thick ice was ruthlessly cut like tofu, causing onlookers to break into cold sweat.
Countless wind blades continued flooding toward the suddenly pale Aokiji.
"Shimotsuki Flow: Thunder Flash!" The swordsman Ryuma leaped upward.
The black blade Shusui in his hand suddenly erupted with "Emission" Haki.
"SHING—" The light green, dazzling slash moved like lightning, incredibly fast.
It rushed toward Aokiji in an instant.
"Ice Wall!" An extremely thick barrier of ice formed, standing firmly between them.
It blocked all the wind blades and stopped Shiryu of the Rain and the others who were in pursuit.
"Whoosh..."
"BOOM..."
The battle had unknowingly shifted to another battlefield hundreds of meters away. The intensity and danger there were no less severe than the confrontation between Shiryu, Musashi Miyamoto, Ryuma, Kuer, and Aokiji.
"CLANG!!"
"CLANG!!"
Silver light, white light, golden light...
They continuously flashed throughout the area.
Afterimages filled the sky in a dazzling display.
Charlotte Wilhelm and Katakuri were already fighting at full strength against Borsalino, the Admiral substitute who had also begun to unleash his full power.
"GRAWWL!" At this moment, Wilhelm's entire body glowed with astonishing electric light.
Her eyes turned scarlet like a beast's, her form transforming into something monstrous, with ferocious fangs and extremely sharp claws.
Her stature increased to more than three meters tall, thick animal hair covering her body, muscles bulging with terrifying power, and her aura becoming unbelievably ferocious.
She had entered the fearsome Moon Lion form.
Holding her gorgeous Cloud Fang blade, astonishing electric currents shot continuously from her body, elevating her neural responses to their ultimate level.
Strength, speed, endurance... all had been amazingly enhanced in every way.
Her greatly strengthened Haki, combined with her uniquely strange blade—hardened further by the "Ten Rings" Devil Fruit—made it virtually indestructible.
She suddenly slashed toward Borsalino.
"CLANG!!"
Sparks flew everywhere.
Borsalino, holding his Ama no Kongou sword, was forced back with a single blow.
By now, there were already several shocking bloodstains on his body, and he looked genuinely concerned.
This Marines Headquarters Vice Admiral, who possessed overwhelming power and was called a "monster" by countless people, had completely lost his previous ease and composure.
Fighting against two opponents simultaneously was proving extremely difficult, leaving him at a clear disadvantage.
He looked at the monster-like Wilhelm with wary eyes, slightly startled: "Is this the legendary 'Moon Lion'? Her combat capabilities have improved dramatically in every aspect—Haki, strength, speed—she's a true monster..."
If not for his exceptionally strong Armament Haki and his Ama no Kongou Sword—condensed from the power of his Logia-type Pika Pika no Mi, with hardness and sharpness rivaling the world's most famous blades—it would likely be covered in shocking gaps by now.
There was no doubt that even without Katakuri's assistance, Charlotte Wilhelm alone at full strength would force him to fight with everything he had, with the outcome still uncertain.
Facing Wilhelm at full power, he had no intention of continuing this challenge. His golden figure retreated with lightning speed.
"HWAH—" Relying on his Observation Haki's prediction, he kicked out his right leg without hesitation.
A light-speed kick imbued with Haki collided violently with Katakuri's incoming punch, crushing the atmosphere between them.
This proved that Kizaru, when truly desperate and going all out, was extremely terrifying. Even the strongest fighter of the Charlotte family couldn't easily overcome him.
The tyrannical Haki made Katakuri feel sharp pain in his fist, forcing him to back away.
The difference in their Armament Haki cultivation was becoming clear.
"BOOM!!"
But in the blink of an eye, Wilhelm's figure suddenly appeared behind Kizaru.
Her violent blade slashed horizontally.
"KENG!!" The Ama no Kongou sword barely managed to block Wilhelm's dangerous attack, but Borsalino was still shocked by her fully unleashed power. Feeling his hand go numb, he retreated without hesitation.
One had to admire the strength of this future Admiral of Marines Headquarters.
If Aokiji—currently the youngest among the three Admiral candidates and slightly inferior in strength—had been in this position, Katakuri and Wilhelm's seamless cooperation would have left him no chance to recover. Their continuous offense would have overwhelmed him completely.
"SWOOSH!"
The moment Wilhelm disappeared, Katakuri's eyes narrowed: "Void World!"
With him at the center, the air within a radius of tens of meters was mercilessly evacuated in the blink of an eye.
"What?!" The terrifying change in pressure caused the unprepared Borsalino to suddenly cough blood, his expression changing dramatically.
But within an instant, golden light flashed as he returned to normal form.
Just as he had escaped from the vacuum created by Katakuri...
"One Sword Style: Flying Dragon!" Wilhelm, who had positioned herself dozens of meters away, suddenly attacked again.
Her gorgeous blade, wrapped in Haki and shining with electric light, tore through the atmosphere.
"WHOOSH—"
A dragon-shaped slash pierced the air.
Amidst flashes of lightning, it bared its teeth and claws.
Carrying flowing Haki, it rushed toward Borsalino with killing intent.
Wilhelm stared intently.
"FWOOSH—" In the next moment, the slash disappeared mid-air.
Without warning, it reappeared directly behind Borsalino, biting fiercely.
It was completely unpredictable and unavoidable.
"BOOM..."
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