Sailing at Sea: The Breath of the Day at the Start

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After one blow.

Ron, seemingly in a berserk state, swung his swords with both hands at such a speed that his arms were almost invisible.

Each strike contained astonishing power, coupled with his incredibly sharp sword aura and considerable Armament Haki, making each of his attacks incredibly powerful.

Even Aokiji didn't want to get hit by it.

The sword energy from the Black Blade Shusui and the Raikiri swords overlapped and crisscrossed as they slashed towards Aokiji in front of him. Each slash was powerful enough to cut through a pirate ship, and at this moment, dozens or even hundreds of slashes were aimed at Aokiji, all face to face.

Under such a powerful and rapid barrage of attacks, even if he could control his elemental transformation, he would absolutely not be able to avoid them all.

But Aokiji is, after all, a Marine Admiral, a top-tier member of the Navy, and a top-tier powerhouse on this vast sea!

Facing the ferocious slashes coming down at close range, Aokiji, his body radiating cold air, raised his completely frozen right hand.

"The Frozen Moment".

At this moment, he finally unleashed his domineering power in his attack.

Moreover, it's a higher level of Armament Haki than Ron's.

With the added power of his domineering aura, the cold air he unleashed became even more terrifying.

Ron's slashes that reached him were all caught by ice blocks that kept growing from his palms, seemingly never-ending. The speed at which those ice blocks grew and spread was even faster than the speed at which Ron's slashes destroyed!

The ice blocks, like rapidly growing bamboo shoots, continued to spread towards Ron, who was slashing with his sword!

At the same time, similar ice blocks grew on the ice surface around Ron, closing in on him. No matter how Ron damaged them, these ice blocks would grow and regenerate at an even faster rate.

On the deck, Robin and Bonnie stared wide-eyed.

Soon, the indestructible ice completely enveloped Ron, forming a giant ice ball on the ice surface.

Ron continued to swing his sword inside the ice sphere, but the power of his strikes was still insufficient to completely destroy the ice blocks, which continued to spread towards him within the giant ice sphere.

"Stop, stop..."

Robin, gripping the railing tightly, watched that scene, his whole body trembling, his pupils darting violently.

"stop it!"

Accompanied by Robin's piercing cries.

Aokiji, who was standing far away with his back to them, gently exhaled a breath of cold air.

He lowered his raised right hand, and the frozen part of his body gradually returned to normal.

The outcome has been decided.

On the shattered, frozen sea, as the thick, white, cold air dissipated, a huge, crystal-clear ice sphere was revealed.

The moment Bonnie saw the ice hockey puck, her eyes widened and her expression froze.

A pale-faced Robin stared blankly at the black-haired boy wielding two swords, frozen inside the giant ice sphere like amber insects. All her strength seemed to have been drained away in an instant. The surrounding world was silent, with only the rapid sound of Robin's own heartbeat remaining.

"It's a lie, it's a lie..."

At this moment, the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and a ray of sunlight fell on the huge, mountain-like crystal ice ball, making it sparkle. The black-haired boy frozen inside the ice ball was even more clearly visible.

"It's been a long time since I've been this serious. You really surprise me time and time again, Traveler, Ron."

Wearing a vest, Aokiji took off his sunglasses and looked at Ron, who was frozen inside the giant ice ball, muttering to himself:

"To have such strength at the age of 15... You really are a monster, just as Mr. Garp said."

"If you are given more time to grow, you should be able to reach the same level as me very soon."

"And yet you, someone like that, would go to such lengths for Nicole Robin, someone you've known for less than a year..."

A complex expression flashed in Aokiji's eyes.

Is it really justice to list an eight-year-old girl who has done nothing wrong as a criminal with a bounty of 79 million?

Even before his close friend Saul died, Aokiji had begun to question the absolute justice that the Navy believed in...

This question remains unanswered to this day.

But through this battle, Aokiji learned one thing.

He glanced at the ship in the distance out of the corner of his eye.

Nico Robin, you've finally found your true home.

Congratulations.

If it's this guy, he should be able to handle your life well...

115, Aokiji: I think we can leave it for now.

Just as Aokiji raised his hand, intending to dismantle the giant ice ball...

Zizi!

A flash of golden light suddenly appeared inside the giant ice sphere, and a crack appeared on its smooth, hard surface.

Aokiji was slightly taken aback and stared intently.

The black-haired boy, who was frozen inside a giant ice sphere and was holding a long sword, had golden lightning flashing on his right foot. An astonishing and terrifying destructive force surged out from it, constantly impacting the ice sphere with a rhythm as if breathing.

The cracks on the giant ice ball are becoming more numerous and larger.

A few moments later.

It suddenly exploded before the somewhat astonished Aokiji's eyes.

Countless ice shards and fragments appeared like sparkling, iridescent gems under the sunlight.

Like a god emerging from its cocoon, the black-haired boy, reborn and free, grinned at Aokiji amidst the scattered gems:

"I knew you had no intention of killing me. You're actually a decent person, Aokiji."

"Thank you for fighting alongside me and making me fully realize my own strength. Next time we meet, I'll treat you to a drink."

After saying this, Ron's right foot, crackling with golden lightning, stepped onto the frozen sea and vanished from Aokiji's sight in an instant.

With that stomp, terrifying destructive force spread downwards for hundreds of meters, instantly cracking open a huge hole in the hundred-meter-thick frozen sea surface, from which seawater gushed out.

With a casual wave of his hand, Aokiji froze the seawater that had surged dozens of meters high back into place.

He turned to look at the Voyager, its tracks protruding from its hull, speeding away across the sea, a smile flashing in his eyes.

"He's certainly an interesting fellow..."

He put his sunglasses back on, got on his bicycle, and rode off in the opposite direction from the ship.

Nico Robin is in your hands now.

Let me see what the final result of what you've been insisting on will be...

……

On the deck of the Voyager.

Ron lay on the ground, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath.

"It's finally over. The strength of the Navy Admiral is truly impressive."

Robin, with tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes, slumped to the ground, staring blankly at him, still in a daze.

Bonnie stared at him in utter shock.

"They actually managed to escape from that naval admiral..."

Her back was completely soaked with sweat. Besides feeling lingering fear, she also felt a thrill and excitement she had never experienced before.

They were just saying that following Ron and the others was boring, but then they ran into a Marine Admiral and even escaped from him! This is... this is incredibly exciting!

Could being a pirate really be more exciting than this?!

Bonnie, trembling with excitement, stared intently at Ron, who was lying on the deck.

No matter what, we must stick close to this powerful figure!

This ship... I, Joely Bonney, am definitely going to board it!

……

A week after Ron and his friends encountered Aokiji.

Aokiji returned to Marineford, the naval headquarters on the Grand Line.

"what?"

"You're saying you didn't find them?"

Sengoku braced himself on the table and shouted at Aokiji, "What exactly happened?"

With one hand in his pocket, Aokiji scratched his hair, his attitude as lazy and casual as ever: "I'm very sorry."

Just as Sengoku was about to say something more.

Garp, who was sitting to the side eating a donut, said, "Well, the South Sea isn't small. If Ron runs around everywhere, it's indeed hard to find him. Sengoku, don't make things difficult for Kuzan."

"Shut up, Garp."

Sengoku glared at him fiercely, "If it weren't for that stupid suggestion you made back then, would we be in this mess today?!"