Chapter 377: Chapter 377: Luring Aokiji
Chapter 377: Luring Aokiji
The street was covered in a layer of smooth ice. The surrounding ice houses were connected, and the blue world of ice and snow, like a dream, flickered with a dazzling crystal light under the reflection of the sun.
A human-shaped ice sculpture stood in the street, its leg raised in a kicking posture, its face still frozen in a look of astonishment.
"Sanji!!"
Bang!
Luffy cried out in alarm. He quickly squatted down and pushed off, his entire person transforming into an arrow and flying rapidly toward the figure beside the ice sculpture.
Aokiji withdrew his hand, which was emitting a cold aura. His faint eyes seemed to be looking down on the other’s powerlessness. He raised his hand toward the sky, releasing his freezing air. A giant glacier slowly took shape in the sky.
"You bastard! What did you do to Sanji!"
Anger erupted from Luffy’s eyes. Haki flowed and gathered on his wrists. Before he had even arrived, his fist had already shot out, tearing through the air like a ferocious cobra pouncing on its prey!
"Gomu Gomu no... King Cobra!!"
"Ice Glove!!"
Aokiji took a step forward, sinking into an offensive stance. Ice crystals formed on his fist, and Haki covered it.
Bang!!
The two fists collided, and a strong wind pressure exploded. Countless black lightning bolts cracked and shot out, blasting the surrounding ice surface and the frozen houses. The powerful impact sent Aokiji flying backward.
"Young people really can’t be underestimated. Your growth rate is far beyond my imagination."
Aokiji’s expression was solemn. After his feet landed, he stretched out his index finger and pressed down.
Rumble!!
The giant glacier floating in the air trembled violently. A few cracked ice blocks fell, as if it were hailing.
A giant shadow gradually covered the earth. The giant floating ice began to fall!
"Don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you don’t save him, he’ll be smashed to smithereens."
Luffy had just been about to give chase when Aokiji pointed at Sanji’s ice sculpture and said coldly.
These words made Luffy stop in his tracks. He whipped his head up to look at the sky.
"This is bad! Sanji!"
Panic flashed in Luffy’s eyes. He hurriedly turned back and ran to Sanji, picking him up in one arm and carrying him on his shoulder as he charged out.
However, how could Aokiji let them leave so easily?
Slap!
Aokiji squatted down and slammed his palms on the ground. A wave of cold air shot out along the ice surface!
"Ice Sword Mound!!"
The cold air impact streaked past Luffy’s feet, and one giant ice blade after another suddenly rose from the ground!
Zing! Zing! Zing!
Luffy’s eyes widened in shock. He continuously tapped his feet on the ground, his figure weaving and dodging through the mountain of ice blades.
However, the sharp ice blades followed him like a shadow, bursting out densely, as if they would not stop until they had skewered both of them.
"Damn it!"
Looking at the glacier that was already pressing down from above, seeing that there was no time to escape, Luffy gritted his teeth, put down the frozen Sanji, and leaped into the air. He drew his arms back by his side, his eyes fierce.
"Gomu Gomu no... Fire Snake Gatling!!"
With an explosive roar from him, his two arms, burning with explosive flames, became a blur of afterimages. Countless fists were unleashed in an indiscriminate bombardment against the glacier!
Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!
One swift and violent fist after another transformed into a meteor shower trailing flames, rising into the sky. The red meteor shower smashed into the glacier, sending debris flying. The scattered ice crystals then gradually melted under the high temperature of the flames.
In the violent tremor, the sky-blotting glacier cracked with countless fissures, and finally, unable to bear the load, it broke apart, turning into one small iceberg after another and falling.
In Sanji’s current state, never mind these small icebergs, even a slightly larger ice cube could have directly shattered his fragile body.
"Aaaah!!"
Luffy didn’t stop his movements. He gritted his teeth and continued to wave his arms frantically, his fists continuously bombarding the falling icebergs.
"I never thought that one day I would have to fight Garp-san’s grandson to the death. Even less that it would be as a pirate. The unpredictability of life is truly lamentable."
Aokiji, his hands in his pockets, sighed with emotion. He gently raised his hand and waved it. A sharp, extremely cold ice blade slowly condensed in the air.
While Luffy was focused on resolving the glacier crisis before him, Aokiji’s eyes hardened. His entire body’s cold air gushed out and gathered on the ice blade. He shot forward in a single step!
"It seems you weren’t able to become the one to change the world either, Straw Hat! Your journey ends here!!"
"Zero Degree Severing Flow: Ice Seal!!"
Aokiji roared as he swung the ice blade from a distance. A compressed wave of bone-chilling cold, transformed into a white crescent moon, flew rapidly across the ground!
—Swish!!
A blast of extreme cold blew past. All things fell into an absolute silence. The freezing air passed through Luffy’s body in an instant, and ice crystals condensed, completely freezing him on the spot, his face still wearing a look of astonishment!
Boom—Boom—Boom!
The heavy icebergs fell into the earth, sending countless ice shards flying as they buried the two ice sculptures.
"It’s over... cough... cough, cough..."
Aokiji’s legs buckled. He clutched his chest and half-knelt, supporting himself with one hand as he coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood. It dripped onto the ice surface and, before it could spread, it was frozen into a block.
"...The power of the tremor."
Aokiji wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, thinking back to the full-power kick he had taken in the back from Sanji just now.
It seemed that the injury from that kick was much more serious than he had thought.
"Hooo..."
Aokiji let out a long, cold breath, his gaze fixed on the ruins for a good while.
"What a pity. It seems fate was not on your side in the end, Nico Robin..."
Standing up, Aokiji waved his hand and dismissed the ice blade. He looked up at the sky, suddenly remembering the scene from 20 years ago on Ohara when he had frozen Saul.
"I wanted to see with my own eyes the future of the person you staked your life to protect. But now I have to bury it with my own hands once again. Fate really knows how to play a joke..."
A wind blew across the ice, rolling up a bit of cold air.
Aokiji stood where he was, looking at Luffy and Sanji, lost in thought, a hint of confusion once again appearing in the depths of his eyes.
Am I really living as I please?
Even now, I still can’t understand what you were feeling at that time, Saul...
Crack—Crack!
Just then, the sound of ice cracking suddenly came from the ruins. Aokiji faintly turned his head to look over.
A few fine cracks had appeared on the ice of Luffy and Sanji. It looked as if they would break free in a little while.
"So stubborn. This level still isn’t enough to completely take you down?"
Aokiji waved his hand, condensing an ice blade again. However, just as he took a step, a figure suddenly blocked his path.
"Ara. I haven’t made a move for a while. I almost forgot that a troublesome guy like you was still here."
Aokiji put his hand on his head, a troubled look on his face. Then he looked with some vigilance at Reiner, who had suddenly stopped fighting halfway and had now reappeared out of nowhere.
"So, have you thought of some strange idea again?"
"Don’t say that. I just thought of something interesting."
Reiner waved his hand, his voice flat, but his tone laced with a playful, light laugh.
"You seem to still be brooding over what happened at Ohara back then? After things are over here, do you want to make a trip to Egghead with us?"
"Egghead?"
Hearing this name, Aokiji was stunned. Having served in the Marines, he naturally knew this was Vegapunk’s research institute. Reiner’s words made him even more bewildered.
"Wait, wait. Are you... inviting me? That’s strange. We’re enemies right now. You should at least wait until the battle is over to say such things. Don’t think I’ll betray Teach."
"..."
It was unclear what Aokiji was thinking, but his style had suddenly changed, and he was saying some strange things. Reiner was silent for two seconds, then continued:
"The research results from Ohara were actually hidden by those scholars at the risk of their lives. Vegapunk has been secretly studying the literature they left behind. Now that the matter has been exposed, the World Government has already sent people to erase him..."
Reiner’s few simple words, but the keywords within them, made Aokiji’s brow furrow slightly, and his gaze sharpened as he scrutinized him.
Researching the truth of history, the World Government sending people to erase him... this was something Aokiji was all too familiar with.
Besides Vegapunk, there were also a large number of researchers on Egghead.
Aokiji had, after all, been in the upper echelons of the Marines for many years. He understood the World Government’s methods very well. Since they were taking action, they definitely wouldn’t stop at just killing Vegapunk. They would most likely erase all life on the entire island, just as they had done back then.
And to achieve this, the best way was...
A Buster Call!
It was simply a reenactment of the Ohara incident.
Thinking of this, Aokiji’s heart inexplicably stirred, and all sorts of complicated emotions intertwined.
"And how do you know about this?"
"We just came from Egghead. We had the misfortune of meeting that overly familiar old fart. Luffy has already promised Vegapunk that he would go back and save him. The World Government will probably dispatch a lot of troops for this."
Reiner casually explained the reason. "As for the invitation you mentioned, there’s no such thing. I just thought of what you said before. You wanted to find some answer in your own way, right?"
"In that case..."
"What will you choose, Aokiji? Facing the Ohara incident all over again... this time, who will you fight for?"
A corner of Reiner’s mouth lifted slightly, his burning gaze fixed straight on Aokiji.
"The World Government, which tries to bury the truth and stabilize its rule? Or the Marines, who think they are maintaining stability but are actually being played like a fiddle and used as a gun?"
"Or the pioneers who are pursuing history and exploring the truth of the world, and the innocent civilians who have been dragged into this without knowing anything?"
"Or, perhaps, pirates like us, who act wantonly and disrupt everything?"
"No longer standing on any side, with your freedom... what identity will you take in this incident?"
Reiner’s expression was teasing as he looked straight into Aokiji’s eyes.
"You’ve been paying close attention to Robin’s growth. Are you trying to find the answer to your own heart in her future?"
"I..."
Aokiji’s eyes were stunned. He tried to deny it but was at a loss for words. His palms unconsciously broke out in a cold sweat. The other’s repeated questions echoed in his mind like the devil’s whisper.
Reiner knew that it wasn’t just Robin who was deeply pained by the Ohara incident.
Guilt towards his close friend, doubts about the World Government, and the evasion of the justice that wavered in his heart... the scenes from that year were like a thorn that had been stabbed deep into Aokiji’s heart, one that could never be pulled out.
"For a pirate, you really know a lot..."
Aokiji couldn’t help but sigh softly. If I had met the Straw Hat crew first after leaving the Marines, maybe I would have just boarded their ship and followed them.
"Unfortunately, Teach said something similar to me, which is why I became a member of the Blackbeard Pirates. Don’t think that just because I left the Marines, I’m a person who would betray trust."
A resolute look appeared in Aokiji’s eyes, and his fighting spirit was reignited.
And just at this moment.
Bang!
Bang!
Two sounds of ice breaking rang out one after another. Luffy and Sanji finally broke free from their ice confinement. Ice blocks ’clattered’ and rolled off their bodies.
"Damn it!"
Sanji glanced at Aokiji, who was being intercepted by Reiner, and let out a low curse.
I was careless and almost got taken down by him. I’ve clearly become so much stronger, but in the end, I still became a burden.
Bang!
Gritting his teeth, he shattered the ice on his leg with one kick. Sanji clenched his fists, his heart filled with unwillingness.
"Aokiji!!"
The moment he broke free, Luffy roared and immediately charged towards the other at high speed.
"It seems I fell for it. Were those words just now just to stall for time?"
Aokiji’s eyes hardened. He slammed his hands on the ground, and a shockwave of freezing air immediately spread out.
"Ice Sword Mound!!"
Zing! Zing! Zing!
A cold air spread rapidly along the ground towards Reiner, Luffy, and Sanji. Wherever it passed, everything was frozen, and countless ice blades shot up from the ground.
"My words were all true. I don’t need to use a stalling tactic against you."
Bang!!
Reiner lifted his knee and raised his leg. His pitch-black Armament Haki covered it. With one stomp, he shattered the ice blade that had just emerged from the ice surface. He jumped into the forest of ice blades, rapidly weaving as he closed in on Aokiji.
At the same time, an azure flame ignited from the surface of his body. Reiner’s flesh and blood were burned away in it, leaving only a ferocious skeleton body with barbs.
Although the stronger undead couldn’t be easily recalled, the abilities of some of the weaker undead could still be put to good use in his hands.
For example, Mr. 5’s Bomb-Bomb Fruit.
Reiner drew back his skeleton arm, and a dazzling white-hot light radiated from his bone arm.
"What is this form?!"
Aokiji’s expression was astonished. The terrifying energy contained in that fist made the warning from his Observation Haki pierce his brain.
"Ice Coffin!!"
Aokiji hurriedly pushed his palms forward. The freezing air in the air gathered towards his palms, quickly condensing into a thick ice coffin to block in front of him.
"You can keep this shabby coffin for yourself!"
"10,000-Ton Calorie Bomb Punch!!"
Bang!!
A fierce azure flame flashed in Reiner’s black eye sockets. A fist smashed heavily into the hard, thick ice coffin!
Before Aokiji’s constricted pupils, Reiner’s fist exploded. A terrifying energy was released in an instant!
Boom!!!
The destructive range covered several kilometers. An exaggerated wind pressure, with devastating force, shattered and sent all the surrounding frozen buildings flying!
In an instant, the entire island shook violently.
"Wh-what’s going on! Is it an earthquake?!"
"Quick! Look over there!"
An explosive sound, like thunder, rang in their ears. Everyone looked up at the sky in terror.
They saw a black mushroom cloud, mixed with firelight, rolling into the sky, blotting out the sun. It was huge!
"Is this... is this an explosion...?"
"Are you kidding me? How big of a cannonball would it take to do that...?"
Countless pirates’ eyes widened. They were frozen in place, their pupils trembling in shock.
Under this level of explosion, Aokiji’s ice coffin defense was also completely destroyed. His entire person was sent flying by the extremely high-temperature wind pressure.
His clothes were tattered, revealing scorched-black burn marks. Wisps of white smoke rose from various parts of his body. If one were to touch him, one would find that his skin was terrifyingly hot, as if he had just been pulled out of a frying pan.
Although the explosion was exaggerated, Reiner certainly didn’t think this level was enough to take down Aokiji.
Luffy and Sanji, who had just experienced a round of being brutally beaten, knew this even more.
"Gear Fourth Switch: Boundman Form!!"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Luffy’s feet retracted into his thighs. An impact shot out from below, pushing his body to fly at high speed like a jet plane.
"Gomu Gomu no!"
Arriving in front of Aokiji, Luffy compressed his arms tightly like a spring. His round eyes were furious. The ultimate Conqueror’s Haki sent out explosive black lightning, which coiled around his two fists as he fiercely smashed down from above!
"Leo Bazooka!!"
Bang!!
Aokiji subconsciously raised his arms and crossed them in front of him to block, but with a ’crack’, his bones shattered. He was pushed back by Luffy’s fists, which then pierced his chest!
Swish—Bang!!
Aokiji’s figure, like a comet, fell from the island’s sky at high speed, smashing into the earth and creating a huge deep pit. Smoke and dust rolled up.
"Gomu Gomu no... Kong Organ!!"
Luffy dived down from the sky, his thick arms a blur of afterimages, transforming into countless explosive fists that fiercely and densely smashed into the deep pit!
Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!
Bang!! A rainstorm of swift and violent fists rained down mercilessly. Blood and gore flew from Aokiji’s mouth and nose. His body was continuously bounced up and then smashed back into the ground!
Luffy gritted his teeth, his movements not stopping for a moment. Sanji had almost died at the other’s hands just now. He had to beat him to death.
In an instant, the earth continuously trembled, and dust and smoke billowed and spread out from the deep pit.
It wasn’t until the presence in the smoke and dust gradually faded that Luffy retracted his arms and landed, his feet bouncing up and down on the ground several times. His gaze was fixed on the deep pit in the smoke and dust.
"Hooo—"
Feeling that the other had completely lost his combat ability, Luffy finally let out a long breath and deactivated Gear Fourth.
"Finally... it’s over..."
(End of Chapter)
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