Chapter 143: Battle with Aokiji (Part 2)
As he spoke, half of Aokiji's body had already begun to crystallize.
With a crackling sound, a bone-chilling cold started spreading outward. Around Aokiji's body, a faint mist began to drift—a phenomenon of water molecules condensing due to the temperature difference between his body and the surrounding air.
Ian stood face-to-face with Aokiji, not far apart, so he was the one who could feel this cold most intensely.
The extreme chill that came over him not only numbed his hands and feet but also seemed to freeze his very thoughts.
"Quick, evacuate this area!"
Seeing that Aokiji was getting serious, some Marine officers realized the danger and hurriedly called for the other Marine soldiers to retreat from the battlefield, fearing they might be caught up in Admiral Aokiji's abilities.
Ian also looked back at the slaves still chipping away at the ice beneath the ship, then said to Aokiji, "Let's fight on the shore?"
"Fine!" Aokiji didn't refuse, leaping back onto the shore.
Ian followed, and once he was on solid ground, he let out a slight sigh of relief. He had to admit, the true terror of Aokiji's Ice-Ice Fruit lay in its ability to freely create a battlefield environment suited to him. Ian had already experienced it once—how could anyone fight effectively when they couldn't even stand steadily?
Once on shore, Ian didn't rush to attack. Instead, he first tightened the Devil Fruit wrapped in cloth and strapped to his back. He couldn't afford to lose it in battle.
However, this action caught Aokiji's attention. He asked, "What's that on your back? An identity chip?"
Ian chuckled dryly and said, "An identity chip is just a small crystal card—nothing this big!"
Hearing this, Aokiji didn't press further, but it confirmed that Ian had indeed seen the Celestial Dragons' identity chips before.
After securing it, Ian drew the Enma sword. With a thought, the blade turned black again, and he charged at Aokiji.
With no more slippery ground beneath him, Ian's speed finally exploded. In a flash, he appeared beside Aokiji and slashed horizontally at his waist.
"Fast!" Aokiji thought with slight surprise, sidestepping to dodge. Ian's blade grazed his clothes, and with a soft *swish*, a cut appeared in Aokiji's suit vest.
Feeling no impact from the hit, Ian instantly shifted his intent, twisting his wrist and thrusting the Enma sword forward!
This change was incredibly swift, and it even predicted Aokiji's dodge direction. The thrust was quick and fierce, stabbing straight into Aokiji's chest.
But even though it seemed like Aokiji had been hit, Ian still felt no impact.
Just then, Aokiji raised his leg and kicked toward Ian's head!
Given his tall stature, his legs were naturally long. Even if Ian retreated, he couldn't avoid this kick. In haste, he could only raise his left arm to block the attack.
A tremendous force hit him, and Ian felt a sharp pain in his wrist, as if the bone might snap. But the next second, a numbing sensation followed!
*Boom!* Ian was sent flying by Aokiji's kick, crashing like a cannonball into the ground on the other side.
Although Aokiji occasionally used his ice saber as an attack method, thinking he was only skilled in swordsmanship would be a grave mistake. What he truly excelled at was powerful physical combat!
Ian grimaced as he stood up, only to find that his left wrist had no feeling at all. Lifting it to look, he saw that the entire wrist area was frozen!
"How is that possible? I used Haki to defend!" Ian said in surprise.
Aokiji walked toward him step by step, saying, "What's so strange about that? That's my ability. Haki can indeed catch my real body, but that doesn't mean it can nullify my power!"
"So when I stabbed you earlier and it didn't cause damage, that was the same?" Ian asked.
"Of course!" Aokiji nodded. "Don't be fooled by my body looking like ice—it can also 'flow,' you know!"
Ian suddenly understood. Logia Devil Fruit users have a special trait: a fluid body. Though Aokiji appeared as solid ice crystals, how did that ice come about? It was composed of countless finer ice crystals!
When Ian stabbed him earlier, Aokiji had actively "flowed" his body, dispersing the structure at that spot. It looked like Ian had hit him, but in reality, he had only struck a net-like cavity.
"So it's still a matter of speed?" Ian thought, and then flames suddenly erupted from his frozen left wrist.
Anyone who has experienced frostbite knows that a frozen body part shouldn't be thawed with intense heat but with gradual, milder warmth.
But Ian couldn't afford to be cautious now. Activating the Evil King Flame Slayer Fist, he directly melted the ice on his left wrist.
"Oh!?" Aokiji was startled at the sight.
But before he could finish being amazed, Ian had already sheathed the Enma sword, gripping the scabbard with his left hand and the hilt with his right. He lowered his stance, readying a draw-cut technique!
"One-Sword Style Iaido: Flame Flash!"
"Not good!" The moment Ian's figure vanished, Aokiji felt a pang of alarm and disappeared from his spot as well.
Ian reappeared behind where Aokiji had been standing, his sword back in its sheath, but he hadn't cut anything.
Just as Ian launched his iaido strike, Aokiji had used "Shave" to instantly leave his position.
When Aokiji's figure reappeared on the ground, he said in astonishment, "How terrifying—you can use flame techniques?"
"Yeah!" Ian turned to face him. "If I can't match your speed, I have to consider ability countering."
There were three ways to deal with a Logia Devil Fruit user: first, Seastone, which went without saying; second, Haki, but if your speed couldn't keep up, even Haki strikes were useless if they didn't land; and third, ability countering.
To be honest, Ian felt lucky that it was Aokiji who had chased him, not the other two Admirals.
His current card abilities were better suited for high-temperature flames, which happened to counter Aokiji's ice powers.
Aokiji's strength came from his intense cold, a freezing ability that could rob someone of consciousness. Though if Ian's flames went head-to-head with Aokiji's ice, he would inevitably lose, at least they offered some resistance against the freezing effect.
"What a headache!" Aokiji scratched his head. "You're not Whitebeard Pirates' Fifteenth Division Commander Fossa, are you? But your build doesn't match..."
Who was that? Ian was momentarily confused, but he didn't answer, charging at Aokiji again.
He knew Aokiji was trying to guess his identity, but Ian wasn't worried. This world had too many strange abilities—plenty of people could use flame swordsmanship.
Reaching Aokiji's side, Ian coated the Enma sword with the blazing flames of the Evil King Flame Slayer Sword and swung it down at him.
He expected Aokiji to dodge, not daring to take the hit directly. But to Ian's surprise, Aokiji stood still and let him strike.
*Swish!* The flaming blade easily cut through Aokiji's body, and Ian could see the ice melting into water at the cut.
But as Ian's sword completed its swing, Aokiji's entire body collapsed!
His body shattered into countless ice fragments, crumbling to the ground. Ian was stunned—what was happening?
Just as he was wondering, his Psychic Field suddenly sensed something behind him. Startled, he quickly turned his head to see Aokiji, who had supposedly collapsed, reappearing behind him!
At this moment, Aokiji was only half a body, entirely made of ice, with his arms spread wide, embracing Ian.
"Freezing Moment!"
Seeing Aokiji's movement, Ian felt a premonition of death surge through him. He knew that if Aokiji hugged him, it would be over!
That extreme cold would instantly rob him of all consciousness and sensation!
In this life-or-death moment, Ian's reaction surpassed his usual limits. He spun around abruptly while unleashing Hundred-Style: Demon Fire!
Gripping his sword with both hands, Ian leaped into the air, swirling a ring of purple flames around him.
When Aokiji lunged forward, the first thing he touched was this ring of purple fire.
Iori's purple flames were also extremely hot, but when Ian used them, they were limited by his Psychic Power value and couldn't last long. Aokiji's cold soon extinguished Ian's purple flames.
The cold and flames canceled each other out, and Aokiji felt a sharp pain, but his movements remained unaffected as he pressed the embrace!
However, because the Hundred-Style: Demon Fire technique involved a jump, Ian's body rose, and Aokiji's hug only caught Ian's legs.
Even so, Ian was pulled down from midair and fell to the ground. Where Aokiji's arms touched Ian's legs, frost began rapidly spreading upward.
"Ahhh!!"
Driven by a strong sense of threat, Ian didn't hesitate. Using his already injured left hand, he unleashed an Eight-Sake Cup directly on the spot.
The flames of the Eight-Sake Cup exploded beneath Ian, and Aokiji, sensing danger, released Ian's legs and retreated.
At the cost of heavy Psychic Power consumption, Ian finally broke free. The frozen parts of his legs thawed thanks to the high heat of the Eight-Sake Cup.
Having narrowly escaped death, Ian felt his heart pounding wildly. If any of his movements had been even slightly slower, he would have been done for today.