Chapter 569: Erupting Aokiji
When the Marines learned that Ian had attacked Impel Down and rescued Sea Knight Jinbe and Sand Crocodile Crocodile, they understood that Ian would definitely intervene in this war.
Jinbe had originally been imprisoned for opposing this war, so Ian's purpose in rescuing him was naturally obvious. Coupled with Ian's close relationship with the Whitebeard Pirates, this conclusion was easy to reach.
However, the Marines had no idea how Ian would appear. According to Vice Admiral Momousagi's description of the battle at Impel Down, Ian had taken his people and escaped from the seabed aboard a submarine.
That submarine was likely the ship of Trafalgar Law of the Heart Pirates. There was evidence that Trafalgar Law had already defected to Ian, so the Marines naturally had to guard against Ian emerging from the seabed in a submarine.
But when Ian had escaped Marine Headquarters at Marineford, he had used a flying ship, reportedly called the Ark Maxim. Based on that, Ian might also appear from the sky aboard this ark.
From the seabed, from the sky, or possibly arriving normally by sea on a ship—all three directions were possible, and the Marines had to prepare for each.
Normally, with the Marines' combat strength, they wouldn't need to be so wary of a single Warlord, let alone calculate the possibilities of his arrival separately. But there was no helping it—the power Ian had revealed was enough to make the Marines take him extremely seriously.
Aside from Ian himself, the Dragon Hunter Pirates also had a vice-captain called a "monster," Fujitora Issho. At Marineford, a Logia Goro Goro no Mi user named Enel had appeared from nowhere. These three were called the "Big Three" of the Dragon Hunter Pirates by the Marines, who estimated their combat strength was enough to fight the three Marine Admirals simultaneously.
After the Impel Down incident, two Warlords, Sea Knight Jinbe and Sand Crocodile Crocodile, had also joined. There were also four of the eleven Supernovas: Heart Pirates captain Trafalgar Law, Monk Pirates captain Urouge, Straw Hat Pirates captain Straw Hat Luffy, and Pirate Hunter Zoro—all super rookies with bounties over 100 million, their strength not to be underestimated.
Beyond that, there were two more figures the Marines had to take seriously: one was Buggy the Clown, and the other was Ivankov the Revolutionary. One was a former crewmate of the Pirate King, the other a high-ranking Revolutionary Army officer. Both had been brought out of Impel Down by Ian. Add to that over 150 Impel Down prisoners, all infamous pirates from the past with bounties at least in the tens of millions.
The more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became. When a report on the Dragon Hunter Pirates' strength was laid on the table, not only the Marines but even the Five Elders, the top brass of the World Government, were shaken.
In the war between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates, no one could predict the outcome before a victor was decided. If Ian's force suddenly intervened, it would become a heavy weight, tipping the scales of war in an instant!
As a Marine Admiral, Aokiji was naturally well aware of Sengoku's battle plan. So when he noticed that Ace's Vivre Card was moving, indicating that Ian had likely already arrived on the battlefield, he had to act!
A burst of chilling cold suddenly erupted. Aokiji's body began to crystallize. The sea beneath his feet crackled as it rapidly froze, spreading across the surrounding surface. The next second, Aokiji pushed off with his foot and vanished from his spot.
Ace's heart jolted. Just as he was about to react, Aokiji appeared beside him. His freezing right hand opened, and at close range, he fired an ice bullet at Ace!
"Great Ice Ball!"
Ace instinctively raised his arm to block. The ice ball, upon touching his body, instantly expanded, covering him completely. It formed a massive ice crystal, sealing Ace's entire body inside.
Though Aokiji usually seemed lazy, unwilling to move, and spent his days sleeping with his eye mask on, there was no denying that he was one of the Marines' top combatants—an Admiral. Beyond his Devil Fruit ability, Aokiji also possessed formidable physical combat skills. The speed of this attack was so fast that it was impossible to react.
Ace was trapped inside the Great Ice Ball. However, since he was made of fire, the ice ball couldn't completely freeze him.
"Hah!!"
Ace flared his flames, quickly melting the ice ball and breaking free. A mist of water vapor spread around him, created by the ice ball being directly evaporated by the high heat.
"White Flame · Shiranui!"
Breaking free from the ice ball, Ace swung both arms, hurling two masses of white fire at Aokiji from left and right!
Now, thanks to Ian's warning, Ace had been constantly working to raise the temperature of his flames. His fire had already turned into white-hot flames, so even the names of his techniques had changed!
The two masses of white fire shot toward Aokiji, but he twisted his body, swinging his long legs and kicking out twice in succession.
Two crescent-shaped ice blades flew out with his kicks. This was a technique Aokiji had developed by combining the Marine's Six Powers' Rankyaku with his ability. The two ice blades met Ace's white fire head-on. High temperature and extreme cold clashed, instantly melting and canceling each other out, again turning into water vapor in the air.
Because of Aokiji's ability, the area where they fought had turned into frozen ground, so Ace could move freely.
He reached out, pulled the dagger from his belt, and held it in a reverse grip. A white flame blade flickered on the dagger, similar to Ian's Evil King Flame Slayer Sword, though the flame edge was slightly shorter.
Gripping the dagger, Ace lunged at Aokiji, aiming a stab at his abdomen. Aokiji extended his leg, blocking Ace's elbow with his shin. Ace swung the dagger horizontally, slashing at Aokiji's leg, but Aokiji quickly withdrew his leg and used his other foot to kick upward, striking Ace's wrist. The kick sent Ace's arm flying upward, knocking the dagger away and leaving his ribs exposed.
Aokiji seized the opportunity. Pointing a finger, he fired an ice spear that struck Ace's right ribcage.
Compared to Kizaru's laser attacks, Aokiji's ice spear had a physical form, making it easier to coat with Haki. Ace's elemental body couldn't block this strike.
Pierced by the blade, Ace winced in pain. He used his flame power to melt the ice spear in his ribs, then fiercely swung his hand, unleashing a massive fireball at Aokiji.
This move resembled the Great Serpent Strike Ian had once used. Ace had seen it once and remembered the motion. Now, unleashing it at close range, the surging flames engulfed Aokiji's body.
Fire's advantage over ice caused Aokiji to burn painfully all over, but he didn't make a sound. He intensified his cold output, instantly suppressing Ace's flames. Then, he closed in on Ace, bent down, and grabbed Ace's legs!
A crackling sound came again. Ace's legs began to freeze, the ice rapidly spreading upward.
Ice Time Capsule—Aokiji's signature move.
"Ahh!" Ace quickly ignited his flames all over, trying to melt the ice. But Aokiji also strengthened his cold power. As soon as Ace melted the ice, Aokiji froze it again.
In essence, their battle was a fight between high temperature and low temperature. Two opposing Devil Fruit abilities—whoever could use their power better and stronger would win.
Although Ace's flame temperature had increased significantly, Aokiji was a Marine Admiral at the peak of his physical and ability strength. Using Armament Haki to grab Ace's solid ankle, Ace couldn't escape. He could only stay put and struggle against Aokiji.
White mist rose from where they stood, caused by the constant freezing and melting of ice. The mist grew thicker and thicker, affecting Ace's ability.
This mist was essentially water vapor. For Aokiji, it was something he could use, but for Ace, it drained the heat from his flames.
Gradually, the ice on Ace's body crept upward, inch by inch. Aokiji's freezing began to gain the upper hand.
Seeing this wouldn't work, Ace punched Aokiji in the face.
Aokiji's head shattered but quickly reformed in the cold.
A trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Aokiji licked it, somewhat surprised. "Armament Haki? But for me, it's not enough."
"Time to end this. Ice Age!"
With Aokiji's low murmur, an even stronger burst of cold erupted, sweeping across the surrounding sea. In this cold, everything was frozen—the water, the ships, the fighting pirates and Marine soldiers. They all turned into frozen statues, as if time had stopped. Though Aokiji had tried to limit his attack range, some unlucky ones were still caught.
At Ace's location, a massive ice pillar formed directly. Ace was completely sealed inside the thick ice!
Though out of respect for Vice Admiral Garp, Aokiji didn't want to harm Ace, he still had to fulfill his duty as a Marine Admiral. Once serious, Aokiji instantly unleashed overwhelming power.
Ace was still a bit weaker compared to him...
Letting out a breath, Aokiji was about to move the ice pillar containing Ace. But at that moment, a heavy thumping sound came from behind him. Just as Aokiji turned around, he was sent flying by a tremendous force. His frozen body shattered into pieces as he flew backward.
When he stood up and reformed his body, he found himself injured again from the massive impact. Looking up, he saw that his attacker was Diamond Jozu, the Third Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!