Chapter 32: Are All Fifth-Rank Contractors Such Old Yinbis?
The wound on Aokiji’s forearm stopped bleeding, likely sealed by freezing the injury with his Devil Fruit ability, as precisely as if sutured. Given Aokiji’s mastery over the Ice-Ice Fruit, this was hardly surprising.
“Ara ara, you’re more troublesome than I imagined.”
Aokiji stared coldly at Su Xiao, his usual casual and indifferent demeanor gone. In battle, Aokiji gave off a bone-chilling coldness, both physically and in terms of aura.
Su Xiao flicked his longsword, leaving a shallow slash mark on the ice two meters in front of him. Aokiji glanced at the cut, his gaze meaningful.
Noticing Aokiji’s look, Su Xiao’s eyes flashed with blue light as countless blade fragments flew out from the slash in the ice, reattaching to the cuff of his right sleeve.
Su Xiao was accustomed to wielding his sword with his right hand, and the Second Stage Banishment also clung to his right sleeve. He had seemingly swung his sword carelessly, but in reality, he had taken the opportunity to fling Banishment into the ice layer, planning to ambush Aokiji. Unfortunately, Aokiji’s Observation Haki was formidable, and he had detected it.
Behind a nearby ice wall formed from frozen waves, the female Divine Emperor Adventure Group leader pressed her face against the ice, watching the battle without blinking.
“So sneaky, but this kind of combat intelligence… no wonder they’re a fifth-rank big shot. He seems to have noticed us. Should I say hello?”
The female Divine Emperor Adventure Group leader grinned, and the few members behind her felt their hearts skip a beat upon hearing her words.
“Don’t court death. Get down.”
“Please, Captain, stop looking at that guy. I take back what I said earlier—he doesn’t need a few minutes; he could wipe us out in less than a minute.”
The group frantically pushed their captain to the ground.
“Don’t touch me! I’m not taking my meds!”
The female Divine Emperor Adventure Group leader struggled, her tone resolute.
“Shut up! For everyone’s safety, you have to take them.”
“It’s fine. He’s fighting for his life against Aokiji; how could he bother with us?”
Her words left the others stunned. They exchanged glances, then finally let her go.
“Watch how he fights. We might learn something.”
“Uh… that does make sense.”
The group crawled forward to the ice, dozens of eyes fixed on Su Xiao and Aokiji. Truly, “birds of a feather flock together”—with a captain like that, the other members were hardly normal.
On the other side of the ice wall, Su Xiao, locked in a standoff with Aokiji, sensed dozens of gazes on him simultaneously. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
Boom!
Blood Qi spread outward from Su Xiao as the center, and all the prying gazes vanished instantly.
Behind the ice wall, the female Divine Emperor Adventure Group leader lay flat on the ice, cold sweat seeping from her pale cheeks.
“M-maybe we shouldn’t watch for now. He seems angry.”
“So you do know fear?”
The perception-type girl from the Howling Sky Adventure Group spoke in a trembling voice. As a perception-type, the spread of Blood Qi had hit her hardest. In that moment, she felt as if she had been thrown into a pile of corpses, with a pair of eyes staring at her. The ground was blood-red, the sky gloomy, and the bodies of many powerful beings seemed to lie nearby.
“Where is that…”
The perception-type girl hugged her shoulders. She was certain that what she had just seen was no illusion—it was a real place, but one that was extremely dangerous and terrifying.
The prying gazes disappeared, and Su Xiao stopped paying attention to the distant contractors, focusing entirely on Aokiji. The situation was that he couldn’t afford to delay, unless he gave up the mission to rescue Ace.
At the moment, the Whitebeard Pirates appeared fierce, seemingly pushing the Marines back, but this was actually a trap. Outside the harbor, the Marines had pre-built steel walls. Once the steel walls around the U-shaped harbor rose, combined with the Pacifistas waiting in the sea behind, the pirates would be surrounded.
“Ace!!”
A deep, thunderous shout came from behind the Moby Dick.
Boom, boom, boom…
Heavy footsteps echoed as a figure taller than a ship emerged from among the pirate vessels. Roughly estimated at forty meters tall, the Giant Vice Admiral below the execution platform looked like a dwarf in comparison, not even reaching the figure’s knee.
The ice trembled as a Warlord walked past the Moby Dick.
On the Moby Dick, Whitebeard watched the advancing Warlord, his expression grim.
“Oars, go back.”
Whitebeard’s voice made the Warlord, Little Oars Jr., stop in his tracks.
“Dad, Ace is suffering. Ace is very gentle. I want to…”
Little Oars Jr.’s voice was deep. The term “Warlord” sounded dangerous, but they were actually a simple race—so simple that they had built Mary Geoise for the Celestial Dragons and nearly been wiped out.
“It’s not time yet, Oars. Go back.”
“Dad, I have to go. I want to save him.”
Holding an oversized cleaver, Little Oars Jr. trudged forward step by step. His pace was slow, but each step covered a great distance.
“I understand. Fossa, lead the men to cover Oars.”
“Leave it to me, Dad.”
Fossa, the captain of the 15th Division, shouted with apparent fighting spirit, but there was worry in his eyes. Little Oars Jr.’s size made him an obvious target.
Boom, boom, boom…
As Little Oars Jr. advanced, the pirates beneath him charged forward as well.
Bang!
A bullet cut through the air, striking a cannonball that exploded at the height of Little Oars Jr.’s waist. Izo, dressed like a geisha, raised his gun, smoke rising from the muzzle.
On the ice near Little Oars Jr., Su Xiao and Aokiji remained locked in a standoff. Neither moved, waiting for the other to reveal an opening.
“Aren’t you going to deal with that?” Su Xiao gestured behind him at Little Oars Jr.
“Compared to a Warlord, you’re more dangerous.”
Aokiji wasn’t flattering him. If the two of them faced Oars, one could freeze him into an ice block instantly, and the other could cut him into hundreds of pieces.
“Oh? Then what about the Apollo in Marine Headquarters?”
“…”
This time, Aokiji couldn’t maintain his composure. His eyelids drooped.
“You can’t do it.”
“The pregnant woman who entered Sengoku’s office last night—have you confirmed who she is?”
When Su Xiao said this, Aokiji’s expression changed. This involved classified intelligence. If Su Xiao knew even this, then it was indeed possible he had placed alchemy bombs inside Marine Headquarters. If Marine Headquarters were blown flat, even if they defeated the Whitebeard Pirates in this battle, they would lose face entirely. Marine Headquarters was the Marines’ symbol of authority and credibility.
Whoosh! Aokiji vanished, leaving only an icicle in his place. Su Xiao didn’t stop him. Fighting Aokiji to the death now would bring no benefit. Even if he could kill him, Su Xiao would be too severely injured to continue fighting, causing all four main missions to fail.
The vanished Aokiji soon appeared on the execution platform, whispering something to Sengoku. Sengoku’s eyes widened, and he immediately called for a messenger.
On the icy battlefield, Su Xiao looked up at the Warlord, Little Oars Jr. He was a living target, but he could also draw attention. Su Xiao planned to take the opportunity to carve a path, letting Little Oars Jr. lead many pirates into the harbor. Only by diverting the Marines’ attention could he proceed with his subsequent plan. As for Little Oars Jr.’s life or death, that depended on his luck. Su Xiao wasn’t part of the Whitebeard Pirates. Apart from the mission target, Ace, the others’ fates were none of his concern.