"Be careful of his cold air," Lilith warned.
Then, with a flap of her wings, a powerful hurricane formed and swept toward Aokiji. The sea ice beneath the storm cracked and shattered as chunks of ice were sucked into the swirling winds.
"A troublesome ability," Aokiji muttered with a frown. He raised his right hand, summoning a surge of freezing air. Then, with another wave, he launched a terrifying counterattack.
"Pheasant Beak!"
A massive bird, sculpted entirely from ice, soared toward the hurricane. When they collided, the bird shattered into frozen shards while the hurricane dispersed into wind and snow. The two powers canceled each other out.
But the moment the winds calmed—
Lilith's figure flashed behind Aokiji, her leg lashing out in a kick coated with Armament Haki. Aokiji's eyes narrowed, but his instincts and experience kicked in. He spun around and raised an ice shield in time to block the attack.
"This ability…" Aokiji muttered.
He leapt back, putting distance between them. His gaze locked onto Lilith, then shifted briefly to Mio. That technique—her sudden appearance behind him—it was eerily similar to what Mio had used earlier.
It should have been a Devil Fruit ability.
But how could two people possess the same Devil Fruit power?
Aokiji was visibly puzzled.
Still, there was no time to dwell on it. Suppressing his doubts, he focused on the battle. A wave of intense cold burst out from him, flooding the area with white frost. Even without touching it, the sheer chill made the air feel lethal.
Anyone caught in that cold would be frozen solid.
With a boom, Kuroken stepped forward, his body shooting forward like a cannonball. The red tentacles behind him writhed and snapped out at Aokiji, their tips coated in Armament Haki.
Aokiji met the attack head-on, blocking with both arms. The ice beneath his feet cracked and sank slightly from the impact.
But the freezing aura clung to Kuroken's tentacles and quickly began spreading toward his body.
If this continued, Kuroken would be frozen entirely.
But his face remained calm. The three magatama in his crimson eyes spun slowly. Without hesitation, he commanded one of his tentacles to sever the frozen ones—cleanly slicing them off like a blade.
In that instant, another tentacle lashed out, striking Aokiji in the chest and sending him flying backward across the ice.
"So decisive… It's terrifying," Aokiji coughed as he stood back up, a serious expression settling on his face.
It wasn't Kuroken's strength that alarmed him.
It was his unwavering resolve.
Without hesitation, he had sacrificed parts of his own body to land a blow.
Those kinds of opponents—who fought without flinching, without fear of injury—were the most dangerous to face.
"And…"
Aokiji glanced toward Gion, who was locked in battle with Mio. His frown deepened. Mio's strange teleportation made the fight difficult for Gion. She was clearly struggling.
If this went on, she would be defeated.
That would make things even more troublesome.
"I guess it's time to get serious," Aokiji muttered.
The laziness faded from his eyes, replaced by a fierce focus.
Then he suddenly swung his right arm.
"Frozen Time Capsule!"
A surge of icy energy blasted across the frozen sea, rushing straight toward Kuroken. The sensation of death followed closely behind. Without hesitation, Kuroken retreated rapidly.
Taking advantage of the moment, Aokiji shifted his focus and rushed toward Erica on the other side. The cold air condensed around his palm as he closed in.
"Frozen Time!"
Erica hadn't expected the sudden shift in targets, but she reacted instantly. With a fluid motion, she slashed with her twin swords. The two strikes converged into a single silver arc, splitting the freezing air in half.
Aokiji's body was sliced cleanly.
But it quickly reformed from ice.
Still, Erica had already leapt away.
Above them, Lilith beat her wings again, golden light falling from the sky along with the hurricane winds.
Seeing the shimmering light particles in the air, Aokiji's instincts screamed danger. He leapt away, avoiding both the winds and the glowing fragments.
"What a pain," he muttered. His patience was wearing thin.
A new wave of chilling aura exploded from his body.
"The journey of the Black Crow Pirates ends here," Aokiji declared, voice deep and filled with resolve.
The cold around him spread outward in an instant, sweeping across the battlefield. Ice reformed over previously shattered surfaces.
Kuroken and Erica immediately pulled back, but—
In a single step, Aokiji caught up to Kuroken in a blur of motion.
Before Kuroken could react, the freezing air engulfed him.
He was instantly turned into a statue of ice.
"Was that… awakening?" Mio watched from a distance, brows furrowed.
He vanished from sight and reappeared next to Gion, slashing with his sword. She reacted swiftly, blocking the strike with her own blade.
But Mio followed up with a powerful kick to her stomach, sending her flying like a broken kite.
"As expected of a future admiral," Mio murmured. "To have already awakened his Ice Fruit…"
And it made sense.
Without awakening, one couldn't possibly hold the position of admiral.
In just a few seconds—
Aokiji had reached Erica. The chilling aura surrounding him was nearly suffocating. Even before contact, it sapped the heat from the air.
Once touched, it was instant doom.
The freezing aura was no longer bound to his body. It expanded continuously outward.
This was the terror of an awakened Logia.
And so, even Erica was soon encased in solid ice.
With both Erica and Kuroken dealt with, Aokiji's gaze turned skyward—toward Lilith.
She stared back in fear.
Her strength lay in attrition, in slow wear-downs. But Aokiji was beyond her reach.
And now, she couldn't even get close to him.
If she did, she'd be frozen in moments.
Lilith hesitated, uncertain of what to do.
"Forget it. Let's ignore this one," Aokiji said, eyes still on her.
He had no interest in aerial combat—it wasn't his strong suit.
Instead, his gaze locked onto Mio.
"This time, it ends," he said flatly.
The cold surged again, expanding his domain of ice. The battlefield now belonged entirely to Aokiji.
"Tch. Looks like this is the end of the line," Mio muttered, glancing at the frozen forms of Erica and Kuroken.
"Time to retreat."
He looked at Aokiji, voice calm.
"You're right—it ends here. But you won't be capturing us."
As his words fell, he stepped forward.
Gion's eyes narrowed in alarm. She slashed behind her, sending golden sword energy roaring backward.
Mio didn't flinch.
He swung Raikiri, his black lightning-charged slash clashing with the golden energy. The shockwave spread outward in all directions.
In the next moment, he delivered a powerful kick to Gion, sending her flying again.
And in mid-air—he activated his Exchange Fruit.
He reappeared behind her in a flash, reaching out and seizing her neck.
Holding her in midair, his grip firm, he looked calmly at Aokiji.
"Exchange."
Aokiji responded evenly.
"Before you kill her, I can kill you."
"You don't have that speed," Mio replied, expression cool. "If it were Kizaru, maybe. But you? No chance."
"Maybe not," Aokiji replied grimly. "But even if you kill her, the rest of the Black Crow Pirates will be captured and dragged to Impel Down. She's a navy officer. She's prepared to die."
As he spoke, he stomped the ice beneath his feet.
Freezing energy burst down into the depths of the sea.
Mio didn't need to check. He knew—Hanba had been frozen.
Still, he laughed.
"Aokiji… you're not Kizaru, and you're certainly not Akainu. This may be our first meeting, but trust me—I know who you are."
Kizaru had speed.
Akainu had ruthless justice and wouldn't blink at sacrificing comrades, even someone like Gion—someone prized by both Sengoku and Tsuru.
But Aokiji?
He was just a different kind of man.
Especially when it came to sacrificing his own.
Mio's hand slowly tightened around Gion's neck, her face turning red as she dangled in the air. She struggled, but didn't cry out or beg.
Her eyes locked onto Mio, full of defiance.
And she didn't call out for help.
Aokiji watched in silence.
Just staring at Mio—
Saying nothing.