Chapter 14

The opening rounds of the fight went the same as they did in the canon with Luffy being on the losing end. It was to be expected. Foxy's Noro Noro no Mi was an extremely strange fruit that took Luffy a while to somewhat understand. Though his understanding really just became 'dodge the beams'.

For Markus, he was honestly tempted to kill Foxy and try to steal his Devil Fruit. In the hands of a true fighter, it would be ungodly powerful. This was proven when a weakling like Foxy used it on a slowed Luffy. Foxy rained down punches that Luffy would have normally been able to ignore. The punches had no visible effect until Luffy was no longer slowed and the kinetic energy from all of the blows activated at once.

As for Foxy using his power to slow projectiles in flight, it was interesting and surprising but it didn't add any power to them, it just added a moment of surprise. Once an opponent got used to it, it would become ineffective and actually make projectiles easier to dodge. Markus pondered other potential uses for the Noro Noro no Mi while the battle continued on the ship.

Once Luffy got used to the weird beam of Foxy, the battle became much less one-sided. It didn't last much longer before Luffy got the upper hand and pounded the snot out of Foxy. In the cannon, Foxy had pushed Luffy to his limits through the use of multiple tricks and traps along with constantly slowing and beating him with spiked gloves. Luffy managed to turn it around with a broken piece of mirror to reflect Foxy's own attack back at him. Things changed.

This time, Luffy had a much easier time dodging Foxy's beams and closing in to land multiple hard blows. Luffy managed to bash Foxy into the sea with a powerful blow before the annoying man could lure him into the ship full of traps. There was absolute silence at the 'surprising' turn of events. For Foxy's crew, it probably was surprising, for the Strawhats, it was to be expected.

Once the moment passed, the announcer did his job, "The point of landing... is outside of the ring! For the fateful battle of the third round of this Davy Back Fight, the Captain versus Captain combat round, our Boss, Foxy, has tragically fallen after 920 straight wins. The winner of this round is... STRAWHAT LUFFY!"

Everyone, even Foxy's own crew, cheered while the final bell was rung signaling Luffy's official victory over Foxy. Markus just smirked and watched as it took a moment for Foxy's crew to realize that Foxy was still in the water, drowning. A veritable stampede happened a moment later as hundreds of people charged to the sea to save Foxy from a watery grave.

The Strawhat crew all moved to a spot together to discuss the battle. It hadn't been as intense as the battle in the canon story but it was still pretty interesting thanks to Foxy's tricks. Luffy only needed some minor bandaging from Chopper and he was good to go. Foxy needed a bit more medical treatment but he eventually showed up at the group and approached Luffy, "Hey! Strawhat! It's all because of you that I lost my perfect record!"

Foxy moved closer and extended his hand for a handshake, "Not bad. Brother."

Foxy even had a congenial smile on his face and seemed to be genuine. At least, he did until Luffy clasped hands with him. Foxy's attitude immediately changed as he tried the do an over the shoulder slam with Luffy, "Eat this!! Overhead throw of vengeance!"

Foxy's head slammed into the ground while Luffy's arm just harmlessly stretched. Grapple moves were not really effective on a rubber-man... Afterward, the events unfolded similarly to what Markus remembered. Instead of taking a crew member, Luffy chose to take their flag. He even ended up acting like a nice guy and painting them a new symbol. It was... unique? That's a lie. It was horrible. Luffy had zero artistic talent. Not that Markus was one to talk but still...

Foxy left with a threat but Markus knew he wouldn't be coming back ever again. Luffy and the others decided to go visit the old man they'd met but Markus said he'd stay on the ship to guard it against any potential attacks from Foxy. Markus patiently waited on the deck of the ship for both his crew and Foxy's ship to get a fair distance away.

Once Foxy's ship and his crew left his passive range, Markus activated his Observation Haki to its maximum range. The moment he did all relaxation he'd been feeling vanished, "Fuck fuck fuck fuck!"

An instant later, Markus turned into a bolt of lightning and vanished from his spot on the ship and flew through the air at his maximum speed. The next instant he was with the rest of the crew as they stood around an extremely tall and slender man wearing a nice white suit with a blue shirt under a white vest. Robin was collapsed on the ground trembling as she looked up at the man, Aokiji.

Markus wanted to berate himself for letting his guard down. He couldn't cover the entire island in his passive Haki range and hadn't kept checking for Aokiji to show up. He'd been convinced it would be on the next island after he'd not spotted the admiral the first time, a mistake. Fortunately, he arrived just in time to hear Aokiji speaking, "Chill~ Chill~ You shouldn't be so aggressive. It's not like I was ordered to come here. I'm only out for a walk."

Zoro tightly gripped the handle of Wado Ichimonji, "Who do you work for?"

Robin was the one to answer him, "The Marines. He's an Admiral of the Marine Headquarters."

That got a reaction out of the crew as they all shouted, "Admiral?!"

Robin continued, "In the entirety of the Marine Navy there are only three people with the tank of Admiral. 'Akainu' the red dog. 'Aokiji' the blue pheasant. 'Kizaru' the yellow monkey. The only one superior to them is Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral. Those three men are crowned with the title of 'Ultimate Assault Force' by the World Government, and he is one of them!"

Usopp started yelling at Aokiji, "What is someone like you doing here?! There are plenty of other pirates worth more than 75 million out there! Go get them! Just leave us alone!"

Aokiji blatantly ignored Usopp and looked down at Nami, "Oooh! What do we have here? Another sexy lady! Are you free tonight?"

While Usopp and Sanji yelled at Aokiji for ignoring them or flirting with Nami, Markus let out a sigh. At least Aokiji hadn't gotten violent and was still the same as in the canon. Frankly, Aokiji was the one Admiral Markus liked in his memories. He was a laid back and chill dude who would rather take a nap then pick on pirates. He only got serious when it was necessary. Still, Markus wouldn't hesitate to take him out if he needed to.

Aokiji lifted his hands and made a placating gesture, "I told you to chill, kids. You are the ones who should learn to listen. I told you I am only here for a walk. No need for so much hostility. What I'm trying to say is you guys are... ... I forgot. Oh well."

Usopp turned to Robin, "Are you sure this guy is one of the Admirals?!"

Aokiji seemed slightly offended, "Hey. Hey. Don't judge people by their cover. I always uphold the model of 'Lazy Justice'." He ignored the retorts of Sanji and Usopp as he started moving to lay down on the ground, "Oh well... my legs are tired from standing. Time to rest..."

Aokiji actually lay down on the ground and used his suit jacket as a pillow, "Anyways, I do not intend to arrest you, so chill. I'm only here to confirm the whereabouts of Nico Robin after the Alabasta incident. I thought she would be with you."

The rest of the crew seemed confused bu Markus was paying close attention to everything and was ready to strike at any moment. He remained silent as he had nothing to add to the conversation... for now. Once he was comfortable Aokiji continued, "I'm only going to report the discovery. So they can recalculate the bounty for your group. One more person will increase it by... 260 million plus 79 million would be... Too hard to count. It's roughly the same amount."

Zoro looked nonplussed, "Too lazy to count?"

It took everyone a moment before Usopp said, "Wait, 260 million?" He pointed at Luffy, "75 million..." Then he pointed at Zoro, "60 million..." Then he scratched his head, "That's only 135 million. Are you sure you're an Admiral? You can't even do basic math!"

Aokiji pointed at Markus, "Markus, 125 million."

Everyone froze and slowly turned to look at Markus. Markus turned his head away from them and whistled. The absolute picture of pure innocence.

"WHAT THE HELL?! SINCE WHEN?!"

Markus coughed and cleared his throat as all the excitable people yelled at him, "Uh... Since Alabasta..."

Luffy started shouting, "GOMU GOMU...!!"

Sanji and Usopp grabbed Luffy to stop him. Luffy screamed to let him go while Sanji shouted, "Don't start an unnecessary fight!"

Usopp added in, "He's an Admiral for god's sake!"

Luffy there a fit, "I don't care! I won't let him take Robin away or lie about Markus having a higher bounty than me!"

Aokiji lifted his hand in a stop gesture, "You're mistaken. I already said I don't plan to do anything..."

Luffy huffed and puffed while pointing to the side, "Go take your walk elsewhere! You're not welcome here!"

Aokiji sighed, "You're over-reacting... Okay. Okay. I'll leave but I overheard something while I was napping." Aokiji pointed at a short old man that Markus had been ignoring since they arrived at the island, "You. I wasn't in a deep sleep so I heard what you said. Pack up and get ready to move."

Luffy immediately shouted, "No! Don't listen to him! He's from the Marines! The Marines!!"

Silence.

"Why not?"

Luffy had a look of realization as he dropped the fist of one hand on his palm, "Oh! That's right. You can listen to him. Normally the marines are the good guys and we're the bad guys."

Markus snickered and drowned out the random conversation as the group helped the old man pack up his belonging and prepare to leave. Markus and Robin both knew what Aokiji was capable of so helping the old man get to another section of the island where his family was would be an easy task for him. The problem was likely to come after the old man left. Markus stuck close to Robin as the whole group moved to the edge of the island with the old mans belongings.

When everything was set, Aokiji moved to the shore and stuck his hand in the water. He concentrated while Markus watched. He could feel Aokiji gathering energy and felt his power slowly rising. As Aokiji focused, a giant yellow sea king popped out of the water with a roar. As a few people shouted out warnings, Aokiji just muttered, "Ice Age."

In an instant, a wave of coldness rushed out and froze not just the sea king but the ocean as well. Aside from Robin and Markus, everyone else was shocked by the display of power. Robin, with sweat running down her forehead explained, "Elemental class... the freezing power of the Hie Hie no Mi. This is the extent of the power of an Admiral from the Marine Headquarters!"

Markus stepped next to Robin and gripped her shaking hand with his own. He gave her a calm look before grinning broadly. It was only at that moment that she remembered that Markus had the 'invincible' Goro Goro no Mi. Robin managed to calm down a little but she was still scared. Being in front of Aokiji just reminded her too much of the traumatic events of her youth. It wasn't a logical fear but closer to a phobia. He gripped her hand tightly to comfort her. Even if he couldn't beat Aokiji, Aokiji couldn't beat him either.

The crew said goodbye to the old man and even played on the frozen sea for a bit. It was one of the few times that Luffy didn't need to fear the ocean. Aokiji retired to the side and sat down while contemplating something. When Luffy and the others got too cold to continue playing, they returned to shore and looked at Aokiji. Aokiji scratched his head for a bit prompting Luffy to ask, "What?"

Aokiji sighed, "How should I say this... You and your grandfather are really alike Monkey D. Luffy. Is it open-minded? Or is it absent-minded?"

Luffy froze in place and started to sweat profusely while shaking, "G...grandpa?!"

Everyone looked at Luffy and saw something they'd never seen before. Fear. Usopp couldn't help asking, "What's wrong, Luffy?"

"N...nothing! It's just... uh..."

Aokiji butted in, "I dealt with your grandpa a long time ago. Even though I only came to see Nico Robin... Maybe all of you should... Just die here and now."

This statement prompted everyone to turn serious, especially Markus. He gave Robin's hand a final squeeze before letting it go and walking in front of her while Aokiji began to speak once more, "The government isn't taking you seriously, but after carefully analyzing the situation it had become obvious that you are a very determined group of individuals. Your group currently consisted of a handful of rogues, yet judging from the trouble you've been causing there is little doubt that as time passes you will become an acute threat. In the time between the issuing of the first bounty on a member of your party to the present time... Your growth has been quite extraordinary. And though you so far have limited yourselves to fighting other pirates, I am concerned with what the future holds once you grow tired of your prey and search for new game."

Aokiji looked over the group before his eyes landed on Robin, "Your party is now especially dangerous because of you, Nico Robin."

Markus decided this was the perfect time for him to step in and prevent Aokiji from playing mind games with Robin, "Oh, how wrong you are Aokiji."

Aokiji's eyes switched from Robin to Markus, "Oh? I admit that for a little kid in Paradise, you are a large threat but that is all you amount to."

Markus's face slowly split into a large grin, "Oh Aokiji, how wrong you are. How terribly, terribly, wrong." Markus ignored the Marine and spoke to the crew, "All of you get to the Going Merry. None of you can handle a logia user and you all know it. I'll send him packing and catch up with you all soon enough."

The others wanted to complain, Luffy actually did, but in the end, they all knew there was literally nothing they could do against Aokiji. Markus had made sure to beat it into them that they could do nothing to a Logia user without special circumstances being on their side until they could use Armament Haki. They were reluctant but chose to follow what Markus said and moved to leave.

Aokiji wasn't about to let them and made a move to intercept Robin. Before he even got close, Markus was in front of him with both of his fists covered in pitch-black Armament Haki, "I can't have you ignoring me, Aokiji."

Aokiji narrowed his eyes at Markus, he only had one thought at the moment 'fast'. Markus had used his footwork instead of his lightning speed but it was still faster than a large majority of people could move. It also lets him keep his faster speed for the element of surprise. Aokiji could track his movement with Observation Haki but would need to use Soru to keep up with it. Aokiji decided he needed to take Markus a little seriously, just a little.

Markus grinned at Aokiji, "Come on, let's settle this mano-a-mano!"

Ice gathered over Aokiji as he confidently stared down at Markus, "Cool with me, but be warned... This will be a fight to the death."

Markus smirked, "Are you sure that's what you want? It won't end pretty for you."

Aokiji couldn't tell if Markus was an idiot or over-confident. Either way, he held no fear toward him. Even if Markus could use Armament Haki and move quickly, it wouldn't said him from his world-ending ice. Aokiji grabbed a handful of grass and tossed it into the air. As the grass floated he exhaled a freezing breath and froze the grass in the crude shape of a sword, "Ice Saber."

Aokiji swung the saber at Markus's head. Markus saw it coming a mile away and simply ducked under it while leaning forward and thrusting out his arm to punch Aokiji in the stomach. Aokiji countered by catching Markus's Haki coated fist in his own Haki coated palm, "You need to do better than that, little boy."

Aokiji gripped Markus's hand tightly as ice began to coat the black fist. Markus ripped his hand back, breaking Aokiji's grip on him. With a smirk, Markus held his ice-covered fist up and channeled his ability. Instantly the ice erupted into steam and vanished without leaving any lasting damage, "So do you."

Aokiji's eyes widened in surprise. Markus delivered another verbal blow, "Luffy might be the captain so it's okay if you thought he was the strongest. You might also believe that Robin is the biggest threat to the World Government. But you are oh so wrong."

Markus's eyes began to glow purple while sparks of electricity jumped out of the corners of his eyes. At the same time, he activated his Conqueror's Haki and focused it all on Aokiji causing the man to sweat. While Markus's Conqueror's Haki couldn't knock Aokiji out, it could put mental pressure on him. Add in the visual indicator of Markus's recently acquired Devil Fruit and the pressure just increases further.

Not even remotely finished with pressuring Aokiji, Markus lifted his right hand where light purple lightning began to gather and formed into the shape of a katana while excess lightning sparked off of his body and struck the ground around him randomly. Aokiji's worries couldn't end there as the color of the sword rapidly changed from light purple to a deep black with only the edges outlined in a royal purple. Markus had channeled his Armament Haki into the lightning sword.

During his training, Markus had learned an interesting fact about his lightning and Armament Haki. The two could be combined, but only as long as Markus and the lightning were still connected. If he fired off something like a blast of Ball Lightning, he could attach Armament Haki to it, but it wouldn't last very long and was inefficient. If he made weapons or conjured a large lightning fist and kept it connected to his body then the Armament Haki worked flawlessly. It was the same concept of infusing Armament Haki into a bullet. It could be done but it wouldn't last for very long.

Aokiji looked at Markus while sparks of electricity shot off of the sword in his hand and frowned. Between the pressure of the Conqueror's Haki and the domineering sword, he knew this wouldn't be an easy fight at all. He let out a sigh of cold air and focused on Markus with deadly intent, "You're right, you are the biggest threat on that ship. But I will eliminate you now."