Chapter 313: Vs Aokiji
(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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As far as it went about Colt, Marineford had very little information about him.
They only knew his name and a few abilities he had shown before.
The summary given by Smoker was that this person's strength was very dangerous, but his behavior… was not particularly lethal.
This was also why Colt had been on the Grand Line for so long without encountering Marines specially sent to arrest him.
There were many vicious pirates on the Grand Line, and the New World had recently been turbulent.
The Marines really didn't have the energy to manage a seemingly harmless two-person pirate group.
However, Aokiji felt he needed to re-examine this young man.
"Yes, it is indeed Uchiha Sasuke. Do you miss your old friend?" Colt confirmed Aokiji's guess with a grin.
"I heard from Sasuke that he had an 'interesting' encounter with you back in the Sabaody Archipelago."
Aokiji subconsciously scratched his chest, where Amaterasu's black flames had once burned him. The black flames, which couldn't be extinguished, had nearly killed him.
"Sigh…" Aokiji's eyelids twitched; he didn't think being burned so badly could be said to be an interesting encounter.
He looked at Colt, wondering if this person genuinely didn't understand tact or was being deliberately eccentric.
"So, you're in contact with such a dangerous person as Uchiha Sasuke. It seems I've caught a big fish this time," Aokiji said, his voice serious.
Colt's expression shifted as he replied in a stern tone.
"Not good! You've discovered this secret. I guess I'll have to deal with you here today!"
The scene grew awkward.
Even Robin and Nami stopped what they were doing to look at Colt with a silent gaze.
'Why is he acting sarcastic at such an important time?'
Aokiji glanced at Robin, his expression complicated.
"Is this the pirate crew you've chosen this time?" he asked.
Colt's acting was terrible!
"Forget it; I guess I don't have much talent in acting. Not everyone can be a jack-of-all-trades," Colt muttered, scratching his nose as he ended his poorly executed performance.
Turning to Robin, he said.
"Today, I'll help you get rid of a nightmare as an advance on your payment."
Robin's hands trembled.
Colt understood why.
In the past, the pirate crews she'd joined never lasted long, with Aokiji often contributing to their downfalls.
Due to Ohara's destruction and his bond with Saul, Aokiji felt obligated to keep Robin on the right path.
But the crews Robin joined hadn't been the right places for her, and she gained a notorious reputation as the Devil's Child, one marked by bad luck.
Unbeknownst to Robin, this was Aokiji's way of protecting her.
But words meant little; only true strength could offer real security.
Today, Colt planned to use Aokiji as an example.
Colt surveyed the icy landscape around them and nodded.
"The battlefield is all set. Admiral Aokiji is certainly considerate."
"Thank you for the compliment," Aokiji replied, sighing.
"But wouldn't it be easier if you surrendered without a fight? It would save you a lot of trouble."
The air grew colder as Aokiji's body became encased in a thick layer of frost.
As a Marine Admiral, he could alter the climate itself.
When it came to sheer environment-changing power, even the Four Emperors found it hard to compare.
With a wave of Colt's hand, the intense cold dispersed, as if hitting an invisible barrier that kept the temperature around their ship comfortable.
Aokiji's expression grew more serious.
It wasn't unusual to block his cold—many people could do that—but Colt's technique was completely undetectable.
That made it particularly terrifying.
"Are you ready?" Colt asked.
"For what?" Aokiji was slightly taken aback.
"To get beaten!" Before Aokiji could react, Colt vanished and reappeared in front of him, landing a powerful punch!
Ice shattered in all directions, and Aokiji's body dispersed in a flurry of ice fragments.
An ice spike suddenly appeared behind Colt, aiming to pierce him quietly.
"Watch out!" Robin yelled, covering her mouth as she called out.
But Colt remained still, allowing the ice spike to strike him.
To Aokiji's astonishment, the sharp ice, harder than any normal blade, failed to pierce Colt's body.
Colt turned slightly, giving Aokiji a playful smile.
"Trying to give me a massage? You might need Whitebeard's Shock Fruit for that to be effective."
Aokiji's expression shifted, and he quickly backed away, alarmed by Colt's resilience.
But it was too late.
Colt exhaled, and the surrounding temperature plummeted even further.
From the ground, four massive ice dragons emerged, roaring as they locked Aokiji in place.
When Aokiji attempted to disperse himself into his element, he found his limbs frozen solid.
"What's going on? Ice freezing ice?!" Aokiji's disbelief showed as his worldview was completely challenged.
"What kind of ability is this?"
"You can feel it, can't you? This is pure ice," Colt replied.
"To deal with Logia powers, the best way is to use the power of nature itself."
Colt clapped his hands, and around them, the frozen sea quickly returned to its original state.
Aokiji's eyes widened in disbelief.
While creating a vast frozen landscape was easy for him, returning it all to normal was another matter entirely.
Now, Aokiji fully grasped what kind of monstrous strength Robin had chosen to side with.
On the bow, Robin and Nami were in shock—especially Robin.
Her lifelong nightmare, a top-ranking power of the Navy Headquarters, was beaten in only two moves.
'Is this real?'
"If Morgans knew that Admiral Aokiji was defeated, and by the ice element he is a master of, that'd make the headline of the month," Colt said with a playful smile.