Battling Aokiji Again, Haki Unleashed

Aokiji's freezing aura extended from his hands like white tendrils, reaching the towering waves beside the Marine battleships. The icy chill instantly froze the waves mid-air, creating a wall of ice.

"Well done, Admiral Aokiji!"

"That's incredible! Admiral Aokiji's Ice-Ice Fruit ability froze the waves!"

Relief washed over the previously panicked Marines, who now cheered.

"Quite a useful ability!" Sanders remarked, casting a longing look at the frozen waves below. With another Devil Fruit, he might have caused damage to at least some of the eleven battleships. But the Ice-Ice Fruit's crowd-control powers prevented the battleships from being swallowed by the waves.

Sanders had been working to reduce the time required to replicate Aokiji's powers through combat, and today, with more fighting, he might finally acquire the Ice-Ice Fruit's abilities.

"Issho, keep Garp occupied. I'll take on Aokiji," Sanders said to Issho, who nodded without a word.

"Aokiji! Let's have another round, and show me if you've recovered!" Lightning crackled around Sanders' hands, forming into a brilliant thunder blade. With it in hand, Sanders charged at Aokiji.

"You'll have to go through me first!" Garp leaped from the dog-headed warship, fists raised and aimed at Sanders.

Clang!

Issho intercepted Garp. "Vice Admiral Garp, please don't interfere with the captain's battle!" he said, holding his bamboo sword firmly.

"Out of my way! I'm here to teach that kid Sanders a lesson!" Garp swung a Haki-infused fist at Issho.

Issho remained unfazed. "Gravity Blade: Fierce Tiger!" He compressed gravity onto his sword, releasing it in a powerful horizontal strike, as if to crush and destroy everything in its path.

The gust of wind from the blade strike rippled through the area, causing the sails on the Marine warships to flap violently. Many Marines were knocked over by the powerful blast, though four Marine vice admirals stood firm on the deck.

The bamboo sword and Garp's fist collided, stirring up waves on the ocean. Both fighters were forced to retreat.

Garp rebounded by stepping through the air with Moonwalk, his expression solemn as he eyed Issho standing atop a stone slab. "So it's true, as Sanders said. You have one of the finest powers on the seas."

"Kuzan!" Garp called out to Aokiji, who nodded and extended his freezing powers across the sea, leaving a broad path of ice.

"Withdraw the warships; we'll support Vice Admiral Garp and Admiral Aokiji!" Doberman ordered, using Moonwalk to join the fray, followed by the other vice admirals. With their foes as fierce as Sanders and Issho, they were ready to fight without restraint, planning to surround the pair.

Meanwhile, Aokiji had left the sea open for the warships to retreat safely, and all eleven Marine battleships turned to distance themselves from the battle.

Watching Doberman and Onigumo charging at him, Sanders let out a cold smile. "Not afraid of death, are you?"

Gripping the thunder blade, he prepared to strike.

One-Sword Style: Thunder Slash Wave!

A massive, electrified blue slash surged from Sanders' thunder blade. His mastery as a swordsman was on full display, and the terrifying strike bore down on Onigumo and Doberman, tearing a huge crack through the frozen surface of the sea.

Both Marine vice admirals paled, drawing their swords and coating them in Haki to meet the attack.

Boom!

The powerful slash sent them flying. They tumbled across the ice, finally coming to a stop.

"Damn it! Are we not even qualified to interfere?" Doberman muttered in frustration, slamming his fist onto the ice.

"His power has grown way too fast! I'd never heard Sanders was a swordsman before!" Onigumo remarked, grimacing as residual lightning crackled over their blades, filling the air with the smell of singed metal.

"Vice Admirals Onigumo and Doberman were blown away!"

"This is Sanders' strength? He's a monster!" Marines on the battleships watched in disbelief as the powerful vice admirals were repelled so effortlessly.

"A Great Swordsman?!" Aokiji was momentarily stunned at Sanders' swordsmanship. He had never shown such skills before!

"Kuzan, did you think I wouldn't improve after all this time?" Sanders laughed, charging towards Aokiji. "Let's see if you've improved as well!"

Aokiji's eyebrow twitched at that. All this time? It's only been three months! And back then, Sanders hadn't even used a sword! Despite the urge to retort, Aokiji prepared himself, summoning a frigid blade of ice in his hands.

Clang, clang!

The sounds of clashing blades and roaring elements echoed across the battlefield as Sanders and Aokiji exchanged blows on the icy surface.

Meanwhile, Garp was locked in a fierce battle with Issho. Garp's powerful fists, brimming with Haki, hammered at Issho in relentless waves. The intensity of their fight made it impossible for Vice Admirals Strawberry and Momonga to join in. Approaching the center of the battle, they felt gravity distort around them, making movement challenging and rendering even the swift techniques of the Six Powers difficult to use.

On the floating island above the chaos, Nami navigated a small boat towards Robin. It was a lightweight vessel Sanders had built for quick trips while working on the Raijin.

"Robin, where's Sanders and Issho?" Nami asked as she landed beside her.

"The island's floating—is something happening?"

"The Marines are here. They've called a Buster Call," Robin explained, a hint of fear crossing her face.

"Buster Call?" Nami asked, puzzled.

Robin gave a brief explanation.

"Ten battleships? That's serious?" Without having lived through Ohara, Nami felt little fear of the Buster Call.

"It's a no-holds-barred bombardment, wiping out every living thing on the island," Robin said, a glimmer of terror in her eyes as the memories of flames and explosions played across her mind.

"Don't worry, Robin. The captain and first mate can handle it," Nami reassured her softly, sensing Robin's apprehension. "Let's go check on Sanders."

"Will we distract them?" Robin hesitated. She knew her strength was no match for Sanders and didn't want to be a burden.

"We'll stay on the boat, far from the fight." From their elevated position, they couldn't see the battlefield below, and the scene drew Robin's curiosity.

"Alright," Robin agreed, and they started down the path.

Back on the battlefield, Sanders and Aokiji clashed, with ice and lightning ripping through the air. The battleships had retreated to a safe distance, and several vice admirals stood ready nearby, observing and waiting for an opening to strike.

"Wow, those Marines are so shameless!" Nami muttered, frustrated as she saw Sanders and Issho fending off three opponents each.

"Is that really Hero Garp and Admiral Aokiji?" Robin asked, identifying their opponents.

"Isn't that Aokiji the one Sanders defeated before?"

Nami asked curiously. Growing up in the East Blue, she didn't know much about the powerful figures across the seas.

"Garp is a legendary Marine," Robin explained. "He spent years chasing the Pirate King, Roger, around the world."

"If he could chase Roger, he must be even stronger than the Golden Lion, Shiki, right?" Nami exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening as she saw Issho's precarious situation. She knew Shiki had lost to Roger, so Garp's strength must surpass even Shiki's.

Meanwhile, Robin turned to observe the battle between Sanders and Aokiji, her expression complicated. Aokiji, after all, had once saved her life by sparing her from the flames of Ohara's destruction. Meeting him again now stirred conflicted feelings within her.

Nami, unaware of Robin's turmoil, looked at the frozen waves and icy terrain with admiration. "That's an amazing power. Do you think Captain will gain the Ice-Ice Fruit's ability someday?"

Unlike her worries for Issho, Nami was confident in Sanders. She had seen him take down Shiki and knew he was capable of handling even Aokiji.

"Perhaps," Robin replied uncertainly.

At that moment, Nami gasped, and Robin quickly turned to see what had caught her attention. Doberman had taken advantage of an opening in Sanders' clash with Aokiji, sneaking behind Sanders and bringing his sword down towards his back.

Clang!

The blade tore through Sanders' clothing but struck his back with a sound like steel meeting stone.

Sanders pushed Aokiji back with a punch, then turned to glare at Doberman, his eyes cold.

"Is this how the Marines fight?" he asked icily.

"Against pirates like you, there's no need for honor!" Doberman replied boldly, showing no fear.

"Then you've chosen death!" Lightning crackled around Sanders' body as he clenched his left fist, red and blue lightning intertwined with Conqueror's Haki surging around it.

"Thunder Flash!"

In an instant, he transformed into a bolt of lightning, closing the distance between him and Doberman. His electrified fist crashed down, charged with 300 million volts.

"300 Million Volt Thunder Fist!"

"Watch out!" Aokiji called out, raising several icy spears in an attempt to distract Sanders and protect Doberman.

But Sanders sensed the spears' deadly force with his Observation Haki. Doberman, face paling, raised his Haki-coated sword in a defensive stance.

With a cold look, Sanders ignored the spears at his back and slammed his fist down. Doberman's sword shattered on impact, and his head twisted under the force of the blow. Blood and teeth flew as Doberman's body was driven into the ice, unconscious.

At the same moment, Aokiji's icy spears closed in. Sanders spun, extending his left hand and catching one of the ice spears mid-air.

A wave of Conqueror's Haki surged through the battlefield, red lightning crackling across his body as the ice spear shattered into pieces, raining down onto the frozen sea below.

"You... possess Conqueror's Haki?" Aokiji murmured, taken aback.

Seeing the red lightning crackling around Sanders, Aokiji's expression grew serious. Even Garp, who was in combat with Issho, looked startled, recognizing the advanced technique Sanders was wielding.

"This brat has already mastered such a high-level skill?" Garp muttered, his tone edged with concern. "His learning ability is terrifying."

"Listen, Aokiji, you'd better tell these weaklings to stay out of our fight," Sanders declared coldly, his voice cutting through the air. "Otherwise, I won't mind crushing them with ease."

Aokiji didn't respond with words; instead, he immediately launched another attack. "Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!" He understood that he needed to keep Sanders occupied; otherwise, the injured Doberman would be in grave danger.

The two clashed once again, but this time, Sanders seemed genuinely angry. Red and blue lightning crackled around his every move, each blow forcing Aokiji to retreat. Ice formations shattered under the relentless barrage, scattering into fragments.

Seizing this brief window, Garp quickly pulled Doberman from the ice. Checking his pulse, he let out a sigh of relief. Doberman was still alive. Wasting no time, he began dragging Doberman off the battlefield.

But just as he was about to leave, a bolt of lightning flashed toward him.

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T/N:

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