One Piece: From Ninja To Pirates

"This is really troublesome," Aokiji thought irritably.

That damn brat not only left a clone behind to mock him but also attacked with such terrifying thunder.

He wasn't afraid, but the Navy soldiers below couldn't handle it.

Aokiji considered his options—even if he blocked the attack, he couldn't let the electricity reach the sea's surface, or everyone below would die!

As countless thoughts raced through his mind, Aokiji raised his hand and instantly released his freezing aura.

"Crack—"

In an instant, the steam generated from their battle froze solid, forming an enormous platform of ice!

Perhaps by sheer luck, the warships near Aokiji were already wrecked, their masts collapsed, and the other vessels were far enough away that the ice contained little debris.

"Up we go!"

With both hands supporting the massive ice block, Aokiji pushed off with his legs, launching himself and the ice high into the air!

It seemed he intended to take this attack head-on by himself.

"Admiral Aokiji!!"

The Navy soldiers gasped in awe. Was this the power of an Admiral?

Not only could he create such a colossal ice structure in an instant, but he could also lift and propel it skyward... What immense strength!

"ROAR!!"

Finally, the terrifying Thunder Beast struck Aokiji's massive ice shield with devastating force, producing an earth-shaking explosion.

"BOOM!!"

For a moment, the sky lit up.

The blinding radiance from the thunderous attack illuminated the area as if the City of Eternal Day had reclaimed its brilliance.

But every Navy soldier knew—this was the enemy's strike, one capable of annihilating them all!

"Admiral!!"

"BOOM!!"

The deafening blast forced the soldiers to cover their ears in agony, their faces twisted in pain.

The three Navy Vice Admirals shielded themselves with Armament Haki, sitting firmly on the ground while staring intently at the sky.

If even an Admiral couldn't withstand such a wide-range attack, they certainly stood no chance—the lightning's coverage was simply too vast!

"BOOM!!"

After one final catastrophic explosion, the giant ice shield in the sky shattered, most of it vaporizing instantly.

"Hummm—"

The shockwaves from the collision and explosion surged outward, mercilessly battering the distant towers!

Yet, thanks to Marine Admiral Aokiji, the force didn't reach the sea directly below—a small mercy amidst the disaster.

But for the Navy soldiers, it still felt like they had survived the apocalypse.

Soon, the dark clouds dispersed, revealing the ever-present sunlight once more.

Marine Admiral Aokiji descended from the sky, landing silently on a ruined warship.

His smoking hair and charred clothes made it clear—he hadn't emerged unscathed from that strike.

Of course, compared to his hair and uniform, Aokiji's expression was even darker.

"Got played..." Aokiji muttered. "A parting gift, huh?"

This sea just kept getting more and more unpredictable.

"The Admiral actually..." A colonel said in disbelief, "He's injured?!"

"But isn't the Admiral a Logia user?!"

Why would a Logia-type ability user get hit by an attack that wasn't even imbued with Haki?

"Of course it was to save us," Momonga said with a grim expression. "If the Admiral had used Elemental Transformation, how could he have blocked that attack?"

An elemental body isn't as sturdy as one might imagine, let alone while supporting such a massive block of ice.

Only a body reinforced with Haki could withstand that enormous ice mass and block that world-ending thunder beast.

"This..."

The Marines exchanged glances—had they really become a burden to their Admiral?

"Truly worthy of an Admiral, to actually block that attack," Doberman murmured.

Had Admiral Aokiji not arrived, their losses today would have been catastrophic. It was even possible all the Marines here would have been killed.

"Strange, why haven't we seen that Ninja?" a Marine colonel wondered aloud.

At these words, Doberman's expression immediately darkened. Was that even a question worth asking?

"To think we've been fighting clones all along," Strawberry growled through gritted teeth as he stood up. "What a despicable bastard!"

Strawberry couldn't understand—if their opponent was just a clone, why had it still avoided close combat?

Were clones afraid of death too?

Or... did the enemy simply enjoy toying with them?

"What? That wasn't even the real enemy?"

"This..."

"Vice Admirals, should we pursue?" a Marine tentatively asked.

Though they had no ships left, if they requested reinforcements from Marine Headquarters, warships could arrive within half an hour.

With a warship's speed, catching up wasn't impossible.

"Of course we pursue!" Momonga said coldly. "The Marines have suffered tremendous losses, all because of that damned Ninja."

"I won't rest until I've cut him down."

Since becoming a Vice Admiral, Momonga had never felt this humiliated. Even against the powerful pirates of the New World, he'd never been made to look so foolish.

With this in mind, Momonga immediately turned to Aokiji. "Admiral Aokiji, please authorize our pursuit of those pirates!"

"If we request reinforcements from Headquarters, warships could quickly—"

Before Momonga could finish, Aokiji interrupted, "Enough. Say no more."

His expression now calm, Aokiji glanced at Momonga. "We mobilized a Buster Call—a national-level military operation—and still failed to capture the Straw Hat Pirates. We've already lost."

Continuing the pursuit would be meaningless. The Marines' honor was already lost beyond recovery.

"But the Marines' reputation and the World Government's—"

"Take that argument to Fleet Admiral Sengoku," Aokiji said, sweeping his gaze across the Vice Admirals. "See if he approves your continued pursuit."

Having said this, Aokiji paid them no further attention.

Momonga opened his mouth to speak but ultimately just sighed and remained silent.

Report directly to the Fleet Admiral?

If it weren't for Admiral Aokiji's order, Fleet Admiral Sengoku would most likely not have agreed to their request. The greater possibility was that he would have sent them back to recuperate.

This time's losses... were truly devastating!

Two Marine Headquarters vice admirals were on the brink of death, and only five out of ten Navy battleships remained intact.

The casualties among the marines were also significant. The exact number of fatalities would need to be tallied later.

"How long has it been since our Headquarters suffered such heavy losses..." Doberman remarked. "The last time was probably when Shiki single-handedly stormed the Marine Headquarters."

"You mean..."

"This person will undoubtedly become a formidable enemy in the future!"

However, Doberman didn't insist on pursuing the Straw Hat Pirates immediately, especially since catching up to them was uncertain.

Chasing a ninja with Water Release abilities on the open sea was practically absurd.

"What are you all standing around for?!" Aokiji barked. "Clear out those five battleships immediately and get them back to Headquarters for treatment at top speed!"

"Yes, sir!"

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