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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 178: Ice and Fire
At noon on the second day, Vivi boarded a vessel at the port, setting sail towards the horizon.
Standing on the ship, Vivi glanced at her bodyguard, a World Government Agent whom Aokiji had insisted accompany her. In the distance, she could see a Bounty Hunter from Baroque Works.
I hope I can do this.
Vivi squinted her eyes, quietly waiting.
After the vessel had traveled for some time, a figure appeared in the distance, riding a bicycle alongside the surface of the sea.
With each distance he covered, the surface beneath his tires froze into ice, allowing him to ride smoothly across the sea.
His right hand held a black Transponder Snail, capable of intercepting nearby signals. As long as he was within range, he could eavesdrop on phone conversations.
Occasionally, he would pull out a Life Card to determine his location.
This figure was Aokiji. After Vivi's request to meet with the president of Baroque Works on Elven Island, he had followed her there.
"What a trouble," Aokiji muttered as he pedaled his bicycle, his expression slightly irritated. He glanced at Vivi's Life Card and adjusted his direction.
Time passed slowly.
Alabasta was not far from Elven Island; it was only about two hours away.
Soon, Vivi arrived at the island. She stepped onto the Coast and nervously asked the guard nearby, "Is the president in?"
The guard nodded and replied, "The president is inside."
"Alright."
Vivi took a deep breath and walked deeper into the Coast.
Deep within the Coast stood a cluster of white buildings. Upon entering one of these buildings, she encountered two figures—Heckler and Xiaqiu.
"Greetings, President."
Vivi slightly bowed, her expression a bit tense.
Heckler smiled and asked, "I wonder why Princess Vivi is so eager to meet?"
"I have something to discuss with the president regarding the establishment of a second casino."
Vivi began to slowly articulate her prepared speech.
Meanwhile, in the distance, Aokiji was riding his bicycle closer. After traveling a short distance, he spotted the ship docked on the shore.
"Is that it?"
Aokiji focused on the distant island where the Sea Vessel was located, and the Life Card pointed in that direction. "In that case, let's..."
"There's someone on the Surface of the Sea."
The guards on the island were alert, scanning their surroundings. Suddenly, they spotted Aokiji's figure in the vast ocean. As they watched him plunge his hands into the water, one of them shouted, "Quick, sound the alarm and notify the president!"
The guard immediately called out.
But in the next moment, the Surface of the Sea visibly began to freeze, spreading towards them.
With a whoosh.
Just as the guard blew the horn, its melodious sound carried out, a wave of freezing air surged to the edge of the island, encasing him in ice.
Not only him, but also the guards at the island's edge and the Sea Vessel on the Surface of the Sea were all frozen solid.
Even the ocean itself was gripped by this freezing air, extending far into the distance, its end invisible to the naked eye.
"Ice Age."
Aokiji slowly exhaled a breath of icy air, grounding himself before leaping towards the island.
"That's an alarm. What happened?" Heckler jolted awake, looking into the distance. "Is there an enemy attack?"
At that moment, someone burst through the door, shouting loudly, "The sea, the sea is frozen!"
"The sea is frozen?" Heckler paused slightly.
The guard replied, "That's right, Sea Vessel, the Surface of the Sea, and the guards at the island's edge are all frozen. What should we do?"
Frozen Surface of the Sea?
Who could accomplish such a feat other than Admiral Aokiji?
"But how did he find his way here?"
Xiaqiu looked at Vivi, who paled and subtly said, "I don't know anything."
"Who else could bring an admiral here besides you?" Heckler said coldly.
"Die."
Xiaqiu charged forward, opening its massive jaws to bite at Vivi.
Vivi immediately stepped back. Faced with the giant mouth, she was about to transform into sand when a figure appeared in front of Xiaqiu and raised a hand.
This tall figure lifted its right hand and pressed it against one of Xiaqiu's teeth.
Thud.
Xiaqiu's figure came to an abrupt halt, the immense force dissipating into nothingness. In the next moment, icy tendrils spread along Xiaqiu's teeth.
Crackle.
The ice emerged, instantly enveloping Xiaqiu's body, transforming it into a massive ice sculpture.
"This is bad."
Heckler, witnessing this scene, realized he was no match for the general. With a powerful push from his legs, he propelled himself backward with great speed.
"Trying to escape?"
Aokiji observed this and vanished in an instant. With a few swift movements, he appeared behind Heckler, extending his right hand toward him.
But just as his hand was about to make contact with Heckler, a wave of scorching heat surged forth.
"Crossfire."
A pillar of flame swept in, reaching Aokiji in an instant.
"Fire Fist Ace?"
Aokiji snorted coldly, his figure pausing as he pressed his right hand against Crossfire.
Tap, tap, tap.
Flames continuously crashed against Aokiji's hands, extinguished by the ice that formed from the cold. The fire melted the ice into water, which then evaporated into steam, continuing to resist the flames.
As the fire vanished, steam rose, and Heckler had long since appeared in the distance.
Aokiji, however, had no time to spare for him; his gaze was fixed on the horizon.
"Fire Fist Ace," Aokiji said coldly.
"Kuzan Admiral."
Ace slowly walked out from afar, adjusting the brim of his hat with a smile. "I never expected to see you here."
Aokiji looked at Ace and replied, "I didn't expect Fire Fist Ace to be here either. So, are you going to help them?"
"They saved my life."
Ace smiled as he continued, "Of course I will help them. Otherwise, wouldn't I be ungrateful?"
"It seems there's one more person to deal with today."
Aokiji exhaled, and the breath immediately froze into ice, falling to the ground.
"Is that so?"
"Ace smiled and said, 'Let's give it a try then.'
With those words, Ace's right fist suddenly shot forward. Before the motion was complete, flames erupted from his fist and arm, growing larger until it transformed into a massive fiery fist aimed at Aokiji.
'Ice Block Bird!'
Aokiji extended his right hand, releasing freezing air that formed a blue Ice Bird in front of him. It gradually grew larger, freezing everything in its path as it charged toward the flames.
Boom.
The Ice Bird collided with the Fire Fist, shattering into countless shards of ice that blocked the oncoming flames.
The heat from the fire vaporized the ice, but the chilling air that spread out began to extinguish the flames.
Not only that, but the ice turned into steam, which then refroze, continuing to obstruct the fire.
Whoosh.
As the surrounding flames surged, the temperature on both sides rose steadily.
Crack.
Xiaqiu broke through the ice and glanced into the distance before sprinting away.
Meanwhile, Heckler had already made his escape, disappearing into the horizon."
"Don't let them escape."
Seeing this scene, Aokiji's expression darkened as he suddenly pressed down with his left hand.
Crackling sounds echoed.
The ground quickly froze, icy air spreading outwards, chasing after Xiaqiu and Heckler. It also surged forward from the ground, rising in segments to extinguish the flames below, then surged up like cliffs, crashing towards Ace.
"Very good."
Just as the ice was about to touch Ace, flames began to swirl around him, transforming into a massive pillar of fire.
"Fire Pillar."
Boom.
The fire pillar shattered the cliffs as Ace spread his arms wide, and the pillar morphed into two gigantic wings of fire that extended into the distance, instantly melting the ice.
Aokiji swung his right hand horizontally, and suddenly two Ice Dragons roared forth, continuing their pursuit into the distance.
Meanwhile, the icy air from his left hand continued to form cliffs that charged towards Ace, reaching him in an instant.
At that moment, Ace suddenly opened his mouth wide and forcefully exhaled forward.
Boom.
A massive flame erupted, transforming into a Phoenix Head that pecked at Aokiji's head, shattering ice cliffs in its wake, but it gradually began to fade away.
"I can't win."
Seeing this scene, Ace's expression darkened as flames suddenly appeared around his body, swirling around him.
These flames spiraled inwards, eventually converging above his head to form a gigantic fireball.
The fireball continued to condense until it became bright white.
"Great Flame Ring, Flame Emperor."
As Ace's voice rang out, the fireball shot towards Aokiji and then expanded. Taking advantage of this moment, Ace dashed off into the distance.
"Such powerful energy."
Aokiji sensed Ace's movement. As the flames exploded before him, he raised and lowered his hands, gently turning them.
"Ice Roar."
With Aokiji's voice, freezing air enveloped his body, transforming into a colossal lion's head towering over a hundred meters. Just as the fireball was about to explode, it opened its massive jaws and bit down on the fireball.
Boom.
The fireball detonated, flames spreading in all directions, instantly tearing apart the lion's head as it expanded.
But the freezing air behind him continued to spread, gradually covering the flames and preventing an explosion, keeping it from detonating.
"Impressive, Admiral."
Ace was astonished by the scene behind him. Even if Blackbeard faced this move, his ability could only absorb the flames but could not stop the explosion like Aokiji could.
Of course, Ace did not want to engage in a showdown with Aokiji; he was already running towards the distant island.
However, after running for a while, he suddenly felt a chill as a figure rapidly approached.
"Here we go again."
Ace quickly turned and struck out with his right hand towards Aokiji. "Mirror Flame!"
His right hand transformed into flames and lunged at Aokiji. Aokiji snorted coldly, thrusting his left hand forward to unleash an Ice Dragon that leaped out and gradually grew larger, transforming into a long dragon that collided with the flames.
Aokiji then leaped into the air, stepping lightly as he charged toward Ace.
Using Soru, Aokiji instantly appeared behind Ace and reached for his shoulder.
At this moment, Ace was still some distance away from the coast.
Facing Aokiji's attack, flames erupted fiercely around Ace, rising up and transforming into flying birds that swooped toward Aokiji.
Aokiji did not dodge the flames; instead, he activated Armament Haki, enveloping his body before instantly appearing in front of Ace and throwing a punch.
But Ace had already crouched down to dodge, pressing his right hand against the ground.
Aokiji lifted his right foot and kicked towards Ace's abdomen.
Facing this kick, Ace slapped at Aokiji's incoming foot with his left hand, a flame erupting from his palm that exploded violently.
Aokiji's right foot was covered in Armament Haki, capable of resisting flames and capturing a Natural Element User. However, the explosion consumed his Haki and pushed Ace back.
Aokiji paused for a moment before attempting to strike again.
But in that instant, the ground suddenly bulged, as if something terrifying was spreading from below.
"Hmm?"
Aokiji hesitated slightly, then abruptly withdrew his right foot and leaped into the air, a chilling aura surrounding him as it spread outwards, attempting to seal off the ground.
"Firefly."
However, Ace stood not far away, releasing streams of yellow Fireflies that flew in all directions.
Boom.
The Fireflies exploded, countering the freezing air.
As the freezing air dissipated, explosions began to spread underground, flames shooting upwards.
Beneath the island lay a vast amount of explosives, and Ace had just pressed downwards to trigger their detonation.
Aokiji could prevent the explosives from blowing up, but once Ace neutralized his freezing air, he was no longer able to do so.
The explosives detonated, surging towards Aokiji in an instant. Amidst the flames, Ace thrust his fists forward, unleashing two Fire Fists aimed at Aokiji.
In the face of the explosion, ice began to crystallize around Aokiji, forming a massive sphere that continued to grow stronger.
Both Ace and Aokiji were Natural Element Users, capable of transforming into their respective elements to evade attacks.
However, the flames from the explosion and the shockwave would still harm and burn Aokiji, even if he transformed into an elemental form.
Thus, he had to solidify the ice to withstand the blast, while Ace had no need to worry about the flames; instead, he could use the expanding shockwave to propel himself away in a burst of fire.
With a whoosh, Ace landed on the shore near a stone pillar where a boat was anchored.
One section of the boat was frozen solid. With a wave of his hand, Ace thawed it out.
At that moment, without Ace's attacks, Aokiji found it impossible to stop the island's explosives. His feet spread an endless chill as he gradually froze the explosions below.
Simultaneously, he locked onto Ace's position, sending ice cascading in his direction.
At that moment, Ace stepped onto the ship, his feet already engulfed in roaring flames as he instantly activated the device at the rear.
Boom, boom, boom.
The cannons of Stern erupted with fierce flames, generating immense thrust. Not only that, but the wheels on both sides were spinning continuously.
Aokiji suppressed the explosions that threatened to engulf the entire island, intending to give chase, but the ship had already shot out.
Whoosh.
Due to the lack of water resistance on the Ice Surface, this ship sailed even faster than it would on water.
"I can't catch up."
Aokiji shook his head regretfully as he observed the speed of the ship.
With the combination of fire and spinning wheels, powered by dual propulsion and reduced friction on the Ice Surface, it reached a speed of one hundred eighty kilometers per hour, exceeding fifty meters per second.
This was already double the standard speed of Soru, and Aokiji found it difficult to match that level.
Even if he could catch up, Ace would be there to hinder him. Whether through freezing air or his own abilities, it would be challenging to keep up with Ace's speed; they would only grow further apart.
"They got away."
Aokiji clenched his fists and began walking back in the direction he came from. On the Surface of the Sea, he spotted Vivi.
"How did it go?" Vivi asked anxiously.
Aokiji replied apologetically, "I'm sorry, they got away."
"You promised me you would kill them," Vivi shouted. "Now you've let them escape, what about Alabasta?"
"Forget it."
Aokiji sighed and said, "I'll figure something out later. But right now, I need to contact the Navy and head to your bases to see if I can gather any relevant information."
"I will wait for your results."
Vivi said coldly as she turned and walked away into the distance.
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