— — — — — — — —
On Kaito's side—
After exchanging dozens of close-combat moves, Aokiji realized that he couldn't gain the upper hand against Kaito at close range. Without hesitation, he abandoned hand-to-hand combat and fully unleashed the power of his Ice-Ice Fruit, controlling ice to attack Kaito.
In response, Kaito countered with the full force of his Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
For a while, the two clashed in a grueling battle, neither gaining a decisive advantage.
However, as the fight continued, Aokiji gradually noticed something alarming—Kaito was growing stronger, adapting and improving at an astonishing rate.
That realization sent chills down his spine.
"How is this possible? A monster like you actually exists?!"
"I can't believe you really are only in your teens! Your talent is terrifying!"
"And you've even mastered the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's power—this is insane!"
"I can't even imagine how strong you'll become in a few years if you're already like this now."
"For the sake of the Navy, we can't let someone like you grow into a real threat. You need to stay here today!"
Aokiji's expression turned serious as he spoke while launching another wave of ice attacks at Kaito.
"Haha!" Kaito laughed loudly, countering with lightning. "Let's see if you have what it takes to stop me."
"Warm-up's over. Time to get serious!"
In the next instant, Kaito activated Sage Mode, fusing it with his Rumble-Rumble Fruit abilities. His power skyrocketed tenfold.
"Sage Art: Lightning Release—Thunder Dragon!"
A terrifying thunder dragon erupted from Kaito's body, charging straight at Aokiji's ice.
Before, their powers had been evenly matched, but this time, the ice was completely overwhelmed by the fusion of Sage Mode and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's abilities.
"How is this possible? Just because of that slight change in his appearance…?"
Aokiji was shocked. He immediately increased his output to counter the attack, barely managing to hold off the incoming force.
At the same time, he noticed the subtle changes in Kaito's aura and facial expression. He realized that Kaito had some kind of power-enhancing ability, and the pressure he felt grew even stronger.
But Kaito had no intention of giving him time to think. His relentless attacks continued to rain down, forcing Aokiji onto the defensive, unable to keep up.
...
Minutes passed—
After delivering a brutal beating and leaving Aokiji seriously injured, Kaito finally halted his assault.
"As I thought, you're just a regular admiral-level fighter for now. You're still far from your peak. Looks like I overestimated you before."
Leaving those words behind, Kaito didn't finish Aokiji off. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the distant battle between Garp and Hashirama.
Although Garp was clearly at a disadvantage, Hashirama wasn't having an easy time either.
The main issue was that his physique and stamina were inferior to Garp's. If the fight dragged on too long, it wouldn't be in his favor.
Sure, he could last for another day if necessary, but that would mean overexerting his cells, which he wanted to avoid.
Kaito didn't want to see that happen either.
Without hesitation, he flashed over to Hashirama's side, landing atop the wooden golem's head. He nodded at Hashirama before turning to look at Garp, who had just been pushed back again.
"Garp! Let's end this battle here!"
"If we keep going, there will be real casualties. And trust me, I won't hold back anymore."
"You should know—we still have plenty of ways to deal with you and your crew."
"Oh?"
Garp paused, withdrawing from his attack. He glanced at Aokiji, who was lying on the ground but still alive, then looked back at Kaito with an expression of admiration.
"Haha! I really underestimated you, kid!"
"To think you actually defeated Aokiji… If a monster like you keeps growing unchecked, one day, even the Navy and the World Government will tremble because of you."
"If possible, I'd love to take you down right here and now."
"But unfortunately, just as you said, I can't. So, let's call it a day."
"I've done enough to report back."
"Kid, I just hope you don't stray too far down the wrong path."
Garp gave Kaito a deep look before flashing away to Aokiji's side.
He grinned as he looked down at the defeated admiral. "Haha! Aokiji, you got your ass handed to you this time, huh? You really took a beating!"
"And you might not even get the chance to take revenge in the future!"
Aokiji let out a helpless chuckle. "Garp-san, you're just rubbing it in… I admit, I miscalculated."
"But that guy is unbelievably strong."
"He has some kind of power-boosting technique that lets him amplify his attack strength more than tenfold."
"And honestly, I don't even think he showed his full power yet."
"A monster like that is terrifying."
"Are we really just going to let them go?"
Garp sighed. "We have no choice."
"We underestimated them."
"This pirate crew alone has three admiral-level fighters."
"If the fight dragged on, I could have eventually outlasted only one of them and won."
"But their side isn't stupid. They wouldn't let that happen."
"If Hashirama, Kaito and Koshiro teamed up against me, I'd have already lost."
"That Koshiro guy is definitely a top-tier swordsman—not an opponent to take lightly."
"Besides, the rest of their crew isn't weak either. Among them, many are at least Vice Admiral level."
"This setup reminds me of the Roger Pirates back in the day!"
"In the future, things are going to get tricky! Haha!"
Though Garp said that, Aokiji couldn't help but feel like Garp was enjoying this a little too much, almost as if he was looking forward to seeing Uchiha Kaito and his crew grow stronger.
But considering Garp's attitude toward the World Government, the Five Elders, and the Celestial Dragons, it made sense.
Honestly, Aokiji himself felt something similar.
If he had the choice, he'd want to uphold his own version of justice—to make the Marines truly embody what justice should be.
Unfortunately, with the World Government and the Celestial Dragons in charge, that justice was nothing but an illusion, shackled by politics.
Maybe letting the Uchiha Pirates grow isn't such a bad thing.
If the World Government feels threatened, they might actually ease up on controlling the Marines. Maybe they'd even let us grow stronger.
Aokiji couldn't help but think about it.
If the Marines could one day be strong enough to break free from the World Government's control, then maybe...
That would be the moment when Aokiji could finally enforce his own justice.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
A massive explosion of thunder echoed from the distance, snapping Aokiji and Garp out of their thoughts.
They turned and saw Kaito unleashing a devastating lightning attack, shattering the ice surrounding their pirate ship.
Then, out of nowhere, Uchiha Kaito formed a gigantic energy construct, extending its hand to grab their ship.
With a single flap of the giant's wings, the entire ship took off at incredible speed, vanishing from sight in just moments.
"What the... He had this move all along?"
"If he had used this earlier in the fight, I might've lost already..."
Aokiji's eyes widened. "And he wasn't lying—if they wanted to leave, we really couldn't stop them."
"Man, this is going to be a huge problem! Catching them in the future is going to be nearly impossible!"
Even if we send multiple Admirals, it won't matter.
They can fight, they can fly—how do we even deal with that?
"Hahaha! I really didn't see that coming!"
Garp let out a loud laugh, his tone filled with amusement. "Looks like Sengoku and the Fleet Admiral are in for a headache!"
"Alright then!"
Garp looked down at Aokiji, extending his hand. "What are you lying there for? Get up! We're heading back to report!"
"Ahh, poor me... I was planning to take a detour to the East Blue to visit my poor grandson..."
"But now, duty calls. We have to report everything about the Uchiha Pirates to Fleet Admiral Kong and let him decide what to do next."
"What a pain!"
"Aokiji, you guys need to step up and take on more responsibilities."
Aokiji rolled his eyes. "Garp-san, you're exaggerating! You're nowhere near old—you're still in your prime!"
"As for me? I've still got a long way to go! I need to keep improving!"
I can't let some ten-year-old kid completely surpass me, right?
As they talked, Aokiji grabbed Garp's hand, letting him pull him up from the ground.
With Garp's help, he quickly made his way back to the battleship.
Aokiji dispelled the ice covering the sea.
The rest of the Marines returned to the ship.
Before long, the battleship set sail, heading straight for Marine Headquarters—Marineford.
— — —
Meanwhile, on Kaito's side…
"So, how was it, Hashirama-san? Didn't Garp's iron fists hurt like hell?" Kaito grinned as he asked.
"Yeah..." Hashirama nodded, rubbing his arms. "This kind of physical powerhouse is a first for me!"
"Even though I suppressed him with Sage Art: Wood Release, I could tell that if the fight dragged on, I'd eventually lose."
"At the end of the day, my body and stamina still aren't up to par."
"I also don't have enough chakra! I need to train harder!"
"Next time, he won't stand a chance against me—I'll make sure I can take him down in no time!"
"It's just a shame that such a strong opponent... Madarastill hasn't gotten to meet or fight him yet."
"Otherwise, he'd be thrilled."
Kaito rolled his eyes. "You really can't go three sentences without mentioning Uchiha Madara, huh?"
"His approval rating isn't high enough for a contract, so he's out of luck!"
"He'll just have to wait until he's 'convinced.'"
"Hmm..." Hashirama rubbed his chin. "Actually, there might be a way to raise Madara's approval rating quickly..."
"I have an idea."
.
.
.