Chapter 120: You Can't Beat That Guy
Ten massive warships sailed through the surging sea. On their decks, which should have been bustling with the bombardment of Enies Lobby, there was now a deathly silence.
One Marine after another either knelt or slumped to the ground. Without exception, all of them stared upwards, motionless and filled with despair.
The aura of destruction carried by that pitch-black meteorite made their breath catch in their throats; they had already abandoned any thought of resistance.
Although, thanks to Vice Admiral Gion's warning, they had altered their formation and begun to scatter...
This was no longer a question of whether they would be hit. As long as that meteorite crashed down, whether it was the berserk impact, the terrifyingly high-temperature wind pressure, or the tsunami-like giant waves it would kick up...
All of it could effortlessly destroy their warships. They didn't possess the strength of those monster-level Vice Admirals; it was almost impossible for them to survive such an impact.
Above, the five Vice Admirals, led by Momousagi, stood on air using Geppo, their expressions incredibly grave.
This kind of technique... they were completely powerless against it. The only thing they could do was quickly flee the center of the impact zone. But...
Looking down at the warships below, if they left, the Marine elite forces forming these ten warships would have to directly face this heaven-destroying, earth-shattering impact.
Besides the ten Rear Admirals and the two hundred elite officers ranked Major or above, the fate of the others naturally went without saying.
"Should we retreat?"
Momonga looked around at the others. "My Haki is almost depleted. I'm afraid it's the same for everyone else."
For a moment, the five Vice Admirals were at a loss. Self-preservation versus defending the justice in their hearts with their lives...
This was not an easy choice. If there were a chance to stop the meteorite, they would follow the guidance of their inner justice.
But the truth was, they could see it at a glance: even if they risked their lives, they couldn't change the outcome.
Retreat was the absolutely rational choice.
"Damn it!" Gion gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with unwillingness. The strike that had split the meteorite earlier had already consumed almost all of her Haki.
Bang—Bang—Bang!
Four tremendous sounds erupted one after another. The first meteorite, which had been cut into four pieces, crashed into the sea, instantly kicking up monstrous waves.
The massive warships were like mere leaves, tossed about helplessly by the currents.
Even the highest-specification warships couldn't maintain stability on such a sea, their bows pitching high into the air.
"The ship is going to capsize!"
"No good! Can't turn the rudder!"
BOOM!!
A giant wave, comparable to a tsunami, crashed down with immense force, washing the soldiers on deck clean away, sweeping them into the surging sea.
The ocean seemed to be an plaything, stirred wantonly by a giant, invisible hand.
Except for four warships positioned further towards the periphery, the other ships capsized in the blink of an eye, vast numbers of soldiers falling into the sea, struggling.
The Vice Admirals above, however, could hardly spare them a thought; they too were at the end of their strength. Moreover, the second meteorite was already approaching, about to crash into the sea.
Gion looked up at the sky, her heart filled with immense anxiety. If they couldn't stop it, the outcome would only be more tragic.
Just at this moment, when despair filled everyone's hearts...
A sudden, explosive shout came from afar, rapidly approaching.
"Ice Block: PHEASANT BEAK!!"
A giant, bluish-white ice bird, tens of times larger than a warship, spread its wings and flew from the distance at extreme speed, skimming close to the sea surface.
The ice bird trailed wisps of frigid air that swirled and intertwined behind it. Wherever it passed, the sea surface instantly froze solid.
"Ohoho! Looks like we're saved."
"So he came."
The familiar technique, like a dawning light of hope, instantly smoothed the furrowed brows of several Vice Admirals. They all sighed in relief.
After reaching the underside of the meteorite, the giant ice bird flapped its wings as if it were alive.
It then soared straight up, circled several times in the air, and smashed hard against the meteorite.
BOOM!!!
The instant the bluish-white ice bird collided with the pitch-black magma meteorite, the invisible air seemed to ripple outwards.
Powerful wind pressure shocked outwards, spreading in a circle and blasting Gion and the other Vice Admirals away.
Crack—Crack—Crack!
The ice bird was shattered to pieces by the meteorite as if it were rotten wood. Countless giant blocks of ice splashed into the sea. The immense impact force did not lessen the meteorite's downward momentum.
But more importantly, centered on the point of impact, a terrifying cold aura frantically swept upwards.
As the meteorite fell, a layer of white rapidly spread across its surface, completely covering the heavenly-descended magma, which carried terrifying high temperatures.
Until it was completely frozen, transformed into a giant, bluish-white ice ball.
Simultaneously, five ice pillars, as thick as warships, rose from the sea surface, shooting straight into the clouds.
BANG!! BANG!! BANG!! The ice pillars and the ice-rock made tremendous sounds upon contact, countless ice fragments bursting outwards.
The meteorite still crushed the ice pillars with unstoppable force, but having been frozen itself, the alternating heat and cold made it brittle, and it began to break apart bit by bit.
By the time it had completely crushed the ice pillars and was about to hit the sea surface, the meteorite was only two-thirds of its original size.
The Vice Admirals' gazes remained intensely focused.
This ice meteorite, comparable in size to a small island, was about to crash into the sea. Although its momentum had been somewhat mitigated, the impact from its weight and the tsunami-like giant waves it would create still posed an extreme threat to ordinary soldiers.
"Arara~ How troublesome."
On the distant sea surface, Aokiji, dressed in a light blue suit, stood on a patch of ice, speaking languidly.
"Even this couldn't completely deal with it? Good thing I made the trip. Otherwise, the Navy would have suffered considerable losses this time."
As he spoke, Aokiji crouched down, placed his palm on the sea surface, his gaze fixed intently on the massive ice ball about to hit the water in the distance.
BOOM!!
The instant the meteorite crashed down, the sea seemed like a blue curtain fluttering in the wind, ripples surging outwards.
It kicked up giant waves like a ferocious tsunami. Seawater shot into the sky, then crashed down from above. A massive curtain of rain covered and drenched the Vice Admirals.
Intense wind pressure spread out, sweeping berserkly.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The soldiers on deck were directly blown away, each one slamming hard against the walls, then sliding down like heaps of mud.
Struggling to their feet, they looked up at the giant wave, all unable to help but feel terrified; the warships seemed tiny before it.
Just as this terrifying tsunami was about to smash the ships to pieces...
"Ice Age!"
A wave of frigidity surged forth. The air became incredibly cold; the soldiers felt as if they were about to be frozen solid.
Swish—!
A sheet of white filled everyone's vision. The next moment, the entire world between heaven and earth was reduced to nothing but white ice crystals.
Connecting Enies Lobby and the Gates of Justice, the long, vast Bridge of Hesitation, and the entire sea surface on both its sides – all were frozen into a world of ice and snow!
Countless pits and hollows dotted the ice surface, and within them were Marines, shivering from the cold.
They had fallen into the water earlier when their warships capsized. Aokiji, when he made his move, had already covered the entire sea surface with his Observation Haki.
Although he couldn't completely avoid everyone, he still tried his best to prevent friendly fire.
"We... we survived!"
"We survived!"
"Woo~~ That's great!"
"It's Admiral Aokiji! He came!"
Seeing the giant wave before them frozen into a several-hundred-meter-high ice wall, the Marine soldiers, one and all, wept openly, hugging each other.
Celebrating the joy of surviving a near-death experience, they couldn't help but cheer and jump.
"Ohoho! That was truly thrilling," Yamakaji commented, landing back on one of the three remaining warships, his face resuming its usual benevolent expression, as if nothing had happened just now.
Pat.
Gion landed lightly, a touch of her toes. She looked towards Aokiji, who was walking towards them across the ice, and smiled faintly. "But, Kuzan-chan, you actually came?"
"Mah~~ Just bored, so I came out for a stroll," Aokiji offered a casual excuse.
"Don't tell me you were afraid Garp's grandson would be killed by us, so you specifically came to keep an eye on things?"
Onigumo sheathed his ten longswords, his long hair once again falling loosely around his shoulders. "If that's the case, then you worried for nothing. We almost didn't make it back to Headquarters ourselves."
"Mah~~ Whatever."
Aokiji's tone was languid. He directly pulled out a deck chair and leaned back on it on the deck. "You all continue with what you were doing. I'm just out for a walk."
"Your excuses really haven't changed in ten thousand years," Momonga sighed, looking at this willful Admiral.
Below, the Marines were carrying out rescue work. Even though most soldiers were good swimmers, they couldn't withstand this bone-chilling cold.
Moreover, there were some ability users among them; falling into the sea meant either waiting for rescue or waiting for death.
Momonga casually beckoned a Rear Admiral. "Damage report?"
"Yes, sir!" The Rear Admiral saluted, then took out a report he was compiling, reading from it:
"Five warships completely sunk! Two are almost crippled! The currently remaining three are preparing to continue the bombardment mission! Confirmed casualties exceed twenty percent! Rescue operations are ongoing, estimated to be below forty percent!"
"Mm. Continue with the current arrangements. Get to it," Momonga nodded and said coolly.
It was already very good. If not for Aokiji's arrival, it wouldn't have been a few percent casualties, but total annihilation.
"Is it still necessary to carry out the Buster Call at this point?"
Gion crossed her arms, somewhat dissatisfied. "Compared to Enies Lobby, that fellow who attacked us is the one who truly deserves attention."
"I wouldn't advise you to waste your effort."
Aokiji had already put on his eye mask, beginning his leisurely vacation. "You can't beat that guy."
"Kuzan-chan isn't planning to make a move?"
Gion glanced at him, puzzled. "After all, the opponent has already gone to such lengths. You wouldn't be lazy to that extent, would you?"
"It has nothing to do with that," Aokiji replied coolly. "I can't fly. And the weather isn't too good right now."
"Weather not too good?"
Gion looked up. The sky-filling dark thunderclouds had already re-gathered, and the silvery fine rain continued to drift down.
Isn't it just a little rain and some thunderclouds? How could that possibly have an impact?
At this moment, high above the thick cloud layer...
"The effect is alright, I suppose. It has its pros and cons compared to Raigo. At least, even Aokiji couldn't handle it easily," Reiner let out a long sigh of relief.
His stamina was almost completely depleted. He sat on the hawk summon, waiting for it to slowly recover.
Aokiji making a move was within his expectations. The moment he passed through the Gates of Justice, Frieren's ultra-wide-range Observation Haki had sensed him.
It didn't really matter. As long as Reiner achieved the effect he wanted... The Buster Call had only just begun its bombardment when he destroyed so many of their warships.
Their performance this time could already be considered a complete failure.
Next, it mainly depended on how the others performed. Hopefully, Zoro and Sanji could smoothly awaken Armament Haki. Otherwise, he'd have to go find those Vice Admirals for a fight later.
Aokiji probably wishes I would come looking for him.
"Speaking of which, this fellow is somewhat like a lingering ghost," Reiner pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
He had a feeling they'd be dealing with each other frequently in the future. But then again, there were only so many top-tier powerhouses on this sea.
As long as he kept moving upwards, he would naturally encounter those people in the future, continuously creating sparks.
Inside Enies Lobby, besides the Main Island which was currently receiving a baptism of cannonballs, the liveliest place was undoubtedly the Tower of Justice.
Not only were the Straw Hat members battling CP9 here, but the Franky Family hoodlums had also finally, to their great satisfaction, met their boss.
"Awooo!! You guys actually came here to save me!? Too touching, you bastards!"
"Oh oh! The money for the Adam Wood I bought... I stole it from these guys!"
"What!? The ones who beat you up were also the Straw Hats!?"
"Awooo!! For them to be so loyal and righteous! It's truly too touching!"
"So it was the Straw Hats who brought you here, and protected you all the way?"
Franky wiped his tear-streaked face. "Looks like they're not such bad people after all. Then, the matter of them beating you up... let's just call it even! I forgive them!"
"Uh... that's probably not for us to decide, Big Bro," Kiwi waved her hand, stammering.
"Yeah, Big Bro."
Mozu nodded in agreement. "After all, we were the ones who robbed their money. Strictly speaking, we're the bad guys here."
"Nani! So I'm the bad guy!?"
Franky was aghast, his face instantly overcome with sadness as he sprawled on the floor. "This week's me... is SUPER dejected."
After his underlings explained things in turns, Franky roughly understood the ins and outs.
Although he was somewhat angry to learn they had injured his boys, it wasn't a major issue. And indeed, his own people had committed robbery first; being confronted at their door was nothing to complain about.
More importantly, the Straw Hat crew had protected his underlings all the way here; Franky was still very grateful to them.
"Since that's the case! We can't just run away on our own!"
Franky waved his hand grandly. "Boys! Help the Straw Hat crew with me! Let's have a spectacular Enies Lobby great battle! Su——Per!!"
"Su——Per!!"
Kiwi and Mozu stood beside Franky, the three of them striking their invigorating signature pose together.
Creak~~
The door opened. Sanji had just walked in when he saw Franky striking a bizarre pose.
"Wrong room. Sorry." He stated coldly, then slammed the door shut heavily.
Bang!
Where did that pervert psycho come from!? Sanji gritted his teeth and continued running down the corridor.
"Wait a minute! Curly Brows little bro!"
Franky, leading his charging underlings, caught up, saying triumphantly, "I've heard about your situation! Let me lend you a hand!"
"Stop acting so familiar with me! Get away from me, you damn pervert!" Sanji yelled with disgust.
However, Franky wasn't angry at all, even looking somewhat pleased. "Pervert? Were you just complimenting me by calling me a pervert?!"
"Where was the compliment in that, idiot!?"
Sanji yelled, looking fierce. "What's so great about being a pervert!?"
"Hahaha! Anyway, our goals are the same now."
Franky ran up beside Sanji. "Defeat Galley-La—no, CP9! Then escape this island together! After all, you protected my boys! I always repay grudges and kindness!"
(End of this chapter)
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