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The sky grew dark, and suddenly a bright point of light appeared above, growing bigger and bigger as it fell toward the coastal battlefield!
It was a meteor!
"Run! The meteor's going to hit us!"
"Waaahhh!"
"Help!"
The Marine soldiers fighting nearby ran for their lives, and the reporters filming the falling meteor screamed in terror.
We're all going to die!
"Hey, Kuzan."
Daichi looked up at the sky.
"You came at the wrong time."
"Looks like it."
Kuzan scratched his head helplessly.
Such a massive meteor was obviously dangerous. He should have waited a bit longer until after the meteor landed before showing up.
"As the rumors say, his strength is terrifying."
"Jiehahahaha! Then I'll handle that meteor and Admiral Fujitora. You go deal with that big guy over there."
Daichi took half a step forward, leaning his body to gather strength. With a loud "boom," the ground beneath his feet cracked apart in layers, and his body shot upward, charging straight at the meteor.
"Bang!"
Continuous sonic booms echoed!
"Hmm?"
Fujitora raised his head. Although he couldn't see Daichi, he could sense Daichi's power rising rapidly!
He's actually going to face the meteor head-on!
"Don't you dare land in front of me!"
Daichi's body caught fire from high-speed flight. He clenched his fist and struck the meteor like a small shooting star.
"Boom!"
The bottom of the meteor exploded, and then countless cracks spread across its surface as dazzling light burst through.
The next moment!
"Boom!"
The meteor exploded completely, and countless shattered rocks rained down on the battlefield like falling stars!
"He... he destroyed it!"
The fighting Marine soldiers turned pale with shock.
They had never imagined that someone could shatter a meteor with their bare hands. What incredible physical strength!
Then the Marine soldiers realized the new danger.
"Burning rocks are going to fall!"
"Run!"
"They're covering the entire battlefield!"
Like Akainu's Meteor Volcano attack, countless pieces of the exploded meteor trailed long flames as they fell onto the battlefield.
"Boom! Boom boom boom!"
In seconds, the battlefield became a disaster zone.
Daichi landed on the ground and saw the battlefield covered in flames everywhere, with fighters from both sides getting hit and running around in panic. Cold sweat ran down his face.
"Uh, sorry!"
He had accidentally hit his own people with area damage.
But he didn't do it on purpose. If he had let the meteor hit directly, he would have been fine, but the shockwave would have spread across the entire battlefield.
That kind of power would have been much stronger than scattered burning rocks.
Right, it's all Fujitora's fault!
Daichi glared at Fujitora.
"Hey, don't just pull down meteors randomly!"
Not only was Daichi complaining - Aramaki also angrily cursed at Fujitora: "Issho, your meteor doesn't tell friend from foe! At least think about your own people!"
"I cannot see."
Fujitora said without expression.
Aramaki was furious and wanted to say more, but the air around him suddenly became freezing cold, and thick frost formed on the ground.
"So cold!"
Cold, down to his bones.
Looking at the frozen plants around him and the ice crystals constantly spreading on his body, Aramaki realized something was wrong.
The next second, his giant tree body was completely frozen into an ice sculpture, shimmering under the sunlight.
The battlefield turned into a world of ice and snow.
"Crack!"
A crack appeared in the ground, and then a small sprout grew up, rapidly developing into Aramaki's new body before it could freeze.
"Hiss!"
Aramaki rubbed his arms - the bone-chilling sensation still remained.
"Former Marine Admiral - Kuzan!"
Looking at Kuzan, who was radiating incredible cold, Aramaki took half a step back, his eyes more serious than ever.
His giant wooden body was like a target against Kuzan's freezing ability - completely useless.
Cold was nature's greatest enemy!
"Damn it, why does everything work against me!"
Aramaki cursed silently.
One could control the earth, and the other was a Logia-type ice user - both abilities that worked perfectly against him.
"In that case!"
Aramaki's arms transformed into vines, extending countless tentacles that stabbed toward Kuzan.
As the distance got smaller, the tentacles moved slower and slower, eventually stopping completely as ice crystals spread across their surface.
The ultra-low temperature restricted the vines' movement and made them incredibly fragile from the cold.
"Crack!"
The vines shattered into pieces.
Aramaki had expected this result - the vines were just a test to see how far the cold air's influence reached.
He himself was the real attacker.
"Rawawa! I've wanted to fight you for a long time!"
Aramaki quickly charged toward Kuzan, his fist transforming into ironwood as he struck at Kuzan's body like a war hammer.
Close combat!
As fellow Logia users, if they competed in controlling the environment, he couldn't beat ice, so they could only decide the winner through close combat.
Furthermore, as a new Admiral, he naturally wanted to see Kuzan's strength and prove that he was just as good as a former Admiral.
"Bang!"
Wooden fist collided with ice fist!
"Sorry, Aramaki!"
"I am now the Fleet Admiral of the Hoenn Government. I can't lose to a Marine Admiral, or where would I put my face!"
Kuzan's entire body erupted with cold air. An ice wall suddenly burst up behind him, and huge ice spikes shot up from the surrounding ground.
The cold wind was biting, and every breath felt like a knife cutting, as if countless ice blades were slicing through his throat.
The temperature kept dropping!
"Hoo~ hoo~"
Aramaki breathed out puffs of white mist, his eyebrows and other parts covered in frost. From what his body felt, the surrounding temperature had dropped to minus 30 degrees Celsius, reaching the upper limit that plants could survive.
And the temperature was still continuously dropping!
Such terrifying ultra-low temperatures - even a Marine Vice Admiral couldn't survive more than a few minutes, let alone fight in it.
He couldn't hold on for much longer either!
"Was this guy really this strong?"
Aramaki was somewhat shocked.
Marine Headquarters had Kuzan's data, and he had seen Kuzan's combat in videos, but he definitely shouldn't have been this strong.
He's far more terrifying than the rumors said!
"So cold!"
Not far away, Daichi was clashing swords with Fujitora and also felt the biting cold. He couldn't help but glance over a few times.
Compared to the Summit War, the aura and overwhelming presence Kuzan showed now were like those of a completely different person.
He was completely on the same level as a Yonko!
This is how a top-tier fighter should be!
Daichi looked away and smiled at Fujitora. "Brother Issho, look how fierce our Marine Fleet Admiral is. Back to our earlier topic - would you like to come work for me as well?"
"A man's battle has its position. Since this man has joined the Marines, he will not easily abandon the justice he carries."
Fujitora gripped his sword in reverse, applying strong gravity to the blade, and then swung it with full force toward Daichi at its limit!
"Gravity Blade: Fierce Tiger!"
"This is—"
Daichi's body sank, and the shockwave, carrying endless gravity, surrounded his body, making it hard for him to move.
His waist bent and twisted to the left!
It was gravity applied horizontally!
"Snap!"
Daichi flexed his muscles, his entire body crackling. Using his powerful muscle strength, he restored his twisted body to its original shape, enduring both the gravity and impact.
"Boom!"
The mountain wall behind him shattered and exploded, and countless rocks rained down.
Daichi grinned.
"Let's get along well, Fujitora!"