The harbor wind suddenly turned bitingly cold.
The sea, once shimmering with rippling light, had unknowingly become covered by a thick layer of ice. The crystalline surface spread outward from beneath the Ark Maxim, firmly anchoring the floating behemoth in place.
The ice reflected the midday sun, dazzling to the eyes, and even the air seemed frozen, carrying an oppressive chill.
On the bow deck, Enel stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his long earlobes swaying in the sunlight. He looked down at the figure in the Justice Coat standing on the ice, his face openly arrogant, his tone even more haughty. "So, you're the Navy Admiral?"
On the ice, Aokiji stood lazily with his hands in his pockets, lifting his gaze to the long-eared man on the ship. His voice carried its usual nonchalance. "Ara ara~ So you're the one who attacked Charloss Saint? Didn't expect you to be working with the 'Blasphemer' Bahr. No wonder you had the guts to lay hands on a Celestial Dragon."
"This god acts as he pleases—what does it have to do with others?" Enel's brow twitched, clearly displeased with the suggestion that he was "working with Bahr." Crackling electricity surged around him. "Don't lump me together with trash like that!"
Before the words had even fully left his mouth, his body transformed into a blinding streak of lightning, tearing through the air with a sharp crack as it shot straight toward Aokiji. The blue-white electricity left a long afterimage across the ice, moving at an astonishing speed.
Aokiji watched the approaching lightning with half-lidded eyes, a lazy smirk curling at his lips. "Oh? Lightning, huh."
He raised a hand in front of himself, his tone indifferent. "Just like Borsalino's light… You speedsters are such a pain."
Zzt—
The lightning struck Aokiji's body with precision. With a crisp sound, his figure shattered into countless ice crystals, scattering across the frozen surface.
"Hmph. So much for a Navy Admiral." Enel reverted to his human form, his face brimming with triumph. "Just another weakling. Bahr was being way too cautious."
But the moment he spoke, the scattered ice crystals suddenly surged, rapidly reforming.
Enel, still basking in the thrill of his victory, failed to notice the movement behind him—until a pair of freezing hands abruptly wrapped around him from the side.
A bone-chilling cold instantly invaded his body, as if even his blood was freezing. Enel felt his thoughts slow to a crawl, his mind like gears clogged with sludge, struggling to turn. The electricity around him grew sluggish as well.
"Wha—" Before he could struggle, his body was encased in thick ice, from feet to head, instantly transforming into a frozen statue. Only his eyes, wide with shock and fury, remained expressive.
Aokiji brushed nonexistent dust off his hands as he observed the frozen Enel, still as languid as ever. "Fast, sure, but too reckless. Surprisingly easy to deal with."
Just then, a ripple in Space distorted the air, and Bahr's figure silently appeared on the bow of the Ark Maxim.
He had been about to speak to Aokiji, but his gaze swept over the ice—and then abruptly froze. When he saw the ice-encased figure, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Damn, Enel isn't weak, how did he go down so fast?
"Blasphemer Bahr, we meet again." Aokiji lifted his gaze to the ship's bow, his usual lazy demeanor fading slightly as the surrounding air grew noticeably colder—clear signs of his deep-seated grudge against Bahr.
Bahr raised an eyebrow, his trademark careless smile still in place, though inwardly he was uneasy. While he could overpower Enel, doing so instantly was beyond him. Aokiji's current state spelled trouble.
Yet he showed none of this outwardly. With an imperceptible flick of his fingers, a spatial ripple formed around Enel's frozen statue on the ice, teleporting it beside him in the next instant.
Almost simultaneously, the ice encasing Enel emitted a crisp cracking sound as dense fractures rapidly spread across its surface before shattering into countless ice crystals with a loud "bang!"
Enel gasped for air, his chest heaving violently. When he spoke, white frost escaped his lips: "Cough... I underestimated him!"
Hearing this, Bahr immediately understood—this fool had likely looked down on his opponent, hence the swift defeat.
He shot Enel a sidelong glare, voice dripping with sarcasm: "Admirals are the Navy's top military strength. You think that title's for show? Drop that arrogant contempt of yours. Did you really believe you were the strongest in the world?"
Enel's face cycled through shades of green and white, his clenched fists crackling with electricity, yet he offered no retort.
After all, he had indeed underestimated Aokiji. Had Bahr not intervened, he'd have been finished. Now his anger had nowhere to vent.
Bahr ignored him further, turning his attention back to Aokiji on the ice, his eyes now tinged with wariness. He hadn't expected Aokiji's freezing ability to immobilize even lightning—such mastery spoke of a devil fruit developed to its absolute limit.
Then again, Bahr reconsidered, this was only natural. Without such capabilities, how could one hold the position of Navy Admiral?
"Again!" Enel clenched his fists, electricity crackling around him, clearly unwilling to back down as a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
"Don't waste effort." Bahr pressed a firm hand on his shoulder, voice brooking no argument: "This is Sabaody Archipelago. The longer we delay, the worse it gets. Go activate the Ark—ascend first, then fly southeast to leave these waters. Have Shura use the Invisibility Fruit to conceal you midair. I'll hold him off and catch up later."
Whether they could win was uncertain, but this wasn't the time for prolonged combat. The Ark needed to escape this frozen sea immediately. Once airborne and changing course southeast, their flight advantage would create sufficient distance.
His spatial ability wasn't distance-bound anyway. Even if the Ark traveled hundreds of miles, a single teleport through space would bridge the gap effortlessly.
Enel shot Aokiji one last venomous glare across the ice, frustration plain on his face. Yet he knew Bahr spoke truth—that earlier encounter had taught him a harsh lesson, and further recklessness would only complicate matters.
Ultimately swallowing his pride, he turned and strode toward the cabin, tossing back a stiff remark: "This deity shall humor you once. But linger too long, and don't expect me to wait!"
The tone was full of arrogance that seemed to say, "It's not that I yield to you, I just can't be bothered to argue," yet his footsteps didn't hesitate in the slightest.
Bahr gave a slight nod, raising his right hand slightly as a Spatial Ripple shimmered into existence. The black blade "Autumn Water" was already in his grasp, its cold, gleaming edge reflecting the gravity and a hint of battle intent in his eyes.