Time pressed on.
The golden sun dipped slowly beneath the horizon, casting warm hues over the battlefield. But as night gently blanketed the sky, calmness was a lie—broken by the relentless battle between a pirate captain and a Marine Admiral.
"Ice Lock!"
Aokiji slammed his palm to the ground. In an instant, tendrils of black-glinting ice surged outward like a tidal current, encircling Zino. Jagged walls of ice erupted from both sides, attempting to crush him in a deadly pincer.
"Hien Soku!"
Zino's figure flashed with a wind breeze: He reappeared a few meters away. Changing his element, an ice lance formed in his hand. He slashed downward without hesitation.
CLANG!
The blow was parried. Aokiji's ice blade intercepted the strike with pinpoint precision. Sparks flew, and Zino's lance cracked—then shattered on impact.
"Tch—!" Zino clicked his tongue and blinked away once more, but not before a sharp streak of pain traced his cheek.
A shallow cut.
"Almost got you," Aokiji said calmly, eyes narrowing with surgical focus.
Zino wiped the blood from his face. His hand glowed faintly green as he activated his medicine element, the wound sealing cleanly. But his thoughts were racing.
His Haki wasn't strong enough. Not yet.
He'd landed no decisive blows on the Admiral. Every exchange tilted in Aokiji's favor. His legs throbbed from a stab wound. His ribs ached from a freezing punch. His chest still burned from a heavy kick. And now, a fresh cut on his face.
But he refused to fall.
Because amidst the pressure, amidst the pain—he felt it.
Growth.
His Observation Haki had begun to sharpen. He could sense Aokiji's killing intent more clearly. And his Armament Haki—it had never reached this level of clarity before. Each strike, each clash, was forcing him to adapt.
"This still isn't enough," Zino murmured to himself.
He conjured another ice lance. One swipe of his hand coated it with hardening black Haki.
Then he charged.
"You're really persistent," Aokiji said, his voice showing a rare note of irritation. The Admiral's coat fluttered as he stepped forward to meet the attack.
The night had fully arrived, yet their duel still raged. He had expected to capture this pirate quickly, but the battle had turned into a drawn-out war of attrition.
"You should just surrender," Aokiji said firmly, ice creeping from his boots across the ground.
Their weapons met again.
This time, Aokiji's blade cleaved through Zino's lance like butter. The sword continued its arc—cutting deep across Zino's chest.
But—
He didn't feel much resistance.
"Hm?" Aokiji blinked.
Zino's body shimmered, distorting like static.
ZZZZAP!
His torso dissolved into crackling lightning—dispersing, then reforming in full a few meters back.
"Another ability?" Aokiji narrowed his eyes.
"You really are strong," Zino said through gritted teeth.
Though he had successfully shifted his body into lightning to escape a fatal blow, he hadn't been fast enough to completely avoid it. A long gash now ran diagonally across his chest, and blood slowly trickled from the wound. He placed a hand over it, pain flaring beneath his palm.
"Let's continue our fight tomorrow," he muttered.
"I don't think you'll get the chance to leave—"
Clap!
Before Aokiji could finish, Zino vanished with a sharp crack of thunder, his body flashing into streaks of lightning that disappeared across the darkening horizon.
The Admiral stood still for a moment, blinking.
It wasn't hesitation—he simply couldn't match that speed.
"Sigh… He managed to run away," Aokiji murmured, looking up at the starlit sky.
He scratched his head, then shoved his hands into his coat pockets.
"Should I head back to headquarters now?"
But as he glanced around the quiet expanse of Long Ring Long Island, he realized how late it had gotten. The sun had fully set, and darkness had draped itself across the land. The breeze had turned crisp.
"…Eh, I'll rest here for the night."
Too lazy to go back, Aokiji casually formed an igloo of ice beside a grove. He stepped inside and tried to light a small fire with some dry wood lying nearby—but utterly failed.
"Achoo!" he sneezed.
He huddled his arms, teeth almost chattering—then paused. "Wait... I control ice. Why do I feel cold?"
He stared blankly at the fireless pile of sticks for a moment, before letting out a soft sigh.
"Whatever…"
He leaned against the wall of his igloo and closed his eyes. But just as he began to doze, his Observation Haki picked up something faint—movement, warmth, and a presence in the distance.
"Hm?"
Someone else was on the island. Was it that injured Zino?
He stood and casually followed the trail through the quiet woods. After walking for a while, he saw a dim glow through the trees—a fire.
As he approached, he saw a man sitting cross-legged by the flames, calmly grilling something over the fire. The scent of roasted fruit wafted in the air.
"…It's not him?"
Aokiji stepped closer. The figure turned slightly, revealing an old man with a large nose and a friendly face.
"Oh, another stranded traveler?" the man greeted with a smile. "You lost, young man?"
Aokiji blinked. "Young man?"
That title caught him off guard, but he didn't argue. He found a spot near the fire and sat down.
"Hey, old man. Did you happen to see a young guy pass through here earlier? Tall, dark hair?"
Tonjit shook his head. "Can't say I have. But I did see a group of young folks during the day. Lively bunch. You looking for a friend?"
"…Something like that," Aokiji replied after a pause.
Tonjit nodded understandingly. "Well, it's already dark. Not safe to go wandering around in the night. Maybe wait until morning."
Aokiji leaned back, letting the warmth of the fire soak into his coat. "Yeah… maybe."
For a while, the two sat in quiet companionship, the crackle of the fire filling the silence.
Then Tonjit spoke again. "Want some fruit? Grilled pear. Not bad, actually."
Aokiji glanced at the skewer being offered. After a moment's hesitation, he accepted it and took a bite.
"…Not bad," he admitted.
They sat for a while longer, sharing the simple meal under the stars. Despite the absurdity of the day—from fighting a lightning-devil-fruit pirate to now sitting with a fruit-grilling old man in the woods—it was… oddly peaceful.
At least, for now.
...
The Next Morning.
Golden sunlight broke through the canopy of trees, brushing gently against Aokiji's face. He stirred with a grunt, opening his eyes to the peaceful glow of dawn. The warmth contrasted sharply with the lingering chill in the air.
Sitting up, he glanced over at the sleeping old man—Tonjit, still curled up peacefully near the ashes of last night's fire, snoring softly.
Aokiji stood, dusted off his coat, and left quietly without waking him.
He walked alone through the forest of towering trees, his boots crunching against dew-soaked leaves. The silence was tranquil, but his mind remained alert. As he neared the area where he had battled Zino the day before, memories of the clash resurfaced. It had been an unusual fight—unexpectedly difficult.
Then—Clap!
A sharp crack of thunder echoed from the shoreline ahead.
A silhouette appeared, flickering into view with arcs of lightning dancing off his shoulders.
Zino stood there, calm but fierce, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. "As I said yesterday," he called out, "we continue our fight today."
Aokiji paused, his gaze sharpening. "So you really came back," he muttered. His expression darkened as he took a few steps forward. "Alright then. But don't expect me to go easy on you this time."
"That's exactly what I want." Zino's tone was steady. "There's no meaning in fighting an Admiral who's holding back."
As he spoke, a weapon formed in his hand—not the familiar translucent ice of before, but a dense, gleaming lance unlike anything Aokiji had seen.
"Another ice lance?" Aokiji asked, narrowing his eyes.
"No," Zino replied. "This one's different."
The lance shimmered faintly, its surface harder and brighter than steel. It was forged not of ice, but something far more durable—diamond cloud.
After last night's fight, Zino had stayed up in the shadows of the forest, reflecting on his performance. He realized his biggest weakness wasn't his speed or his power—but his weapon. His ice lance, even with Armament Haki, had broken against Aokiji's sword, which meant it simply wasn't strong enough.
That's when it hit him—Adamas Dial.
He remembered the rare Sky Island device stored in his bag. When triggered, it released a material called diamond cloud—an incredibly tough vapor with the hardness of diamond. Without hesitation, he had activated the dial and absorbed the diamond cloud directly.
In doing so, he used his free element slot with this new element: Diamond Cloud.
He absorbed every last particle in the dial until it was completely empty. It raised his new element's level quickly, reaching Level 11.
Now he got bad and good news for himself.
The good news: He could now forge weapons that were stronger and lighter than steel.
The bad news: That was his only Adamas Dial. Without more, his element's growth would hit a wall. This thing is too rare to find. So, the only option he could take to level up is to exercise using it. However, this way of levelling up is too slow.
Aokiji watched the strange new weapon in Zino's hand with mild curiosity, his expression unreadable. It looked more solid than the previous lances, but that was about all he noted. He didn't feel any real threat yet. Even if it's sharper or harder, he thought, it won't change the outcome much.
"Alright then," Aokiji said coolly, conjuring his own ice sword once more. The blade shimmered with a pale blue hue, already laced with Haki. He took a stance, steady and grounded. "Let me see how strong this new toy of yours really is."
Zino narrowed his eyes in response. He shifted his grip and extended the weapon forward. The small blade at the tip suddenly rippled—stretching out with a smooth, fluid motion. The thin lance transformed before Aokiji's eyes, widening and lengthening into a full glaive with a curved diamond-edged blade.
Zino lightly touched the blade with his palm, closing his eyes in a quiet moment. "Let's call you… Sky Blade."
The name carried in the wind like a promise. As he ran his hand down the haft, Haki surged across the blade, coating it in a fine black sheen. The weapon pulsed with energy, almost alive.
"Let's dance."
Crack!
In a blinding instant, Zino disappeared in a flash of lightning, reappearing above Aokiji mid-air. His glaive slashed downward like a comet.
Clang!
The impact rang out across the clearing. Sparks exploded as Sky Blade met Aokiji's sword. The shockwave from their clash rattled the ground beneath them.
Aokiji held his sword firmly, his face calm. "Your weapon is sharp," he said flatly, "but your will… it's not sharp enough."
With one powerful swing, he forced Zino back, the force like a hammer blow. Zino skidded away, lightning sparking around his feet—but he didn't stop. Instead, he flashed back in, rebounding with another high-speed assault.
Clang! Ting! Ching!
Strike after strike flew at Aokiji, each faster and more precise than the last. Zino's glaive weaved in lightning arcs, aiming for every vulnerable point: the neck, the ribs, the side, the heart. But Aokiji's calm never wavered. His defense was flawless, each movement minimal but effective. His reaction speed was terrifying.
"There's no use being fast," Aokiji said between blows, "if you can't even land a hit."
Then, with a casual gesture, he let his sword fall. It hit the ground and instantly crumbled into frost.
"Even if I don't use a weapon," he added coldly, "you still won't be able to hurt me."
He clenched his right hand into a fist, white mist swirling around it.
Zino, mid-motion, halted at the sight. His brows furrowed slightly, and then—he dismissed his glaive with a flick, storing it away into his system.
"I don't like unfair fights," Zino said, stepping forward, his posture changing. "Let's settle this with fists, then."
He raised his arm and tightened his grip, the muscles in his arm flexing with tension. Lightning flickered around his knuckles, and Haki began to coat his fists.
Aokiji blinked once—his face still mostly expressionless, but his eyes twitched ever so slightly.
He looked almost… annoyed.