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Chapter 44: The Arrow that Stilled the Sea
On the Marine warship.
Under the irresistible suction, the ship tilted and spun violently. Everyone on deck couldn't stand firm, watching in despair as the center of the whirlpool, like the bloody mouth of a giant beast, drew closer and closer.
There was no hope.
Faced with the immense power of nature, the role of an individual seemed so insignificant; everyone, including the Marine officer, could only watch as death approached, powerless to do anything.
However, death did not come as expected.
A rapid and crisp sound suddenly rang out, like ice spreading rapidly, drowning out the sound of the churning whirlpool!
The temperature plummeted, and the ship's descent gradually stopped. Finally... it hung bizarrely in the middle of the sea, as if frozen in time.
"What... is this...?" The Marine officer, the first to notice the anomaly, looked up in confusion and scanned his surroundings.
The sight before him completely robbed him of his ability to think.
All around was endless white, the whirlpool vanishing without a trace. All the seawater had frozen into a thick layer of ice!
He was stunned for a long moment.
"Aokiji... Marine Admiral?"
A look of ecstatic joy suddenly burst forth on the Marine officer's face, and he couldn't help but shout it out loud.
He subconsciously believed that only one person in the world could create such a miracle, instantly freezing the sea and the whirlpool.
The strongest combat power of Marine Headquarters, the user of the "Ice-Ice Fruit," Admiral Aokiji, Kuzan!
Only he had the power to freeze the sea!
"What?! The Admiral came to save us?!"
"Really? Is it Admiral Aokiji?!"
"Oh my god! We're saved! It's the Admiral!!"
The Marine soldiers, having just escaped death, wept with joy.
"D*mn it! What's going on?! I can't move!"
"My body is frozen! How did the sea suddenly turn to ice?!"
In stark contrast to the ecstatic Marines.
Kuroobi, Chew, and Hatchan found to their horror that the lower halves of their bodies were completely trapped by the thick layer of ice that had suddenly formed, and they couldn't get out for a while.
"What?! Is it really that Aokiji?!"
In Arlong Park, Arlong stumbled, nearly falling off his throne.
He scanned the sea ahead in terror, searching for the man he had seen in the newspapers.
Just hearing the name filled him with immense fear. His hands trembled uncontrollably, his nails digging deep into his palms without him even realizing it.
An Admiral...
The humiliating scene from many years ago, when he was still in the Sun Pirates and was easily defeated by a powerful Marine without being able to fight back, involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
If I remember correctly, that guy is an Admiral now!
Nami observed Arlong's reaction, watching him coldly.
So you can tremble in fear, too.
She had no idea what a Marine Admiral was, or who "Aokiji" was, the man who made Arlong tremble with fear at the mere mention of his name.
But she knew very well that the sudden freezing of the sea was not the work of any Marine Admiral.
No, it was her companion.
Crack, crack, crack.
With their powerful Fish-Man strength, Kuroobi, Chew, and Hatchan finally broke the ice that trapped them.
The three stood on the ice, exchanged surprised and uncertain glances, then turned their attention to the Marine warship.
"Although I don't know what happened, let's finish the mission Brother Arlong gave us first!"
"That's right! They're just a ship full of frozen Marine soldiers. The three of us together can still wipe them all out!"
After conferring, the three decided to launch an attack on the warship.
"Wait! You three, come back immediately! Let them go!"
Arlong's urgent voice came from the heights of Arlong Park, abruptly stopping the three in their tracks.
"Brother Arlong? Why?"
"Now is the perfect time to take them down!"
The three officers looked confused, turning their heads to look at Arlong from above.
Arlong was so angry he almost ground his teeth to dust. These three idiots!
They didn't realize at all that Aokiji, the highest combat general of the Marines, was likely nearby.
Attacking the Marines at this time was tantamount to suicide.
His face turned pale, then red, and he looked around warily, but couldn't find anyone who looked like Admiral Aokiji.
But he still didn't dare to kill any more Marines, so he roared his orders:
"If I tell you to come back, you come back immediately! Do you not understand what I'm saying?!"
"Uh... Yes, Brother Arlong."
Seeing their leader so furious, the three Fish-Man officers, though reluctant, could only retreat helplessly.
Chew glared fiercely at the Marine soldiers and issued a stern threat:
"You're lucky! Brother Arlong is in a good mood today and spared you! Get lost!"
The Marines were equally confused.
Admiral Aokiji, who had saved their lives, did not appear, seemingly unwilling to meet them.
"Could it be... the Admiral thinks it's too shameful that the Marines couldn't even handle a bunch of Fish-Men, so he's unwilling to show his face?"
"Idiot! Nonsense! How could the Admiral think that! He must have a more important mission to attend to!"
"Ahem... Let's retreat for now, repair the ship, and then come back to wipe out this group of Fish-Man pirates!"
"Yes!"
Some of the Marines got off the ship, while those on board remained on alert to prevent another Fish-Man attack. The disembarked personnel began to push the ship, slowly moving it from the ice to the open sea...
Soon.
The Marines sailed their warship away from the area.
The Fish-Men, like startled birds, retreated into Arlong Park, tightly closing the gates, as if guarding against some terrifying creature that could descend at any moment.
On the other side, at a secluded coastal entrance.
Everyone stared at a blue-haired girl in awe.
Among them, Genzo and Nojiko looked at him almost as if they were looking at a monster.
It's no wonder they were so shocked; they had never seen anything like freezing the sea with an arrow, not even in stories.
"Ganyu, you... how did you do that?" After a long silence, Nojiko couldn't help but ask.
She knew that Nami's confidence in fighting Arlong this time must be because the partner she was willing to help was very powerful.
But I didn't expect it to be this powerful.
"I know!" Usopp raised his hand, his eyes shining with an almost fanatical light of worship. "Ganyu's arrow just now hit the center of the whirlpool, and then, the cold air emanating from within it instantly froze a vast area of the sea!"
As a sniper, Usopp's eyesight was far superior to that of ordinary people, so he was able to clearly see the terror of Ganyu's arrow.
The arrow was fired from the coastline nearly a kilometer away, into the waters of Arlong Park, precisely hitting the center of the whirlpool.
What astonishing power and precision!
If Zoro was looking for Hawk-Eye, the world's number one swordsman...
In Usopp's mind, at this moment, Ganyu was undoubtedly the world's number one sniper!
"What's even more shocking is that it froze the entire ocean! It's exactly like what was reported about Admiral Aokiji!"
"Big Sis Ganyu, you're amazing!"
Johnny and Yosaku expressed their heartfelt admiration.
"Aokiji?" Usopp was startled, remembering the name the Marines had shouted earlier.
"He's Aokiji, one of the Navy's top fighters, one of the three Admirals, and the user of the 'Ice-Ice Fruit'!"
Johnny explained that as well-informed bounty hunters, they had some knowledge of the Seven Warlords and the Navy Admirals.
"It's said he can freeze the entire ocean. I used to think it was just an exaggerated rumor, but now that I've seen Big Sis Ganyu, I'm completely convinced!"
"Oh!" Usopp suddenly realized something, exclaimed, then looked at Ganyu and shouted, "Does that mean Ganyu is already as strong as a Marine Admiral?"
"How could that be?" Johnny shook his head, his tone tinged with regret, but also confidence. "Even if Big Sis Ganyu is very strong, she's still young, she can't be compared to a Marine Admiral."
"Yeah, yeah, but I think Big Sis Ganyu has the potential to become that strong. Maybe after you enter the Grand Line, she can really grow to be that strong." Yosaku said excitedly.
He was already beginning to fantasize about a day when his pirate crew, including their Big Bro "Pirate Hunter" Zoro, their captain Straw Hat Luffy (with the Gum-Gum Fruit ability), and "Frostflake Arrow" Ganyu, would make a big name for themselves on the Grand Line.
Beside them.
Ganyu paid no attention to the noisy crowd, calmly gazing at the distant sea.
She saw a small boat with three men on it.
They had a straw hat, green hair, and yellow hair.
Luffy, Zoro, and... Sanji.
"You're finally here." Ganyu smiled faintly, raised her bow again, and drew the string, taking aim.
The target was the cigarette dangling from Sanji's mouth.
Swish!
The arrow shot out again, instantly crossing the kilometer distance, and hit the bullseye.
On the small boat, Sanji, who was lying on his side smoking, felt a flash in front of his eyes and a strange chill brush past his lips.
He subconsciously touched his lips, then froze.
"Huh? My cigarette?"