"Ice Age!"
Kuzan caught his hand instead while smiling cheerfully. "Too bad, there's no sun to help you this time!"
As Kuzan spoke, cold surged from Ian's hand, instantly turning it to ice. In moments, frost spread from his feet and hands, enveloping his entire body until only his face remained visible.
Ian: "..."
This guy's really not playing fair.
How many times has he used his ultimate skill already?
And every time, it's just freezing him solid!
If he had been this serious during the Summit War of Marineford, the Marines would've won long ago.
Encased in ice, Ian glared at Kuzan and said irritably: "Aren't you even going to test my strength properly?"
"Ah, not today."
Kuzan replied contentedly, whistling as he admired his handiwork. "Didn't you say your wife's waiting for you?"
"I mean... It's fine if I'm a little late."
"How could it be fine?"
Kuzan grinned kindly. "I wouldn't want to interrupt your dinner together. Besides..."
He glanced at Ian. "If I waited any longer, you might actually break free with that Armament Haki of yours."
After saying that, he eyed Ian up and down.
That look made Ian's mouth twitch again; he had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, before he could say anything…
"So you're completely frozen now? Hmm, there's nowhere left to hit, huh."
Kuzan said, rubbing his chin in mock thought. "What should I do?"
Ian: "..."
Ian raised an eyebrow and frowned at him seriously. "Yeah, this is a problem. How about we continue tomorrow at noon? I'll go all out for three hundred—"
Before he could finish…
"Ice Time Capsule!"
Kuzan's body flared with cold again.
Smiling, he said, "Such a sly little kid. Good thing someone reminded me to be careful around you."
Ian: "..."
Just as Ian was about to use Armament Haki to break free, he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure if he should.
Before he could speak, Kuzan seemed to notice something, grinned, narrowed his eyes at Ian's face, and said: "Isn't there still a spot showing?"
As soon as he said that, Ian: "..."
Looking at the dangerous smile on Kuzan's face, Ian's mouth twitched, and he fell silent again.
He could already tell that this guy came here just to hit him in the face!
"For stealing my photo!"
Bang!
"For calling me a bear!"
Bang!
"And you wanted me to come at noon? Keep dreaming!"
Bang!
"Sure, you've gotten stronger, but if you think you can defy the World Government, you're still far off!"
Bang!
"For getting married! For getting someone pregnant! Do you know how much trouble that caused me?"
Bang!
"Oh, right, this punch was specifically requested by an old man; he told me to hit you harder."
Bang!
Ian: "..."
Is this guy insane?
Ian stared speechlessly at Kuzan, who was clearly venting his frustrations like a madman.
How much resentment was this?!
Could it be that the pressure at Marine Headquarters was so bad now that he came here to vent on him?
And... Which old bastard told this guy to hit him?
He finally understood that this guy was definitely doing it on purpose.
But Ian didn't move.
Instead, he focused on the ice encasing his body and forced his Armament Haki to its limit, all while staring darkly at Kuzan, who was punching more and more enthusiastically.
Just as Ian was enduring the freezing cold and concentrating his Armament Haki…
"And also... for saying that the justice system at Marine Headquarters is a shit!"
Bang!
Ian: "..."
Hearing that, Ian couldn't help it anymore and said helplessly, "I never said that!"
"Eh? You didn't?"
Kuzan raised his brows in surprise, then his eyes turned strange, and that lazy smile returned.
"Well, that doesn't really…"
Bang!
Before he could finish, Kuzan's lazy grin shifted slightly, showing a trace of admiration and regret. "You're a smart one, huh? To have trained your Armament Haki to this level already."
As he said that…
Boom!
The biting cold ice that covered Ian shattered in an instant, from both outside and within.
The Emission technique combined with the Internal Destruction!
In an instant, a series of crackling sounds echoed, and a cold, icy mist emerged from Ian's body, instantly filling the surroundings.
In the blink of an eye, Ian broke free from the ice, stretched his body, hoisted his one-handed axe, and stood bathed in the cold mist.
His Armament Haki hadn't faded yet, and he wore a meaningful smile.
"Next, I'm gonna fight you for a full day and night..."
But before he could finish, Ian froze mid-sentence, staring dumbfounded at the empty space before him. The ground was still frozen, but Kuzan was gone.
"Where did he go?"
He ran?
He actually ran?!
So that bastard really did just come here to beat him!
After confirming that no one was around, Ian let out an exasperated sigh, raised a middle finger toward the front, then collapsed onto the ground.
Even though it was covered in ice and freezing cold, he didn't care. He let out a heavy breath, the corner of his mouth curling up.
Good thing he ran; he had almost reached his limit.
Not because of his injuries, they weren't serious, but because of exhaustion... After pushing his Armament Haki to the extreme, the fatigue made him not want to move at all.
Still, the gains were worth it. His Armament Haki had clearly grown stronger.
As he looked up at the stars, Ian's eyes flickered slightly. "What I actually said was, Marine Headquarters' justice is just like a stray dog on the street..."
...
"Why are you so late?"
Hearing a sound, Zephyr's ear twitched slightly.
When he saw Kuzan appear nearby, he grinned. "You're coming down after dark, huh? Looks like that kid's made some solid progress lately!"
"No, it's just that I waited until dark to show up."
Kuzan said with a shrug. "That's why it's this late."
Zephyr: "..."
Zephyr's smile froze, his face turning a bit odd as he looked at the relaxed Kuzan. "I thought you'd have a proper fight with him, to test that kid's strength."
"I came to beat him up, not to spar."
Kuzan replied righteously. "Why would I fight him under the blazing sun?"
"... Fair enough."
Zephyr was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to refute that. He casually opened a bottle of green grape wine, poured Kuzan a glass, and chuckled. "So you took advantage of the night to beat him up, huh? That kid's definitely coming to settle the score by noon tomorrow."
"The funny thing is, I'm leaving soon."
Zephyr: "..."