Though the crew was still puzzled about what Arthur meant by "a ship coming to pick us up," they had long since learned to trust their captain.
If he said it, then it would happen.
So, when the time came, the three of them wordlessly took their battle stances, ready to fight.
Across from them, Admiral Aokiji (Kuzan) looked mildly surprised at their confidence. He lazily pointed toward the colossal Gate of Justice behind him.
"You see that gate? There's an old saying — fallen leaves return to their roots.
Meaning… it's time for you all to go back to where you came from."
Arthur chuckled. Of course he knew that behind that gate lay the path straight back to Impel Down.
"Admiral Aokiji," he said with a teasing smile, "if you think you have the strength to back that up, then come take these four bounties yourself."
"How arrogant! This kid doesn't know how high the sky is!" snarled Doberman, one of the accompanying Vice Admirals.
"And you think you can talk down to my captain?" Bundy World snapped back, veins bulging. "You overgrown mutt, mind your tone."
"You—!"
Aokiji raised his hand calmly, cutting Doberman off.
"Enough.
Words are meaningless now. Let's see the truth through our fists."
"That's fine by me," Arthur said easily. "Though I must admit, this battlefield is a little cramped.
Admiral Aokiji — care to make it bigger?"
A faint smile crossed Aokiji's face.
"My pleasure."
In the next instant, the temperature dropped like a stone.
The air turned sharp and frigid.
Even though it was mid-summer, it suddenly felt like the depths of winter.
Aokiji's hands stretched out, and his voice came cold and low—
"Ice Age."
CRACK—CRACK—CRACK!
The surrounding ocean froze solid in seconds, turning miles of open sea into an endless glacier.
The brilliance of it was terrifying — a majestic, icy arena sculpted by a single man.
But that display of power wasn't just scenery — it was the signal that the real battle had begun.
"Crap! Move!" Bundy glanced down and saw the frost creeping across the Bridge of Justice beneath them.
He leapt back just in time, avoiding the freezing surge that would've turned him into a popsicle.
Arthur and Redfield were already clear, both moving lightly out of range.
Crocodile, slower on the uptake, found frost latching around his ankles — but with his Suna Suna no Mi, he simply dispersed into sand and reformed elsewhere, completely unharmed.
The Marines, seizing the moment, charged.
Bundy and Crocodile were instantly swarmed by three Vice Admirals.
The two fruit users were strong, but under the Marines' tight formation and layered Haki coordination, they were pressed hard, unable to counterattack effectively.
Meanwhile, Redfield clashed with Kizaru, and Arthur faced Aokiji head-on.
The battlefield split into three distinct duels, with two remaining Vice Admirals positioned strategically in the center — ready to reinforce wherever their side began to falter.
The coordination was near flawless.
This wasn't the chaotic brawling of small-time Marines — this was a professional, war-seasoned formation.
A true demonstration of Marine Headquarters' tactical discipline.
The results were immediate.
Crocodile and Bundy were both forced on the defensive — despite their powers, the sheer synergy of three Vice Admirals left them struggling to breathe.
Even Bundy's speed was stifled by constant Haki suppression and precise timing.
But on the other fronts, things were very different.
Redfield and Arthur fought with composed ease, both reading their opponents' movements through razor-sharp Observation Haki.
When Kizaru's golden light flashed, Redfield's sword Raiju was already raised.
CLANG!
The two blades met, scattering sparks and photons across the frozen battlefield.
"Yo~ quite the troublesome old man, huh?" Kizaru grinned lazily.
"Hmph," Redfield snorted, eyes gleaming. "At least you're not as boring as the last batch of weaklings."
With that, he unleashed a storm of sword strikes — eight cuts in an instant, each trailing red lightning.
Kizaru's expression flattened, his body blurring into photons to parry each swing.
"Hah~ your speed's terrifying, old man."
But before his smirk could return, Redfield's next slash forced him back.
Elsewhere, Aokiji's Ice Spears shattered against Arthur's Lightning Shield like glass.
"Hmm?" Aokiji frowned. "Just as Magellan said…
That shield of yours isn't something ordinary, huh?"
"Appreciate the compliment," Arthur said coolly.
Lightning surged along his arm, black as iron under the coating of Armament Haki.
"Let's see how it handles this—Strongest Spear: Four-Finger Pierce!"
ZZZZZTTT!
He shot forward, a bolt of raw destruction wrapped in lightning.
Aokiji's expression hardened — even as a Logia user, he knew he couldn't just phase through that.
That spear was armed with Haki — it would hit him.
He brought up an arm, frost racing up his skin as an enormous ice bird materialized.
"Ice Phoenix!"
The two forces collided head-on.
BOOM!
Shards of frost exploded outward, but Arthur's lightning tore through them effortlessly. The phoenix shattered mid-flight, dissolving into glittering ice dust.
For a moment, victory seemed certain—
Until Arthur's instincts screamed.
No way it ends that easily.
His Observation Haki flared, and he immediately withdrew, lightning shield expanding around him.
A second later—
The "harmless" ice fragments in the air suddenly shifted direction, spinning like razors.
A storm of ice daggers poured down where he had just stood, slicing into the glacier and carving a deep crater into the frozen sea.
Arthur landed lightly, unharmed.
Aokiji, watching him from across the battlefield, finally exhaled.
His expression had grown grim.
This one's dangerous.
This young man wasn't just strong — he was sharp, calm, and calculating.
The type who would only grow more terrifying with time.
If he wasn't eliminated now…
Aokiji narrowed his eyes.
He'll become a force that even the World Government won't be able to contain.
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