"Is this the power of the Ice Ice Fruit? It really is ridiculous."
Ryūjin looked over the frozen sea stretching for dozens of kilometers and clicked his tongue in appreciation.
The strength of a Marine Admiral truly deserved its reputation.
Even in the Naruto world, someone at Aokiji's level would absolutely stand among the strongest shinobi alive.
Only monsters on the level of the God of Shinobi could confidently overpower men like this.
"Let's see what Aokiji actually wants."
Without wasting another second, Ryūjin jumped off the ship and landed on the frozen sea.
Crocodile followed immediately without hesitation.
As Ryūjin's most loyal subordinate, he stayed close behind him like a shadow, fully carrying out the role of a personal guard.
Nami and Nico Robin remained aboard the ship.
Neither of them dared step onto the battlefield.
For most people sailing the Grand Line, the title of Admiral alone was enough to make their blood run cold.
Soon, Ryūjin and Aokiji stood facing each other atop the endless ice.
"So the rumors were true. You really did subdue Crocodile."
Aokiji glanced at Crocodile standing respectfully behind Ryūjin, surprise flashing across his face.
Hearing reports was one thing.
Seeing Crocodile acting this obedient in person was something else entirely.
A man like Crocodile should never have bowed his head to anyone.
Yet here he was.
"Aokiji, someone at your level wouldn't come all the way here just to stare at me. Say what you came to say."
Ryūjin spoke casually, his tone completely relaxed.
Aokiji withdrew his gaze from Crocodile and looked directly at Ryūjin.
"On behalf of the Marines, I'm officially inviting you to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
Ryūjin raised an eyebrow slightly.
"So you're not here to arrest me?"
"The Marines value talented individuals," Aokiji replied evenly. "We're not unwilling to offer opportunities to capable people."
Ryūjin immediately understood the hidden meaning.
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"The Marines sent an Admiral just to deliver an invitation? Sounds pretty desperate to me."
Then his expression turned indifferent.
"And if I refuse?"
Aokiji remained silent.
That silence itself was the answer.
Ryūjin gave a dismissive shrug.
"Go tell Sengoku I'm not interested. Forget being a Warlord, I don't even care about his Fleet Admiral seat."
Then he looked directly at Aokiji.
"So, are we done talking?"
Aokiji sighed helplessly.
"I figured it would end up like this."
The temperature around him instantly dropped.
"Ice Ball!"
Several enormous pillars of ice shot toward Ryūjin at terrifying speed.
The moment they touched a target, they would form a massive sphere of ice and freeze the enemy completely.
This was the same technique Aokiji once used against Whitebeard during the Summit War.
Unfortunately for him, Ryūjin was not Whitebeard.
Boom!
An overwhelming burst of chakra exploded from Ryūjin's body.
Before the ice could even reach him, the pressure alone shattered it apart.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The massive ice pillars broke apart instantly.
Aokiji's eyes narrowed sharply.
Even though he already knew Ryūjin was dangerous, seeing this in person still shocked him.
The man did not even bother dodging.
He simply crushed the attack through sheer force.
"Pheasant Beak!"
Aokiji attacked again immediately.
Boundless cold surged through the air as an enormous ice bird condensed above the sea.
The creature stretched hundreds of meters wide, radiating terrifying pressure.
On the ship, Nami and Robin both stared in disbelief.
"That's insane..."
"So this is the strength of a Marine Admiral..."
The gigantic ice bird screamed through the sky and rushed directly toward Ryūjin.
Its enormous wings cut through the frozen sea like blades.
Ryūjin merely lifted one hand.
His eyes shifted instantly into the Rinnegan.
"Shinra Tensei."
Boom!
An overwhelming repulsive force erupted outward.
The giant ice bird shattered instantly.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The massive construct split apart like fragile glass before exploding into countless ice fragments across the sea.
One Shinra Tensei from Nagato had once destroyed all of Konoha.
For Six Paths level Ryūjin, destroying an attack of this scale was effortless.
"What a ridiculous ability..."
Aokiji's expression darkened.
The Marines had already gathered information on Ryūjin's strange powers.
Yet this technique was completely new.
But despite his shock, Aokiji reacted instantly.
The moment Ryūjin used Shinra Tensei, Aokiji vanished.
Soru.
In an instant, he appeared directly beside Ryūjin.
His hand touched Ryūjin's shoulder.
"Ice Time."
An enormous wave of freezing energy erupted outward.
Ice rapidly spread across Ryūjin's body.
Within moments, his right arm was frozen solid.
For ordinary people, this attack would instantly rob them of movement before freezing them alive.
Unfortunately for Aokiji, Ryūjin's body had already reached the Six Paths level.
That amount of cold barely registered.
Ryūjin looked at his frozen arm before glancing back at Aokiji.
"That's it?"
Boom!
Ryūjin threw a punch.
The ice covering his arm exploded apart instantly.
His fist slammed directly into Aokiji's chest before the Admiral could fully react.
Bang!
Aokiji was blasted away violently.
He bounced several times across the frozen sea before finally stopping.
Pfft!
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
Shock filled his face.
They had barely exchanged blows, yet he had already taken heavy damage.
Ryūjin's speed was simply too fast.
Even with Observation Haki warning him beforehand, Aokiji's body could not react in time.
It was the same principle behind Kaido crushing Luffy repeatedly.
Seeing an attack coming meant nothing if your body could not keep up.
Aokiji slowly stood up while wiping blood from his mouth.
His expression had completely changed.
"Damn... he's far stronger than the reports said."
For the first time in years, Aokiji felt genuine pressure.
The Marines had underestimated Ryūjin completely.
Everyone had.
Clap!
Ryūjin pressed his hands together.
Wood Release erupted instantly.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Massive wooden branches burst upward through the frozen sea, rushing toward Aokiji from every direction.
"Ice Time!"
Aokiji unleashed freezing waves again, instantly covering the incoming branches in thick layers of ice.
But unlike before, something horrifying happened.
The ice shattered apart almost immediately.
The wooden branches continued charging forward with unstoppable force.
Their speed barely slowed at all.
Aokiji's expression sank.
For the first time in a very long time, his Devil Fruit felt weak.
The pressure Ryūjin gave off reminded Aokiji of his younger days when he had first obtained the Ice Ice Fruit and barely understood how to use it.
That gap in strength felt overwhelming.
Aokiji quickly condensed multiple layers of ice around himself for defense.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The barriers shattered instantly.
The wooden branches pierced through them like paper.
Boom!
Aokiji's body exploded into countless ice fragments.
However, moments later, the ice rapidly reformed.
Aokiji reconstructed himself through elementalization.
"Heh."
Ryūjin looked completely unimpressed.
"Let's see how many times you can keep reviving."
His hands remained clasped together.
The Wood Release continued attacking relentlessly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Aokiji was blasted apart repeatedly.
Each time he reconstructed himself, another barrage of wooden branches smashed him to pieces again.
It was honestly miserable to watch.
On the ship, Nami stared blankly.
"Admiral Aokiji has already been blown apart dozens of times..."
She could barely process what she was seeing.
That was one of the strongest Marines in the world.
Yet in front of Ryūjin, he looked completely helpless.
Robin was equally stunned.
"So this is Ryūjin's strength..."
Even an Admiral looked powerless before him.
For the first time in years, Robin truly felt secure.
As long as she stayed beside Ryūjin, the Marines could never threaten her again.
Meanwhile, Aokiji's expression grew uglier with every exchange.
"No good... I'm completely outmatched."
His eyes sharpened.
"I'll have to use that."
The freezing energy around him erupted violently.
An enormous giant made entirely of ice began forming above the sea.
Soon, a massive ice version of Aokiji towered over the battlefield, hundreds of meters tall.
Ryūjin glanced at it briefly.
Then he lost interest.
Compared to Hashirama's True Several Thousand Hands, this thing was nothing impressive.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The gigantic ice giant charged toward Ryūjin like a moving mountain.
Ryūjin simply raised his hand again.
"Shinra Tensei."
Boom!
The colossal ice giant exploded instantly.
It shattered apart before even reaching him.
Aokiji reconstructed himself once more, but this time his face looked exhausted.
That attack had already been one of his strongest techniques.
Yet Ryūjin destroyed it effortlessly.
The gap between them felt absurd.
Huff... Huff...
Aokiji's breathing grew heavier.
That giant had consumed an enormous amount of stamina.
Ryūjin looked down at him lazily.
"This is why Logia users are annoying. You people just keep regenerating forever."
Judging by Aokiji's condition, Ryūjin knew he could eventually exhaust him completely.
But he honestly could not be bothered dragging the fight out any longer.
People in the One Piece world had absurd stamina.
Top tiers could fight for days without stopping.
Ryūjin had no interest in wasting that much time.
"Let's finish this."
With a thought, Ryūjin rose into the air.
Then he extended his hand downward toward the frozen sea.
"Shinra Tensei."
BOOM!
A terrifying repulsive force descended from the sky.
The frozen ocean shattered instantly.
The dozens of kilometers of ice created by Ice Age exploded apart like dust.
The sea itself collapsed inward.
An enormous crater hundreds of meters deep appeared across the ocean.
As for Aokiji?
The Admiral was blasted directly into the seawater by the overwhelming force.
Then the sea swallowed him whole.