章節 245: Chapter 245: Song of Ice and Fire - Growing Strong to Protect.
New World, Punk Hazard.
This island used to be a Marine research base and held some prisoners of the World Government. Two years ago, due to M. Caesar Clown's experiment, a large amount of poison gas was released on the island, turning it into a dead island.
Although a few prisoners survived, they lost control of their lower bodies and could only eke out a miserable existence on this island.
Now, this island has welcomed two world-class top fighters.
"Kuzan,"
Wearing a dark red suit, a Marine hat, black leather gloves, and a Marine Admiral coat, Akainu spoke first.
"After being an Admiral for so many years, you should have seen the true nature of this sea by now, right?"
"Ambitious people keep pouring into the sea, using 'dreams' as an excuse to do whatever they want, slaughtering villages and towns at the slightest disagreement! They only see 'freedom,' but have they ever seen the suffering of ordinary people?"
"Under every pirate ship are the corpses of hundreds or thousands of ordinary people! Every black pirate flag is stained with the blood of civilians!"
Akainu, covered in fiery red, was a tough military man, just like his nickname.
"When I become Fleet Admiral, I'll move Marine Headquarters to the New World! I'll end this twisted world once and for all."
"Power means nothing to me, I just want a world without pirates!"
Is it not my intention to gain titles, but to bring peace to the seas?
Tall and thin, wearing a white vest and dark blue shirt, also draped in a Marine coat, Aokiji sighed.
"Sakazuki, you're too naive."
Even without pirates, where would this world go under those eyes?
"Don't just see the harm of pirates, — the reason why pirates can't be eradicated isn't just because of 'dreams.' The decay of this world..."
"So what?!"
Akainu's roar interrupted Aokiji.
"I know what you're going to say, but no matter what, that can't be an excuse for burning, killing, and looting! Choosing to fly the skull flag and do whatever they want means they must bear the consequences!"
"Evil is evil! Don't use 'there's a greater evil than me' as an excuse! Kuzan, you've disappointed me. You actually put your hope in those who have gone astray."
When I sweep the seas clean, the next target is—
Gurgle~~
Red-hot magma boiled up from Akainu's arm, a drop falling to the ground, instantly melting a huge hole!
"Since we can't agree, let's—"
Let our actions speak!
As Akainu made up his mind, without any visible movement.
Raging magma surged from his feet, flowing in all directions, turning the once overgrown island ground into a black and red wasteland, devoid of any other colors.
Ten meters, a hundred meters, a thousand meters, ten thousand meters!!!
In an instant, half of the island turned into a sea of lava! Like a black and red carpet laid out for a king, the rolling lava swallowed all the plants, land, and buildings. This truly showed what a 'natural disaster' is!
Then the lava gathered on Akainu's arm, forming a snarling dog head with sharp, scythe-like teeth, dripping with black and red lava.
The dog head was huge, and where its eyes should be, there were two blazing flames, making it look eerie and terrifying.
Next, the sound of something cutting through the air! The two flames turned into two streaks of fire, with huge fangs rushing towards the enemy!
Although lava makes no sound, the officers watching felt a soul-crushing roar filled with killing intent.
"Dog Biting Red Lotus!"
However, this fierce attack didn't hit its target because, in an instant, the temperature in the air dropped rapidly! Even the flames froze in an instant.
The ice that froze everything wasn't smooth but had a fierce, fiery shape, showing a burning, intense beauty.
As the water molecules in the air froze into frost, Aokiji fearlessly punched out! Layers of ice crystals covered his arm, reflecting colorful light.
Just looking at it from afar made people feel a bone-chilling cold, as if looking any longer would freeze and shatter their eyes!
As Aokiji fully unleashed his power, the extreme cold spread from his body, silencing everything, extinguishing heat, and freezing the raging lava in front of his fist.
"Ice Age!"
An Admiral going all out is truly terrifying—
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Roman couldn't imagine how the lava and ice, sweeping everything away, turned the entire island into a land of ice and fire!
And it seemed this terrifying change would remain forever! Compared to this, Crocodile was nothing. Even Enel...
"Roman, are you curious why they started with such a big move?"
Garp explained to Roman.
"On one hand, they know each other very well, so normal probing is meaningless."
"On the other hand, the 'awakening' of natural Devil Fruits permanently changes the environment, giving the user an advantage. They can use the natural lava and ice to restore energy and heal wounds..."
He remembered an island in the New World where lightning always struck. Could it be that a 'Rumble-Rumble Fruit' user once fought there with full power?
While everyone watched the two Admirals duel, elsewhere:
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In a corner of Marine Headquarters,
This area belonged to Vice Admiral Tsuru's 'territory,' as she led the only all-female unit in the Marines, so a separate training ground was necessary.
After all, during training, physical clashes and clothing damage are unavoidable. Mixed-gender training would just lead to a bunch of old perverts getting distracted...
And now Nami is facing:
The Observation Haki Training Ground!
This is a field filled with giant hammers, all moving slowly and randomly, crashing into each other with great force. They vary in height and size, constantly moving up and down, sometimes colliding and creating unexpected changes, yet miraculously staying within the field.
It's clear that these giant hammers without mechanical chains are the creation of some fruit ability. Once someone enters, they are immediately surrounded by hammer shadows from all directions, equivalent to being attacked non-stop by a dozen fearless enemies.
"Are you really going in?"
Facing Tsuru's question, Nami tied her growing orange hair into a spirited ponytail.
"Of course,"
"In this world, without power, you can only kneel and cry in vain."
Fortunately, at that time, someone stepped over her and shattered the nightmare that loomed over her life! Letting Nami see light and freedom again.
So:
Stepping boldly into the 'training ground,' the speed of the hammers' movement immediately increased!
Nami focused, watching and listening in all directions, while recalling Roman's teachings on Observation Haki. She moved her feet back and forth, jumping up, crouching down, twisting her waist, or lying flat to avoid the hammers.
As she moved forward, the hammer shadows became denser! Soon, Nami's strength alone wasn't enough to dodge them.
Bang!
A giant hammer she couldn't avoid hit her, instantly breaking her balance! In such dense attacks, losing balance meant:
Bang bang bang bang bang!!!
Arms, shoulders, back, head, abdomen, legs... countless attacks landed on her! Amidst the intense pain, Tsuru Vice Admiral's calm voice came from outside.
"As a warrior, you must have a body of steel and an unyielding will, able to stay conscious after heavy blows! If you fall, you lose. Regain your balance and keep dodging."
Yes!
But Nami didn't even have time to respond, only trying to protect her head and stabilize herself amidst the storm-like attacks. She began dodging again.
—This is where Marines train their Observation Haki, and for women, whose physical strength is naturally less than men's, mastering Observation Haki is especially important.
After a while, the hammers in the air slowed down. Isuka, practicing swordsmanship nearby, immediately used Soru to enter the training ground and dragged the bloodied Nami out.
"Cough cough, is this Marine training?"
Wiping the blood from her mouth, Nami stood up shakily, took out the "Thieves' Ultimate Skill" from her waist, and as blue flames entered her body, her wounds healed quickly.
"Ann, using your ability to heal will make your body forget 'pain' and also forget the instinct to dodge."
Facing the white-haired Tsuru Vice Admiral's words, Nami chuckled.
"No problem, then I'll use more 'pain' to reinforce my dodging."
?!
"Since I'm healed, let's continue."
Watching Nami stride back into the training ground, even Isuka instinctively reached out.
"Ann, training should be gradual..."
"No problem, as long as I have this—" She waved the book in her hand. With the abilities in this book, "It's just minor training injuries, how can it compare to the danger of bullets with killing intent?"
Frowning, Isuka understood Ann's reason for acting this way.
"Ann, are you still upset about Captain Roman taking a bullet for you?"
"Yes."
Nami nodded, not hiding her intentions.
"I want to become stronger!"
"Thinking back, from the time we met... until now, every time there's a fight, Roman is always at the front. Although everyone has their own roles, I still don't want to always hide behind Roman, so:"
Nami turned to Isuka with a confident smile.
"I want to one day stand in front of Roman and say:"
"I'll protect you!"
...
"Hehe, you're a spirited girl. But, little Ann—"
Tsuru walked over and gestured to Nami.
"Boys' pride makes them not want to hear their loved ones say such things."
"Really,"
Nami tapped her chin with a finger and thought.
"Then I'll say 'Please let me protect you'—Roman will definitely accept that."
...
"Ah, youth is wonderful."
Watching the girl charge back into the training area, Vice Admiral Tsuru smiled and shook her head.
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PS: Ahem, that's it~~~ By the way, Usopp is trying hard to lose weight...
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