“I-It’s Admiral Aokiji!” “He arrived just in time!
We’re definitely going to win now!” “With Vice Admiral Momousagi and Admiral Aokiji joining forces, there’s no question about it.
That guy Ren Mori is definitely going down!” “The heavens are truly favoring the Marines!” The scattered Marine soldiers still standing across the battlefield began shouting excitedly.
Their morale rose several levels the moment Aokiji appeared.
Momousagi also let out a sigh of relief.
She had originally been planning to accept Ren Mori’s proposal from earlier, but now that Aokiji had arrived, there was no longer any reason to agree.
This battle…
they were certain to win.
“So…
you’re Ren Mori, Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates’ 17th Division?” Aokiji looked directly at Ren Mori, his tone remarkably calm.
BOOM!
“Hahahahaha!” Another violent explosion erupted not far away to the right, accompanied by faint, wild laughter.
Just like before, scorching waves of heat swept toward Ren Mori’s side.
Aokiji turned toward the explosion in surprise.
“What’s happening over there?” “It seems the members of the Whitebeard Pirates’ 17th Division are fighting among themselves.” Momousagi explained, “Though it’s also possible they’re simply sparring.” “Oh?” Aokiji raised an eyebrow.
“I was wondering whether there was only one of them.” “Looks like that isn’t the case.” Ren Mori was beginning to develop a serious headache.
He was not particularly afraid of facing Momousagi alone.
But now an Admiral had joined her.
Obviously, the balance had instantly tilted heavily toward the Marines.
“Come on, isn’t this a bit much?” Ren Mori smiled bitterly.
“Is someone like me really worth an Admiral personally taking action?” “No, no, no.” Aokiji waved a hand and explained, “For most people, probably not.” “But…
you’re one of those dangerous guys from the Whitebeard Pirates.” “So…” “Let me see for myself just how strong the Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates’ 17th Division really is.” The moment he finished speaking, Aokiji activated his Devil Fruit ability.
The ground beneath his feet instantly froze.
Then the ice rapidly spread outward.
Enormous spikes of ice erupted from the ground— straight toward Ren Mori.
Naturally, Ren Mori had no intention of simply standing there and taking the attack.
He waved his hand and immediately activated Wood Release.
Massive tree roots burst from the earth.
The next instant— the roots collided with the ice spikes.
Shards of ice and splinters of wood exploded through the air.
“Oh?” Aokiji spoke calmly.
“You’re a Devil Fruit user too?” “He’s not just a Devil Fruit user.” Momousagi warned him.
“His natural physique is terrifying as well.
His body is practically made of steel.” “That does sound a little troublesome.” Although Aokiji said that aloud, his heart remained perfectly calm.
Perhaps it was because, in his younger days, he had followed Garp through an extremely vicious era.
He had seen people with extraordinary physiques before.
In the original story, one of them was an Admiral while the other was an Admiral candidate.
Faced with such a combination, Ren Mori naturally had no intention of fighting them to the death.
However, just as he was preparing to withdraw— a System notification suddenly sounded beside his ear.
Ding!
A dropped Summoning Fragment has been detected nearby!
Ren Mori’s pupils contracted slightly.
His gaze immediately swept across the surroundings.
It did not take him long to spot the Summoning Fragment mentioned by the System.
The problem was…
its location was extremely awkward.
It was directly beneath Aokiji’s feet.
“Did this thing drop from Aokiji?” Ren Mori murmured softly.
Now that a Summoning Fragment had appeared, he immediately changed his previous plan.
First, he would obtain the Summoning Fragment.
Then he would retreat.
After all, Ren Mori had always believed in one principle— fortune favored the bold.
Sometimes, you had to take a gamble if you wanted a big payoff.
However, picking up the Summoning Fragment right in front of both Momousagi and Aokiji without getting hurt would require quite a bit of effort.
Whoosh!
While Ren Mori was distracted thinking of a plan, Momousagi seized the opening and attacked.
Ren Mori frowned and immediately dodged.
BOOM!
Momousagi’s sword missed.
The instant it struck the ground, a cloud of dust erupted, swallowing both her and Ren Mori.
A massive fissure split open across the earth.
Even after missing, Momousagi did not stop.
She immediately continued her pursuit.
“Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!” The moment Ren Mori’s voice rang out— Momousagi was suddenly blasted out of the smoke.
Immediately afterward, an enormous wooden giant appeared before everyone.
“S-So huge…” “Damn it!
Just how many hidden techniques does this guy still have?!” “I don’t know why, but the moment that giant appeared, I started getting a really bad feeling again.” “Same here.
I just hope Admiral Aokiji and Vice Admiral Momousagi can take him down without any trouble.” Aokiji heard the scattered Marines talking around him, but he had no interest in responding.
“A Devil Fruit can even be used like this?” “That’s pretty unusual.” “But I wonder…” “Does that giant merely look frightening?” “Or is it actually as weak as it seems?” Whoosh!
The moment those words left his mouth— Aokiji had already appeared above the Wood Human.
“Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!” He thrust out a fist.
Cold air rapidly gathered around his right arm.
An enormous ice bird instantly erupted forward and slammed into the Wood Human.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out.
Huge chunks of shattered wood flew in every direction.
“It hit?” Aokiji looked slightly puzzled.
“That was much easier than I expected.” “No.” Momousagi’s voice came from nearby.
“Ren Mori is standing where you were just now.” At the same time— Ren Mori had already reached Aokiji’s previous position.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host.
You have obtained Summoning Fragment ×1.