"Don't lift your feet so high—launch the counter-attack now!"
"You're better off crouching to dodge. Run? Do you think you're faster than me?"
"Too much wasted movement! Your attacks must be fast! Concise!"
In the small plaza, two silhouettes were locked in a fierce battle. Muffled impacts and the sounds of shattering stone echoed through the air. Ice shards ricocheted like bullets, and thick layers of frost coated the walls and floor, turning the area into an arctic wasteland.
Loya followed the advice, crouching down and quickly drawing his hands together to gather cold air.
BOOM!
Kuzan kicked Loya's hands apart, cutting off the technique before it could form. Then, pivoting on his supporting leg, he swung his waist and hips to deliver a crushing side-kick to Loya's forehead, sending him flying.
"You have to react the moment your move is broken! Are you waiting to die?" Kuzan roared toward the dust-filled wall where Loya had crashed.
Suddenly, a massive surge of energy erupted. Through the haze, two crystalline ice wings manifested.
"Ice Dragon's Wing Attack!"
Even before the wings made contact, the biting wind froze the very dust in the air. It was a move with absolute presence—silent yet lethal.
Facing it, Kuzan offered a rare nod of approval. "Facing an enemy faster than you, if you can't land a pinpoint hit, wide-area attacks are a decent choice... but!" He opened his right palm, aimed it at the ice wings, and grasped his own right wrist with his left hand. "If your intensity isn't enough, it means nothing!"
"Pheasant Beak (Ice Block: Partisan)!"
CHIRP!
A massive bird made entirely of ice launched from his hand, its wings spanning dozens of meters. It let out a piercing screech as it collided with the ice wings.
BOOM!
The impact triggered a massive explosion heard across half of Marineford. A wave of frost rippled out, dropping the temperature so drastically that the breath of nearby Marines turned into visible white steam.
In his office, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's hand shook, and a document slid off his desk.
Baaah.
The goat beside the desk, assuming it was a meal provided by its master, snatched the document and clamped down. Sengoku's face turned pale as he reached for it. "Hey! Give that back! That isn't a document for the shredder!"
Through her window, Ms. S watched the plaza, puffing on her pipe. "Those two... they really don't know the meaning of peace."
On the plaza, the wind dissipated. The stone slabs that had been frozen were now shattered from the pressure of the clash. Kuzan stepped back, preparing to use his Observation Haki, when a blue blur lunged at him—Loya, his face and shoulders covered in blue markings identical to those he displayed when "leveling up."
The diamond-shaped pattern on his wrist pulsed with a rhythmic light, giving Loya a sudden burst of speed.
Huh? That's the 'unfinished' technique he mentioned? His speed increased, but without the level of Soru, it's still meaningless. Kuzan was slightly surprised but quickly regained his composure. He casually caught the frost-coated kick with a wide palm.
Loya froze. That's not science! My speed is triple what it was before! Have some respect!
Before Loya could react, Kuzan's left hand transformed into ice, widening into a trumpet shape that clamped onto Loya's waist and rapidly encased him.
Oh no!
Before the ice blocked his vision, Loya gulped. A moment later, Kuzan's cold voice drifted into his ear.
"What was the name of this move you developed? Oh, I remember. Ice Waterfall Funeral, right?"
CRACK!
"Applying what you learn—you said that yourself, but it's clear you haven't grasped the deeper meaning." Kuzan tossed his coat over his shoulder, looking down at Loya, who was hissing in pain on the ground. "Besides, this technique works better for an Ice-Human like me. You're just using pure control; you can't match my precision."
Loya wanted to slap himself. Why did I have to be so flashy?
As a Naruto fan, he knew about Gaara's Sand Waterfall Funeral and had tried to mimic it with ice. He had successfully surprised Kuzan with it a few days ago, but now, he was paying the price.
Loya lay on the ground, touching his ribs. Three broken again. And that was Kuzan holding back.
"The infirmary is on duty. We continue tomorrow." Kuzan turned and strolled away, hands in his pockets.
Loya dragged himself to the infirmary, wincing with every step. Why am I so stupid? he thought, his eyes deadened. He knew his opponent was Kuzan; he should have anticipated that the Admiral would study and adopt his own moves against him.
In the infirmary, he found a familiar face. "Vice Admiral Momonga! Are you wounded?"
Loya stared in shock. Momonga sat on the cot, his upper body bare, white bandages around his waist soaked in blood. He looked weary, but forced a smile when he saw Loya. "Oh, Loya. What brings you to the infirmary?"
Before Loya could answer, the old doctor chimed in: "He's talking about little Loya here. He comes in every few days. When you're sparring with Admiral Aokiji, it'd be a miracle if you weren't wounded."
"Right, exactly," Loya sighed, pointing at Momonga and then sitting on a chair, lifting his shirt for the doctor. "Anyway, Dr. Oliver, I think I broke three ribs this time. Check it out..."
The doctor, Oliver, glanced at Loya's chest, then turned back to dressing Momonga's wounds. "You're still energetic, so it's nothing serious. Your body heals incredibly fast. Take the special medicine, internal and external, and you'll be fine in two or three days."
Can you take this seriously? I'm a Dragon Slayer, not Deadpool! Loya grumbled internally, but he waited patiently. He looked over at Momonga. "So, Vice Admiral, what happened?"
Loya knew Momonga had been on a mission, but he hadn't expected such heavy wounds. This was a powerhouse Vice Admiral—who could do this to him? The wounds looked like they had been caused by a heavy blunt object. Does someone on the high seas use a hammer?
Momonga sighed. "I shouldn't tell you this, but since you are a student of Zephyr and Aokiji, I suppose it's fine."
After a pause—while Oliver cut away a blood-soaked bandage—Momonga continued. "A few days ago, Fleet Admiral Sengoku sent me to investigate Doflamingo. The mission went well; we found some leverage. But... on the way back, killers from the Underworld ambushed us. We suffered heavy losses, dozens of Marines died. I stayed behind to hold them off so the ship could escape."
"The Underworld! Doflamingo!" Loya whispered.
He had almost forgotten. The One Piece world wasn't just Marines and Pirates; there were the World Government, the Revolutionary Army, and the massive, shadowy Underworld—an entity so vast that even Big Mom worked with them.
"Then how did you escape?" Loya asked.
Momonga's expression became complex—a mix of rage and grief. "What if I told you... Doflamingo saved me?"
Loya: "...I believe it! Because it's Doflamingo."
Doflamingo, the notorious "Young Master," was arrogant and cruel. It was exactly like him to play cat-and-mouse with the Navy.
Momonga looked at Loya and let out a dry laugh. "Right. Because it's Doflamingo."
The World Government and the Navy knew what the Donquixote family was doing. They just turned a blind eye for the sake of balance—or because of secret deals. But the Navy had been trying to find leverage to abolish the Warlord system, which was what led to Momonga's experience.
Doflamingo clearly wanted to teach the Navy a lesson. He needed the Warlord title for his operations, so he wouldn't break with the Navy entirely. He let Momonga live just to show how brazen he could be—he was a legal pirate, and the Navy had violated their agreement by striking first. He was in the right, by the law of the sea.