Luffy, how can you become the Pirate King if you don't work hard!

His fist did not strike Aokiji directly, but instead slammed into the ice beneath Aokiji's feet like a drill.

A strange thing happened: the ice surface that was hit by the fist instantly turned into a rubbery texture and undulated violently like waves.

This twisting force traveled straight up the ice, completely destroying the foothold under Aokiji's feet. At the same time, the rubbery ground arched upwards as if it were alive, and a heavy uppercut slammed into Aokiji's abdomen.

Well!

Caught off guard, Aokiji felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. He was sent flying upwards by the force of the blow.

"This kind of attack method is really not something a normal person could come up with."

He managed to steady himself in mid-air and couldn't help but offer a compliment, though it sounded more like a sarcastic remark.

However, the horror in his eyes had only just begun.

Because after Luffy threw that punch, he suddenly pulled his arm back, and the rubbery ground returned to its original state. Luffy's other fist was once again wrapped in incredibly condensed Armament Haki and white flames, as if he didn't need any time to recover.

This was a relentless barrage of attacks, like a raging storm, giving him no chance to catch his breath or adjust his tactics.

"It seems we can no longer hide our true intentions when dealing with a monster like you."

Aokiji's eyes turned cold, and his hands instantly transformed into elemental forms, covered with thick, solid ice, forming two enormous ice gauntlets, while deep Armament Haki wrapped around them.

He combined the power of the Ice-Ice Fruit with the top-notch physical skills and Haki he inherited from Garp, and chose to go head-to-head with Luffy.

"Ice Glove Impact!"

The enormous ice crystal fist collided violently with Luffy's rubber fist, which was covered in Haki, once again. Ice shards and black and red lightning flew everywhere, and the shockwave shattered the newly formed ice surface around them once more.

Meanwhile, with Vivi's abilities assisting it, the Going Merry has accelerated away from the coast of Long Chain Island.

Because the entire island was transformed into a frozen hell under the influence of Aokiji's Ice Age, the biting cold even began to spread to the sea surface, freezing the nearshore waters.

Nami and the others stood on the ship's railing, their hearts pounding in their chests as they watched the constant roars and billowing ice dust from the island.

"Luffy".

Nami gripped the railing tightly, her knuckles turning white.

"He'll be alright."

Despite his fear, Chopper spoke firmly.

Zoro and Sanji looked solemn. They could clearly feel the aftershocks of the collision between the two terrifying auras on the island. That level of battle made their desire to become stronger burn even brighter.

Just then, Usopp suddenly pointed to the distant horizon and shouted in a trembling voice, "What's that?!"

Everyone turned to look, and saw two huge black shadows appearing where the sea and sky met, heading towards Long Chain Island.

That silhouette is a boat!

And it was an extremely large ship!

"It's a warship, a warship from the Navy Headquarters!"

Zoro, whose eyesight was the best, said in a deep voice, his face becoming even more grim.

The specifications of that warship far surpassed those of the branch warships they encountered in the East China Sea.

Even more surprisingly, between the two warships, there was a long, black shadow billowing thick smoke, speeding across the sea at an extremely high speed, emitting a wailing sound of its horn.

"What else? A ship? No way, there's no such thing as a ship that long."

"It's a train, but what's with the train running on the sea?"

Usopp and Chopper stared wide-eyed.

"That's a sea train."

Vivi, with her extensive knowledge, recognized it at a glance: "It's a steam train that runs along tracks built on the sea. It's said that such technology exists near Water Seven."

Normally, if people saw a train that could run on the sea, they would be excited and study it for a long time.

But now, this sudden naval power only brings immense pressure and urgency.

Luffy is still locked in a fierce battle with a Marine Admiral and is already at a disadvantage. If more elite Marines from Marine Headquarters join the fight, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"We can't stay here any longer."

Nami made a quick decision. She bit her lip and looked at Vivi, "Vivi, can you use your ability to send a message to Luffy? We must leave immediately."

There's nothing shameful about a strategic retreat when you encounter a naval admiral!

Vivi nodded solemnly. She closed her eyes and fully activated the power of the Wind-Wind Fruit, attempting to precisely send a wisp of air carrying information towards the direction of the fierce battle on the island.

However, the airflow was frozen as soon as it passed through.

So she decided to go there herself.

On Long Chain Island, the battle between Luffy and Aokiji has reached a fever pitch.

The two abandoned most of their fancy ranged attacks and entered into the most dangerous and direct close-quarters combat.

Every punch landed squarely, and each collision produced a deafening roar.

Luffy's stamina was rapidly depleting in his awakened state, and he knew that this state could not be sustained and that he had to finish the battle quickly.

But Aokiji's physical strength and defense are also like those of a monster, no wonder he is a man who trained with his grandfather.

However, Luffy is a typical example of someone who gets stronger when facing stronger opponents; the higher his morale, the more ferocious his fighting power.

A terrifying, domineering aura erupted forth!

Chapter 183 Win, Win, Win!

Luffy felt that his Haki seemed to become more refined and active in the battle, and each clash allowed him to gain a deeper control over his own power.

True dominance comes from the unity of mind and body, and from defeating powerful enemies with an upright and indomitable will, thus becoming stronger!

"So I'm wondering, why do you keep such a troublesome person like Robin around?" Aokiji spoke again as they passed each other, trying to shake Luffy's resolve.

"It's okay if you don't understand."

Luffy forced Aokiji back with a Gum-Gum Elephant Gun, panting heavily, but his eyes shone with an alarming light. "I don't need you, a Marine, to understand my reasons!"

Luffy's attacks landed squarely, leaving Aokiji with numerous wounds.

Of course, Luffy has many of them too.

Rubber people are most afraid of sharp blades.

Aokiji understood this at the start of the battle, so besides Ice Fist, he used Ice Spikes the most.

Just as the battle was about to escalate again, Aokiji suddenly stopped, and Luffy turned around. Vivi was behind him, anxiously saying:

"Luffy, a Navy warship is approaching. It looks like the Navy Headquarters. We need to leave here immediately."

Naval warships?

Luffy's movements suddenly froze, and he subconsciously looked at Aokiji.

You old bastard, you have no martial ethics, do you?

Aokiji also stopped. He seemed to have noticed the commotion in the distance as well, and scratched his head, saying, "Don't look at me like that. I reiterate, I really am on leave. Those are probably headquarters warships on missions or escorts nearby. It has nothing to do with me."

He glanced at Luffy, then at the Going Merry faintly visible on the distant sea, and at Robin, who was on high alert not far behind Luffy, and suddenly sighed.

"Let's end this battle here."

Luffy was taken aback.

Aokiji pointed at Luffy, then at the direction of the Going Merry: "You, take your crew and the kidnapped Alabasta princess, and leave here immediately."

"You're letting us go?"

Aokiji pursed his lips, his tone tinged with helplessness and resignation: "Consider it repaying a favor. Smoker, that stubborn guy, is my friend. You objectively helped him in Alabasta, preventing Crocodile's plot from succeeding completely and avoiding a worse outcome."

He paused, looking at the gradually clearer outline of the naval warships: "Besides, those guys coming now don't really count as reinforcements. If a real fight breaks out, they'll suffer heavy losses, which will only cause more trouble for them."

That's what they said, but what followed was quite troublesome.

Aokiji's expression became somewhat complicated.

The appearance of a pirate with admiral-level combat power and at such a young age on the high seas has a huge impact on the Navy's and the World Government's plans.

Especially for pirates like Luffy, there's the intricate and complex background.

Aokiji sighed.

"Forget it, let Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Akainu worry about these headaches. I'm still on vacation. If I get injured in a fight during my vacation, does that count as a work-related injury? Who will reimburse my medical expenses?"

Aokiji stood there, deep in thought.

Luffy gave Aokiji a deep look and then stopped hesitating.

He instantly snapped out of his awakened state; though exhausted, his movements remained swift.

He grabbed Robin, who was standing not far away, then carried Vivi on his back, and with his other hand he reached out and grabbed the Going Merry.

call out!

With Robin in tow, Luffy shot towards the sea like a slingshot, and in a few leaps, landed steadily on the deck of the rapidly approaching Going Merry.

With Aokiji not interfering, Luffy felt no pressure.

Aokiji stood still, not giving chase, but silently watching them go until the Going Merry became a tiny dot on the horizon.

call.

Aokiji let out a long sigh of relief, rubbing his still aching stomach and cheeks. "Garp-sensei, you've really given me a big problem. Now, I can't even handle this discreetly."

……

Luffy landed heavily on the deck of the Going Merry, disengaging from Gear Second. A wave of intense fatigue washed over him, causing him to collapse onto the ground in a starfish position, his chest heaving violently.

But there was no sign of defeat on his face; instead, he burst into hearty laughter.

Compared to Aokiji, Luffy cares more about his own strength.

He was certain that, through this battle, he had truly crossed the threshold that belonged to the top-tier powerhouses.

Perhaps at this level, he is still a newcomer and lacks experience.