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

The enormous pillar of lightning was slammed into the ground by him like a spear!

Chapter 208 The Final Blow

Aokiji remained expressionless and lightly stomped his foot.

Boom!

A massive ice wall, over a hundred meters thick and nearly as tall as a bridge, rose abruptly like a mountain range, blocking the lightning.

The blinding lightning collided violently with the frigid ice wall, unleashing a deafening roar. Countless ice shards and electric bolts flew everywhere, illuminating the entire battlefield.

"You're really strong."

Luffy gave a heartfelt compliment, then deactivated his giant form and returned to normal, his chest rising and falling slightly as his breathing became heavier.

The continuous high-intensity battles, especially maintaining Gear 5 Nika form, have taken a huge toll on his stamina.

"Although I hate to admit it, at your age I was just an ordinary naval soldier under your grandfather. Your talent far surpasses mine!"

But it's over.

Aokiji's figure reappeared above Luffy as if by teleportation, pressing one hand downwards with an indifferent tone:

"Ice meteorite".

Almost without warning, a colossal ice ball, hundreds of meters in diameter, solidified in the void, carrying the power to destroy everything, and crashed down on the exhausted Luffy like a real meteorite.

Its coverage area was so vast that it blocked all of Luffy's space to dodge.

"Oops."

Luffy's pupils contracted. If he were hit head-on, or even just grazed, he would be seriously injured and fall into the sea. Once he fell into this sea frozen by Aokiji's power, there would truly be nowhere to escape, and he would be at the mercy of others.

He gritted his teeth, mustered his last bit of strength, and his body inflated like a balloon again, but this time not for attack, but for defense.

Rubber white balloon!

Bang!

The massive ice meteorite slammed into Luffy's incredibly elastic body, producing a dull, drum-like thud.

Luffy used all his strength to convert the impact of the ice puck into elasticity, and flung it away.

Rumble!

The ice meteorite, deflected from its trajectory, crashed heavily onto the main island of Enies Lobby, producing a deafening roar as if an endless glacier had collapsed. The massive shockwave, carrying countless shards of ice, completely leveled the buildings in that area.

Just as Luffy deflected the ice meteorite, his old strength exhausted and new strength yet to arise, Aokiji's figure flashed in front of him like a ghost, his arm turning into solid white ice, pressing directly against Luffy's arm.

"ended."

Frozen Time Capsule.

A bone-chilling cold instantly spread, and Luffy's arm and even half of his body were quickly covered in solid ice.

Rubber Machine Gun!

Luffy unleashed a flurry of punches in a final act of resistance, but his counterattack proved utterly futile against Aokiji's overwhelming strength and precise timing.

He was knocked down with a single blow.

He plummeted rapidly toward the ground, crashing into the shattered ice with a loud thud.

"You didn't use your full strength either?"

Luffy leaped out of the shattered ice, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He coughed violently twice, and a patch of frozen flesh appeared on his arm.

Not only his Devil Fruit ability, but also his physical skills, Haki, and speed were all completely suppressed.

He truly deserves to be called a great general.

He still has a long way to go.

However, it's not entirely without a solution!

A ruthless glint flashed in Luffy's eyes. With his last ounce of strength, he silently recited in his mind:

"Nika!"

Far away aboard the Going Merry, surrounded by so-called elite navy personnel, the little white raccoon suddenly pouted.

"Here you go, here you go, it's all yours."

Reluctantly, she whooshed away, transforming into a beam of white light and instantly traversing space to merge into Luffy's body.

The next moment, Luffy's aura suddenly changed.

A completely liberated stance!

He let out a low shout, and his already snow-white hair and clothes became even more dazzling. His hair floated upwards like burning white flames, and the steam ribbons wrapped around his neck and armpits even more intensely.

His eyebrows curved into a shape more like the markings of a Devil Fruit, and his pupils also underwent a strange change.

He took a deep breath, and with his last ounce of strength, his voice echoed across the entire battlefield:

"Everyone, prepare to retreat!"

On the Going Merry, Vivi, who was sensing the battlefield through the wind, and the ship spirit Merry, both received Luffy's thoughts.

"understand!"

Weiwei's eyes sharpened, and she suddenly raised both hands upwards.

"stand up!"

Little Merry gripped the rudder tightly, and the power of the ship spirit resonated with the ship itself!

call!

A powerful updraft suddenly appeared and enveloped the Going Merry. At the same time, the ship itself seemed to come alive, emitting a faint glow.

With the help of Vivi's Wind-Wind Fruit power and the control of the Going Merry's spirit power, the Going Merry broke free from the frozen sea and began to slowly rise into the air, as if lifted by an invisible hand.

Then, it adjusted its direction and rushed towards the dark, deep current below the circular waterfall at the edge of Enies Lobby.

"Everyone, jump down quickly!"

Vivi's voice, carried urgently by the wind, reached every one of her companions: "This is the only chance!"

Nami, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Chopper, and Robin watched the Going Merry take off, then glanced at Luffy still fighting Aokiji and the surrounding naval fleet, and made no hesitation.

"Believe in Luffy!" Nami shouted.

"Let's go!" Zoro sheathed his sword and leaped towards the Going Merry without hesitation.

"We can't waste the captain's good intentions!" Sanji followed closely behind.

Although Usopp and Chopper were scared, they gritted their teeth and jumped with all their might.

Robin took one last look at Luffy, the first pillar, and said, "You must come back, Luffy."

The navy officers were incredulous to see that a group of pirates had escaped right under their noses.

However, they never expected that the Straw Hat crew's ship could actually fly!

This scene reminded many veteran naval officers of a notorious pirate from many years ago.

Anyone who didn't know better would think that arrogant golden lion had arrived.

Meanwhile, Luffy, who was frozen in ice, watched his crew begin to retreat, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

Then, he poured out all his remaining strength.

Rubber, a giant's empire!

This is not a conquest based on Gear Third, but the strongest attack unleashed by combining the power of Titan transformation with the complete release of Gear Fifth Nika form!

His right arm instantly swelled to the size of a small island, wrapped in dense, tangible black and red overlord-colored lightning, carrying the will to destroy everything, like the fist of a god, and slammed down on Aokiji, who was standing at the edge of the first pillar.

The power of this strike far surpassed all that had come before.

As Aokiji stared at the enormous fist that blotted out the sky, his usually indifferent face finally revealed an extremely solemn expression.

He exhaled softly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and simultaneously raised both hands, pressing them forward.

Chapter 209 Heroes catch heroes, good men catch good men, grandfathers catch grandsons

Ice Time!

Click!

Click!

Snap!

An unprecedentedly terrifying burst of cold air erupted.

Centered on Aokiji, everything—the first pillar beneath his feet, the surrounding sea, and the water vapor in the sky—was frozen in an instant!

He attempted to use the strongest chill to completely freeze Luffy's desperate attack, along with Luffy himself.

Rumble!

The giant rubber fist, crackling with black and red lightning, collided violently with the absolute zero ice released by Aokiji.

The blinding white light engulfed everything, and the deafening roar resounded throughout the heavens and earth, making even space itself seem to tremble.

The massive shockwave spread outwards, causing several nearby warships to tilt and sway, with sailors on board falling overboard.

As the light faded, the upper part of the first pillar where Aokiji was standing was completely gone, and Aokiji was sent flying.

Did you make it?

Luffy didn't know, but he was now completely immobile, and after ending Gear Fifth, he floated down from the sky.

He gasped for breath, watching the figure that would soon appear from the collapsed first pillar, gritting his teeth.