"Almost there!"
Aokiji sprinted forward, panting as he stepped into the sea. Activating his freezing ability, the seawater beneath his feet instantly froze into shards of ice, rapidly radiating outward in all directions.
Just then, a strange, subtle wind blew across him, prompting him to look up in surprise.
"What is that?"
High in the sky, twelve black vortexes had appeared, each spinning gently. The breeze coming from them was unnatural, imbued with a pulling force that made Aokiji's heart sink.
The ice continued to spread rapidly beneath his feet, turning more and more of the sea into a frozen plain, helping Aokiji feel a bit more at ease.
He glanced back, Qin Yi still stood in place, holding a bizarre pose, deepening Aokiji's sense of unease.
"He didn't chase after me?"
"Did he give up?"
Just as that thought formed in his mind, Aokiji suddenly looked up, and his expression changed drastically.
"No! Those twelve black vortexes--!"
"Buzz!"
In a thunderous moment, the pulling force from the twelve black vortexes intensified sharply. In an instant, the ice Aokiji had just formed beneath his feet cracked apart, then was violently sucked into the sky.
A breath later, Aokiji's expression had become extremely grim.
"Even the seawater?!"
A deafening whooshing sound followed, he watched in shock as layer after layer of seawater flowed upward, defying gravity and rising into the sky.
Countless pillars of water floated into the air, catching sunlight and refracting it into rainbow hues, a display of mesmerizing beauty. But to Aokiji, it was a harbinger of danger.
"Buzz… Buzz… Buzz…!"
Everything was shaking, everything was levitating, and all of it was being drawn toward the twelve black vortexes in the sky. As the seawater was sucked in, the vortexes gradually turned blue, becoming twelve rotating spheres of water.
"What the hell is this?!"
Aokiji squinted. The intense repulsive force made it almost impossible for him to resist. He was using all his strength, but even his ice abilities were useless, every attempt to freeze the area was instantly undone by the powerful gravitational pull.
More and more seawater rose skyward. The blue orbs grew larger and larger, and a chill crept up Aokiji's spine.
He had a sinking feeling that those twelve mysterious, spinning water spheres would bring nothing good.
After about thirty breaths, the rotating spheres abruptly stopped, hovering silently above.
At that moment, standing at the shoreline, Qin Yi suddenly roared:
"Rise!!"
With that shout, the twelve hovering spheres accelerated their rotation explosively. The gravitational pull intensified to a terrifying degree, and Aokiji felt it immediately.
His expression changed drastically.
"Ice Age!!"
White frost burst forth, freezing the rising seawater around him. But in the very next instant, the overwhelming pull shattered the ice, dragging it all upward.
Aokiji's heart shook. He was swept into the sky, surrounded by the shattered ice he had just created.
"This is bad!"
All around him, roaring torrents of seawater surged toward the sky. Aokiji had no solid surface to anchor himself. He kept freezing the surrounding water into ice, but it was useless, he was still being pulled upward toward the water spheres.
"Against the full power of my ninjutsu… you stand no chance, Aokiji."
"This is where it ends for you, stay here forever!"
On the shore, Qin Yi's eyes gleamed coldly, and in that moment, even his face twisted with fury and power.
To forcibly restrain someone of Aokiji's caliber, even with Ninjutsu, is extremely difficult. Ordinary, conventional means are completely useless.
But, the sea itself could be used as a source of power!
Aokiji's expression was grim. As his pupils contracted, a loud boom echoed, the pull suddenly intensified and dragged him into one of the massive water spheres above.
In an instant, a massive volume of seawater surged in, completely submerging him.
The curse of the ocean's presence made Aokiji's body feel weak and numb. He wanted to resist, but an overwhelming sense of powerlessness surged within. Through the thin layers of water and ice, he could still see more seawater flooding in from outside, continuously sealing him in. His consciousness began to fade.
In the end, Aokiji used his powers to freeze himself, sealing his own body within the icy water.
Up in the sky, the twelve enormous water spheres merged into a single, even larger one.
Qin Yi pressed his palms together, controlling the now 500–600 meter-wide sphere to descend, resting it gently onto the sea's surface.
Then, his hands moved rapidly in a series of hand seals.
"Fūinjutsu (Sealing Technique): Five Elephants and Four Dragons Binding Seal!"
Four chains shot out from his body, plunging straight into the water sphere, piercing the ice layer, and embedding directly into Aokiji's body, binding him in place.
After this, Qin Yi let out a long breath, then suddenly pressed both palms downward.
With a thunderous crash, the giant water sphere dropped into the ocean, gradually disappearing from sight.
"Aokiji, if you want to be free… then join my Qin's Nation. Through this sealing jutsu, I'll show you how the world is changing, and give you a chance to choose. I have to admit, I truly admire you. Destroying someone like you would be such a waste."
In his hazy state, Qin Yi's voice echoed inside Aokiji's mind. His eyelids trembled slightly, then fell still again.
Back on the shore, Qin Yi turned around, looking at the crumbling ice, the devastated port of Rapeseed Town, and sighed.
"Logia users really are destructive monsters…"
"If only I could bring all three Admirals into my fold…"
After a moment of fantasy, he shook his head.
"No, not possible. At least not yet."
Qin's Nation still lacked the strength and renown to draw in such experts. With its current foundation, it was far from being a match for the world's powerhouses.
"Madara! You need to step it up! I've taken care of Aokiji for you, removed one burden, go all out now! Shake the world, and let them tremble before the might of Qin's Nation!"
His gaze drifted across the sea, deep and contemplative.
Turning away, Qin Yi prepared to regroup with Crocodile and the members of the Parliamentary Institute.
Just then, his eyes narrowed sharply.
"Oh? A familiar face?"
In a deserted alley near the ruined Rapeseed Port, a woman wearing a cowboy hat stood frozen in utter shock. She had just arrived, but the scene she had witnessed left her trembling, unable to believe it.
"He… he actually sealed Aokiji?!"
Suddenly, the figure of the man she had been watching, Qin Yi, twisted and vanished from sight.
"Gone?!"
Her body tensed as she began to search, but the next moment, she froze.
"Should I call you Miss All Sunday, or... Nico Robin?"
A teasing voice drifted into her ears. Her pupils shrank instantly, and she slowly turned around.
Meanwhile, on the Sabaody Archipelago:
A beam of golden light flashed across the sky, so fast it was nearly imperceptible.
Many Marine warships were already docked at the island. On the lead vessel, a man disembarked in a rush, his face serious and commanding.
"Tell Kizaru to engage and stall, don't let your guard down! Also, Garp, this battle is unlike any before. Under no circumstances can we let this man escape!"
First, he barked commands to the officers beside him. Then, he turned and addressed the square-jawed Vice-Admiral behind him.
This man was none other than,
Fleet Admiral Sengoku!
(End of Chapter)
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