Jerry had already sensed the situation developing with his crew and knew about Marco's timely arrival. So he focused entirely on leading the battlefield away and buying precious time—at least long enough for Deuce and the others to reach their ship safely before he attempted his own escape.
Jerry didn't pay much attention to Aokiji's psychological commentary, knowing his own limitations all too well. He still wasn't at the level of the three Admirals. Although he'd surpassed most Vice Admirals, the gap between Vice Admiral and Admiral rank was substantial.
The reason he could currently delay Aokiji came down to relentless effort and tactical understanding of their abilities. While Aokiji's freezing power could originate from his own body, if he wanted to freeze external targets, the ice had to form outside himself.
Jerry used his unique water manipulation skills to exploit this weakness, effectively disrupting the external ice constructs Aokiji created. It all came down to precise timing and basic scientific principles—ice was simply water molecules arranged in ordered crystalline structures.
When temperatures dropped below freezing, water molecules slowed and arranged themselves systematically. Water and ice were fundamentally the same substance, just existing in different states at different temperatures.
Jerry relied on this knowledge, concentrating on finding the exact moments when Aokiji launched freezing attacks or tried to freeze him directly. He'd seize the instant when moisture in the air hadn't completely solidified, making the molecules active and chaotic, thus shattering ice formations before they could fully develop.
Though he didn't succeed every time, Jerry could periodically disrupt Aokiji's offensive rhythm, interrupt partially-formed techniques, and ensure he wouldn't be defeated by being frozen solid.
This tactical approach had prompted Aokiji's earlier observation. After recognizing the pattern, the Admiral quickly adjusted his combat style, shifting from ability-focused attacks to primarily using Haki and physical techniques, with his ice powers as supplementary support.
Correspondingly, Jerry's water techniques became limited in scope since any water he produced would rapidly freeze. After both combatants essentially set aside their Devil Fruit abilities, the melee remained just as intense, though the dynamic reversed—instead of pirates chasing Marines like in Cavendish's battle, here the Marine was relentlessly pursuing the pirate.
"Here's everything I've got! Rod Breaker!"
Seeing Aokiji closing distance as usual, Jerry's eyes flashed with determination as he let out a thunderous battle cry. His fishing rod wrapped in crackling Armament Haki flew toward his opponent with devastating force.
Noticing the sharp whistle cutting through air and the sudden spike of danger, Aokiji's expression grew serious. He raised his fist and spoke quietly:
"Ice Block: Partisan."
This marked their first true head-on collision since the battle began. With a single exchange, violent winds suddenly erupted as the aftermath spread from where rod met fist.
The impact was so powerful it crushed and cratered the ground beneath and around them, sending countless debris flying in all directions.
With a tremendous crash, Jerry was hurled backward involuntarily while Aokiji was forced to retreat dozens of steps.
Jerry arched his back and barely managed a half-rotation in midair, his feet sliding across the ground and leaving long furrows when he landed. He was just about to crack a few jokes and catch his breath when he saw Aokiji immediately resuming his attack.
"Good grief! You recover that fast and have that kind of stamina? You're wasting your talents not working construction!" Jerry's embarrassed figure darted to the side as he continued his verbal sparring.
"I thought the same thing, so I spent decades punching steel warships instead," Aokiji replied while missing his first strike but continuing his pursuit.
Soon they returned to their previous pattern of Aokiji chasing while Jerry evaded with increasing desperation.
Jerry had no choice in the matter. Although Aokiji lacked Conqueror's Haki, his Armament Haki strength wasn't far below Garp's legendary level. Jerry fell just short of matching that with his own Armament Haki alone, but if he used Conqueror's Haki coating, he could naturally deflect more attacks.
However, even though Jerry's Conqueror's Haki had grown considerably, he wasn't like certain protagonists who could output unlimited power with Haki coating from the moment they learned it. Every punch and kick still required careful energy management.
Although he could now use dozens of Conqueror's Haki-enhanced attacks daily, it still required concentration and consumed significant stamina. Jerry didn't know how this compared to other users' energy costs, but his seemed linked to factors like proficiency and experience.
This made him extremely cautious when facing Aokiji—he wouldn't use Conqueror's Haki coating unless absolutely necessary. With only a limited number of trump card moves available, they might not even be enough to break through Aokiji's defense, given the Admiral's incredible endurance and recovery abilities.
With clear self-awareness gained through hard experience, Jerry decided to buy time while searching for better solutions.
Meanwhile, noticing Ace's furious glare, Guernica wiped blood from his mouth after Marco's devastating kick. Despite feeling the burning pain in his internal organs and coughing several times, he didn't take the hostility seriously.
As a CP0 member, Guernica had carried out countless immoral missions for Celestial Dragons and the World Government. If looks could kill, he would have died countless times over.
"What?!" Both CP0 agents suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
Ace stared at them with ice-cold eyes and began walking forward deliberately. With every step, his aura intensified dramatically.
Suddenly, Ace's overwhelming presence burst forth, pressing down on their hearts like a massive boulder. At that moment, surrounding Marine soldiers seemed affected by some chain reaction, collapsing one after another as his Conqueror's Haki washed over them.
Guernica exchanged a meaningful look with Gismonda and whispered urgently, "Conqueror's Haki?"
"Go to hell, bastards!" A flaming fist accompanied Ace's roar as he launched his assault.
Then Ace flashed forward, reaching his enemies in an instant while swinging his Haki-enhanced fist in a devastating direct strike.
Facing Ace's lightning-fast attack, Guernica nimbly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blow, and disappeared behind Gismonda's larger frame.
After Gismonda absorbed the Fire Fist's impact, he switched positions with Guernica in perfect coordination. Taking advantage of the brief gap between Ace's attacks, he drew his long leg in a half-circle, swinging toward his enemy's head with tremendous force.
"Iron Body!"
Violent wind pressure struck Ace's face as he glared at the red-masked agent who'd dared attack his friend. He cleverly adjusted his movements, turning disadvantage into opportunity by slightly retracting his extended fist and suddenly raising his iron-hard elbow to meet the incoming kick.
BANG!
Both stopped simultaneously, their attacks perfectly matched.
At that precise moment, the seriously injured Guernica appeared beside Ace like a phantom. Enduring his untreated wounds, he seized this fleeting opportunity, his Finger Pistol technique gleaming with deadly intent as it shot toward Ace at lightning speed.
As he launched his attack, Guernica couldn't help but smirk with disdain, apparently mocking Ace's reckless behavior in charging forward alone to face both of them.