CHAPTER 87: CHAPTER 87: A MYTHICAL CREATURE, CONQUEROR’S HAKI

"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"

A giant ice bird flew out from the bow of the main Buster Call warship.

Its body radiated a bone-chilling cold. Wherever the ice bird passed, it left a trail of white mist—ice particles formed from frozen moisture.

BOOM—!

Faced with the ice bird, which was no smaller than itself, the lightning-wreathed Blue-Eyes White Dragon did not use elementalization to dodge. Instead, it met the ice bird in a simple and brutal collision.

Crack...

With the sound of shattering ice, countless cracks appeared on the ice bird’s body, as if it were glass dropped on the floor.

In the next second, the ice bird, as if an egg striking a stone, shattered completely.

But after it shattered, the freezing low-temperature air surged out from the cracks in its body, engulfing the Blue-Eyes White Dragon like an invisible shockwave.

As the cold wind brushed against its body, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s form, from head to tail, froze at a visible speed, once again turning into a crystal-like small iceberg.

BOOM!

Before the iceberg could fall from the sky, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon broke free from its seal once again.

Blue-white lightning once again covered its entire body.

This time, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon no longer charged blindly towards the warship. It flew high in the sky, staring at the figure that had sealed it twice.

"ROAR..."

Remembering its master’s instructions from the Den Den Mushi, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon let out a low, unwilling growl.

It had wanted to destroy these warships to earn its master’s praise upon his return.

But unexpectedly, there was such an annoying pest on the other side.

Although the cold air didn’t have much effect on it, and it didn’t need to use Armament Haki to resist for a short time, the feeling of having its body and the moisture in the air frozen, being sealed in an iceberg, and having its speed, which had just reached its maximum, drop back to zero was simply too irritating.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon, however, was not without intelligence. It knew it couldn’t destroy the warships while Aokiji protected them.

On the contrary, its current thought was: since that annoying pest is here, I can’t destroy the warships for now. So, I’ll just beat that pest down first, and then destroy these warships one by one.

And so...

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon once again transformed into a blue-white beam of light, shooting towards the main warship.

"Ice Time Capsule."

Seeing the Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s temper, which had indeed calmed down after being cooled twice, Aokiji began to reduce his stamina output, not unleashing the large-scale Ice Age.

He condensed the cold air in his hand, forming a cold shockwave similar to Kizaru’s lasers or Akainu’s Dark Hound, and fired it from a distance at the approaching Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Unlike shockwaves that pulverized everything with physical destruction, Aokiji’s cold shockwave still froze everything it touched.

It contained a chill so intense that it could freeze a normal person’s blood in an instant...

This type of magic-like elemental shockwave was, in contrast, far more deadly than a physical one.

This time, the cooled-down Blue-Eyes White Dragon did not blindly crash into Aokiji’s attack.

With a flicker, its lightning-wreathed body transformed into a blue-white electric current, passing through the oncoming cold shockwave and closing the distance to Aokiji in an instant.

"Elementalization... impossible?!"

"It’s the same elemental teleportation as the Dragon Rider Karl! Could it be that this Thunder Dragon’s racial talent also allows its body to become elementalized like a Logia user’s?!"

"Unbelievable!!!"

"..."

Seeing the Blue-Eyes White Dragon teleport, Aokiji’s expression changed drastically.

The Marine officers behind him, as if witnessing something impossible, had their pupils constrict as they spoke in disbelief.

However, neither Aokiji nor the Marine officers connected the Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s teleportation to the Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit. They assumed it was a racial talent.

After all, it is common knowledge on the seas that two identical Devil Fruits cannot exist.

If a similar ability appeared, it was either a superior/inferior version of a fruit or a special type of Devil Fruit that could copy others’ abilities.

Just as there had never been a dual-fruit user on the seas, the Marines, who received the best education and knowledge, found it even harder to believe that one ability could appear in both a person and a dragon simultaneously.

Especially when that ability was the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, hailed as the strongest of the Logia type.

Dragons were creatures of myth, and pure-blooded dragons were extremely rare. Like the Mink Tribe, it was more believable that they possessed incredible racial talents than for both Karl and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon to be users of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

While the Marines were in shock, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, having revealed its teleportation ability, used it again, appearing above the main warship in a few flickers.

The massive dragon claw of its giant form, coated in a layer of flowing golden Haki, swiped down at Aokiji.

"...Ice Age."

That Armament Haki, at least at the emission level, once again caused Aokiji’s expression to change drastically.

Without hesitation, he raised his hand towards the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and unleashed a large-scale wave of cold air.

The freezing power, converted from his stamina, surged towards the Blue-Eyes White Dragon as he raised his hand, just like the cold shockwave from before.

BOOM—!

This time, it was no longer a one-sided freezing of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Just as the cold air was about to freeze the Blue-Eyes White Dragon into a small iceberg as it had twice before, the flowing golden Haki wrapped around the dragon claw instantly transformed into a violent shockwave, colliding with the cold air.

In the next second, Aokiji’s face changed slightly as he shouted, "Retreat quickly!"

"All hands, evacuate!"

The five Vice Admirals reacted only a second slower than Aokiji.

As if their Observation Haki had sensed something, they all shouted at the nearby Marine soldiers, who were trembling and holding their weapons.

BOOM————!

With a deafening explosion that overshadowed the clash of shockwaves, the entire bow of the main warship suddenly exploded.

Even Aokiji, standing on the bow, had his body shatter into countless pieces of ice.

After the bow exploded, a gale-force blast of air sent all the Marine soldiers on the galleon flying.

Some were thrown over the side, falling onto the ice field.

Others crashed into the ship’s walls and the hastily repaired masts, making dull thudding sounds.

The only ones not sent flying were the five Vice Admirals and a few other Marine officers who had mastered Haki and possessed great physical strength.

"Internal Destruction! This dragon has actually mastered the highest level of Armament Haki!!!"

Bracing against the roaring blast, the five Vice Admirals looked at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which had parted the cold shockwave and shattered both Aokiji and the ship’s bow, their eyes filled with shock.

This was a technique that even they, as Vice Admirals, had not mastered.

But now, it had appeared in a dragon.

It was simply unbelievable.

"...Switch ships and continue forward."

While the five Vice Admirals were standing by, stunned, Aokiji, who had used elementalization to block the Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s internal destruction attack, reformed his body. His face was grave as he looked at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon raising its claw again. He turned his back to the five Vice Admirals and ordered, "I’ll stay behind to hold it off. You continue the mission."

"Yes, Admiral Aokiji!"

The five Vice Admirals, who had been about to step forward and fight alongside Aokiji after seeing the dragon’s mastery of advanced Armament Haki, quickly saluted. They then led the soldiers, who were stifling cries of pain, to quickly switch ships and continue advancing with the paddle wheels.

"ROAR..."

Seeing the five Vice Admirals leading the soldiers to switch ships and advance, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon stopped its descending claw and opened its mouth, preparing to fire a Destruction Ray of light and lightning at another warship.

"Hey, hey... don’t look down on people too much."

Just as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon opened its mouth to gather light, Aokiji’s voice came from below.

In the next second, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s body once again turned into a small iceberg.

After freezing the Blue-Eyes White Dragon this time, Aokiji gave it no chance to break the seal. He placed his hand on the iceberg and continuously poured freezing power into it, reinforcing it, again and again, constantly strengthening the iceberg’s sealing ability.

At the same time, the freezing power, layered like ocean waves, also attempted to break through the Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s physical defense and seal it completely from the outside in.

As if sensing Aokiji’s intent, within the iceberg, arcs of electricity flashed in the Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s vertical pupils. It glared at Aokiji through the ice, filled with rage.

Infusing its consciousness into its body, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon used Life Return once again.

Flowing golden Haki appeared out of thin air within the iceberg, covering the Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s entire body and resisting the infiltration of the cold air.

Blue-white lightning emanated from the Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s skin, flashing continuously within the iceberg.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK...

Under the power of Haki and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the iceberg that Aokiji was continuously pouring freezing power into began to emit a series of ear-piercing cracking sounds.

However, the cracks did not appear on the surface of the iceberg, but from within.

As if in a power struggle with Aokiji, the cracks spread from the inside out. The moment they reached the outside would be the moment it broke free from its seal.

"Ara ara... this level of Haki and electric heat, is it a true dragon?"

Aokiji had lost count of how many times he had been surprised by the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

He had never imagined that a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which was practically a child compared to Kaido’s Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Azure Dragon form, could exert such pressure on him.

Just like its master, this young dragon, which should have just ended its hatchling stage among dragons, possessed a physique and Haki capacity that were completely inconsistent with its appearance.

A lightning attribute power similar to the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, a special light attribute power, a physique that was almost immune to freezing, and the highest level of Armament Haki...

"It seems everyone has severely underestimated you."

Looking at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which was continuously increasing its power, Aokiji couldn’t help but sigh. "With your strength, a bounty of 500 million is far too low."

BOOM————

As if in agreement with Aokiji’s words, the moment the first crack successfully spread to the outside of the iceberg, a dazzling red light suddenly burst forth from the Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s pupils, which were arcing with electricity.

In the next instant, a scene that once again astonished Aokiji unfolded.

An earth-shattering aura formed a special field that only Haki masters could see.

Like a ring, or a sphere of light...

The field spread out from within the iceberg through the cracks. In the blink of an eye, it expanded countless times, covering a large area of the ice field.

Even the nine warships that had not gone far were within the field’s range.

Thud!

Thud thud!

Thud thud thud...

The speed at which the field spread was incredibly fast.

Or rather, even if its spread was slow, no one could have stopped it.

On the nine warships enveloped by the field, the Marine soldiers, one after another, as if struck from behind, suddenly had their eyes roll back as they collapsed to the ground with vacant expressions.

In just a dozen seconds, over a thousand Marine soldiers had all lost consciousness.

The number of unconscious and fallen continued to increase by several per second.

"Con... Conqueror’s Haki..."

"You’ve... you’ve got to be kidding me, this monster..."

"How could a monster like this, with a bounty of only five hundred million, be someone’s mount?!"

"..."

Their eyes bloodshot as they stared in the direction of the main warship, a few Marine officers who barely withstood the spiritual impact stammered in terror.

A dragon using Conqueror’s Haki was far more shocking and unbelievable to the Marines than when it had used elemental teleportation earlier.

In fact, after enduring this wave of spiritual impact, a fear of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon had taken root in their hearts, a fear they hadn’t even noticed themselves.

Due to being continuously harassed by Karl for the past two days, the Marines had not rested well. Now, terrified again by the power displayed by the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, many who should have been able to withstand Conqueror’s Haki fell victim to it due to these other factors.

Even several Marine Captains from Headquarters, who had mastered a move or two of Rokushiki or had only recently awakened their Haki, were knocked out by the Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s Conqueror’s Haki.

If not for the fact that the soldiers dispatched this time were all elites from Headquarters, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s attack just now could have brought the Buster Call to a halt once again.

Fortunately, after the field dissipated, half of the soldiers on the nine warships remained conscious, and their advance was not affected.

"This is troublesome. Those other crew members, they aren’t also low-key monsters like this, are they?!"

Aokiji, for his part, was also feeling the pressure.

Looking at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which had broken free from the iceberg and stood with an imposing aura, Aokiji couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding.

He felt as if he had fallen into a trap.

First Borsalino, and now him.

Although he wouldn’t admit it, the two main forces of the largest-scale Buster Call had indeed been held up by the enemy.

Even though the enemy’s main force was also held up, leaving only a few weak women back at Gran Tesoro against their nearly ten thousand Marine soldiers and officers, no matter how you looked at it, their side held the absolute advantage.

But...

That youth who was so rational that he wouldn’t even attempt to destroy the warships and completely avoided entanglement with him—Aokiji didn’t think he was the type to abandon his comrades.

At this thought, Aokiji’s heart grew even heavier.

When he looked at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, a hint of killing intent finally appeared in his eyes.

Since it cannot be sealed, it must be killed.

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