One Piece: SSS-Rank Haki at Age Seventeen

While Luffy drifted leisurely through the New World…

A monumental event that would determine the future of the Marines was unfolding.

After the disastrous outcome of the Paramount War, former Fleet Admiral Sengoku took responsibility and resigned.

The suddenly vacant position of Fleet Admiral became like a lit fuse, instantly igniting a fierce power struggle within the Marines.

The dove faction, led by Admiral Aokiji (Kuzan), earned the firm support of Sengoku and many veteran officers. They believed that only a balanced and moderate approach could maintain stability across the seas.

Meanwhile, the hawk faction, represented by Admiral Akainu (Sakazuki), rallied the support of most frontline Marines with his ideology of Absolute Justice. More importantly, he had received clear backing from the Five Elders, the highest authority in the world.

The compromise of the doves and the radical stance of the hawks clashed violently.

Throughout Marine Headquarters—every corridor, every warship—arguments erupted constantly.

Hidden hostility simmered everywhere.

The conflict between the two factions had reached a point where reconciliation was impossible.

Finally—

The Five Elders issued a decisive order.

To end the dispute in the most direct and brutal way possible:

Aokiji and Akainu would fight a duel to the death.

The victor would become the new Fleet Admiral of the Marines.

New World — Punk Hazard

Once a Marine research base, this island had hosted many scientific projects led by Dr. Vegapunk.

But two years ago, an experiment by Caesar Clown released massive quantities of poisonous gas, turning the island into a dead land.

Now—

Two figures stood upon the ruined battlefield.

Akainu, stern-faced and sharp-eyed like tempered steel, wore the Admiral's coat of justice. His tall, muscular body radiated an iron-blooded killing intent.

Opposite him stood Aokiji—tall and lean, with curly hair and thick lips, his usual eye mask resting casually on his face. Dressed in a white vest and dark-blue shirt beneath his Marine coat, he exuded a relaxed yet domineering aura.

"Ara ara… who would've thought, Sakazuki…"

Aokiji spoke quietly.

"That one day we'd end up pointing our blades at each other."

Gone was his usual laziness.

In his eyes now was nothing but chilling frost.

The aura around him suddenly changed.

From his body, pale frost surged outward like a tidal wave.

Everything it touched froze instantly.

Even the air crystallized into tiny shards of ice.

"Enough talk!"

Akainu snarled as he stomped his boot onto the ground.

"Between you and me… only death will settle this!"

BOOM!!

The earth within miles cracked like a spiderweb.

Scarlet magma erupted from the fissures like furious dragons, waves of scorching heat surging outward as if to incinerate everything.

Within seconds—

The entire island became a realm of ice and fire.

Half the land froze into endless glaciers.

The other half burned beneath boiling magma.

It looked like a natural catastrophe.

Such was the terrifying power of awakened Logia users.

A strange red glint flashed through Aokiji's eyes.

With a light tap of his foot, he retreated like a ghost.

At the same moment he shouted:

"Ice Block: Partisan!"

Moisture in the air instantly condensed.

Dozens of razor-sharp ice spears materialized midair.

Their tips gleamed with deadly frost as they shot toward Akainu like meteors, tearing through the air.

But Akainu's expression didn't change.

His right hand clenched into a fist.

Molten magma gathered around it—burning with hellish heat.

"Great Eruption: Hound Blaze!"

The blazing punch instantly vaporized the incoming ice spears into clouds of white steam.

But Aokiji didn't stop.

His left hand shot upward.

Extreme cold surged from his arm, instantly forming a gigantic ice bird that blotted out the sky.

With a cry that pierced the air, it dove toward Akainu.

"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"

The freezing cold swept forward like a collapsing glacier.

Even the light around them seemed to slow under the extreme temperature.

But in Akainu's eyes—

A ferocious gleam appeared.

With a savage grin, he launched his magma fist forward with the force of a volcanic eruption.

The magma punch shattered the ice bird instantly.

Yet Aokiji's freezing aura clung stubbornly to Akainu's body like frost that refused to melt.

"Kuzan!"

Akainu roared as he advanced relentlessly.

"Are you only good at running away?! Fight me head-on if you dare!"

Aokiji clicked his tongue internally.

Close combat with a burst-type monster like him?

Aside from Kaido… who the hell would dare tank a direct hit from Hound Blaze?

"Ara ara… that kind of taunting won't work on me."

He exhaled a breath of cold mist.

"I have my own fighting style."

"Oh?"

Akainu lowered his center of gravity.

The magma power within his body exploded outward.

Magma surged from the ground like unleashed beasts.

His burning fist shot toward Aokiji with apocalyptic force.

The red glow of destruction rapidly expanded in Aokiji's pupils.

Aokiji clenched his teeth.

His right fist froze into a thick gauntlet of ice.

Powerful Armament Haki wrapped around it.

He punched forward.

"Ice Iron Fist!"

The blue-white fist of extreme cold collided with the crimson magma punch.

BOOM!!

A terrifying shockwave blasted across the island.

Steam filled the sky, engulfing the battlefield.

"Heh…"

Akainu sneered.

"Kuzan… is that all Garp taught you?"

He suddenly increased his strength.

The explosive force of magma sent Aokiji flying backward.

Midair, Aokiji suppressed the turbulence in his body and summoned countless ice spears again.

They rained down on Akainu like a storm.

"Pathetic tricks!"

Akainu swung his magma fist, instantly incinerating every spear.

But in that brief moment—

Aokiji's eyes sharpened.

"Opening!"

The surrounding steam suddenly condensed around him.

He stomped the ground.

"Frozen Seal: Thorn Dragon Break!"

Gigantic icy spikes burst from the earth like a dragon.

They wrapped around Akainu's limbs instantly.

Frost spread rapidly across his body.

In an instant—

Akainu was frozen into a crystalline ice statue.

Without hesitation, Aokiji raised his hand again.

Another lifelike ice bird formed and shot forward.

At the same time—

He himself retreated rapidly, pushing his cold aura to its limit.

Because he knew exactly how terrifying Akainu was.

Sure enough—

A crimson glow suddenly ignited inside the frozen statue.

The extreme heat melted the ice instantly.

CRACK—BOOM!!

Akainu burst out of the frozen prison.

His entire right arm had turned into boiling magma.

Bubbles popped along its surface.

Drops of magma fell onto the ground, burning deep craters into the earth.

He sneered as he advanced.

"Kuzan… if you used this much effort to purge the seas…"

"Would there still be so much scum in this world?"

"Sakazuki, you're too extreme!"

Aokiji's eyes burned cold with anger.

"If you become Fleet Admiral…"

"Your comrades, your subordinates—even innocent civilians—will become tools for your so-called justice!"

Akainu's footsteps didn't slow.

"Anyone can be sacrificed to achieve the goal."

"That is justice."

"You bastard!"

Aokiji's fury exploded.

The cold around him intensified drastically.

But now—

It was mixed with overwhelming killing intent.

Ice and rage intertwined, making the temperature across the island even more unstable.

He would never allow Akainu to turn the Marines into a killing machine.

Red and blue energy erupted from their bodies.

The two forces collided violently in midair.

Ice surged like an ancient frozen ocean.

Magma roared like dragons from the earth's core.

Steam exploded where the forces met.

The air itself trembled.

Behind them, their Marine coats whipped wildly in the storm like battle flags.

This was not merely a clash of ice and magma.

It was the collision of two opposing visions of justice.

One sought to protect order through restraint.

The other sought to purge the world through destruction.

There was no retreat.

Only battle.

Marine Headquarters — Marineford

The silence of the Fleet Admiral's office was broken by a crisp crunch.

The rich aroma of senbei rice crackers filled the room.

Sengoku frowned slightly but said nothing.

After all—

This was Garp.

That old man had an unmatched talent for having fun at the worst possible moments.

"Do you think Kuzan can win?"

Sengoku finally asked.

His gaze rested on the documents concerning the next Fleet Admiral.

Garp stuffed another cracker into his mouth.

Then casually picked his nose.

"Relax, relax!"

He laughed loudly.

"You're seriously underestimating my disciple."

Sengoku rolled his eyes internally.

With your teaching methods?

Garp's training consisted mainly of things like:

smashing disciples' heads with the Fist of Lovemaking them punch warshipsor smashing mountains for fun.

Kuzan reaching this level had far more to do with his own talent and stubborn determination.

"To be honest…"

Garp suddenly wrapped an arm around Sengoku's shoulder.

"I thought you'd recommend Sakazuki."

"Out of the three Admirals, he's the only one who'll follow your orders without question."

Garp wasn't wrong.

Back in the day, Sengoku himself had been a hawk.

Decisive. Ruthless.

"It's different."

Sengoku rubbed his forehead.

"Sakazuki is a pure soldier."

"If Kuzan becomes Fleet Admiral, even if Sakazuki disagrees…"

"He'll still obey orders."

"Soldiers don't need extra thoughts."

"They only need absolute execution."

He paused.

"But if Sakazuki becomes Fleet Admiral…"

"Kuzan will almost certainly leave the Marines."

The smell of rice crackers still filled the room.

Yet somehow—

The air inside the Fleet Admiral's office had grown noticeably heavier.

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