One Piece: I'm not Roger

Aether suddenly crouched down and gestured for Hancock to come closer.

"I'll carry you over. If the Marines notice us too early, it'll ruin the fun."

"Mhm."

Hancock smiled with visible satisfaction as she leaned against his back, her soft figure pressing lightly against him. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she gently patted the head of the small steering device beside them.

"Alright, let's go."

"Understood, passenger. The Aether is officially departing."

Aether supported Hancock beneath her thighs and shot toward the island at astonishing speed.

The sudden acceleration caused Hancock to laugh brightly against his shoulder.

At this moment, she was no longer the feared Pirate Empress of Amazon Lily.

She was simply Hancock.

Ahead of them, the island had become a world divided between fire and ice.

An endless blizzard swept across one half of the land while scorching magma swallowed the other. Crimson lava surged like an erupting sea, colliding violently against glaciers that stretched toward the sky.

At the center of the chaos, Akainu and Aokiji fought in close quarters.

Their fists collided repeatedly as ice and magma exploded around them with terrifying force.

The battle had already lasted five days.

The power of two Admiral-class Logia users had permanently altered the island itself. From this point onward, Punk Hazard would remain a land where fire and ice coexisted eternally.

Another violent shockwave erupted between them before the two Admirals separated once more.

Watching from afar, Aether finally got a clear look at their condition.

Both Akainu and Aokiji were visibly exhausted.

Their breathing was rough, their hair disheveled, and injuries covered their bodies.

Aokiji looked slightly better off. His shredded shirt had long since been discarded, revealing a lean and muscular upper body marked by severe burns and frost cracks caused by the prolonged clash of opposing elements.

Every punch he threw carried overwhelming physical force.

Although the Admirals specialized in Devil Fruit abilities, Aokiji had also inherited Garp's brutal hand-to-hand combat style. Like his mentor, he had tempered his fists by smashing battleships barehanded.

Akainu's condition looked worse.

Her uniform had been heavily damaged during the fight, exposing parts of her toned figure. Her long military trousers had been torn apart for mobility, leaving only shortened remnants that revealed her long legs.

Still, she showed no concern for appearances.

The pressure radiating from her resembled an active volcano on the verge of eruption.

Ice and magma each occupied half the battlefield once again as the two entered another stalemate, both desperately trying to recover stamina.

Akainu suddenly stepped forward first.

Despite the natural physical disadvantage of being a woman, her momentum remained overwhelming.

Seeing her advance, Aokiji gave a helpless smile.

"Akainu, do we really have to fight to this extent?"

Akainu's cold and mature voice echoed across the battlefield.

"Kuzan, this was never just a duel. It's a clash of beliefs. I will never accept that your justice is superior to mine."

Aokiji fell silent.

This battle had always been about conviction.

Yet even now, he could not understand why Akainu, who should have weakened after her transformation, still possessed enough determination to suppress him little by little.

Words no longer mattered.

The two resumed their battle.

Ice and fire collided endlessly, devastating the already ruined island.

Meanwhile, far away atop a distant mountain, Aether and Hancock leisurely enjoyed a picnic while observing the battle.

Hancock watched the terrifying confrontation below with interest.

A life-and-death battle between Admirals was an exceptionally rare sight.

"It feels like Aokiji has a slight advantage," Hancock said curiously. "Who do you think will win?"

Aether calmly took a sip from his drink.

"Akainu."

Hancock blinked.

"So certain?"

"She has greater ambition, and stronger resolve. Aokiji is fighting to win. Akainu is fighting as if losing means death."

One day later.

The condition of both Admirals had worsened drastically.

As another devastating exchange erupted, a massive ice pheasant shattered through a magma hound. However, this time Akainu did not retreat.

Ignoring the frost rapidly spreading across one arm, she forced herself forward and drove a massive magma attack straight through Aokiji's waist.

The heat instantly cauterized the wound.

The smell of burnt flesh spread through the air.

Aokiji staggered backward, clutching the hole in his side as blood ran between his fingers.

Even with his monstrous endurance, such an injury severely affected him.

Seeing Akainu calmly suppress the frostbite on her arm with magma, Aokiji finally understood.

He had lost.

At first, he held the advantage for nearly three days. Yet gradually, Akainu overtook him.

The difference between them was simple.

Killing intent.

Akainu had approached this battle with absolute determination. To her, failure was unacceptable.

Aokiji lacked that same relentless drive.

That hesitation became the deciding factor.

Akainu's arm had turned purple from frostbite, but she still walked toward him with imposing pressure.

Her sharp eyes stared down at him while a faint smile appeared on her elegant face.

"You lost, Kuzan. The moment you hesitated, the outcome was already decided."

Aokiji's expression darkened.

Without outside interference, he truly had no way to continue.

His injury was too severe.

Meanwhile, Akainu had only temporarily lost the use of one arm.

After a moment of silence, Aokiji spoke.

"Even if I lose, I still won't agree with your justice. Justice shouldn't abandon everything else just to achieve results."

Akainu looked at him strangely before replying.

"You still cling to your outdated view of me."

Her voice remained cold, but there was conviction behind it.

"My actions over these past months should already prove that I've changed. Once I become Fleet Admiral, the Marines will stand united. Every Marine under my command will be treated as a valuable comrade. Even the World Government and the Gorosei will not be allowed to issue orders that violate true justice."

Aokiji stared at her in stunned silence.

He wanted to refute her words.

Yet after recalling her actions over the past several months, he realized she truly had changed.

Could becoming a woman really alter someone this much?

Still, decades of impressions could not disappear overnight.

Ever since Ohara, the two had drifted apart completely.

Aokiji could never fully forgive the destruction of the civilian evacuation ship.

Just as he was about to respond, Akainu's Observation Haki suddenly sensed danger.

Without hesitation, she lunged forward.

"Clang!"

A crimson slash tore through the battlefield.

Akainu's magma-coated fist collided against a dark red blade but failed to fully stop it.

The sword energy carved a deep wound across her chest.

Aokiji's eyes widened instantly.

He had misunderstood her intentions.

She had not attacked him.

She had protected him.

Reacting immediately, Aokiji unleashed his Devil Fruit power and forced the attacker backward.

An enormous iceberg rose from the ground, towering hundreds of meters into the sky.

Inside the frozen barrier, blood flowed down Akainu's chest as her exhausted body swayed slightly.

Aokiji supported her while staring at her with a complicated expression.

He never imagined Akainu would save his life during a battle for Fleet Admiral.

"Why?" he asked quietly. "We're rivals."

Using Life Return to suppress the bleeding, Akainu slowly steadied herself.

Her pale face regained a trace of color before she answered coldly.

"You're a Marine. I'm a Marine. That alone is enough."

Those simple words left Aokiji speechless.

If their positions had been reversed, he was not entirely sure he could have done the same.

Suddenly, the iceberg shattered apart.

Dark red sword energy exploded outward as Aether stepped forward while holding Ace in one hand.

A faint smile rested on his face.

"Akainu, Aokiji, it's been a while. I didn't expect we'd meet under circumstances like these."

The expressions of both Admirals changed instantly.

"Roger..."

"Roger..."

The moment Aether appeared, terrifying Conqueror's Haki descended upon the battlefield like a tidal wave.

The already heavily injured Admirals immediately felt immense pressure crash down onto them.