“A Marine Admiral voluntarily choosing to follow?”

Vivi, who had only recently joined, stood there with her mouth agape.

She had learned a bit about the Sun and Moon Pirates and knew the weight of a Marine Admiral’s title.

But this…

This was shocking beyond belief.

Nami, however, was the most stunned of all.

In her mind, Marine Admirals were the most terrifying monsters of the sea.

She had always believed that they were on par with the Four Emperors.

But now—

One was trying to follow Kuke.

Her worldview was completely shattered.

Kuke, however, remained indifferent.

Not even the slightest hint of interest flickered across his face at Aokiji’s offer.

His only curiosity was how genuine Aokiji truly was.

And he wouldn’t believe him just because he seemed sincere.

“Could I use the system to confirm?”

Kuke pondered.

Whenever he recruited a new crew member, he could use the system to gauge their sincerity toward joining.

But Aokiji was a man.

“If I actually accepted Aokiji as a subordinate, what would happen?”

Kuke already knew the cost.

If he took in a male member, not only would he not receive a combat boost—

His own combat power would be halved.

If Aokiji’s strength was 500,000, taking him in would cost Kuke a million.

An enormous loss.

Just as Kuke reached this conclusion—

He suddenly saw a glow emanating from Aokiji’s body.

A full ten-star glow.

Unexpected.

He’s completely serious.

“I refuse.”

Kuke rejected him without hesitation.

Even if Aokiji were 100% loyal, even if he were willing to die for the Sun and Moon Pirates, Kuke had no interest in keeping him.

Even without officially joining the crew, there would still be a price to pay for his presence.

The loss outweighed the gain.

Aokiji furrowed his brows in frustration.

“Huh? He turned him down?”

Nami gasped in disbelief.

That was a Marine Admiral!

A monster capable of instantly defeating Crocodile and his entire crew.

Someone that powerful had volunteered—

And was rejected?!

She had never even considered the possibility that Kuke would refuse.

“A mere Admiral. It’s not like they’re some rare species,” Gion reassured Nami with a gentle smile.

Stussy chuckled.

“Little girl, you’re too excitable. If this is how you react now, you’ll be screaming all the time in the future.”

Nami quickly covered her mouth.

Slightly embarrassed.

For the first time, she truly grasped what it meant to be one of the Four Emperors.

The Four Emperors were far beyond the power of an Admiral.

And if Kuke treated an Admiral this casually—

Then just how terrifying were the other three Emperors?

She felt like she was seeing the true reality of the sea.

And deep inside, she was grateful.

Grateful that she was now part of the Sun and Moon Pirates.

Had she remained with the Straw Hats—

She would never have seen this level of power.

Not in years.

Maybe not ever.

“Alright then,” Aokiji sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

Rejected.

Just like that.

He was disappointed.

But he wasn’t desperate enough to beg.

He turned to leave.

“You’re leaving already?”

Kuke’s voice rang out.

“Leave the Ice-Ice Fruit, and you can go.”

Aokiji turned back, startled.

“What?”

“You took part in the plan to corner our captain before. You think you can just walk away now?”

Big Mom spoke up, waving her hand.

Flames and lightning surged around her body, her Haki flaring.

“She’s right.”

Aokiji stopped in his tracks.

He didn’t argue.

He had done what he had done.

Now, it was time to pay for it.

“You all board the ship. I’ll play with him for a few minutes.”

Kuke glanced at the women behind him.

It had been ten years since he last fought.

“I’ll go prepare some tea, then.”

“I’ll wash the new clothes we bought for you, captain.”

The women laughed as they headed for the ship.

Nami, once again, was stunned.

“Gion… do you really not need to help?”

She turned to the vice-captain, still struggling to wrap her head around the situation.

She had already learned that Gion had a bounty in the tens of billions.

She knew that multiple members of the crew had bounties exceeding a billion.

She knew they were all absurdly powerful.

But she had never seen them fight.

And she was now questioning—

Did she even deserve to be part of the Sun and Moon Pirates?

“Trust the captain. A mere Admiral isn’t much of an opponent,” Shakky chuckled, pulling the dazed Nami along.

“From now on, the ship’s navigation is in your hands.”

“Ice Age.”

Aokiji immediately launched his ultimate move.

Cold air swept across the ground—

Spreading to the sea—

And freezing the entire ocean solid.

“This… this is terrifying…”

Vivi and Nami had never witnessed a true battle between top-tier combatants.

They were utterly frozen in shock.

The entire sea had been turned to ice.

“Is this something a human can even do?”

They had just boarded the ship, but they rushed to the railing, their eyes locked onto the battle below.

Even though Gion and the others had reassured them—

They couldn’t help but worry.

“You alright?”

Nami and Vivi nervously checked Kuke.

He hadn’t moved an inch.

He looked completely unfazed.

They let out a breath of relief.

But Aokiji wasn’t done.

A massive ice bird soared through the air, diving toward Kuke.

In the sky, razor-sharp ice spears formed—

Firing at him from all directions.

Aokiji was going all out.

He knew he couldn’t win.

But he wanted to see how strong Kuke had become.

He needed to know how much hope there was for taking down the corrupt World Government.

BOOOOM!

The earth shook with devastating force.

Nami and Vivi’s eyes went blank.

Kuke had not moved.

He hadn’t even used Haki.

He had tanked every attack.

Completely unharmed.

“What…?”

Aokiji stared at him in disbelief.

His attacks had no effect.

“Just how strong are you?”

Aokiji’s voice trembled.

Kuke was far stronger than ten years ago.

Back then—

The world had last seen Kuke’s strength when he defeated Whitebeard in minutes.

Aokiji had assumed he could last at least twenty or thirty minutes.

“Against me? You’d need the entire Marine force to make it interesting.”

Kuke vanished.

Aokiji’s hands turned to ice, his fists glowing with the most intense cold.

He threw a punch—

A punch that could freeze anything—

But Kuke caught it effortlessly.

The freezing power surged toward him—

Only to be shattered instantly by Kuke’s Haki.

With a flick of his wrist—

Kuke swung Aokiji.

BOOM!

He slammed Aokiji into the ground, shattering it.

Pinned under Kuke’s grip—

Aokiji couldn’t use his Logia powers.

The Dark-Dark Fruit nullified his abilities.

He felt his bones breaking.

Blood sprayed from his mouth.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of deafening explosions rocked the port.

Behind the ice wall, countless reporters and civilians craned their necks, trying to see.

“They’re fighting! Aokiji is fighting the Sun and Moon Pirates!”

The journalists’ eyes lit up.

This was huge.

They pounded on the ice wall, desperate to capture the battle.

“A former Admiral fighting the Four Emperors… who will win?”

“The Sun and Moon Pirates, obviously. Aokiji is alone.”

“Foolish. Aokiji has no chance.”

The older generation scoffed at the naïve newcomers.

A few minutes later—

The sounds of battle stopped.

——

DONT FORGET POWER STONE

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep