“This… this is impossible!”

Crocodile’s mouth hung open in horror.

A man who had never feared death—

Was now experiencing an unprecedented level of shock.

He had watched as Admiral Aokiji was utterly crushed by Kuke in a matter of minutes.

And then—

He saw something even more terrifying.

Kuke used some kind of black power to extract something from Aokiji’s body.

A seemingly ordinary fruit in his hand changed—

Turning into a brilliant blue Devil Fruit.

It was unmistakable.

The Ice-Ice Fruit.

“He can steal abilities…”

Crocodile shuddered.

He had never heard of such a thing before.

His despair deepened.

And then, even more impossible—

Aokiji came back to life.

Kuke had revived him.

The moment he killed Aokiji and stole his power, he had allowed him to join the Sun and Moon Pirates.

And then, he revived him.

But the instant Aokiji was brought back, Kuke expelled him from the crew.

Letting him live—

For two reasons.

First, Aokiji had genuinely wanted to follow him.

And second—

Even without the Ice-Ice Fruit, Aokiji was far from weak.

His Haki and physical prowess were still among the strongest in the world.

Even without a Devil Fruit, he still had 200,000 to 300,000 combat power.

Among the strongest fighters beneath the level of Admirals and Emperors.

Keeping him alive—

Was keeping a trump card.

And if necessary, Kuke still had a final contingency plan—

Using Ivankov’s Devil Fruit power to forcibly transform the strongest men of the sea into women—

Meeting the Sun and Moon Pirates’ recruitment conditions.

If that happened, he could forcibly recruit them—

And gain 50% of their combat power.

Aokiji, meanwhile, sat on the ground, staring at his own hands in disbelief.

“I lost my powers… I died… and now I’m alive again?”

But surprisingly—

Aokiji didn’t look devastated.

He wasn’t broken.

Instead—

He looked excited.

“So you don’t just bring yourself back to life… you can revive others too,” Aokiji murmured.

He felt like he had just glimpsed part of Kuke’s secrets.

And the more he learned—

The more certain he became.

“The World Government… they’re not your match.

“They must have their own trump cards. But none of them can compare to you.

“I’ll wait for the new era to arrive… let’s see if it truly changes… if it becomes better.”

Losing his abilities—

Somehow, it made Aokiji feel more alive than ever.

Meanwhile—

Kuke walked toward Crocodile.

And within a minute—

Crocodile and his entire crew were dead.

Kuke now possessed ten new Devil Fruits.

Without the Sand-Sand Fruit, Crocodile was nothing.

He wasn’t worth keeping alive.

“Let’s go.”

Satisfied with his haul, Kuke leaped back onto the Radiant Eclipse.

Gion had already cleared a path through the frozen sea.

Aokiji watched as the ship departed.

“How am I supposed to leave now?”

He scratched his head in frustration.

Without the Ice-Ice Fruit, he no longer had the ability to traverse the ocean alone.

Soon enough, though—

His gaze landed on Crocodile’s ship.

“Guess I’ll be borrowing this.”

Aokiji cast a glance at Crocodile’s corpse before stepping onto the ship.

At that moment—

Behind the ice wall—

The desperate reporters, who had been trying everything to break through, finally managed to climb over.

But the battle was already over.

All they saw—

Was Aokiji and the Sun and Moon Pirates leaving.

“The fight’s finished?”

“Aokiji and the Sun and Moon Pirates—neither of them died? Does that mean… it was a draw?”

They hurried to report back.

Some newspaper executives, who had lived through the past era, frowned.

“Aokiji fought Kuke to a standstill? That’s ridiculous.

“It has to be fake.

“But we have photos.

“Whatever. Print it.

“If we report that Kuke defeated Aokiji, it won’t get as much attention from the other sea monsters.

“But if we say it was a draw—that will get more traction.”

And soon—

The newspapers spread throughout the first half of the Grand Line.

“Crocodile actually dared to mess with the Sun and Moon Pirates? No wonder he’s dead.”

“Aokiji fought them to a draw? What a joke. Aokiji doesn’t even deserve to be considered on Kuke’s level.”

“Clearly, Kuke just wasn’t interested in killing him.”

“Kuke is the strongest man. The strongest in history.

“There’s no one alive who could fight him one-on-one and not lose.”

The older generation scoffed at the news.

They knew better.

But among the newer pirates—

“The Marines’ strongest force is on the same level as the top sea emperors. I knew it!”

“No. The Admirals are actually stronger than the Emperors.

“The newspaper clearly says that Aokiji fought alone, while the entire Sun and Moon Pirates were there.

“The numbers were completely unfair!”

“If the Marines’ weakest Admiral fought the Sun and Moon Pirates to a draw…

“And a month ago, Aokiji lost to Akainu…

“Then Akainu is the strongest being in the world!”

“We should be terrified of him!”

“Avoid Akainu at all costs!”

“I think the Sun and Moon Pirates are actually the weakest of the Four Emperors.

“They were gone too long.

“If it were any of the other Emperors, they would have defeated an Admiral.”

“Yeah, probably.”

And so—

Among the newer pirates—

Akainu’s reputation soared.

He became the most feared figure of the sea—

Above even Kuke.

Meanwhile—

Aboard the Thousand Sunny—

The Straw Hats were huddled together, reading the newspaper.

“Look! It’s about those monsters we ran into before!”

Usopp’s shriek caught the others’ attention.

They rushed over.

“What does it say?”

Sanji was anxious.

Nami was with the Sun and Moon Pirates now.

Zoro was just as concerned.

Kuina was there, too.

“That terrifying ex-Admiral fought the Sun and Moon Pirates!”

Usopp’s voice trembled as he read.

The Straw Hats stared at the paper.

And when they finished—

“No winner?”

Luffy pouted.

“What kind of strongest Emperor can’t even beat an Admiral? That’s so disappointing.”

“That was a Marine Admiral, you idiot!”

Usopp smacked Luffy upside the head.

“You have no right to be disappointed!”

“Don’t forget—Crocodile destroyed us.

“And the Admiral destroyed him in seconds.”

Aokiji—

Was the strongest person they had ever encountered.

The memory was burned into their minds.

“Someone like that… is among the strongest in the world,” Zoro muttered.

He saw it clearly now—

His future.

If he could reach Aokiji’s level—

Then he would be the strongest swordsman.

That was his path.

A long, difficult road.

But knowing it existed gave him strength.

“I just hope Nami wasn’t hurt…”

Sanji sighed.

“You still care about that?”

Zoro shot him a look.

“Give it up, idiot.”

Sanji and Zoro started fighting—

Until Sanji turned to Luffy.

“Luffy! We need to recruit at least five beautiful women!”

“I must surpass him!

“I must become the most envied man on the sea!”

At that moment—

Usopp’s eyes widened.

“Look! The paper says a Marine Admiral named Akainu defeated Aokiji!

“He’s the one who forced him out of the Marines!”

“And he’s the only man to have nearly destroyed the Sun and Moon Pirates multiple times!”

“The real strongest monster of the sea… is Akainu!”

“The strongest, huh?”

Luffy and Zoro’s eyes burned with determination.

“If I beat Akainu…

“I’ll be stronger than anyone.

“I’ll be the Pirate King!”

“Let’s go!”

And so—

Their journey continued.

But without Nami’s navigation—

The Thousand Sunny didn’t last long.

One storm wrecked it completely.

They switched ships multiple times—

Barely surviving countless near-death experiences—

And after many struggles—

They finally reached Sabaody Archipelago.

Battered.

Scarred.

But their eyes burned with greater ambition than ever before.

They were stronger.

“Kuina… your bounty is only 100 million.

“But mine is 110 million now.

“I’ve surpassed you.”

Zoro smirked with confidence.

——

DONT FORGET POWER STONE

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep