One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

Aokiji's frozen body cracked, and as Vane slammed his fist down hard, the Admiral was sent flying, rolling across the ice for twenty or thirty meters before finally skidding to a stop.

"Today's youth really can't be underestimated..." Aokiji muttered.

He reformed his body in an instant, condensing into an icy form and vanishing from sight.

An ice shard shot out of nowhere—"Don't underestimate the Admiral's bite!"

Using the Navy's Six Powers technique Soru to its extreme, Aokiji gathered a mass of cold air in his right hand. A powerful ice bird took shape, surging forward with tremendous force as it flew toward Vane. Without flinching, Vane turned and punched, shattering the ice bird on impact.

"I almost thought your ability was the Gura Gura no Mi... it's that similar!"

Four spears of ice formed instantly—[Ice Cube: Twin Thorns!]—freezing into existence just two meters in front of Vane. The deadly points hovered less than a meter from his chest.

Vane crushed them without hesitation.

"I've gotta say," Aokiji continued, "it feels like I'm fighting Whitebeard himself. Your power is seriously troublesome."

He attacked again, this time with a burst of speed that blurred him from sight. At his level, the Navy's Soru technique had reached an inhuman level of refinement. But Vane kept up, his Observation Haki sharp enough to track every movement. No matter the angle of attack, he blocked it.

Vane stepped forward. Ice cracked beneath his foot as the sheer force of his movement caused the ground to fracture. Then, in a flash, he vanished.

"I can use Soru too, Aokiji!" Vane shouted as he reappeared directly in front of him. Vane wasn't the type to rely on sneak attacks—he preferred direct combat.

His fist, coated in Armament Haki, slammed into Aokiji's chest.

"Your Haki's strong too," Aokiji admitted, his tone calm despite the situation.

He quickly hardened his chest with Armament Haki. Compared to the Navy's Tekkai technique, Haki was a far superior form of defense.

With a thunderous impact, Vane's strike forced Aokiji back nearly half a meter. His feet didn't move, but the sheer push of the blow drove his body backwards. Vane didn't stop. He launched another punch, continuing the assault.

"You're only fifteen, and you can go toe-to-toe with me? That's terrifying. You're already stronger than most Vice Admirals. Physically, you're nearly on par with an Admiral."

"The punches hurt... and they carry intent."

Aokiji felt a tightening in his chest. Vane's strikes had weight—far more than he expected. Gritting his teeth, Aokiji punched back, his own fist wrapped in Armament Haki. The two blows collided with a violent shockwave.

BOOM.

The ice beneath their feet shattered, launching shards in every direction as the force of their clash cracked the surface. Sea water began to bubble up from the broken seams.

"That punch... is that what Vice Admiral Garp's Iron Fist feels like?" Aokiji muttered. "It's been a long time since I've taken one that solid."

He stared at Vane, eyes narrowing. "Are you even human?"

Vane shrugged. "If fifteen-year-old me is stronger than fifteen-year-old you... maybe I am a monster."

Without pause, he struck again. Aokiji raised his guard, but the next blow shattered more ice and sent sea water spraying up.

Vane's right leg, wrapped in Armament Haki, swept forward in a brutal arc, connecting with Aokiji's left side. The impact hurled the Admiral across the battlefield—over thirty meters of airborne flight before slamming into the ground.

In an instant, Vane appeared again. He hadn't even touched the ice yet, but his fist—now infused with Armament Haki and enhanced by the shockwave force of the Gura Gura no Mi—drove into Aokiji's gut.

[Shock Compression!]

Vane concentrated the quake energy into a focused point, like a tightly wound spring. The moment it released, it created an even more devastating burst of force.

Aokiji's face twisted in pain. Though he'd activated Armament Haki just in time, it wasn't fast enough. The strike landed hard, sending waves of agony through his body. His stomach lurched.

The ice behind Aokiji exploded in a fan-shaped blast zone, the impact flattening everything in its path like a directed shockwave.

Once again, the Admiral was sent flying, rolling across the ground before finally halting.

"So damn ruthless... he barely speaks, but every blow is deadly," Aokiji groaned, holding his abdomen. His face paled slightly.

People who rely too much on their Devil Fruits... often forget to strengthen their bodies.

---

(☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞ Join my Patreon if you're interested in reading chapters in advance

Patreon(.)com/Zphyr_