One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

Natural Devil Fruit users—except those with the Dark-Dark Fruit—can perform elementalization. It's a terrifying defense mechanism, nearly impossible to counter without Armament Haki.

Aokiji stood up from the ice. Before he could straighten, he vanished—then instantly reappeared in front of Vane. Before one foot even landed, the other came swinging. Instinctively, Vane raised his right arm to block. The moment his arm touched Aokiji's calf, the contact area began to freeze.

But the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit surged, and with a bit of force, Vane shattered the ice.

"Your power is seriously troublesome," Aokiji muttered. "If I don't capture you now, it'll be even more of a problem later."

"I didn't expect someone this young to be so powerful."

"Unbelievable."

"Damn."

Aokiji's palms brimmed with cold, and five icicles shot forward. A mass of freezing white energy surged at Vane, encasing his entire body inside a transparent ice sphere. The ice ball trembled.

Cracks started forming—visible to the naked eye. They spread slowly, like glass fracturing under pressure.

Aokiji wasn't careless. He didn't believe a single layer of ice could hold a monster like Vane.

He struck again.

"[Frozen Time Capsule!]"

Another blast of cold shot from Aokiji's right hand. A dense, opaque sheet of ice blanketed the existing ice sphere, adding more than a meter of thickness.

"[Freezing Time!]"

This was Aokiji's ultimate sea-freezing move. With this, the sphere's outer shell thickened dramatically. The ice ball now reached about seven meters in diameter.

"[Ice Age!]"

His most powerful move yet, with freezing capabilities that surpassed all others—it could maintain its frozen state for over a week. Several additional layers of ice formed over the original sphere.

The ice darkened.

A colossal sphere of frozen mass now loomed before Aokiji—eleven meters wide.

This layer was harder than steel. If Vane could still break free from this, it would be terrifying.

But the ice ball stopped shaking. Deep inside the core, Vane was frozen solid. Aokiji knew that spot held the coldest temperature—nearly minus 60 degrees Celsius. Even someone like Vane wouldn't find that comfortable.

"He won't die from it, but he'll definitely be out of commission for a while," Aokiji muttered. "With this thickness, there's no way he's breaking out on his own."

"Finally caught the kid."

"Well, there's another fugitive on that ship—Kalifa. Former CP9 and now a traitor to the World Government."

"Better notify Navy Headquarters."

Aokiji sat down on the ice and pulled out a small Den Den Mushi.

"Moshi moshi, hello? Kuzan speaking."

The call connected quickly to the Navy Headquarters.

Sengoku: "Kuzan, what's going on?"

Aokiji exhaled. "I just ran into Vane. Not sure exactly where—we're in the middle of nowhere—but yeah, I encountered him."

Sengoku: "You what?!"

At Navy HQ, Sengoku jumped from his chair, visibly shaken.

Akainu, reclining on the sofa nearby, opened his eyes and focused in.

Sengoku: "Give me the details."

Aokiji: "He made the first move. We fought. He's already strong enough to go toe-to-toe with me. My estimate is...he's close to my level—maybe even stronger."

Akainu: "I want the result."

Sengoku: "Yes, what happened?!"

Aokiji: "I've captured him. Well, technically, he's sealed in a massive ice sphere. I'm planning to freeze him a bit longer to make sure he stays put. I didn't bring Seastone shackles, or else this would've been easier. The guy's like a younger version of Whitebeard. Are we sure this is the Burst-Burst Fruit? Have you checked the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia? Is there a fruit like this?"

Sengoku: "A replica of Whitebeard? It might be a similar-class Devil Fruit. Sakazuki's Magma-Magma Fruit is the superior form of the Flame-Flame and Heat-Heat Fruits. The Tremor-Tremor Fruit could be the superior form of the Burst-Burst Fruit."

Aokiji: "It's just too similar. The power and the way he uses it—if Whitebeard weren't still alive, I would've sworn this was the Tremor-Tremor Fruit."

Sengoku: sighs "At least we've finally caught this troublesome kid."

Sengoku: "I'll send a warship immediately. Tell me which sea you're in and any nearby landmarks."

Aokiji thought for a moment and gave him a location.

Sengoku: "Be careful. That brat is cunning. Do not break the ice until the warship arrives. Don't let him escape."

Aokiji: "Got it. I'll stay alert."

He hung up, stood, and reinforced the ice again. Now, the sphere reached twenty meters in diameter.

"It's done."

Back on the ship, Kalifa collapsed to her knees, having watched everything unfold through a telescope.

"I knew something would go wrong. How could he stand a chance against an Admiral? Admirals are the Navy's strongest combat force—they're nearly unbeatable!"

"Am I going to be thrown into Impel Down?"

Kalifa was spiraling. At this point, she and Vane were in the same boat. If he got taken to Impel Down, she'd likely go with him.

Inside the ice sphere, the bitter cold gnawed at Vane's body.

"[System, terminate the investment in Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni and calculate the profits.]"

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