One Piece: Marine's Justice

Huff...

Kuzan exhaled a long, white breath as cold mist curled from his mouth. His gaze remained fixed on the massive ball of ice ahead, and he muttered to himself, "Still not recovered from the injury Big Mom gave you, huh... Guess I caught a lucky break."

Just moments ago, when Kuzan had unleashed Ice Ball, Uren had tried to dodge, but at the crucial moment, pain overtook him. He clutched his chest in agony and coughed up blood, giving Kuzan the opening to freeze him solid.

Crack—

Suddenly, a fracture split across the enormous ice sphere. It rapidly spiderwebbed into countless fissures.

"Huh? Didn't hold, huh?" Kuzan's expression shifted, his eyes sharpening with wariness.

BOOM—

The next instant, the ice ball shattered with a thunderous crash, exploding into shards that scattered in every direction. A figure strode out from the swirling blizzard of frost and mist.

"The Marine Headquarters' trio of Logia users… Truly fearsome," Uren said gravely, his face pale and drawn.

He recognized the man before him: Kuzan, one of the Navy's elite Logia users, a powerhouse Vice Admiral, and wielder of the Ice-Ice Fruit.

Rumor had it he was a contender for the next Admiral. Even in the New World, a place crawling with monsters, his strength sent chills through pirates far and wide.

"Your Thorn-Thorn Fruit is the real nuisance," Kuzan said with a hint of exasperation. "If I slip up, I'll end up full of holes."

"Tch, save your compliments... cough cough..." Uren's face darkened. He couldn't suppress another pair of hacking coughs.

It was obvious: his injuries from the battle on Cullen Island were still weighing on him.

Crack—

Another sharp crack rang out. Baka, who had also been frozen, broke free with a roar. The ice coating him exploded outward in shards.

"Damn, that's cold!" Baka shivered violently, rubbing his body furiously. He'd clearly had a rough time.

"Ara ara... Broke out already? What a troublesome guy," Kuzan said with a wry smile, scratching the back of his head.

"Y-You... d-damn..." Baka was shivering so hard his teeth clattered. He stammered out, "Y-Your Grace... there's someone else... inside the city. He can fire l-lasers...!"

"Nani?!"

Uren's face went pale. He shouted, "Lasers?! Don't tell me... that's the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit... Is that Borsalino?!"

The Navy's three Logia monsters, each wielded destructive power like a natural disaster and strength bordering on the absurd.

"Pretty sure that's him," Baka confirmed seriously. He recalled the moment back in the city: that meteor-fast beam of light that pierced straight through him. He unconsciously touched the bandaged wound on his abdomen, still faintly burning like fire.

"I can't believe the Marines sent two Logia Vice Admirals after us," Uren growled.

"Is that a problem?" Kuzan chuckled, hands up in mock innocence. "Catching pirates is the Navy's job, after all."

"No problem at all," Uren snarled. "But if the Navy kills pirates, then it's only fair pirates kill the Navy too. So I'll take care of you first, then go after the other one!"

"Thorn Meteor Hammer!!!"

With a roar, Uren lunged forward like a bullet. Dozens of razor-sharp thorns burst from his arms, morphing into a brutal flail that crashed down toward Kuzan.

CLANG—!

The impact rang out like metal striking metal. The shockwave blasted the earth, sending up chunks of soil and debris.

Kuzan's expression shifted. His ice blade trembled violently in his hand as he was forced back, his boots gouging two long furrows in the ground.

"Divine Thorn Spear!!!"

With deadly focus, Uren brought his right hand up in a spearhand stance. In a blink, it morphed into a blackened spike of hardened thorns and shot forward at supersonic speed.

In a flash, the spear pierced clean through Kuzan's chest, pinning him to the ground.

"Ice Block: Partisan."

But there was no blood.

Instead, the thorns froze mid-pierce. The black spikes turned brittle as cold surged through them. Four ice spears materialized from thin air and launched at Uren like missiles.

"Muscle War Chariot!!!"

Just in time, Baka charged in like a battering ram. Despite his massive frame, he moved with startling agility. He intercepted all four spears mid-air and shattered them with brute force.

"Tch, elemental form, huh... Thorn Burst Slash!!!"

Uren spat on the ground in frustration. His left arm transformed into another thorn-blade, and with a fierce thrust, he launched a sharp shockwave forward.

BOOM—

Hundreds of meters away, a hillside erupted. The wave cut straight through, carving a tunnel-like hole through the mountain.

"That was close~" Kuzan reformed not far away, clicking his tongue.

SKREEEE—

ROOOOAAARR—

KEEEE—

Suddenly, the skies above the battlefield exploded with movement. Hundreds of creatures shrieked, stone and metal hawks, gargoyles, gryphons, and massive statues come to life. They dove down like lightning, clawing through the members of the Impaler Pirates.

"What the hell are these things?!"

"Damn it! Take them down!"

"Outta my way!"

"Get them off me!"

One by one, pirates were seized by the creatures, carried high into the air and then dropped. The sickening crunch of bodies hitting earth echoed through the battlefield.

"Homies?!" Uren's eyes went wide. He suddenly remembered, the army Big Mom had created during the battle on Cullen Island.

"Your Grace, it's one of the Navy brats," Baka said hurriedly. "He's got a similar ability. He brought all the statues in Skoggy to life!"

"Damn it... Not this troublesome power again..." Uren scowled, then suddenly looked up. He pointed to a spot above them and asked, "That kid up there?"

Following his gaze, Baka spotted a massive metal black dragon circling overhead, with a child riding its back.

"That's him!" Baka nodded. "That little punk's no slouch either. I tried to take him out in one go, but he got away!"

Suddenly...

A storm of golden particles gathered behind them, a radiant glow forming too fast to react.

Then a voice followed, cheerful, almost teasing:

"Y'know, speed is weight. Ever been kicked at the speed of light?"

BOOM—!

Uren and Baka both went pale. They spun around, trying to block, but it was too late.

A blinding leg, glowing like a sunlit steel beam, swept across and slammed into Uren's waist like a whip.

Caught completely off-guard, Uren was flung like a ragdoll, a dark blur shooting across the battlefield.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished beyond the horizon.

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