11 Ice Block: Pheasant Beak

"Don't you have a job to do, as a candidate for Admiral?"

"Just tell me straight: what exactly do you want by following me?" Salia flew a bit higher, turning her back to the sun as she looked down at Kuzan.

Even while hovering in mid-air using Geppo, Kuzan maintained his usual lazy, half-asleep demeanor. The eye mask he usually wore on his forehead had been replaced by sunglasses, and he held his signature bicycle under one arm.

Kuzan gazed up at the telekinetic lady in the sky, his tone as lethargic as ever.

"Miss, I'm currently on vacation. I don't have to work."

"Ah, ah... I just wanted to invite the telekinetic lady to a meal. There's no need to be so tense, is there?"

Salia glanced at her surroundings.

As far as the eye could see, there was only the vast, blue ocean. The sunlight made the waves sparkle—beautiful yet dangerous. She had been flying for quite some time since leaving Lague Island, and there were no islands nearby.

If they were to fight, it wouldn't affect anyone else. On land, like on Lague Island, a clash between her and Aokiji would likely result in the island being destroyed. A battle between powerhouses could easily wipe an island off the map.

Out here on the ocean, however, she held the advantage of flight. Even though Aokiji could use Geppo to remain suspended in mid-air, her Devil Fruit ability was far more convenient than his technique. Fighting on the sea, even if she knew she was no match for Aokiji, she felt she had a seventy percent chance of escaping his clutches!

At this thought, Salia’s eyes lit up, and she became eager to test herself. She stared at Kuzan, her gaze turning fervent, as if she were looking at the world’s most precious treasure.

"Ara ara, is that look because you've accepted my invitation?" Kuzan asked, slightly puzzled. The telekinetic lady’s attitude toward him fluctuated, and he found her hard to read. However, being stared at with such intensity for so long began to make him feel uncomfortable.

"Let's fight!" Salia’s voice was filled with excitement. "If we fight and you win, I'll accept your invitation!"

"Handsome, let's trade a few moves." She flew right in front of him, pressed her palms together, and bowed. "Please! But promise me you won't kill me during the fight!"

She wanted to see just how vast the gap was between herself and a Marine Admiral.

Facing Salia’s burning, expectant gaze, Kuzan felt extremely awkward. He stepped back using Geppo, a chill running down his spine as if he were being hunted.

"Well, I'll have to refuse that."

Salia let out an "Oh," then upped the stakes. She declared with confidence, "If we fight, you win, and I'm still alive, I'll join the Marines."

That, of course, was impossible. It was a given that she would lose to Kuzan, but under no circumstances would she ever join the Marines. What did promises made by "Judith" have to do with her, Salia?

In the West Blue, Salia hadn't been able to find many pirates lately with enough strength to give her a decent fight. Her Haki and combat prowess had hit a bottleneck. Encountering Kuzan—a good Marine and an Admiral-level opponent who wouldn't actually kill her—was the perfect opportunity to grind for experience.

"Telekinetic lady, are you serious?" Kuzan pushed his sunglasses up, looking at her with confusion.

Salia nodded. "Yes."

"In that case, I accept," Kuzan smiled. "Welcome to the Marines, telekinetic lady." In his view, he was certain to defeat her, and he would soon have a new Marine colleague. Though—

"Telekinetic lady, you won't be using the moves you taught Nico Robin in this fight, will you?"

Salia looked at the Marine Admiral sincerely. "Rest assured, I definitely won't."

She reminded him once more, "Remember, don't kill me."

Kuzan scratched his cheek and smiled faintly. "Ara ara, I will certainly go easy on you, Miss."

"Then let's begin!" Salia’s fighting spirit surged instantly.

"Telekinetic Field—Gravity Crush!"

Within the field, Kuzan’s personal gravity was instantly increased by Salia. Kuzan, who had been hovering in mid-air, suddenly felt as heavy as a boulder and plummeted toward the sea. If a Devil Fruit user suffered such an attack, a single mistake could see them falling into the ocean, sapped of all strength.

Kuzan’s reaction was swift.

The vast, boundless ocean was frozen by the power of his Devil Fruit. The once-roaring, sparkling sea was now covered by a vast, crystal-clear sheet of ice.

"Ara ara, that was quite sudden."

A tall, lean figure wreathed in frost appeared on the ice. Kuzan shed his lazy demeanor and grew serious.

"What a nuisance."

Salia’s ability was acting upon him, changing his internal gravity within the field. To negate it, Kuzan had to use Haki. He coated his body in Armament Haki, and as ice spears formed and hardened around him, he launched them toward Salia in the sky.

"Ice Saber!"

Kuzan decided to end this quickly. As a Logia-type user of the Hie Hie no Mi, he didn't naturally possess the ability to fly. While he could walk on air via Geppo, he functioned at his peak on solid ground.

Strong individuals with the ability to fly were terrifying. The best example was Shiki the Golden Lion. If Shiki wanted to fight, the Marines could engage him, but if he wanted to flee, no one could keep him contained. Although Kuzan’s combat power was several tiers above Salia’s, she held the aerial advantage.

Watching the Marine’s Armament Haki coat his entire body, Salia gritted her teeth in envy. She had a clear understanding of her own strength; she relied too heavily on her fruit ability. Her own Haki cultivation was nowhere near that of the old-generation powerhouses. She knew Armament Haki, but her reserves weren't enough to coat her entire body like Kuzan.

"Telekinetic Field—Control Reversal!"

The ice spears piercing toward her carried bone-chilling cold and immense force. With great effort, Salia seized control of the spears, turning them to her own use and launching them back at Kuzan.

Seeing the spears flying back at him, Kuzan felt a flicker of surprise. He shifted his body slightly to dodge.

"Well, you’re quite strong, telekinetic lady," Kuzan said, glancing back.

The ice spears struck the frozen surface behind him, piercing through and leaving massive holes. As ice shards drifted down, the seawater beneath the thick ice was finally revealed once more.

"Thanks for the compliment," Salia flew higher and smiled slightly. "Want to try this?"

She gently raised her right hand. "Telekinetic Field—Control!"

The seawater exposed beneath the holes in the ice was completely seized by her power. It surged upward, forming a massive wave.

"This is not good," Kuzan stood his ground, watching the wave descend upon him. His expression grew noticeably stern. Such an ability to manipulate seawater, combined with the power of flight... it reminded him of the Golden Lion.

However, the telekinetic lady’s current ability clearly couldn't compare to Shiki’s. "No wonder she managed to take down so many pirates." But the mere ability to manipulate the ocean was enough to make her nearly invincible at sea.

Salia raised her hand, then brought it down.

Under her precise control, the wave acted like a primordial beast, surging toward the Admiral standing atop the ice. Before the towering wall of water, even the three-meter-tall Kuzan looked small.

"Ara ara, that trick might work on pirates, but it won't work on a Marine," Salia said, her expression bright as she mimicked Kuzan’s tone.

Kuzan smiled knowingly. "Ara ara, don't imitate me, telekinetic lady."

Just as the wave was about to touch him, an intense, absolute cold erupted from within him, as if he meant to freeze the world itself. It met the incoming surge head-on. The surface of the wave began to freeze rapidly, frost spreading layer by layer until the water was locked in place—a spectacular, frozen sculpture.

Kuzan raised his fist toward the ice-wave sculpture and punched. With a deafening boom, the wave shattered into countless tiny shards that rained down upon the ice sheet. At the same time, the patches of ocean exposed by the earlier spears were once again sealed by a thick layer of ice, thanks to his fruit.

"So strong." Salia’s pupils trembled as she witnessed the power of an Admiral.

Truly, so strong. Whether it was the development of his Devil Fruit or his mastery of Haki, he was far superior to her.

She was filled with envy and jealousy. After just a few moves, Salia could tell she was no match for him. He was simply too strong, and he was clearly holding back. If he hadn't been, the moment she touched his cold air, she would have been frozen into a statue.

Having seen the gap between them, her desire to fight vanished. She had hoped to grind experience and improve her combat prowess, but the disparity was too vast. It was like Kid facing Shanks in the story—she would be taken out in an instant. If this were Akainu, she would have been burned to ash long ago.

*There's no point in grinding against Kuzan,* she thought. *Time to run.*

"Now, it's my turn," Kuzan said, looking up at her calmly. "Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"

Kuzan gathered cold air into his right arm and unleashed a massive ice bird with immense destructive power. Accompanied by a biting wind, the air itself froze wherever the bird passed.

Watching the ice bird soar toward her, Salia drew a sharp breath. An unprecedented sense of crisis washed over her, and her heart hammered against her ribs.

*I can't dodge this!*

Even if she didn't touch the bird directly, the cold radiating from it would surely freeze her solid!