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Chapter 15

Fire and Ice

We docked at the next island we came across in order to stock up on our dwindling supplies. After a brief run-in with those annoying guys from the Foxy Pirates (spirits I hate those guys), we all set out into the forest to gather food, wood, and any other useful supplies that we might find scattered around.

Following Chopper who had rushed off ahead for some reason, we came upon a very tall man with an afro in the middle of a clearing. He looked like a lazy bum, but I could feel a crazy amount of power coming off of him. This guy was strong. My thoughts were confirmed when Robin fell flat on her butt and started gasping like she couldn't breathe. While the rest of the crew turned to console her and find out what was wrong with her, Zoro and I put our guards on high alert. His hands fell upon the hilt of the Wado blade while I sank into a deep horse stance and readied my fists for a fight.

The man held up his hands and said he wasn't here under orders. Zoro's hands tightened on his katana. "Orders? Whose orders? Who do you work for?"

My ears barely registered the words that came out of Robin's mouth, but I heard it all the same. "The Marines. He is the most powerful force of the World Government. Marine headquarters Admiral… Aokiji." My eyes widened. This guy is an Admiral? How crazy strong must he be then? Robin continued her explanation as if in a trance. "Within the Marines, only three men currently hold the rank of Admiral – Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru. The only man they answer to is the head of the Marines, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. They are the most powerful combat force of the World Government. And he's one of them!"

Ussop's scared voice asked the question we were all thinking. "W-What does he want with us!? Why isn't he out catching some big-shot bounty pirate instead? G-g-get going!" When the Admiral turned to regard him, Ussop lowered his voice and politely added a "P-P-Please."

Then Aokiji did something that through me and the rest of the crew for a loop, he started hitting on Nami. After commenting on her, er, voluptuous breats, he asked her out on a date which made him an instant enemy in Sanji's eyes. As for myself, I found it hard to believe that this guy was actually an Admiral. He was so carefree and easygoing; his motto was even 'Lazy Justice.' He only further enhanced the motto by stopping our conversation midway just so that he could lay down since he was feeling 'tired.'

After getting comfy on the ground, he explained that he only came to confirm that Nico Robin had left Arabasta, but that he would submit the report sometime later when he felt like it. He closed his eyes and I was sure that he had actually dozed off for a second.

Shouting and scuffling caused me to turn to look at a riled up Luffy who was being held back by Ussop and Sanji. Luffy screamed that he was going to kick this guy's ass for trying to take Robin away, to which Aokiji responded by saying that he wasn't going to do anything of the sort. A loud snore emitted from the Admiral in spite of Luffy's constant shouting.

Movement came from the forest behind and a large group of scraggly looking people exited its confines. It was soon found out that they were the remnants of a shipwreck which had left them stranded on this island for nearly a month. Chopper set to work diagnosing the castaways while Sanji whipped together some food to help bring their strength back. Everyone was busy working on helping out the castaways that the Admiral was nearly forgotten.

But not by Robin.

She had yet to move from her spot on the ground, still frozen in shock which was so strange for me to see. She always seemed to be so composed and sure of herself, yet one glance at Aokiji had rattled her to this extent.

After the castaways had eaten their fill, Aokiji told them to gather their stuff and get ready to leave. He explained that there was an inhabited island close by and that he would help them to get there.

Hearing Aokiji, Luffy threw a fit. "Oi, you guys, don't listen to what he says! He's a Marine!"

Absolute silence filled the air for a full ten seconds before one of the stranded men asked Luffy what was so wrong with that.

With his mouth wide open, Luffy seemed to realize the stupidity of his statement. "Ah, right! Right! Yeah, yeah! That's right! Usually the Marines are the good guys and we're the bad guys! Ahahaha!"

With all of their things gathered, everyone headed out to the coast of the island. I was doubtful of how Aokiji could help them reach the next island without a ship, that is, until he showed off his power. Kneeling at the edge of the shoreline, the Marine Admiral placed one hand into the water. A giant sea monster emerged from the depths and rushed toward Aokiji, who was unperturbed.

"Ice Age."

With those two simple words, both the sea monster and the ocean itself were frozen solid in a coat of thick ice. He had created a platform of ice over the sea, most likely reaching out all the way to the next island.

No way!

With smiles on their faces, the formerly stranded shipwrecked people waved goodbye and thanked us for the food. They thanked Aokiji, who waved back awkwardly, as well. In minutes, they were gone over the horizon of the frozen sea. With that taken care of, the crew began walking back where we came from.

When we reached the middle of the island once again, Aokiji was sitting there waiting for us. He scratched his head and commented that Luffy was the splitting image of his grandfather. At the mention of his grandpa, Luffy started sweating bullets and looked nervous for some reason.

Then shit got real.

Looking at us straight in the eye, he asked us if we were ready to die. "The Government still doesn't consider you a threat, but based on your past encounters, we know you can be a formidable crew. You may be few in number, but you will become trouble all too soon. Given the circumstances surrounding your initial bounty, you're numerous daring exploits, as well as the speed at which you are gaining strength… I've fought tons of pirates and outlaws for many years, but you guys honestly scare the shit out of me."

Ussop tried to persuade the Admiral into thinking that we weren't all that dangerous at all, but he wasn't having any of it.

"And the one I regard as the most dangerous of all is you, Nico Robin. The size of her bounty doesn't simply reflect her strength, but also the size of the threat she poses to the World Government. That's why a 79 million beli bounty was placed on her head at the age of eight."

The stance I had taken when Aokiji started talking wavered as I processed this new bit of information.

So young.

He went on to say that she betrayed and used and did all sorts of horrible things to everyone she met, and that she would do the same to us sooner or later. Studying Robin closely, I saw her shake with each horrible accusation, but when he mentioned how she would betray us too, her form went still. Her eyes widened and I could see her mouth trying to form the words to protest, but nothing came out. Steeling myself with conviction, I voiced my defense of her. She twitched, as if surprised that someone would come to her defense. Soon, the rest of the crew had each voiced their own defense for her. Her lips quivered and her eyes threatened to spill over with tears at our unwavering support for our nakama.

Nakama. Friends. To think I would ever use that term.

"I see." Aokiji looked Robin straight in the eyes. "The poor fools don't suspect a thing, do they?"

Robin snapped. Placing her arms on each side of her chest in her usual attack position, she prepared herself to attack the Marine Admiral. "What do you want!? If you want to arrest me, then why not just do it!? Treinta Fleurs!" Thirty flowers sprouted all along Aokiji's body and on the surrounding ground. Grasping him tightly, Robin screamed, "CLUTCH!"

I didn't know what to think when the Admiral broke apart like the shatter of ice and seemingly disintegrated into thin air. With wide eyes and an open mouth, I watched in horrified fascination as the Admiral reformed from the rubble.

"Ice Sabre."

With his ice powers, Aokiji created a thin sword and swung at Robin only to be blocked by the blade of Zoro's Wado Ichimonji. A well placed kick from Sanji knocked the ice sword out of the Admiral's hands. Luffy moved in to attack as well. In something akin to slow motion, I saw Aokiji grip Sanji's leg and Zoro's arm, holding them tight. When Luffy punched his stomach, his arm was frozen solid along with Sanji's leg and Zoro's arm. The three fell to the ground writhing in pain from the ice cold attack.

Panic ensued as everyone was dumbstruck in the face of the power of a Marine Admiral. Nami urged Robin to run, as he was primarily after her.

"You have some loyal nakama. However, you will never change, Nico Robin."

She looked like she wanted to protest, but a silent war seemed to be playing out in her head. Past memories and experiences no doubt playing out, all showing a pattern that had been repeated for all these years.

Her shocked state left her unable to move or avoid Aokiji's attack. Mortified, I watched Robin completely engulfed in ice. Within seconds, she was frozen solid, her face still contorted in doubt and fear.

"ROBIN!"

Anger began to course through my veins. I can't feel her energy signature! For a second I thought she was dead, that this afro-headed bastard had frozen her to death. I was relieved when he revealed that she was still alive, but the look on his face when he mentioned how fragile she was in this state made my blood boil.

With a burst of speed Luffy grabbed her frozen form before Aokiji could shatter her. Snatching her from his hands, Ussop saved her from yet another blow and carried her over to where Nami and I were standing. At Luffy's urging, Ussop, Chopper and I carried her towards the ship to get her away from the Marine Admiral. I didn't want to go and leave Luffy to face the ice bastard by himself, but Robin came first at the moment. She needed to be thawed out fast to protect her from and subsequent attacks and I alone held the power to make that happen.

However, I didn't want to leave the fight completely. Stopping Ussop about halfway towards the ship, I ordered him to put her down gently on the grass and step back. Leaning over her, I placed my hands on her midsection and focused on heating the ice. Too little and we could be here all day, too much and I ran the risk of injuring her. These next few moments would be crucial and I couldn't afford to make even one mistake.

Steam hissed into the air as the ice began to slowly melt. Relieved, I began to move my hands up and down and around her body, focused only on reviving her. I was nearly done when Sanji and Zoro and Nami came sprinting towards us. Shocked that we were still here, Nami demanded to know why we weren't doing this on the ship.

At this point Robin had been completely thawed from the ice, but she still lay unconscious from the ordeal. Despite the fire I had used to warm her up, she was still shivering. Placing one hand under her shirt and over her stomach and the other hand on her skin just below her neck, I transferred more heat into her body. Closing my eyes, I also discovered that I could give her energy as well, though it came from my own reserves.

Satisfied that her life was no longer in danger, I told the rest to take her back to the ship and look after her. I turned to face the area we had just come from, visualizing Luffy still locked in battle with the Admiral bastard. Remembering what he did to Robin and how he had threatened us, I clenched my fists. I turned to face Zoro and Sanji still bore froze limbs from the Admiral's initial attack. "Zoro, Sanji. You two are going to have to thaw yourselves out. I'm the only one that can defend against him. I've got to help Luffy."

They both nodded at me and took over towards the ship, trailing after Ussop and Chopper who were carrying Robin along, as well as Nami. With my resolve strengthened, I dashed off to help my Captain.

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I reached the clearing just in time. Luffy was frozen solid much like Robin was and the Admiral had his foot raised as if he were about to smash him into a thousand pieces. I wasn't about to let that happen.

With a battle cry I lurched forward with my fist cocked back and ready. I doubt he was expecting what came next, because when I punched his side as hard as I could, his eyes went wide with panic and confusion the moment he saw the flames exit my fist and engulf his ice.

He skidded back a few steps and looked at me with alert eyes. Gone was the lazy Marine that looked like he would fall asleep at any moment. In his place stood an Admiral that had experienced a lot of shit in his life. His eyes locked on mine and I saw him tense his shoulders.

"Oi, you. What the hell did you do? The only one that should be able to wield flames like those is Portgas D. Ace. So who the hell are you?"

Ace? Luffy's brother?

"My name is Zuko." I dropped into a wide stance with one arm in front with the palm facing out and my other arm cocked back and clenched, waiting to strike. "And that's my Captain you're attacking."

He watched me like a hawk, regarding me with icy cool eyes. "You must be new to the Straw Hats, then." He straightened to his full height and looked down at me. "Though I am interested in that ability of yours. Which devil fruit is it?"

I smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know." Like the snap of a whip I sprang into action, launching a torrent of fire at the ice-man. His ice blocked my attack and still stood strong even after the significant amount of heat from my flames. Scowling, I upped the power and heat behind each of my flames.

"Ice Block, Pheasant Beak!" A large bird of ice formed in the air and shot towards me like a bullet. With a battle cry I brought both my hands together and began to charge my flames. When I felt the energy built up was satisfactory enough, I thrust them both forward and unleashed a bright comet of fire. The power of my makeshift comet collided with his ice and shattered it into pieces. Steam covered the area between us and provided a smokescreen for Aokiji to send large spears of ice hurtling towards me. With a desperate dive that ended in a roll, I spun my legs around and sent a wave of fire in response.

Minutes passed by in much of the same pattern. I would attack him, he would defend, and then he'd send a wave of ice right back at me in retaliation to which I would disintegrate in a burst of fire. Neither one of us seemed to have the upper-hand, or so I thought. I'll admit it, I got arrogant. It felt good to be holding my own against one of the supposedly strongest men in the world, but I was a fool to think that my current power and skills could possibly hope to match those of a Marine Admiral with several decades more of experience.

I blocked another shard of ice, but cried out in pain when a stray shard managed to bury itself in my left shoulder. Looking up, my eyes widened in fear as a large amount of ice shards, blocks and spikes descended from the sky and fell like hail towards my still form. With my guard lowered after fighting the match to a stalemate thus far, I was unprepared for the sudden increase in attacks and struggled to defend myself against the sheer amount and power behind them. So focused on the immediate danger from above I forgot about the bigger danger below and only realized too late when Aokiji was behind me that I was in some serious shit.

"You did good, kid. But you're still a longs ways away from my level."

His hands fell upon my shoulder and ice engulfed me, slowly at first, and then increasingly faster until my entire body was covered in ice just as Robin's had been just moments before.

"To think a kid like you would be able to stand against me for as long as you did. Well, I wasn't going all out myself but it's the thought that counts, or something like that. Is that right? Oh well, whatever."

Aokiji turned to walk away, but stopped in his tracks when he felt the heat in the air rise significantly. With wide eyes he turned back and saw the steam rise from my ice-covered body.

With a shout, I unleashed an explosion of fire and heat that vaporized the ice and freed me from my icy state. "I'm not done yet!" Circling my arm, I set to work separating the energies around me. With a calm, and focused mind I felt the static build up and sparks of electricity began to appear on my arms. With a roar, I unleashed the lightning at Aokiji who created a wall of ice in front of him to try and defend against the lightning. His attempts did little good as the lightning tore a hole through the ice and shot straight into his heart. The resulting shockwave of the collision shattered his body and he dispersed into a pile of ice shards on the ground.

I stood my ground with my fists at the ready as I watched him reform his body for the second time that day. The others had said something about it being because he had a 'logia' type, whatever that means.

When he was fully formed, he glared at me with wary eyes. "So it's not just fire, but lightning as well? Kozou, you sure are making my life difficult."

I glared back. "So sorry for putting you through all the trouble."

He scratched his head and sighed. "Somehow, I don't think you really mean that." He looked back up at me and narrowed his eyes. "This has gone on far too long. Busoshoku… haki."

I tensed my body to ready myself for whatever technique he was going to do next, but I was caught off guard when his hand turned pitch black.

"Soru."

With a speed that I had never experienced before in my life, I was hit in the stomach by his darkened hand in the flash of an instant. One second he had been twenty feet away on the other side of the clearing, and the next he was burying a devastating blow to my midsection. Time slowed as I felt my ribs crack and snap, spit mixed with blood flying from my mouth. I was sent hurtling back about fifteen yards before my back crashed into the trunk of a large oak tree. My vision blurred as Aokiji slowly walked towards my shaking form. Fear settled in and I tried to move away, but my body was done with listening to me for the day. Helpless, I watched the ice form on his fingertips.

"Zuko, huh? I'll remember your name."

My eyes shut before I could process my body turning into ice for the second time that day and I fell into a deep, cold sleep.

-X-

Aokiji looked upon the frozen form of the boy he had beaten, contemplating what to do next. It would be so easy now to end him right here and now. One kick and he would shatter like glass. Aokiji was no fool. He knew the potential that this boy had. Given a few years, this kid could become a real monster and a giant thorn in the side of the World Government. But he was torn. Judging by the scar that covered half the boy's face, he could tell he hadn't had an easy life. Aokiji was not a soft man, but he wasn't heartless either.

Also, there was something else. The boy fought with a mix of martial arts mixed together with fire and even lightning. The fact that he could use fire bothered him. Only one devil fruit could exist at any one time, and Ace had the Mera-Mera fruit. The only one that should be able to manipulate flames to that degree should be him. And yet this kid managed to control them with ease and even managed to generate lightning. There was the possibility that he had some sort of energy fruit or even a Mythical Zoan type fruit that was affiliated with the two elemental powers, but the Admiral was doubtful on the thought. For one thing, he had never heard of such a fruit ever existing. However, the major thing that concerned him was that he didn't feel like most devil-fruit users.

"To think that a monster like you could exist in this world. The seas sure are vast." With his coat draped over his shoulder, the Marine Admiral began to walk away, leaving the two frozen figures behind. "Ah, I used up too much energy today. I should stop for a nap on my way back to headquarters."

Author's Notes:

So I'm skipping over the Foxy arc. I didn't really care too much about it and didn't feel like writing about it. I don't want to just copy and past the same scenes from the show, but I did want to put in a short battle between Zuko and Aokiji, as well as lead in to the Water 7 arc, which just so happens to be one of my favorite, if not my favorite, arc. Things will start to deviate around the middle and the end. Hope you enjoy it!

Piterio: Yeah, I figured that as well.

TexasBean: Right? I feel like I'm reliving the show all over again as I write it. It's got that great nostalgic feeling.

RedHerring1412: Yeah, Zuko may be arrogant at times, but at least he knows not to underestimate someone because of their gender.

Ryujin Zangetsu 17: Thanks, I can't wait to write more about the two.

random person: Thanks! Glad you enjoy it!