Near Banana Island.

The pirates on the ice had all been led away by the Gifters, heading toward Whole Cake Island.

Linlin tossed Redfield and Gin at King's feet, ordering him and Queen to leave first and return to Whole Cake Island to receive and pacify the pirates.

BOOM!

A massive golden fist smashed into Kaido's face, sending his towering body crashing deep into Banana Island's rocky terrain.

Dirt and shattered stone were pulverized into fine powder, scattering like loose flour.

"Ice Storm!!"

Aokiji exhaled a freezing gale, instantly crystallizing the moisture in the air and encasing Caesar's punching arm in ice.

"Ice Ball!"

He then spread his palm, releasing a waterfall of freezing air that rapidly thickened the ice around Caesar, nearly encasing him in a miniature iceberg.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Yet no matter how much Aokiji reinforced the ice, the sound of fracturing continued to echo clearly.

Thick fissures spiderwebbed across the frozen surface, spreading rapidly.

Aokiji frowned, realizing just how troublesome this was—his ice couldn't restrain Caesar's movements at all.

'His strength was already monstrous before, but now that he's lost control, it's multiplied several times over. My ice can't hold him anymore.'

BOOM!

The thought had barely formed when Caesar's fist, covered in golden bone spikes, shattered the ice layer.

His massive, mountain-like body crashed through the iceberg, leaving a golden afterimage as he charged toward Aokiji.

"Ice Mirror: Phantom Reflection!"

Aokiji suddenly pressed a palm against the ground, releasing a surge of icy energy.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of ice mirrors formed, encircling Caesar's body.

Instantly, multiple reflections of Caesar appeared on the mirrored surfaces.

Strangely, the reflections of Caesar in the ice mirrors began moving independently, each displaying different expressions.

Some were ferocious, some wore eerie smiles, and others wailed like a drunken Kaido.

The frenzied Caesar halted, seemingly bewildered as he stared at the distorted versions of himself in the surrounding mirrors.

Then, a chilling scene unfolded.

From one of the mirrors behind Caesar, the smiling reflection suddenly contorted its face—and lunged out of the mirror.

A massive golden fist, identical to Caesar's own, smashed down toward the back of his skull.

BOOM!

The unexpected blow sent Caesar stumbling forward.

This strike triggered a chain reaction.

From the other thirty-one mirrors, reflections with varying expressions burst forth, each throwing relentless punches at Caesar.

"ROAR!"

Caesar bellowed in fury, swinging his fist and shattering seven or eight mirror clones.

Shards of ice rained down—these doppelgängers were nothing more than frozen constructs.

Kuzan watched as Caesar, temporarily trapped by the ice mirrors, wildly lashed out.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

Every time Caesar destroyed some clones, the shattered ice would vanish into the ground—only for new reflections to emerge from the mirrors and resume their assault.

"Hah… It's working. It seems that in his frenzied state, Caesar has lost some rationality. Though his physical strength and Haki have multiplied, he can't utilize them effectively. Instead, this mindless fighting style will eventually exhaust him, leaving him wide open for a fatal strike!"

A dangerous glint flashed in Aokiji's eyes as his body suddenly collapsed, melting into a puddle of ice.

Caesar, lost in his madness, was like a perpetual motion machine—his endless strength fueling each devastating strike, obliterating a dozen clones with every punch.

Then, one of the attacking clones suddenly shifted.

Its stiff expression turned cunning, a sinister smirk forming as a pitch-black ice spear materialized in its grip.

Compressed to its limits, its hardness and sharpness rivaled that of a high-grade sword.

"Ice Spear!"

Coated in powerful Armament Haki, the black-glowing spear radiated a menacing aura, starkly different from the other thirty-one ice clones.

Hidden within the ice mirrors, Aokiji's cold eyes locked onto Caesar's every move.

'Caesar, although I agreed to work for you in exchange for Zephyr's safety, your strength is simply terrifying. To single-handedly severely injure both Blackbeard and Red Hair—such combat power is beyond comprehension.'

'I don't know if Zephyr has returned safely yet. Regardless, a monster like you cannot be allowed to exist. Forgive me, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I must seize.'

Aokiji thought to himself, keeping a close watch on Caesar's movements.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Despite his madness, Caesar still possessed terrifying instincts.

The ice clones Aokiji continuously created—dozens of perfect replicas of Caesar—swarmed around him.

Though they lacked real combat power, every time a dozen were shattered, Aokiji swiftly replaced them.

Seeing the unrelenting numbers around him, Caesar's eyes burned crimson with rage, his fury threatening to consume him.

"ROAR!"

Caesar threw back his golden avian head and unleashed a deafening roar.

The overwhelming shockwave blasted outward, pulverizing the surrounding ice clones.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The sonic vibrations shattered the frozen replicas—all thirty-one destroyed in an instant.

Caesar paused, a savage grin twisting his face as the surging Haki around him receded, even his Armament Haki armor vanishing.

"Now!" Aokiji's eyes flashed with cold determination.

His body blurred as he silently emerged from an ice mirror, his black ice spear plunging like lightning into Caesar's gaping maw.

"Kuzan! What are you doing?!"

From beneath the ground, Kaido spat blood, his towering frame covered in massive fist-shaped craters.

His body had been battered into this state after just a brief clash with Caesar's berserk onslaught.

Kaido had noticed earlier that the frenzied Caesar had been trapped in an endless loop by Aokiji's strange tactics.

Exhausted, Kaido had planned to stay underground and recover while Caesar wore himself out further—until he spotted Aokiji's odd behavior.

The moment Aokiji silently thrust his black ice spear, Kaido erupted in fury, realizing the admiral's true goal: to exploit Caesar's madness and Kaido's injuries to deliver a killing blow!

"Die, Caesar!"

-----------------------------

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