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"Logan."
Aokiji's gaze fell on him, eyes glinting with quiet curiosity.
Until now, he hadn't given Logan much thought.Whether Logan was the so-called heir of the Golden Lion or the man who killed Crocodile, none of that interested him.
Until he saw Robin.
"Aokiji! You just passing by, or are you here for us specifically?!" Logan called out with an easy grin.
Though they stood on opposite sides, Logan actually had a pretty good impression of the lazy admiral—one of the few Marines he didn't mind.
Aokiji blinked in surprise.
He knew Logan's identity, yet the kid could still act so calm and casual?Were rookie pirates these days all this bold?
"Of course, I'm here to take you back in," Aokiji replied, his tone returning to its usual lazy drawl as his eyes flicked to Robin.
Robin's pupils contracted, her face draining of color.If Aokiji brought her back to the World Government, she knew what fate awaited her.
"Aokiji…"
"Robin!!" Nami clenched her fists and instinctively stepped in front of her, saying in a low, steady voice, "Trust Logan. He'd never leave a crewmate behind."
"That's right, Robin!" Kaya said firmly, lifting her little chin with resolve. "We won't let anyone take you away!"
She wasn't just a pretty face anymore.
Robin's heart warmed. Even faced with a Marine Admiral, they were all still protecting her.
Logan gently took Robin's hand, offering a soft, reassuring smile. "Don't worry. None of you will be hurt."
"Nami, take everyone back to the ship. I'll catch up soon."
"Logan, let me help you fight him!"
"Me too!"
"And us!"
"..."
Nami refused to back down, standing firmly at Logan's side, and the others followed her lead—over a dozen pale, graceful arms darkening with Armament Haki.
Logan couldn't help but smile to himself. Didn't raise them wrong, that's for sure.
Unfortunately, their opponent this time was Aokiji. Numbers wouldn't mean much here.Even Nami—the strongest among them—was still a few leagues below the admiral's level.
"Nami. Take them and go," Logan said again, his tone more serious this time.
Nami bit her lip, giving him one last complicated look before summoning her cloud island. She and the others lifted off into the sky.
Aokiji didn't stop them—he just watched, letting them go.
Logan chuckled. "You never planned on taking Robin back, did you?"
Aokiji's gaze flicked up at the departing cloud island. "As long as I bring you in, the rest aren't much of a threat."
Still pretending, huh?
Aokiji—mouth says one thing, heart says another.
"Well, I've been itching for a good fight anyway," Logan said with a grin. "How about we spar a little, just to see how we match up?"
He could teleport away right now if he wanted.
But always running wasn't the answer.
Once he reached the New World, if he wanted to take on the major forces—or win over the powerful women at their centers—he'd have to face the Admirals and Yonko head-on.
Only by fighting could he master all his powers.
He wanted to know—just how far was he from an Admiral right now?
Aokiji would be the perfect test.
The Admiral sighed inwardly. Young and cocky. Has no idea what he's asking for.
A spar?
One move and you're toast.
"Logan, time to pay for that arrogance!"
"Ice Sword!"
A surge of freezing cold exploded from Aokiji's body, spreading like a blizzard tearing through the sea.
Crack!
Crack!
The frost swept outward, freezing pirate ships one after another into solid ice.
Aokiji crossed his arms, watching Logan patiently.
Since becoming an Admiral, he'd caught dozens of pirates just like this one.
Defeating Crocodile meant the kid had some skill—but nowhere near enough.
"Ice powers, huh…" Logan muttered, feeling the temperature plummet.
No doubt about it—this was a large-scale AOE. Typical Admiral.
But then—
Rumble!
"Huh?!"
Just when Aokiji thought he'd frozen the kid solid, his eyes widened.
Silver-white lightning danced wildly around Logan's body, crackling with power.
"Lightning?!"
Aokiji rubbed his forehead. "Man… the Marines really don't have enough intel on you."
Just a second ago, he thought Logan was a cloud-based Devil Fruit user.
But lightning? That was a whole different story.
"Better late than never," Logan grinned.
"Guess I'll have to get serious now. Ice Ball!"
Five long icicles shot from Aokiji's palms like bullets, slicing through the air so fast they froze it in their wake.
"Thunder Strike!"
Logan thrust out his hand, Observation Haki locking precisely onto the incoming attack. A blinding flash of silver thunder crashed against the icicles.
They shattered in midair with explosive force, shards of ice raining down.
"Hahahaha! My turn!!"
Logan laughed, compressing the lightning around him until it hummed with dense power. Armament Haki coated his chest as he gathered it all into a single, blinding point.
"Aokiji! Try this—Divine Lightning Ray!"
BOOM!
A blinding beam of lightning ripped through the air, so bright the world seemed to dim around it.
Aokiji's eyes widened—his Observation Haki screamed danger.
"Freezing Pheasant Beak!!"
Reacting instantly, he unleashed a burst of cold from his chest, shaping it into a massive ice bird that shot forward with a thunderous cry.
It slammed into the lightning beam midair, ice and thunder colliding in a violent explosion.
BOOM!!
RRAAAHHH!!
The sound shook the sky as lightning tore at the ice bird, while the bird clawed and devoured the thunder in return.
For a few long seconds, they clashed evenly—then both attacks fizzled out, cancelling each other.
Logan's face remained calm, but inside, he was frowning.
His lightning was supposed to counter ice perfectly—and Divine Lightning Ray was one of his finishing moves. They should not have been evenly matched.
Only one explanation: his Haki was still too weak.He'd reached the intermediate level, sure, but compared to Aokiji's decades of mastery, he was still behind.
Kaiser's words echoed in his head: In the end, everything comes down to Haki.
He sighed internally.So many abilities, and it all still came back to that.
Until he mastered internal destruction with Armament Haki—and Conqueror's coating—he couldn't truly threaten monsters like Aokiji.
Sensing Logan's fading battle intent, Aokiji frowned slightly.
Already giving up? I haven't even warmed up yet.
"Logan, planning to surrender already?" Aokiji asked, stepping forward.
Logan gave a small, amused smile. "Aokiji, if I wanted to leave, there's nothing you could do to stop me."
Then, meeting the Admiral's gaze, his tone softened. "Besides… we're not enemies."
"See ya."
And with that, Logan vanished without a trace.
Aokiji blinked, looking up just in time to see the airship streak across the sky and disappear beyond the horizon.
"Ahh… looks like I failed the mission again," he muttered, scratching his head awkwardly.
Guy just walked off like that—didn't even treat a Marine Admiral like a threat.
But remembering that burst of speed, Aokiji frowned again.
That instant acceleration—it was faster than Kizaru's light. Ridiculous.
"Rookies these days…" he sighed. "Way too overpowered."
With a weary sigh, he pulled out his Den Den Mushi and dialed Sengoku.
"…Gonna get yelled at again."
At Marine Headquarters, inside the conference room.
"What did you just say?! Logan escaped?!"
As Aokiji's report came through the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku's face darkened instantly.
He'd been planning to congratulate Aokiji, and now this? Logan got away?
"A Marine Admiral letting Logan slip through his fingers—aren't you afraid the whole world will laugh at you?" Sengoku's voice thundered, filled with fury.
The Den Den Mushi, mimicking Aokiji's lazy expression perfectly, raised its tiny hands and said, "Easy, Fleet Admiral, just hear me out first..."
Then Aokiji calmly explained everything Logan had done in their fight.
"Lightning powers? And his speed burst was even faster than Kizaru's?" Sengoku froze in shock.
As a Marine Admiral, Aokiji wouldn't lie—meaning everything they'd believed about Logan was completely wrong!
Sengoku rubbed his temples in frustration. What's the intel division even doing all day?!
"Ohh, that makes sense now." The gathered Vice Admirals nodded in sudden realization.
They'd wondered from the start—how could someone with a cloud fruit have possibly defeated Crocodile?
But if it was lightning... well, that explained a lot.
After all, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was said to be the most destructive among all Logia-type Devil Fruits.
"Aokiji, where are Logan and his crew headed now?!" Sengoku demanded.
Aokiji blinked. The Den Den Mushi shook its head. "Fleet Admiral, all I saw was their ship flying off in the general direction of Enies Lobby, but—"
"Enies Lobby?!"
Sengoku's heart dropped.
Don't tell me he's going there for revenge!
He couldn't take that chance.
"Kizaru, Garp—take a few Vice Admirals and head for Enies Lobby immediately," Sengoku ordered, his tone sharp as a blade. "If Logan doesn't show up, fine. But if he does—I want him brought back, no matter what."
He paused, eyes narrowing. "And if you fail again... you both know the consequences."
As he said that, his gaze lingered on Kizaru.
That guy had a habit of slacking off during missions.
Garp, though—Sengoku wasn't worried about him. That old man had a personal grudge against Logan by now.
Realizing how serious the situation was, Kizaru dropped his usual lazy smirk and nodded firmly. "Understood, Fleet Admiral. Consider it done."
Admiral Kizaru—officially online.
"Hahaha! Sengoku, just sit tight. If I run into that brat, I'll drag him back myself!" Garp laughed heartily, smashing his fists together.
Sengoku nodded. There wasn't a soul on the seas who could stand against Kizaru and Garp working together.
In fact, he almost hoped Logan really was headed to Enies Lobby—then they could end this in one decisive strike.
"Aokiji, you're going too. Once it's done, come back with them."
"Got it."
—
In Water 7, Aokiji hung up the Den Den Mushi and sighed helplessly.
"Here we go again... another day in the life of a miserable salaryman."
If Logan really was going to Enies Lobby, there was only one possible outcome—he'd end up locked away in Impel Down, the impenetrable prison.
Wait—Robin.
Aokiji smacked his forehead, grabbed his bike, and pedaled furiously toward Enies Lobby.
—
Meanwhile, on Logan's ship—exactly as planned, their next destination was Enies Lobby.
When Logan landed back on deck, the women immediately swarmed him.
"Logan! Are you okay?!" Vivi circled him worriedly, checking for injuries.
"An Admiral showed up—I thought my heart was gonna stop," Makino said, patting her chest in lingering fear.
Nami exhaled in relief. "As long as you're back, that's all that matters."
She might act tough and tease him all the time, but at this point, she couldn't imagine life without him.
"Captain, Aokiji didn't hurt you, did he?" Robin asked softly, guilt flickering in her eyes.
It was all because of her.
"I'm fine, don't worry." Logan smiled reassuringly.
In fact, ever since meeting Robin, he'd felt that Aokiji's hostility toward him had lessened.
"You girls get some rest. I'll go check on Kalifa."
With that, Logan headed toward the cabin where Kalifa was being held.
"You perverted creep, let me go already!!" Kalifa shouted angrily, struggling against the cloud chains that had left marks on her wrists.
Logan ignored her outburst and walked right up to her, forming a glowing mark in his palm—a slave seal.
He didn't have time to negotiate with every agent of the Navy and World Government.
The seal was fast, simple, and effective.
"W-What are you doing?!" Kalifa's eyes widened in panic as Logan pressed his hand to her forehead with practiced ease.
Having done this once before, the process went smoothly.
Kalifa wasn't as strong as the last target, so after a brief flicker of resistance, her eyes darkened for a moment before returning to normal—clear and calm.
"Captain, aren't you going to let me out already? How long do you plan to keep me locked up?" Her voice turned soft and sultry, her gaze filled with faint resentment.
After all that time locked away, not a trace of pity from him!
Wait... why wasn't she even angry anymore?
Every time she looked at Logan now, all she felt was obedience—and a strange desire to serve.
[Congratulations, Host! Crew member Kalifa successfully recruited. Claim reward?]
As Logan released the cloud chains, he silently answered in his mind: Claim.
[Reward: Personal Power Boost—Armament Haki: Internal Destruction.]
"Huh?" Logan blinked.
Was the system... spying on his fight with Aokiji just now?
Whatever he thought of, it just gave him?
Not "say it and it happens," but think it and it happens!
If he'd known, he would've stayed to fight Aokiji a little longer!
As the message faded, a rush of power surged through his body, flowing into every muscle and bone.
It felt like something long-dormant inside him had finally awakened.
"Captain? What are you spacing out for?" Kalifa waved a delicate hand in front of his face.
Logan didn't react—his focus was elsewhere.
Following his gaze downward, she realized exactly where he was looking...
Kalifa's face turned red. "Y-You... you pervert!"
Was this really her new captain? So shameless!
Logan almost coughed blood. He wasn't looking! He was feeling the energy inside his body, not staring at her chest!
When the strange power finally settled, Logan raised his right arm and focused.
A red, flowing aura appeared over his skin.
"...Ryuo?" he murmured.
That was the Wano term for it—but in truth, it was Armament Haki's internal destruction form.
Stronger. Deadlier.
With this power, even against someone like Aokiji, he'd have options now.
Before, he might not lose—but winning had been another matter.
Logan tilted Kalifa's chin up, smirking. "You've actually surprised me, Kalifa."
Her face flushed. "Captain, that's harassment!"
"Go take a shower. Then wait for me in your room," Logan said casually, vanishing a second later as lightning flashed.
He reappeared high above, staring down at the island below.
Enies Lobby.
They'd arrived.
"....."