"Admiral Aokiji, what are you doing here?"
Allen asked in a deep voice. Having recognized the man's identity, a look of solemnity and wariness inevitably surfaced in his eyes.
If he guessed correctly, Aokiji was almost certainly here for Robin. However, what he wasn't sure about was...
...whether this was Aokiji acting on his own, or if Robin's identity had been exposed and the Five Elders had sent him on a capture mission.
If it was the former, it was fine. Aokiji was unlikely to voluntarily report Robin to the World Government, which meant he wouldn't attack Allen, a Warlord of the Sea.
But if it was the latter...
Then his pirate crew's days were numbered as of today.
With his high-mobility flight capabilities, he still had a chance to escape, but the others probably wouldn't even make it a hundred meters before being instantly frozen solid.
"Recognized right away, huh? Come to think of it, the intelligence reports seemed to mention that you spent time at Headquarters... or maybe they didn't..."
Aokiji rested a hand on his head, as if genuinely trying to recall. After pondering for two seconds, he lowered his hand and said flatly,
"Never mind, I'm too lazy to remember."
"That's way too lazy!!" the crew shouted in unison.
Nami and the others glared at him fiercely, baring their sharp teeth as they angrily retorted.
"Wait a minute, did you just say Admiral?!"
Sanji looked at Allen with an astonished expression. Realizing the implication, he quickly snapped his gaze back to Aokiji.
"Could this guy be... a Marine Admiral...?!"
"What?!"
"One of the Three Admirals of Marine Headquarters, known as the World Government's highest military power?!"
Hearing this, Nami and the others instantly lost their composure. Their faces paled in shock as they hastily grabbed their weapons and assumed defensive stances.
Allen, however, raised a hand to stop them. He took a step forward and spoke to Aokiji in a deep voice,
"Why would a Marine Admiral go out of his way to cause trouble for a Warlord of the Sea? If you have something to say, just say it."
"Oh right, we're Warlords of the Sea now."
"The Marines are the World Government's military. There's no reason for them to fight us."
Nami and the others realized this and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Hearing this, Aokiji instead looked troubled. He scratched his fluffy curly hair and sighed,
"I knew this would happen. This is exactly why I don't like dealing with the Warlords of the Sea."
*Even though I can easily beat them, I'm just not allowed to fight them. Having to reason with them is such a pain.*
"But since I'm already here, I can't just make a wasted trip. There are still some things that need to be taken care of..."
As Aokiji spoke, his gaze slowly shifted toward Robin, who had been hiding silently behind Allen and the others.
It was only then that Nami and the rest noticed Robin's deathly pale face. She was covered in a cold sweat, her body trembling slightly, and her eyes were filled with absolute terror.
"Long time no see, Nico Robin."
Aokiji said in a flat tone.
Robin, however, took a panicked step back. She stumbled, tripping over her own feet, and collapsed onto the ground, her voice trembling.
"Why... how did you find us here!"
"Hey, Robin!"
"What's going on? Do you know him?"
Seeing that something was wrong, Nami and the others quickly gathered around her. While shielding Robin behind them, they stared at Aokiji with guarded eyes.
"The answer is obvious. I've been keeping an eye on you in secret ever since the Ohara incident ended."
Aokiji spoke nonchalantly. He casually sat down cross-legged on the ground, clasped his hands behind his head, leaned against a tree trunk, and said,
"Well, you don't need to be so tense. After all, even for me, starting a fight with a Warlord of the Sea would be a huge hassle. Besides..."
"...if it really came down to it, you guys wouldn't be able to stop me anyway. Anyway, just relax. I'm just on my way back to Headquarters from Water 7, and I decided to drop by and take a look."
Saying that, Aokiji's gaze left Robin and landed on Allen.
"Since you came from Headquarters, you couldn't possibly have failed to recognize that woman's identity. What I'm curious about is your purpose for keeping her on your ship. Could it be that you're also interested in the Ancient Weapons?"
"She is a member of my crew. Where else would she go if not on my ship? You're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
Allen replied in an indifferent tone.
Aokiji stared into Allen's eyes. After a moment of silence, he said,
"A few days ago, Water 7 brought destruction upon itself because of the Ancient Weapons. It was a very prosperous city, but in just half a day, it was completely reduced to ruins."
"If things like this are going to keep happening, then perhaps today, I should completely eliminate the dangerous element."
Aokiji's eyes half-narrowed, his laziness now carrying a hint of lethal danger as he spoke coldly,
"Your answer will determine my next course of action. Francis Allen, did you keep that woman on your ship to resurrect the Ancient Weapon, Pluton?"
"What a coincidence, I read the news a few days ago too. The shipwrights of Water 7 attempted to resurrect an Ancient Weapon. To maintain the peace of the seas, the World Government initiated a Buster Call, destroying those shipwrights along with the island, and successfully destroyed the blueprints for the Ancient Weapon."
Allen recited the contents of the report word for word, then gave a mocking smile and said,
"Before I answer your question, I'd like to ask you something first. The blueprints for the Ancient Weapon have been passed down for hundreds, even thousands of years. Has a second Pluton ever appeared on the seas?"
"Also, if the blueprints fell into the hands of the World Government, do you really think they would destroy them? I'm afraid it wouldn't be long before a second Pluton actually appeared on the seas."
"Finally, was it really the shipwrights attempting to resurrect the Ancient Weapon who destroyed Water 7? As the commander of the Buster Call, don't you know exactly who the real culprit is?"
Allen fired off question after question, his tone growing increasingly derisive. Finally, he said,
"I don't need your answers. Now, let me answer your question. I have no interest in Pluton, because the thing capable of overthrowing the World Government has never been some Ancient Weapon."
"...It's people! The power I seek will always and only be my own fists!"
Allen clenched his fists, his eyes resolute as he spoke.
As his words fell, the surrounding air sank into a deathly silence, so quiet that one could almost hear a heartbeat.
Sanji and the others stood with their mouths agape, too stunned to speak. Nami was so terrified that her eyes rolled back and her jaw practically hit the floor.
"Is that so? Those words put me in a very difficult position. Since you have no interest in the ancient Pluton, logically I should feel relieved, but..."
Aokiji scratched the back of his head with a troubled expression. Then, he locked eyes with Allen, his gaze gradually turning icy as a chilling aura slowly emanated from his body.
"Some of those words were a bit too unnecessary, weren't they? You really have some nerve saying all that. As an Admiral of Marine Headquarters, I can't just pretend I didn't hear your remarks."
As he spoke, Aokiji extended his palm toward the grass, frost rapidly condensing on the back of his hand.
Seeing his movement, Allen's eyes immediately darkened. He could feel the temperature of the surrounding air plummeting drastically!
In the next instant.
"Ice Age!!"
*Swish!*
Allen leaped into the air instantly, unfurling his wings behind his back!
Following Aokiji's loud shout, a shockwave of terrifyingly low temperatures suddenly erupted from his palm, reflecting in the terrified, dilated pupils of Nami and the others!
"Watch out!"
The freezing shockwave spread rapidly along the ground. Sanji hurriedly shouted a warning, but before anyone could react, the blast swept over them all in a flash!
*Boom!*
The shockwave kicked up a ring of white, condensing mist. In a mere fraction of a second, bone-chilling cold filled the entire surrounding space.
Sanji, Nami, Gin...
Everyone's bodies were covered in a layer of frost. Frozen mid-escape with expressions of panic still etched on their faces, they stood completely motionless, their bodies entirely turned into ice sculptures!