Aokiji Appears, Freezing the Sea (Canon Plot, Skip If You Dislike)

"Straw Hat Kid, I'll remember you!"

"We will remember this humiliation for the rest of our lives—"

"We will be back..."

A classic example of a defeated dog's bark.

No need to remember it, you'll probably have to 'carry' this symbol for the rest of your lives.

Watching the resentful Fox Pirates depart, Roman stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Although it's a disgrace for the Fox Pirates to be currently displaying an abstract fox pirate flag drawn by Luffy, once Luffy reigns supreme in the New World as one of the 'Yonko,' no one will dare to laugh at his personally drawn pirate flag anymore.

Back then, this was a real 'honor,' even though the fox looked like a kindergarten doodle of a cat...

"Hahaha, what a great celebration!"

For the Straw Hat crew, the so-called brutal game, Davy Back Fight, is nothing more than a casual activity, not even a warm-up. With the Straw Hat crew's current strength, defeating the entire Fox Pirates is just a matter of time.

"I never imagined we'd all become so much stronger!"

Finally encountering a group of 'ordinary people' Nami a more accurate assessment of her team's strength. After all, the opponents they had faced before were all—

"By the way, sir."

Only one family remains on the island: the old man who was stranded because of his stilt-walking, and his horse. This island, along with a ring of nearby islands, forms an island chain, and every year they migrate when the tide recedes and the islands connect.

"How about we build you a big wooden boat so you can catch up with your companions—?"

!!

"Who are you?"

Just as everyone turned around, they discovered a tall figure standing right behind them!

He was a tall man, wearing a white vest, a dark blue shirt, and white trousers. He had medium-length, wavy black hair and wore a green eye patch, as if he were:

(￣o￣). z Z

"Who are you?!"

"Has he always been here...?"

That's amazing!

Roman was also surprised, even though his scout paper bird had been circling around them the whole time. He had no idea when the other party had appeared behind them.

In other words, if they were enemies, the Straw Hat crew would all be dead by now.

"Well?"

As the tall man pulled off his blindfold, an unforgettable face appeared before Robin, causing her legs to buckle and she to collapse to the ground! Her usual elegant smile vanished, replaced by utter shock!

And despair.

"Oh my, you've grown into such a beautiful young woman."

The newcomer calmly looked at the intelligent-looking woman sitting on the grass, his face expressionless.

Nicole Robin.

!?

"You... how did you get here...?"

This face is an absolute nightmare for Robin! It's the face that 'murdered' her only childhood friend, destroyed her hometown, and is the demon that looms over her like a cat playing with Rat... (Robin's perspective)

"Robin, who is this guy? Do you guys know him?"

Luffy, who instinctively Luffy between the two, asked.

"We knew each other before,"

Before Robin could speak, the tall man answered on his own. —The only person who could make Robin's legs go weak and her face turn pale, and who was someone she 'used to know' and didn't seem like a friend at all, was...

Enemy!

In an instant, Zoro's hand landed on the hilt of his sword, Sanji stepped back slightly and raised his right foot, Usopp launched his slingshot... only Roman looked conflicted.

Should I pretend to attack at this point...? Forget it, what's the point of pretending when facing Admiral Aokiji's top-tier Observation Haki?

"Hey, let's talk this out, guys~~"

Despite the menacing Straw Hat crew, the tall man who was being confronted by the drawn swords remained calm.

"I didn't come on orders; I just came here because the weather was nice..."

Nobody would believe that!

Roman couldn't help but complain, "The Grand Line is so vast, how did you manage to stroll around and happen to be near where the Golden Merry landed from the Sky Island?"

Thinking about it more deeply, could it be that this ice-cold Admiral was using 'Observation Haki' to pinpoint Robin's location?

Suddenly realizing the other party's aura had reached tens of thousands of meters in the sky, he rushed over in a panic.

This nanny is something else!

"Um?"

The tall man turned to look at Roman and spoke slowly.

"This guy looks familiar. Haven't we met somewhere before?"

·······

"No, no, no, Admiral Kuzan must have misremembered."

Roman waved his hand, "If we've met, I'll definitely ask you for your autograph and a photo." Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a photo album of the four Admiral Four Emperors, and take it out in my spare time to reminisce about our 'glorious days'?

Of course, it's just a thought for fun.

"Ah... an autograph is fine, but a photo is out of the question."

?

Splash~~

"Then I'll have to trouble you," Roman said, producing a sheet of paper and a pen and handing them to the other person as if it were some kind of meeting.

"Roman, who is he?"

Since Roman and the other party seemed to have no hostility and even appeared quite familiar, the Straw Hat crew members suspiciously lowered their fighting stances.

"This is Marine Admiral..."

Seriously? Is it appropriate for a pirate to ask Marine Admiral for an autograph?

"Mr. Kuzan, codename 'Aokiji'."

"It is one of the Navy's three top combat forces!"

"····Great··· Admiral,"

Sanji was the first to react.

How good is he?

"Ah, more powerful than any enemy we've ever faced—"

Hey, hey, hey, that's what you said when you encountered the Crocodile; that's what you said when you encountered that big black guy; that's what you said when you encountered the long-eared guy with the thunder on the Sky Island...

Now another 'even' powerful guy has arrived... Are all experts just ordinary cabbages on the roadside?

Although they were internally cursing, everyone knew that Roman never joked. If he said this person was very strong, then he must be abnormally strong.

"So, what brings a powerful figure like you here?"

"That's right, you're a Marine Admiral, go and capture those Great Pirates!"

Facing the still vigilant crowd, the man named Kuzan, codenamed Aokiji, waved his hand and simply sat down leisurely on the grass.

"Don't panic, I believe in 'lazy justice'."

"I'm here to find out about Nico Robin, who went missing after the Alabasta incident. As expected, I'm with you guys."

"I'm going to report your situation to headquarters. With her bounty, it's... 100 million... plus 60 million... plus 79 million... I can't calculate it, it's too complicated."

After saying that, the man seemed too tired to even sit and lay down on the ground.

Is this kind of person really Admiral?

In response to Usopp's question, Roman nodded seriously.

"It's absolutely true, the Navy's top combat power can wipe us all out with a wave of his hand."

"Wow, this guy is really something..."

Kuzan glanced at Roman again, almost imperceptibly.

"They are very familiar with our navy."

"That's for sure, isn't it? The names of the Three Admirals of the Navy are legendary. Who wouldn't know them?"

However, Roman made a mistake.

In his view, the combat power of the Three Admirals of the navy is well known, and there should be no one in the entire ocean who does not know them.

However, the reality is quite the opposite! To ordinary pirates, the Three Admirals are nothing but distant clouds, dream goddesses... no, dream demons. They'd never encounter such people in their entire lives, let alone understand how powerful they are.

Those unlucky ones who encountered the Three Admirals... didn't even have the chance to go to Impel Down for a meal; they were instantly annihilated.

"Well, we'll talk about these things later."

Admiral Aokiji, who was lying on the ground sleeping, pointed to the bewildered old man next to him.

"I heard you say you were going to catch up with your people, right? Get ready to leave right away."

?

"Do you have a way to send the old man directly to another island in a flash?"

"How could I possibly have that ability?"

After the old man bundled the tents and furniture into a cart, the tall Admiral Aokiji stood up.

"It's good to get some exercise every now and then~~"

"So you're planning to jump into the sea and swim across with the carriage and luggage?"

"I won't do something that's too tiring."

Faced with Luffy's wild ideas, the towering Aokiji simply walked to the beach and plunged his hand into the sea.

~~~

"Splash!"

Just then, a Sea King suddenly leaped out of the sea! Its eyes, as large as lanterns, were filled with the cruelty of a creature about to devour its prey, and its jaws, large enough to swallow a house, snapped at Kuzan! Two rows of interlocking canine teeth gleamed with a cold light.

"Danger!"

"Get out of here!"

As the Straw Hat crew loudly reminded him, it was Aokiji's cold voice, who was squatting by the sea.

"The Ice Age".

Brush--!

In an instant, a white light swept across the sea and spread outwards! After the light passed, everything froze, turning into ice crystals.

The entire ocean has turned into an ice field!

To everyone's eyes, the sea before them instantly froze! All that could be seen was white; the sun was shining brightly overhead, yet the land before them was frozen solid for miles. The so-called power of nature had been easily overturned by one person.

The ice crystals that solidify all of this are not smooth and flat ice surfaces, but rather exhibit a fierce and turbulent form like raging flames, displaying a undulating and intensely flamboyant beauty amidst their crystal clarity.

As for that Sea King?

It has become an inconspicuous ice sculpture on the ice field.

Ah, this—

Faced with the stunned Straw Hat crew, Aokiji easily stood up and pointed to the frozen sea.

"This situation can last for a week."

"Take your time, and I hope you catch up with your migrating people soon."

"This is······"

Roman shrugged at Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, who were all dumbfounded.

"Logia Devil Fruit, the Ice-Ice Fruit."

"See? This is the power of Marine Admiral. He can turn the world upside down with the flick of his wrist."

This is just Aokiji Devil Fruit ability. —Even without considering Devil Fruit abilities, the Three Admirals back then were still genius rookies who were called 'monsters'.

Moreover, unlike the arrogant and flawed Crocodile and Enel, the Aokiji before them was a formidable warrior who had fought his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood; his physical skills, Haki, and Mentality Fruit powers were all impeccable. Therefore:

Since there's no way to resist, we might as well just sit back and watch the big shots show off.