It had indeed been frozen solid.
But...
Even now, Aokiji still had no idea how Maud had broken free.
Though he was surprised, that was no longer important under the circumstances.
Once the Revolutionary Army had joined in, the situation was clearly different.
"I'm still on vacation, but since I've run into this..."
Aokiji kept both hands in his pockets, wisps of freezing mist swirling around him. It gave the impression that even the air itself was about to freeze.
He strode toward the people in the distance.
Wherever he passed, the ground rapidly froze over, the chill spreading outward along with the mist.
The aura of an admiral was fully revealed at that moment.
Aokiji's arrival was like a bone-chilling winter wind blowing straight at them. Simply by appearing, he had completely overturned the situation on the field.
Gion and Wolf Rat, who had originally been at a disadvantage, instantly reversed their positions.
Maud and the others, on the other hand, were shaken.
Seeing Aokiji enter the scene, Tatam decisively stopped suppressing Wolf Rat and retreated, quickly moving toward Maud and Sabo.
On the other side, Jasmine, who had likewise been overpowering Gion, assessed the situation and adjusted her next move.
"Get lost!"
With Jasmine's shriek, the huge trident stabbed straight into the blade of the sword in Gion's hand.
A tremendous force came crashing in. Gion's body was instantly sent flying backward like a cannonball.
Whether by coincidence or design, Gion flew straight toward where Aokiji was.
After "pushing" Gion away, Jasmine took slightly bashful "little" steps and joined Maud and Sabo.
"Run!"
The four men exchanged glances and shouted in unison.
Then, with Jasmine leading the way, they did not take the tunnel they had dug earlier. Instead, they ran straight toward Wall Mountain.
Wolf Rat watched