As for the other group, the instant they saw the massive hailstones falling from the distant sky, their expressions changed drastically.
Robin, a member of the Straw Hat Pirates, their resident brains, an older-sister type who had always seemed mature and calm, suddenly went rigid. She even began trembling, her face full of panic.
Because of her past experiences, she had long since developed an ice-related PTSD. Now, the moment she saw that commotion in the distance, she instinctively assumed that Aokiji, the Marine admiral with whom she had an extremely complicated history, had arrived.
And the purpose of his coming went without saying. Naturally, it was to capture her.
As for the other members of the Straw Hats, their expressions were not much better.
Once, on an island, that three-meter-tall man had almost been toying with them as he easily swept through the entire Straw Hat Pirates, freezing them one by one into ice sculptures with casual, halfhearted moves.
That had been the first time they felt just how powerless they were, just how weak. Although Aokiji had ultimately held back and had not caused them any real losses, the frustration of being at someone else's mercy, of having both their own lives and their companions' lives in the enemy's hands, had been deeply etched into their minds, unforgettable for the rest of their lives.
"Ahhh—why? Why is a Marine admiral here!!!"
The cowardly trio aboard the ship, Usopp, Chopper, and Nami, were already sobbing as they clung tightly to one another. It was as if they wanted to use this method to give each other courage.
"Luffy, I think I've come down with a disease where I can't walk if I see ice and snow. Let's go back. Let's not go any farther in."
Usopp spoke with a