The East Blue had been especially lively lately. Thanks to Kizaru's activities and invitations beyond the East Blue, Danzo, who was stationed there and responsible for external affairs, had suddenly become very busy.
The first to arrive in the East Blue was Aokiji. The former Marine Admiral had secretly slipped into the region and spent several days there before being discovered by a patrolling shinobi, who reported him to Danzo.
Unlike the people below him, who were caught by surprise, Danzo had received word from Kizaru well in advance and remained perfectly calm. He didn't go out himself, and he instructed the shinobi under him not to expose Aokiji's identity. He would let Aokiji look around the East Blue to his heart's content.
When Aokiji had seen enough of the East Blue and was willing to reveal his identity and make contact with the Land of Light, Danzo would go out to meet him.
Of course, this wasn't Danzo's own idea. It was Kizaru's arrangement.
Kizaru knew that different people called for different approaches.
Aokiji had seen the darkness of the Marines and the World Government, but couldn't find a better path to achieving justice, and so he was lost.
There was no need to guide him too much. He could look around the East Blue on his own and see how it had developed under the rule of the Land of Light.
Aokiji, traveling under an assumed identity, had indeed sensed changes in the East Blue as soon as he entered the region, along with an indescribable atmosphere unlike anywhere else.
He couldn't quite put the atmosphere into words. But in a village on one of the islands, he saw villagers arguing with officials from the Land of Light over the measurement of a couple of feet of land.