After meeting with his teacher Zephyr, Aokiji had been ready to give up and leave the island immediately.
But he remembered the plan he and Kizaru had agreed on before parting, and decided to report the situation to Kizaru before leaving.
Kizaru, who was also searching the New World for a suitable island, answered Aokiji's call with uncharacteristic composure. "Stay on the island. I'm confident I can get Zephyr to join us."
Kizaru's composure and confidence came from a piece of information he recalled: in the original story, after the Paramount War, the World Government had appointed as a new Shichibukai the pirate who had attacked Zephyr, in order to fill the vacant position.
And according to the Navy intelligence Kizaru had received from Hashirama, the World Government really was looking for new pirates to fill the vacant Shichibukai positions. It had even ordered the Navy to cooperate, which had angered Akainu.
With these two pieces of information, Kizaru couldn't guarantee that Zephyr would side with Aokiji and establish the Neo-Navy, but he was at least seventy or eighty percent confident.
So, that very afternoon, after receiving Aokiji's call, Kizaru came to the island where Aokiji was staying. The two met in secret in a room at an inn.
In the room, which was only a dozen square meters, Kizaru sat on the only wooden chair, while Aokiji had to sit at the foot of the bed.
Once they were seated, Kizaru asked first, "Zephyr is still here, right?"
Aokiji nodded. "Their ship is still being repaired. It should take another day."
"Good! Now, I'm going to tell you some intelligence. Don't ask where it came from. Just think about how you can use it to persuade Zephyr." Kizaru's expression turned somewhat serious. Under Aokiji's curious gaze, he continued, "According