Aokiji

"Did we win?" Li Ziming asked Robin as he carried Nami over to the stands.

"Not yet, but it'll be soon." Robin smiled at Li Ziming. "It seems our bartender has been having a wonderful time on the ship with our navigator."

"Yeah, it's just a pity our archaeologist wasn't there." Li Ziming grinned at Robin.

"Are you unhappy being with me?" Nami gave Li Ziming a smile that didn't reach her eyes and pinched the soft flesh at his waist.

"No, no." Li Ziming hurriedly put on a fawning smile.

"Then you must be very happy. So why did you come looking for me?" Robin chose his other side and pinched him there.

"I... I..." Li Ziming really wanted to die right now.

"Fine, I'll let you off." Robin smiled and released him.

"But your debt is going up." Nami proudly waved a little notebook in front of Li Ziming.

"Fine. Why do I always feel like I've been tricked?" Li Ziming gave a bitter smile, but the thunderous cheers interrupted the three of them.

"Looks like our captain won." Li Ziming shrugged.

"That's really over the top." Robin looked at the sea of cheering people, somewhat surprised.

"He always manages to surprise people." Nami recalled the sight of Arlong Park being destroyed before her eyes. "That's why we came aboard this ship."

"That's true." Li Ziming nodded. "But now I'm really curious what our captain will choose."

"Ah, he better not pick something strange!" Nami anxiously ran to Luffy's side, intending to stop him from doing anything weird.

But Nami was clearly too late. Luffy had already chosen what he wanted. To Nami's relief, he hadn't picked anything bizarre. Luffy had chosen the other side's pirate flag.

"That really is an interesting design." Looking at the emblem on the Foxy Pirates' sail, Li Ziming felt like he was suffering internal injuries.

"Our captain really is artistically creative." Robin helplessly shook her head. "Being able to draw something that badly is a talent in itself."

"Not bad. I was really worried Luffy would pick something strange." Nami let out a long breath.

"Ugh, why didn't Luffy pick that beautiful and sexy Miss Porche?!" Sanji cried miserably. "I want a beautiful lady!"

"This perverted cook is beyond saving." Zoro lifted a barrel of beer and gulped it down.

"Cotton candy!" Chopper happily ate a cotton candy nearly as large as his head.

"Ha, great! The Going Merry is free again!" Usopp shouted excitedly.

"Free, huh." Li Ziming helplessly shook his head. If they couldn't solve the Going Merry's problem, it would only be one step closer to death.

"Hey, Straw Hat!" Foxy drew everyone's attention. "Just you wait!"

"Hahaha, you really are an interesting bunch." Luffy laughed heartily. "How about we do it again?"

"Move!" The Foxy Pirates swiftly vanished from everyone's sight.

"Oh, right, I'll show you something really interesting!" Luffy grabbed the Foxy Pirates' flag and ran toward the interior of the island.

"Yeah, yeah, everyone, come on!" Usopp and Chopper were also brimming with excitement.

"What is it?" Zoro dissatisfiedly put down his drink and lazily trailed behind.

"Let's follow them." Li Ziming shrugged, then walked after them with Robin and Nami.

"We won." Luffy handed the pirate flag to the old man with a grin.

"You're covered in wounds." The old man sighed inwardly.

"It's fine. I'm used to it." Luffy didn't seem to care.

"I really envy how good Luffy's body is..." Li Ziming suddenly stopped. "Tch, a very troublesome guy is here."

"What, a troublesome guy? Is he an enemy?" Luffy and the others immediately grew tense. The others were one thing, but Luffy had already suffered serious injuries.

"It's nothing, just a rather troublesome old man." Li Ziming had a headache. "And right now, we're no match for him."

"Who are you talking about?" Robin asked doubtfully.

"Who would've thought that little girl from back then would grow into such a great beauty?" The familiar voice nearly made Robin collapse, and Li Ziming barely managed to support her trembling body.

"Scaring people whenever you please isn't a good habit." Li Ziming patted Robin's back. "Watch it, or I'll sue you for ******!"

"I see. Then I'm truly sorry." Aokiji raised his hand, and everyone instantly tensed up.

"Relax, relax. If he really wanted to kill us, I figure we'd already be ice sculptures by now." Li Ziming spoke up to reassure everyone.

"Ming, who is this guy?! Why is Robin so afraid of him?" Luffy stared seriously at Aokiji.

"Aokiji, a Marine Admiral. As for his relationship with Robin, all you need to know is that he led the Buster Call that destroyed Robin's hometown." Li Ziming watched Aokiji warily, guarding against a sudden attack.

"You really do know a lot." Aokiji gave Li Ziming and Robin a strange look, then simply sat down. "It seems Robin trusts you very much, telling you even such things. But it looks like you haven't fully trusted the others yet."

"Damn it! Robin and Ming are our companions! You're not allowed to say that!" Luffy got angry.

"Calm down." Instead of Aokiji making a move, Li Ziming moved first and blocked Luffy's attack. "Luffy, do you remember Enel?"

"That long-earlobed guy?" Luffy looked at Li Ziming unhappily.

"This guy is a Logia user like Enel, and his ice isn't afraid of your rubber. You can't beat him fighting like that." Li Ziming explained Aokiji's ability.

"That's right, so you only need to hand me over." Robin looked despondent.

"What are you talking about?" Li Ziming pressed one finger to Robin's lips. "I wouldn't bear to hand over such a beautiful lady."

"That's right. So what if we can't beat him? We won't know unless we fight!" Sanji was full of fighting spirit.

"Exactly. I want to see whether my swords can cut through a so-called Logia." Zoro looked at Aokiji without the slightest fear.

"Y-yeah!" Usopp trembled. "I'll never hand over a companion!"

"That's right!" Chopper likewise forced himself to suppress his fear.

"Very good. It seems the higher-ups underestimated you." Aokiji shook his head and stood up. With a casual toss of grass clippings and a breath, he formed an ice blade. "Then your adventure might as well end here."

"I don't want that!" Luffy stretched out his arm and struck at Aokiji.

"Idiot, you can't fight Aokiji that way." Li Ziming stopped Luffy again. "You have to do it like this!" Li Ziming pulled out a bottle of alcohol and threw it over.

"It's useless." The bottle froze in front of Aokiji. "You all..."

"Explode!" The bottle exploded instantly, and a fireball engulfed Aokiji.

"It's useless. Your explosion can't hurt me." Aokiji directly transformed into his element. The explosion caused no damage at all, while the flames were frozen into ice by Aokiji.

"Is that so?" Using the explosion to block Aokiji's vision, Li Ziming rushed before him and threw a punch coated in Haki.

"Haki? I can use it too." Half of Aokiji's face was likewise coated in Haki as he blocked Li Ziming's attack. "And I know the Six Powers as well."

Tekkai combined with Haki. Though it was only the simplest technique, after countless battles, even Aokiji's simplest moves were not something Li Ziming could withstand.

"Now it's my turn to attack." Aokiji raised the ice blade in his hand.

"108 Pound Phoenix!" Zoro's slash erupted instantly, and Aokiji's ice blade shattered in that moment.

"Diable Jambe!" Sanji's right foot blazed with flames as he kicked at Aokiji.

"Gum-Gum Rocket!" Luffy's attack arrived at that moment as well.

"Interesting." Aokiji yawned. "Ice Age!" A burst of frigid cold erupted instantly, and the entire island seemed to enter an ice age. Even the sea was frozen over, while everyone on the island, aside from the old man and Shelly, became ice sculptures.

"Oh, right. This ice will probably last for a week. Use that time to get to your people's settlement." After saying that, Aokiji rode away on his bicycle.

Just as Aokiji left the island, cracks began appearing across Li Ziming's ice sculpture.