Akainu's movement caught Aokiji's eye.
For some reason, Aokiji suddenly felt a pang of sorrow for him. When Aokiji had left the Marines, he had looked much the same, instinctively reaching for his shoulder whenever he fought.
"Stop, Sakazuki. You can't get past me anymore. Besides, our main force will be here soon. You'll be surrounded."
"Cough, cough!" Akainu tried to speak, but a violent fit of coughing seized him first.
He spat out a mouthful of black blood flecked with bits of his organs.
"Kuzan, I never liked the way you did things. Did you really think I didn't know about Nico Robin? I just pretended not to see it."
Aokiji's expression changed.
"I'm not blind. And during the Ohara Incident, my Observation Haki was stronger than yours.
"I knew you froze the ship's rudder. I knew you let Nico Robin go."
Aokiji stared at Akainu in disbelief, as though seeing the colleague he had worked beside for decades for the first time.
"Why didn't you report me? Given my position back then, I might never have become a Marine Admiral if you had."
At the time, Aokiji had only been a Vice Admiral marked for advancement, with plenty of rivals competing against him.
"Who knows? Maybe I wasn't as ruthless then as I am now."
Akainu gave a cold laugh, his voice edged with mockery.
"Nico Robin, the woman you let go, will become the Marines' greatest problem one day. If Straw Hat Boy survived, she might even help him become the next Pirate King.
"Do you know what it would mean if a second Pirate King appeared?"
Akainu's taunt left Aokiji speechless.
To become the Pirate King, one had to find Laugh Tale. To find Laugh Tale, one needed all four Road Poneglyphs.
Whether it was Kaido