Nanohana, 8 a.m.
Several massive Marine warships lay in neat formation across the sea, their cannons polished clean, imposing and ready for battle. Behind Aokiji's flagship, a flat, round barge was tied to the stern like an ornament.
In fact, it was an ornament. For now, at least.
Leaning against the railing, Aokiji glanced at the barge, then at the fake Poneglyph the soldiers were struggling to haul onto the deck. "If the warship can hold the stone, why did you bring a barge?" he asked Loa, who stood on shore.
The imitation Poneglyph was enormous and extremely heavy. An ordinary pirate ship or a light-capacity warship like the Wavebreaker Warship really would need a barge to carry it. But Aokiji and Kizaru had brought large warships, and even Loa had several heavy-duty ones with him. Aokiji couldn't understand why Loa had gone to the extra trouble.
Besides, he could move the stone with one hand. Why leave it to the soldiers to inch it aboard? Was wasting time supposed to be fun?
Aokiji didn't understand, but Kizaru had seen through Loa's plan.
Pretending to be gravely injured, Kizaru sat in a wheelchair wrapped in bandages, with Rear Admiral Luo Wei standing behind him. He looked toward the desert and gave a sly grin. "Don't you get it, Aokiji? There'll be too much to bring back on our warships alone."
"Too much of what?"
Kizaru's answer only confused Aokiji further.
"Pirate treasure, of course! And all those famous pirates. We don't have enough cells aboard to take them all back."
Loa answered before Kizaru could.
"Oh, right!" Realization dawned on Aokiji.
Aside from the Sand Crocodile and Flamingo, who had businesses beyond piracy, who would stash their treasure safely away somewhere?
The Grand Line was also full of competing powers