Buru buru buru.
The Den Den Mushi rang again. Loa glanced at Charlotte Linlin, then took his own Den Den Mushi from his coat.
"Busy day, isn't it? Think this one's calling to save you too?"
Pudding's call had already told Linlin enough. Joy, anger, hatred, and sorrow mingled in her eyes. At his question, she gave a cold laugh. "Answer it and find out."
Click.
"Hello, Loa?"
"Teacher Aokiji—no, Admiral Aokiji. What do you need?" Loa glanced at the Den Den Mushi in surprise. The face it had formed was unmistakably Aokiji's.
"It's me. Listen." Aokiji sounded anxious. "Don't hurt Charlotte Linlin. They've taken Teacher Zephyr!"
Boom!
Before Aokiji could finish, an indescribably terrifying pressure descended. Linlin slid from her chair and fell to her knees. Only then could she force the stale air from her lungs and breathe again.
The air turned thick. Even the dust stopped drifting. It was no special ability—Loa's vast Magic Power had spread outward, disrupting the order of reality.
"When?"
Loa's voice was as cold as ice, though his tone remained unhurried. Anyone who knew him knew he was most terrifying like this.
"Several days ago..." At the other end, Aokiji looked up at the gathered Marine officers. Shame and frustration showed on every face.
"Five days ago, Charlotte Linlin's subordinates infiltrated the fortress at Marine Headquarters, and we captured them. We thought their plot had failed. We didn't realize their real target was Teacher Zephyr, over in Family Town. Charlotte Pudding, a Mirror-Mirror Fruit user, led the operation. Teacher Zephyr and Ain vanished. What they left behind were only mirror images Pudding had made with her ability. After days of interrogation, the Charlotte Galette we captured finally talked—but by then it was too late."
The day I made my move?
Loa sighed