The Pirate Who Could See Proficiency Became a Legend

"Then why have you been protecting her all this time?"

Robin froze at Dongze's words. Confusion entered her eyes as she turned toward him.

Dongze did not turn around. He had expected her reaction, and he let out a quiet sigh.

"Don't be naive, Robin. Without his protection, how could you have survived on the brutal seas when you were barely eight? The Pirate Hunters alone would have killed you! Did you think your little tricks could fool everyone? You couldn't even disguise yourself properly. How could you have escaped the people hunting you? He's the reason you made it through your childhood!"

"Bacchan!"

Robin's pupils contracted. She could hardly accept what Dongze was saying. Aokiji was someone she had feared to the depths of her soul, and she still remembered what he had said when he let her go.

His words had circled through her mind like a demon's whisper all these years. She had never forgotten them.

"Be glad you're alive! Keep your head down from now on!"

"I'm not your ally. I'm your enemy. If I ever decide letting you go was a mistake, I'll be the first to arrest you!"

Robin bit her lower lip. Her gaze slowly settled on Aokiji, and she stared at him. Right now, she desperately wanted an answer—one that would prove Dongze's guess wrong. This was the man she had feared for nearly ten years.

"How did you figure it out?"

Aokiji did not deny it. Instead, he asked the question with a hint of interest. Before coming here, he had investigated Dongze's background and age.

Dongze was from Shimotsuki Village in the East Blue and had studied under Koshiro at Isshin Dojo. He had set out to sea this year at fifteen and become a Pirate Hunter in the East Blue. His ruthless methods had earned him a reputation among pirates for leaving none alive.

Then, some time ago, he had seemingly vanished. No one had seen him since.

A flicker of understanding crossed Dongze's eyes when Aokiji did not deny it. So this man really was the reason Robin had survived all these years.

"I guessed."

"Oh? Care to tell me how, kid?"

Aokiji took on the air of someone ready to listen.

Dongze considered it for a moment. He had a fairly good impression of Aokiji. The man was an outlier among the Marines, someone who could remain calm in almost any situation. At times, Dongze wondered whether the Ice-Ice Fruit was what allowed him to examine things so coolly.

Aokiji had an unusual view of justice. He believed people in different positions understood it differently, and that their views could change along with their circumstances.

He did not question other people's justice. But if theirs stood in the way of his own, he would act without hesitation.

He was generally courteous, too, and valued loyalty.

When he first encountered the Straw Hat Pirates, he had not intended to attack them, even though they were already pirates. In the end, he had let them go because their captain was Garp's grandson.

It was because of those qualities that they could stand here and talk. If this had been Sakazuki or Kizaru, they would probably have been fighting already.

"As Ohara's only survivor, I can't think of anyone else connected to her. Only you—the Marine Vice Admiral who spared her back then, and an Admiral now. A clever eight-year-old might be able to survive, but what about a wanted criminal?"

"Even ordinary civilians would have wanted to trade her head for the bounty. Then there were greedy pirates and Pirate Hunters who saw pirates as a blight. If no one had protected her when it mattered, her half-baked fruit powers wouldn't have saved her. She'd have been devoured the moment she showed her face!"

Aokiji fell silent. From a position as high as his, he only needed to hint at his wishes for the people below to do him a favor.

Red-Hair was not the only man whose wishes carried weight. There were people who could not afford to ignore an Admiral.

That was why no high-ranking Marine officers had openly gone after Robin. Aokiji had let her go. Bringing her back in would have been a slap in his face.

"Not bad."

Seeing that Dongze had worked out so much, Aokiji stopped hiding it and admitted the truth.

Robin went still at his answer. Her eyes grew vacant. She could hardly believe this was the truth: from the beginning, the enemy she feared had been protecting her.

"Why?"

Robin demanded an answer.

Aokiji paused, then replied calmly, "No special reason. I wanted to see what became of the child my dear friend Jaguar D. Saul gave his life to protect. I wanted to see what changes Ohara's only survivor might bring to the world."

"You..."

"..."

Dongze met Aokiji's eyes for a moment, then asked, "There's something I'm curious about too. Normally, once you knew she was safe, you'd have left her alone. Why come here this time?"

Aokiji scratched his curly hair and shrugged. "I wasn't going to get involved. But Vice Admiral Garp told me she'd joined a talented kid. I wanted to see what kind of person had earned his praise, so here I am."

"Then why have you changed your mind?"

Aokiji stood there thinking for a moment. "How should I put it? You're stronger than I expected. If you were an ordinary newcomer, I'd look the other way. But with strength like yours, even the New World might not stop you. And this girl is determined to uncover the truth of history. One wrong move, and the two of you could turn the world upside down. I don't want to see that happen. I'm a Marine, after all."

"So we have to fight in the end?"

"Ah. Looks that way."

"..."

"Come to think of it, when I met Garp, I had a feeling we'd meet someday."

"I just didn't expect that old rascal to sell me out right afterward. We'd had such a good talk, too."

"Ah, you've got Vice Admiral Garp down perfectly, kid."

"As one of the few Marines who can see the world for what it is, you're someone I'd like to talk with afterward."

"You're confident, kid. I won't hold back. And if you lose, I won't spare the boy with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit either."

"I don't know if I can beat you. But I believe I won't lose."

"Heh. That is confident. I haven't lost since I became an Admiral."

The Battle Begins: An Ice Age That Changed the Sky

The conversation ended. In an instant, tension crackled between the two sides.

Enel silently drove the electricity in his body to its limit, watching Aokiji with a grave expression.

He had heard what Aokiji said. The man would not spare him, and if Dongze died, he would die too. He had no choice but to prepare for battle.

This time, though, Dongze raised a hand to stop him.

"You two find somewhere to hide. This fight is beyond you. I'm certain now that his fruit powers have undergone Awakening. Without Armament Haki, you can barely hurt him, and you'd only get in the way of my attacks."

Hearing how seriously Dongze spoke, Enel and Robin both grew uneasy. Enel was close to despair. He had only just come down here, and already this had happened. Dongze's Sword Intent was still lodged in his head!

A fool could tell Dongze was not about to remove it now. If Dongze died, Enel was finished.

"Damn it..."

Robin's heart tightened. She knew how terrifying Aokiji was. Biting her lower lip, she said, "Dongze, I'll go with Aokiji. You don't have to fight!"

"If I leave, you'll have no reason to."

Dongze turned and looked at her for a long moment. Then he sighed. "Do you really want to go back to a life of betrayal and wandering? Living in fear every day can't be much better than dying."

Robin's eyes reddened again. He was right. Every day of that life had been torment. She had never dared sleep soundly, afraid she would wake with someone's blade at her throat.

"But I don't want you to..."

"Do you trust me?"

"Mm."

"I won't lose. Not even to an Admiral. I'll take you to see the rest of the Poneglyphs."

"Mm."

Tears filled Robin's eyes, and her reply came out choked.

Aokiji watched Dongze descend alone, curiosity in his eyes.

"I thought you'd have that lightning kid fight alongside you."

"I won't. I've been waiting a long time for this day. This is my first real step into the world."

Before the fight, Dongze checked his panel.

Iron Head Skill: max;

Iron Crotch Skill: max;

Abdominal Breathing: max;

Beginner Meditation: 700/1000;

Water-Walking: max;

Sleeping: 1000/100000;

Basic Swordsmanship: max;

Sword Forging: max;

Hundred-Pace Flying Sword: max (Sword Intent not activated);

Crossing the Eight Directions: max (Sword Intent not activated);

Sword-Draw Technique: max;

Heavenly Flying Immortal: max (Sword Intent not activated);

Hidden Light, Sitting in Forgetfulness: max. Non-Contention Sword Intent (activated): 350000/1000000;

One Sword Across the Ages: max (Sword Intent not activated);

Taiji Swordsmanship: max (Sword Intent not activated);

Spear Technique: 1200/1000000;

Six Powers—Shave: max;

Six Powers—Geppo: max;

Armament Haki (activated): 560000/1000000 (Ryuo);

Observation Haki (activated): 550000/1000000 (Voice of All Things);

Conqueror's Haki (activated): 25000/1000000;

Sword Intent (unlocked): 2/100;

Erosion Sword Intent (activated): 420000/1000000;

Thunderclap Sword Intent (activated): 200000/1000000;

World Will (unlocked): 2/10;

Swordsmanship (Minor World locked): 1/10 Peerless Sword Case (unlocked) Divine Weapon Storage 2/13 (Long River, Thunderclap);

Swordsmanship (Minor World locking in);

Two skills were gone from the panel. Iron Sand Palm had become Ryuo, and Mantra had become the Voice of All Things. Two swords had appeared as well: Long River and Thunderclap.

A sea breeze blew past. Both men vanished at once.

Enel's heart clenched as he watched from afar. That man had not used his full strength earlier. Once again, the two moved faster than his Observation Haki could follow.

Those two monsters! he cursed inwardly. At the same time, he resolved to ask his boss how to grow stronger once this battle was over.

Bang!

After a moment, a violent collision rang out overhead, and the two figures flashed into view.

Dongze was charging forward with a clenched fist. Aokiji had raised an arm to block it.

Light shimmered where their blows met.

"Advanced Armament Haki!"

Aokiji's expression changed. When he had spoken to Garp a few days ago, Garp had said Dongze possessed only ordinary Armament Haki.

Aokiji was certain Dongze could not have held back against Garp. His fists were not so easy to withstand.

That meant Dongze had reached this level of Armament Haki in just the last two days.

The sight brought a possibility to Aokiji's mind, and his expression shifted again.

Even among the Marines, Aokiji was considered a monster. Yet his guess about Dongze's rate of progress still shook him.

Dongze's Observation Haki was frighteningly strong, too. They had changed positions dozens of times before their blows finally met. That alone told Aokiji plenty.

Looking at Dongze's unwavering eyes, Aokiji could not help thinking, No wonder Mr. Garp praised him as a genius.

"But if you want to take someone from me, this won't be enough!"

After another lunge, Aokiji forced Dongze back dozens of meters. Dongze plunged into the sea. In the next instant, a terrifying chill erupted from Aokiji's palms. The sky visibly darkened, and flecks of ice began to fall.