Three days later, with his injuries still far from healed, Aokiji formally submitted his resignation to Marine Headquarters, voluntarily stepping down as a Marine Admiral.
He ignored Sengoku's attempts to dissuade him, ignored Zephyr's warnings, and ignored... his mentor, Garp.
There was no grand farewell, no lengthy speech. In silence, he handed over his Marine Admiral uniform.
And the cloak he had worn for years, the symbol of justice...
Then, quietly and alone, he packed his few belongings. One morning, before the sea mist over the harbor had fully cleared,
That tall figure, dragging an ice leg behind him, finally faded into the hazy horizon.
He quietly left the organization he had devoted half his life to, taking with him an era's last traces of gentleness and uncertainty.
From that moment on, Akainu and Aokiji parted ways.
One stayed, bearing the obsession and scars of victory.
One left, bearing the loss and confusion of defeat.
At the same time, their earthshaking battle to the death on Punk Hazard and their final falling-out
Also signaled the end of the era that had once marked the Navy's glorious peak, when it dominated the seas, forged by...
'White Kirin' Gern Reginald Sigma,
'Akainu' Sakazuki,
'Kizaru' Borsalino,
And 'Aokiji' Kuzan.
Four of the Navy's mightiest warriors, each utterly different in style yet all standing at the pinnacle of the world, had together forged...
The 'Era of Four Admirals.'
Now, its curtain had fallen for good!!
Meanwhile, Koby, whom Gern himself had branded the "Shame of the Navy," endured immense pressure and contempt within the Navy.
The twisted "justice" in his heart and his desperate yearning to become a "hero" finally burst through the dam of his reason.
He could no longer endure being marginalized and despised.
**"I'll become a hero too! With an achievement