The alliance between Issho and Maude's pirate crew was already enough to give Aokiji a headache.
Now, even a Warlord of the Sea, Bartholomew Kuma, appeared to have ties to the Maude Pirates.
Aokiji tilted his head slightly, calmly fixing his gaze on Kuma.
Under Aokiji's scrutinizing look, Kuma held a bowl that appeared delicate compared to his massive frame. Using a tiny spoon, he leisurely sipped on some mushroom soup.
His reaction, devoid of any visible emotion, seemed to outright ignore Aokiji's presence.
As a Warlord of the Sea, Kuma had no obligation to show the Marines much courtesy. The only entity he truly feared was the World Government.
Aokiji, however, was not bothered by Kuma's nonchalant attitude. The doubt in his eyes gradually faded as he turned his attention to Maude, asking seriously, "Got a seat for me?"
"None left," Maude replied, rejecting Aokiji's request without hesitation.
One glance at the Heart Pirates' crewmembers, who were mostly frozen in fear, was enough to explain his refusal.
Letting you sit down? No one would be able to eat after that.
"That's fine…" Aokiji muttered, his eyes falling on two nearby Heart Pirates—Penguin and Shachi.
The instant they noticed Aokiji's gaze, Penguin and Shachi sprang to their feet, ready to offer their seats, or rather, to use the opportunity to distance themselves from him.
Before they could move, however, Aokiji reached out with both hands, placing them on their shoulders.
Though he hadn't activated his Devil Fruit powers, Penguin and Shachi froze in place as if they'd been encased in ice. Even their breathing turned cautious.
"Penguin and Shachi have been frozen!!!" shouted Bepo in disbelief, clutching his head in horror.
"Look closer! They're not frozen—they're just too scared to move!!!" corrected the rest of the Heart Pirates, exasperated by Bepo's overreaction.
"Oh."
Realizing his mistake, Bepo lowered his hands, pressing them to his chest as he sighed in relief. "Good thing they're not frozen. That scared the bear out of me."
A pause.
"Wait, no! Penguin and Shachi are caught!!!"
Once again, Bepo clutched his head, crying out in alarm.
"..."
The rest of the crew, at a loss for words, chose to ignore Bepo and focused on Aokiji instead.
Despite their fear, they instinctively assumed defensive stances to protect their comrades.
Law, the captain, fixed his sharp gaze on Aokiji, his thumb resting on his sword's hilt, ready to draw at a moment's notice.
Aokiji paid no mind to their reactions. With a light push, he forced the stiffened Penguin and Shachi back into their seats and calmly added, "I can make my own chair."
As he spoke, he used his Devil Fruit powers to craft an ice chair, positioning it perfectly between Penguin and Shachi.
Sitting down, Aokiji conjured an ice bowl and chopsticks to match.
"..."
Feeling the chill emanating from Aokiji, Penguin and Shachi sat frozen in place, their faces blank as they bore the weight of their predicament.
Someone… please help us carry this burden!!!
They screamed internally, desperate to escape but too afraid to make a move.
Watching Aokiji seat himself uninvited, Maude sighed. "I get that you can't touch us right now, but do you have to go out of your way to ruin our appetite?"
From Issho, Maude had learned the general situation. He knew that Issho and Aokiji had reached a silent agreement between strong individuals: a temporary truce.
With this understanding, Maude wasn't overly concerned about Aokiji. For the foreseeable future, the former admiral posed no immediate threat.
"Ah la la, no need to put it that way," Aokiji replied nonchalantly. "I'll pay for my meal."
Having been on the island for several days and skipping meals during his travels, Aokiji's hunger had only worsened after exchanging dozens of blows with Issho.
Maude glanced at Aokiji's pockets and said bluntly, "Do you even have money on you?"
Aokiji's icy chopsticks froze mid-air.
Right. While he had brought money, it had been stolen by a group of children who appeared to be refugees when he passed through a town earlier.
"Uh…"
After a few seconds of hesitation, Aokiji lifted his gaze slightly and solemnly replied, "Of course."
Yeah, right!
The Heart Pirates exchanged odd glances, their expressions betraying their disbelief.
It was painfully obvious that Aokiji was bluffing.
Even so, given his status as a former admiral, shouldn't they at least give him an easy out?
That was the polite thing to do, they thought.
Maude, however, put down his chopsticks, smiled, and said, "The meal costs 100 Berries. Pay up, and you can eat whatever's on the table."
One hundred Berries…
The price was laughably low. The problem was that Aokiji didn't even have that much.
Rather than offering him an out, Maude had clearly made things more difficult for him.
The Heart Pirates couldn't help but look at Maude with admiration for his audacity.
Scratching his head awkwardly, Aokiji turned to Issho for help.
Issho, calmly eating his vegetarian noodles, noticed Aokiji's pleading gaze and decided to intervene. "Another person joining us for a meal isn't a bad thing."
Having assessed that Aokiji posed no immediate threat, Issho saw no harm in befriending him.
That was just Issho's nature. Anyone with a decent character could easily earn his goodwill.
With Issho's endorsement, Maude dropped the matter.
Gaya silently rose and fetched a proper set of wooden bowl and chopsticks for Aokiji.
"Ice utensils would only make the food lose its heat and flavor," she said as she handed them over.
"Ah, thank you," Aokiji replied, dismissing his ice utensils and accepting Gaya's offering. He studied her briefly.
"You're Gaya, right?"
"Yes."
Gaya nodded, then returned to her seat.
Aokiji's gaze lingered on her before he casually asked, "What's your relationship with Gaban?"
"He's my…"
"Ouch!!!"
A sudden yelp interrupted her. Everyone turned to see Bepo clutching his tail and looking at Maude in confusion.
"Boss, why did you—"
"Here, eat more."
Maude cut him off, shoving a drumstick into Bepo's mouth.
Bepo instinctively bit into it. Sharp as ever, he quickly caught on and obediently focused on the food, pretending nothing had happened.
Aokiji glanced at Maude, while Gaya understood his intention. She didn't mind revealing her relationship with Gaban, but if Maude preferred her not to, she wouldn't.
Sensing her change in attitude, Aokiji didn't push the matter.
He already had a rough idea of the connection between Gaya and Gaban.
Sol and Gaban.
Maude and Gaya.
That dynamic was of greater concern to Garp than anyone else.
Picking up a piece of meat, Aokiji took a bite.
"Honestly, I can't help but worry about your 'future.' Or maybe I should call it… a potential threat."
Swallowing the flavorful meat, Aokiji looked at Maude.
"A threat?"
Maude met Aokiji's gaze, unflinching. "If not for the bounty on my head, I would have surely joined the Marines."
"..."
Aokiji fell silent.
For a moment, he felt a vague sense of loss, as though something significant had slipped through his fingers.
That feeling, once faint, now became undeniable.
The room fell quiet. Everyone turned to look at Maude, their expressions varied.
At that moment, the meal seemed to pause in time.
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