Garp nodded in satisfaction and chuckled, "You never listen when I talk nicely—you just insist on making me play the strict teacher! Bwahahahaha!"
As Garp walked away, laughing to cover his own embarrassment, Jack clenched his teeth in frustration, fuming with silent resentment.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Luffy and his crew had just wrapped up their fight with the Foxy. Although the battle had its tense moments, their strength was more than enough to secure victory.
"Hey, old man, do you want to hitch a ride on our ship to that island over there?" Luffy asked, looking at the short, elderly man who had been wandering alone on stilts across Long Ring Island for the past ten years.
The old man shook his head. "Why don't you all come to my place and rest for a while?"
As he spoke, he turned toward his tent but suddenly collided with something—thud!
"Huh? What is this?"
"It's a person!"
"Has he been standing here the whole time?"
The Straw Hat Pirates were startled by the sudden appearance of a towering man blocking the entrance to the old man's tent. He seemed to have been sleeping while standing and only began to stir after being bumped. Slowly, he removed his blindfold and blinked at the crew.
"Who are you?" he asked in a deep voice.
"Who are you?" Usopp shot back, crossing his arms. "You're the one blocking someone's doorway! I thought you were a tree!"
However, standing at the back, Robin suddenly froze. A visible tremor ran through her, and her face paled with fear.
"Robin?" Nami turned to her in concern. "What's wrong? Do you know him?"
Zoro, sensing the tension, instinctively reached for his swords, ready for anything.
Robin's voice trembled as she struggled to form words. "H-He is..."
The tall man yawned lazily and stretched before speaking. "Ah~ Robin, long time no see. You've grown into a fine young woman."
"What? So he's someone Robin knows?" Luffy asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"Ah~ You could say that," the man replied in a casual tone.
"Idiot! This is more than just an acquaintance! Look at Robin—she's terrified! Who the hell are you?" Nami demanded, eyes sharp with suspicion.
The man waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, come on now, no need to get worked up. I haven't received any official orders or anything. The weather was nice, so I thought I'd take a stroll."
"Orders? What kind of organization do you belong to?" Zoro asked, narrowing his eyes at the stranger.
Robin finally managed to compose herself—if only slightly—before whispering in disbelief, "H-He's a Marine... The admiral of the Navy Headquarters, Aokiji Kuzan."
"A what?!" the crew erupted in shock.
Robin turned to them, her expression still unsettled. "The admirals of the Navy Headquarters are the highest-ranking combat forces of the Marines. There are only three of them, and he's one of them—the man known as Aokiji, Kuzan! The only one above him is the Fleet Admiral himself!"
Usopp, visibly panicked, immediately ducked behind Zoro. "An admiral?! Why is someone that powerful after us?! Shouldn't he be hunting pirates with way bigger bounties?!"
"An admiral? That means he's even stronger than Jack!" Zoro's eyes lit up with excitement, his fighting spirit ignited.
"Ara ra ra~ No need to get all worked up," Aokiji said lazily, waving his hand dismissively. "Didn't I already say? I'm not here to arrest you—I was just taking a walk. By the way, what were your names again? Ah, never mind, I forgot already."
Despite their initial shock at Aokiji's presence, Luffy and the crew quickly realized he truly had no intention of making a move. In fact, Usopp even began to suspect that Robin had mistaken him for someone else—after all, no admiral should be this... indifferent.
However, it soon became apparent that Aokiji's laziness was no act. He found even talking to them exhausting, so much so that he eventually just lay down while speaking.
The truth was, Aokiji had spotted Robin's name in Jack's report. When he learned that she had mysteriously vanished after the events in Alabasta, he immediately suspected she had joined the Straw Hats. Though Jack had deliberately omitted details in his report, Aokiji saw through it at a glance and decided to follow their trail—leading him right here.
Turning to the short old man on stilts, Aokiji casually asked, "Uncle, need a ride to the next island? I can give you a hand."
Luffy, suddenly serious, stepped in. "Uncle, don't trust him! He's a Marine!"
A brief silence followed. Then, with the old man's help, Luffy remembered something important—most regular people did see the Marines as the good guys and pirates like them as the villains.
Still, Usopp remained skeptical. Although the ten islets of Long Ring Island connected at low tide, they were usually separated. If Aokiji was really offering to help, why would he bother? Something about it just didn't sit right.
"No, he can do it," Robin stated firmly. Having witnessed Aokiji's terrifying abilities as a child, she had no doubt about his power.
True to her words, Aokiji effortlessly carried the short uncle and his injured white horse to the coast, with Luffy and his crew following closely behind. What they saw next was a display of sheer power—proof of why Aokiji was known as one of the Navy's greatest forces.
"Ice Age!"
Plunging his hands into the sea, Aokiji unleashed his ability, instantly freezing the entire surface of the water.
"This has got to be a joke, right?" Usopp gawked at the vast, frozen ocean stretching before them.
Despite revealing the overwhelming strength of an admiral, Aokiji showed no hostility. His relaxed demeanor made it seem as though this was nothing more than a casual demonstration, allowing both sides to maintain a delicate peace.
However, just as he was about to leave, something shifted. "I've been thinking… and I can't just let you go. So, it's better if you die here."
Without warning, Aokiji made his move, freezing Robin solid.
"Usopp! Take Robin and get her out of here!" Luffy commanded the moment Chopper explained that, with immediate treatment, Robin could still recover.
But in mere moments, Aokiji had already incapacitated the crew's three strongest fighters. Realizing that staying would only put them in further danger, Luffy prioritized Robin's safety, ordering the weaker members to retreat.
Yet, not everyone ran. Nami stood her ground, attempting to halt Aokiji's advance—only to be swiftly immobilized herself.
"It seems there's no peaceful way out of this," Zoro muttered, gripping his swords, eyes locked onto the admiral.
"Wait a minute! I want to take him on one-on-one—no one interferes!" Luffy declared, locking eyes with Aokiji.
"Ala la la~ Suit yourself. But just so you know, I don't have a boat. If you lose, I'll have no choice but to finish you off," Aokiji responded indifferently.
Zoro and Sanji exchanged glances before making the difficult decision to retreat with Nami, leaving Luffy to face the admiral alone.
"Chopper! Get out here and treat our injuries—quickly!" Zoro called out with urgency.
As Chopper and Usopp worked to thaw Robin, Usopp ran out, alarmed. "Wait—why are only you guys back? Where's Luffy?"
"Use warm water to gently dissolve the ice, then massage the affected areas to restore circulation. Nami, help Robin first; I'll take care of Zoro and Sanji," Chopper instructed, fully stepping into his role as the crew's doctor.
Meanwhile, Sanji and Zoro had jumped into the sea to defrost their limbs properly. Once they were back aboard the ship, Sanji muttered, "So Luffy's staying behind to fight one-on-one, huh?"
Usopp, unable to contain his frustration, shouted, "So you just abandoned him and ran back? Isn't that a little too heartless?"
"Now's not the time for this," Zoro said coolly, cutting through the argument. He turned to Chopper. "How long until we recover?"
Chopper shook his head firmly. "No way. Your frostbite is too severe. Even if you go back now, you won't be able to fight at full strength!"
Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, the duel had already reached its conclusion—Luffy lay frozen solid, completely at Aokiji's mercy.
"I've been tricked! Challenging me to a duel means that once I defeat you, I can't go after your crew, right?" Aokiji said with a smirk. "Nico Robin is a true menace—you have no idea what you're dealing with. As long as she remains on your ship, you're inviting disaster, Monkey D. Luffy!"
With a swift kick, Aokiji shattered a chunk of ice next to Luffy. But despite his overwhelming advantage, he chose not to end the fight with a fatal blow.
"Killing you now would be easy," he mused, adjusting his coat. "But out of respect for your grandfather, I just can't bring myself to do it. Besides, with the matter of Alabasta, you and the Navy are square now—it's a convenient excuse to settle things with that persistent guy. If I really were to kill you… I doubt Jack would ever forgive me."
Shaking his head, Aokiji slung his coat over his shoulders, mounted his bicycle, and pedaled away, leaving the battered crew behind.
By the time Zoro and Sanji arrived at the scene, they found Luffy completely encased in ice. Acting quickly, they carried him back to the ship, where Chopper began his desperate attempt to revive him.
Moments later, Chopper emerged onto the deck with an exhausted but relieved expression. "Their heartbeats are back!" he announced.
Usopp collapsed onto the deck, drained and shaken. "Are we going to keep running into opponents who can take us all down in just a few moves?" he muttered weakly.
Zoro remained silent for a moment before speaking in a rare, reassuring tone. "Don't overthink it. You're exhausted too—get some rest."
With their log pose set, but Luffy still unconscious and Robin severely injured, Nami made the call: they would stay put for the night before setting sail again.
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