Aokiji spoke, looking at Mio with indifference in his eyes.
"If you kill her, you'll face the pursuit of Vice Admiral Garp."
Since Mio knew Aokiji, he must also know Garp. That was the only card Aokiji could play to try and pressure him.
"Do you think I care about that?" Mio responded calmly.
Hearing this, Aokiji fell silent once more, staring deeply at Mio. This guy was proving to be more troublesome than expected. Aokiji could tell that Mio's strength wasn't particularly high. In fact, judging from the battle, Mio seemed weaker than some of his own crew members—apart from his bizarre and unpredictable abilities.
Yet this guy was decisive, knew how to make people hesitate, and how to force compromise. He acted with the confidence of someone used to winning—even though that very confidence irritated Aokiji.
From the moment the fight started, Mio hadn't shown a hint of panic. It was as if he had already planned to use Momousagi as leverage. And when Aokiji was ready to finish things, Mio had grabbed her without giving him a moment to react.
From the beginning, this battle had been split into two fronts: one was his fight with Mio's crew, and the other was his struggle to protect Momousagi.
The two fronts had taken place in entirely different locations.
Now, in hindsight, the whole fight seemed like a staged learning opportunity for Mio's crew. A trial by fire—to witness firsthand the terror of a true powerhouse. To feel the crushing pressure of a top-tier combatant on the sea.
Because Mio had never once acted like someone whose life was in danger.
And Aokiji… he suddenly felt like nothing more than a tool in someone else's plan.
He could tell that Mio wasn't lying—this guy clearly knew a lot about him. That was undeniable, especially considering how he had used Momousagi as a bargaining chip right from the start.
"…Hah."
With a long sigh, Aokiji waved his hand, and the freezing cold that enveloped the battlefield began to dissipate.
"If she dies, the Black Crow Pirates truly end here and now," Aokiji warned in a flat voice. As he spoke, the ice imprisoning Kuroken and Erica slowly melted away.
"Don't worry," Mio said with a light smile and a casual shrug. "I haven't lost interest in living just yet."
Mio knew that if Momousagi really died here, he and his crew wouldn't end up in Impel Down—they'd be buried here with her. Thinking that, he loosened his grip slightly on her throat.
"Vice Admiral Aokiji…" Momousagi, finally able to breathe again, gasped and called out weakly.
Aokiji turned his head and replied indifferently, "He's right. I'm not that guy, Akainu."
Even though he disapproved of Akainu's extreme methods, Aokiji had to admit they were more in line with what the Navy currently needed—especially for someone in a high position like himself. Still, he could never follow Akainu's path.
He wasn't someone who could sacrifice his own people for the sake of taking down the enemy.
Soon after, with the ice receding further, Kuroken and Erica were finally freed.
Braving the lingering cold, the two of them hurried to Mio's side.
"Let's return to the ship," Mio said to Erica before glancing toward Lilith.
Lilith gave a slight nod, and in a flash, her figure vanished and reappeared aboard the ship. Without hesitation, Erica, Kuroken, and Warwick sprinted toward the ship as well.
Mio then turned back to Aokiji and grinned. "Sorry to trouble you, Vice Admiral Aokiji, but would you mind clearing the sea path too? I can't exactly leave otherwise."
At this point, Aokiji had no intention of continuing the fight. With a helpless shake of his head, he waved again, and the frozen sea began to thaw.
Beneath the waves, Hanba emerged briefly before diving once again beneath the surface.
Aokiji's gaze shifted from the ship to Mio, and he asked flatly, "Nico Robin is aboard your ship, isn't she?"
"Yes," Mio replied without hesitation.
Hearing the straightforward answer, Aokiji narrowed his eyes, but didn't push further. He simply said, "Then it's time to release her."
"No rush," Mio replied casually. "We'll let her go once we're sure we're in the clear, right?"
As he spoke, Mio took a step forward and disappeared, reappearing instantly at the ship's bow.
As the frozen sea gradually returned to its natural state, only the area beneath Aokiji remained iced over. Mio looked down at Hanba, and without a word, Hanba understood and swam below to pull the ship forward through the waters.
Aokiji continued to watch Mio intently.
When the ship was far enough away—
Mio looked at the unconscious Momousagi in his grasp, patted her fair cheek, and smirked. "Miss Momousagi, maybe we'll meet again if fate allows. Oh, and by the way… your skin's really smooth."
With that, he showed no sign of pity and kicked her from the ship, sending her flying toward the sea.
Aokiji had been expecting this and immediately froze the sea beneath her, preventing her from plunging into the depths.
"Cough… cough…"
Wracked with pain and blood leaking from the corner of her mouth, Momousagi sat up after a moment. Looking down, then slowly raising her eyes to Aokiji, she muttered, "I'm sorry, Vice Admiral Aokiji. I was just a burden…"
"No, it was my own failure," Aokiji said, shaking his head as he walked toward his bicycle. "That guy may be a rookie, but he's right. I'm not Akainu."
Then he added, "Tell Fleet Admiral Sengoku that I'll capture him myself. I'll work alone on this. Just tell me when and where."
And with that, Aokiji mounted his bicycle and rode away into the distance.
Momousagi watched him leave, her expression conflicted.
Eventually, she sighed, returned to her battered warship, and pulled out the Den Den Mushi to make a call.
It connected quickly.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
"Momousagi? What's the matter?"
She took a deep breath, then said firmly, "I want to apply for a transfer to the World Government Headquarters."
Back at Marine HQ, Sengoku furrowed his brows. "Why the sudden request?"
"I want to train under CP0 and become stronger," Momousagi replied without hesitation.
Among the Cipher Pol agencies, CP0 was the most elite. Its members were exceptional in every regard. In the original timeline, CP0 included powerful individuals like Lucci and Stussy—the Queen of the Pleasure District and a top leader in the New World's dark underworld.
To rise to that level required more than talent—it required enduring brutal, intense training.
After a brief silence, Sengoku finally said, "Tell me everything that happened on your end."
"Yes, sir."
Without holding anything back, Momousagi began her full report—including the details of Mio's abilities and those of his crew.