After the events of Dressrosa—
The whole world knew that Maude had declared war on both Big Mom and Kaido, and had even claimed the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, a power fiercely contested by countless factions.
With that, he not only drew countless eyes—but countless cannons, too.
It meant that the Maude Pirates would now become the primary target of the world.
Though Law had already mentally prepared for this inevitability, the mere thought of it always brought with it a wave of precaution and worry.
His heart felt like it was about to shatter from the stress.
In contrast, the rest of the crew showed no sign of concern whatsoever.
Law glanced over at his companions, who were currently laughing and chatting about today's front-page news, and couldn't help but sigh deeply in his heart.
Back in the day, at least Lafitte used to share in his worries. But ever since Gaya had eaten the Float-Float Fruit and lifted the entire Thriller Bark into the sky, Lafitte no longer seemed all that interested in risk management.
"Maude wants to hold a celebratory event like a 'Grand Contest,' but he still hasn't found the right location. Until he does, I can't afford to let my guard down…"
Law folded the newspaper, his thoughts turning inward.
The activation mechanism of the Op-Op Fruit was a bottomless pit of stamina.
Even if he increased his stamina to the highest possible level, it would never perfectly keep pace with the fruit's consumption.
All he could do was continuously build up endurance, increasing the number of times he could cast Room.
Whether for offense or support—
At the very least, he couldn't allow himself to collapse from exhaustion before the battle was over.
Otherwise, Room would become meaningless.
"Rather than defeating enemies alone…"
Law's eyelids lowered as he recalled battles where he had fought in sync with Maude.
The Phase Shift ability of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, paired with the teleportation from Room—if timed right—made for such a swift assault that even someone like Kizaru would be caught off guard.
"As expected, I'd rather support Maude."
He murmured internally.
This man, who had always marched to the beat of his own drum, had somehow, somewhere along the way, become willing to play a supporting role.
"Law, what're you thinking about? You look completely zoned out."
Maude placed a hand on Law's shoulder.
Law snapped back to reality and turned to see Maude beside him, having approached silently. Of course, he wasn't about to spill his inner thoughts aloud. He simply shook his head. "Nothing."
"That so?"
Maude withdrew his hand with a smile. "We're about to start the feast. Come on."
With that, he walked off toward the open plain in the distance.
There, the crew was setting up a makeshift outdoor banquet hall.
Aokiji, in a rare burst of enthusiasm, had conjured up over a dozen penguin-shaped ice sculptures, arranging them as decorative pieces. The chill in the air had even caused a layer of frost to spread over the black stone ground.
"So cold…"
Crew members from the various allied pirate ships rubbed their arms, shivering as they looked reluctantly at the ice sculptures Aokiji had created.
They all wanted to complain about his "artistic mood"—but none of them dared.
Nearby, Bailey and Bepo were roughhousing playfully.
That is, until Bailey accidentally bumped into one of the ice sculptures, shivering violently as he got frostbitten. Bepo didn't even look back as he took off running into the distance.
"Which bastard thought it was a good idea to put these damn ice sculptures here?"
Realizing he couldn't catch up to Bepo, Bailey scowled at the sculpture blocking his path.
"Rocket Headbutt!!!"
Without hesitation, he launched a rocket headbutt, smashing the penguin sculpture to pieces with a crash.
Around him, the crew stared at Bailey, who had just headbutted the sculpture to pieces, as though he were some kind of brave hero.
Bailey smoothed his slightly ruffled fur with a proud swipe and turned toward the second sculpture. With a scoff, he prepared to strike again.
"Rocket Hea—!"
Before he could finish shouting, a towering shadow loomed over him, carrying a wave of chilling air.
The attack name stopped dead in his throat.
"Ara ara…"
Aokiji stood silently behind him, eyes drifting from the shattered sculpture to the back of Bailey's sweat-drenched head.
Bailey shuddered.
Then, with record-breaking speed, he scrambled to reassemble the broken ice sculpture as if nothing had happened.
"Sigh… That damn Bepo has no appreciation for the arts! To think he'd lay a finger on such a tastefully elegant sculpture… I clearly misjudged him!"
Bailey shook his head dramatically, pinning the blame on Bepo without a hint of shame. He then nonchalantly walked past Aokiji, whistling as if nothing had happened.
Aokiji said nothing, merely watching him go.
Behind his sunglasses, no one could see his expression.
But Bailey could still feel an icy chill crawling up his spine.
Just then, a crack echoed behind him.
The hastily rebuilt penguin sculpture fell apart once again, this time into even smaller shards.
Bailey froze and slowly turned around, staring at the now utterly wrecked sculpture.
After a brief silence, he groaned, heartbroken, "Damn it, Bepo, you've really done it now. Look what you've done to this fine piece of art."
"..."
Aokiji didn't speak.
He simply extended a hand swirling with cold mist—and conjured a new ice sculpture, one with a silhouette almost identical to Bailey's.
Bailey's forehead broke out in a cold sweat as he stared at the sculpture, then gave Aokiji a smile so awkward it could rival tears.
Aokiji remained silent, continuing to stare at him.
That silence made Bailey even more nervous.
I was too reckless!
Bailey silently cursed his earlier headbutt, then glanced pleadingly in Maude's direction.
Maude noticed Bailey's look but casually pretended not to, instead focusing on helping with the banquet preparations.
Bailey watched Maude's retreating back in silent betrayal.
"Ara ara… If I remember right, decorative pieces look best when they're in pairs, don't they?"
Aokiji finally spoke, his gaze drifting between the sculpture and Bailey.
Pairs…
Bailey looked at the sculpture that looked just like him and forced out an even more twisted smile.
—One hour later—
The banquet began.
Food and booze filled the tables, and the crew roared into celebration.
The clinking of mugs. Laughter.
Endless.
Whether intentionally or not, Aokiji had seated himself right beside Bailey, thoroughly ruining Bailey's appetite.
"A pirate's banquet, huh…"
Aokiji raised a glass, his expression a touch complicated as he watched the joyful, unrestrained crowd.
Perhaps it was the years spent within the rigid structure of the Navy, but something about this carefree atmosphere made him feel faintly out of place.
"Here."
A gentle voice broke his thoughts.
He turned to find a pair of chopsticks and a bowl being offered to him by Gaya. He blinked in mild surprise.
"Thanks."
He took them, the familiar gesture stirring something nostalgic within him.
After handing them over, Gaya sat beside Bailey and said seriously, "Food served too cold ruins the flavor. Never use ice utensils for a hot meal."
"Ara ara… Fair point."
A bit sheepishly, Aokiji scratched his head and casually dismissed the ice chopsticks he'd conjured earlier.
Gaya watched him, then flexed her will slightly.
Boom—
All the penguin ice sculptures around the banquet tables suddenly launched into the sky, flying off toward the ocean.
Judging from their trajectory, they'd splash into the sea soon enough.
With the cold obstructions gone, Gaya smiled politely at Aokiji.
"Since you agree ice can ruin a meal, I took the liberty of getting rid of those sculptures. I hope you don't mind."
"..."
Aokiji was left speechless.
Bailey snickered gleefully at his misfortune.
"Eat while it's hot," Gaya added with a smile.
Bailey's appetite returned with a vengeance. He leapt onto the table and started devouring meat.
Aokiji scratched his cheek, then picked up his chopsticks and dug in. Soon, his mouth was full.
As expected, the dishes made by this woman were nothing short of delicious.
Seeing both of them eating, Gaya lifted her soup bowl and took a sip of the three-flavor broth. She then turned to watch her crewmates as they drank and laughed, a soft smile on her lips.
She might've seemed gentle and quiet when she wasn't speaking—but deep down, she loved the boisterous energy of a crowded table.
"Kuzan, the first time we shared a table with you was back on 'Lorre Island,' right?"
Gaya set her soup down, suddenly recalling the events on the Plague Island.
Aokiji chewed and swallowed the meat in his mouth. The mention of that place stirred a few memories, and a certain face floated through his mind—Fujitora.
The man who had once shielded the Maude Pirates on Plague Island, a powerhouse he himself had personally recommended to the Navy. That man had gone on to become an Admiral of immense integrity.
And as for himself—the one who had once brought Fujitora into the Navy—he had become a pirate.
He joined the Maude Pirates.
"…Yeah."
Aokiji nodded slowly.
Gaya tilted her head, eyeing Aokiji calmly.
"That was more than a year ago. No one would've guessed the freeloader who came shamelessly begging for food back then would one day become one of us."
"This grilled meat tastes pretty good. The sauce is quite red though... was it made with red wine?"
Aokiji tried to deflect the biting comment with a change of subject.
"It's made with sea beast blood."
Gaya answered his question, then without missing a beat, steered the conversation back.
"Sometimes, I really can't understand what Maude is thinking… letting a man who reeks so strongly of blood join the crew."
"Ara ara… I know you're talking about Shiryu when you say that 'bloody man,' but for some reason, it feels like you're talking about me."
Aokiji looked at Gaya, somewhat helpless.
Gaya nodded without hesitation.
Seeing how bluntly she confirmed it, a twitch tugged at Aokiji's lips.
Then Gaya looked over at Maude, seated at the head of the table.
"Maude… he truly values us. Which is why, I doubt he could ever tolerate betrayal."
"…"
Aokiji's gaze sharpened as Gaya laid things bare, but he didn't speak.
Her eyes opened just slightly, a glint of amber reflecting in them as she spoke evenly:
"I just hope your joining us… doesn't turn out to be a mistake."
Aokiji met her gaze earnestly and sighed.
"Never thought it'd be you saying this instead of Lafitte. But yeah… I can feel it. That unease all of you have toward me."
Gaya's voice dropped to a softer tone.
"Sorry, but given who you used to be… it's just not possible for us to trust you unconditionally."
"No need to apologize. If I were in your shoes, I'd feel the same."
Aokiji looked down at the bowl before him, staring at the dark crimson broth. He scratched his cheek out of habit, then spoke with a tinge of reflection:
"But before I formally accepted Maude's invitation, I already made things pretty clear."
As he said this, he looked over at Maude, who was now knocking back strong liquor with Jim.
"Gaya, each of you has something you're striving for… and so do I. But sitting in that seat for all those years, I came to understand something—there are things that, even with status, you simply can't change."
"…"
Gaya watched him quietly.
"That's just the surface reason I gave myself when I left Marine Headquarters. The real reason—the one I don't talk about—is that I knew they were never going to give me a higher seat."
Aokiji turned toward Gaya, meeting her eyes. His tone was calm.
"If I couldn't get a new opportunity, and I'd already done nothing worthwhile in the seat I had… then I had to look elsewhere. Though I never imagined I'd end up joining the Maude Pirates. Still… it's not the kind of twist I dislike."
"Thank you for telling me all this."
Gaya suddenly smiled at Aokiji—a soft, graceful smile.
Aokiji was caught off guard. He blinked, then gave a small chuckle and shook his head. Turning once again to Maude, his voice carried an emotion even he couldn't fully name:
"Sometimes, just watching Maude do what he does… makes me feel like the things I couldn't accomplish back then… maybe I can achieve them here. But why is that?"
"Because Maude never once doubted your reason for joining this crew."
As she spoke, Gaya picked up a napkin and gently wiped the grease off Bailey's messy little face.
Aokiji fell silent.
It was true. Ever since he'd joined the crew, he could feel the suspicion from Lafitte, from Gaya—but not once had he sensed it from Maude.
"Yohohoho~♪ Gather all up the crew~♪, it's time ship out Bink's Brew~♪. Sea wind blows, to where, who knows?~♪.…"
Just then, Brook's singing drifted through the air, accompanied by the warm notes of a piano.
The lively chatter around the table quieted almost instinctively.
Everyone turned to Brook, swaying along with the melody at the piano, and smiles broke out across their faces.
Aokiji took in the joyful atmosphere… and found the corners of his mouth slowly lifting.
...
A few days later.
The Thriller Bark remained anchored on the open sea, waiting for fate—or perhaps a passerby—to replenish their dwindling supplies.
Though no "lucky visitor" had yet arrived, they had intercepted another News Coo mid-route.
"Coo, coo!!!"
The News Coo flapped its wings wildly, flailing gestures at Maude and the crew.
Bepo, ever the interpreter, translated:
"He says, 'You guys again?!'"
"Oh, you're the same one that brought us the papers last time? What a coincidence."
Maude blinked at the seemingly familiar News Coo, then casually reached into its pouch for the newspaper.
"Coo coo coo…!"
"He says, 'This wasn't meant for you!'"
"It's fine, long as we pay."
Unbothered, Maude opened the paper—and a bounty poster slipped out.
A single glance, and he saw his own photo.
"It's the captain's bounty poster."
The rest of the crew gathered around, their gazes following the drifting sheet of paper.
"Eh?"
As it settled to the ground, they quickly noticed the updated bounty amount.
"This is… a new bounty poster."
"Let's see how much the captain's bounty went up!"
"Hsss—!"
"2.298 billion berries!!!"
Everyone was stunned by the new figure.
"The rest of ours got updated too!"
Jim shook the Coo's pouch and out came several more bounty posters.
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