Lulu, one of the foremen, ran back from the distance, nerves tightening his voice.
"The entire station is surrounded by World Government and Marine personnel."
Barry sat heavily on the ground, breathing hard. A deep claw mark near his heart pulsed with faint pain, the wound still knitting itself together.
"It looks like they planned everything tonight. They wanted to steal that thing and wipe out anyone who got in the way."
He rubbed at the slowly healing mark and stared at the Sea Stone needle lying beside him, frowning.
"I was careless. I didn't expect Kaku to be carrying Sea Stone. Lucci nearly tore my heart out."
"Rope Man, you're pretty impressive."
Luffy, still weak from the Sea Stone exposure, lay on his side and grinned.
"Do you want to join our pirate crew and be our shipwright?"
Barry shot him a flat look and sighed.
"Sorry, I have no interest in joining your pirate crew. And you, of all people, I told you not to pull out the needle. Now look at you, lying there without strength."
"Hehe, I forgot I'm also weak to Sea Stone."
Luffy struggled to his feet, wobbling as he looked around.
"Where did Shirogai go? Mayor Iceberg is fine now, we need to save Robin."
"That guy."
Nami looked around with irritation, then clenched her fists.
"Who knows where he ran off to again. And Sanji. Do those two even care about Robin right now?"
… …
Wind howled.
In the backstreets of Water 7, already swallowed by rising tides, one long stretch of road had frozen entirely solid.
The enormous waves of Aqua Laguna hung mid-crash, frozen in place and gleaming like colossal glass sculptures. Inside the ice, several small sea creatures were suspended, trapped in lifelike stillness.
"The waves of Aqua Laguna are incredibly huge. They almost blew my bicycle away earlier."
Two figures sat calmly on makeshift ice chairs positioned atop one of the frozen waves. They stared into the distance where the storm continued to roar.
Shirogai sat with a relaxed smile, glancing at the man beside him.
"I didn't expect you to appear before me again this soon."
"Oh, oh, oh, duty is hard to avoid."
The tall, curly-haired Admiral with an eye patch sighed lazily, then picked up a strawberry sandwich Shirogai had made for him. After taking a bite, he blinked in pleasant surprise.
"It really is good. Eating something this tasty after coming all this way isn't bad at all."
Shirogai smiled faintly, his tone sharpened with meaning.
"It's nothing special, I just threw it together. You are a Marine Admiral, the enemy of pirates, so I don't see the need to prepare a perfect meal for you."
"You're really cold, Shirogai."
Admiral Aokiji Kuzan laughed while chewing the sweet sandwich.
"Honestly, aside from our opposing positions, our personalities match pretty well."
"Is that so? Interesting way to put it."
Shirogai casually extended his arm, transforming it into a clean and polished blade. With a swift motion, he sliced through a nearby chunk of ice. The ice shattered into pieces, each piece morphing into warm, fragrant chicken nuggets that released an enticing aroma.
A chilled plate formed beneath them, catching the nuggets before gently placing them on the ice crystal table.
"Eat-Eat Fruit," Shirogai said proudly, almost like a child showing off a clever trick.
"How about it? Isn't an ability that can create food from ordinary matter far more interesting than your Ice-Ice Fruit that just freezes people?"
Aokiji popped a freshly made nugget into his mouth and nodded.
"It's very convenient, I'll give you that."
"That's right. If the abilities of Devil Fruits could be reproduced for the world, famine would disappear, and no one would starve again."
Shirogai sighed.
"But the World Government never develops Devil Fruit research for the sake of common people or refugees."
Aokiji paused mid-bite.
"You seem to know a lot about the World Government's research projects."
"Not all the details, but the intention is obvious." Shirogai's gaze fixed on the roaring waves.
"They have always tried to replicate Devil Fruit powers and mass-produce powerful users."
Aokiji leaned back, looking at him with a lazy half-smile.
"This world needs order. The chaos caused by pirates won't bring progress."
"You're stalling me, Aokiji, right?" Shirogai said suddenly, his tone dropping cold.
Aokiji blinked.
"You noticed? Then why are you still willing to sit here with me?"
Shirogai's smile sharpened.
"How do you know you're the one stalling me, and not the other way around?"
Aokiji stiffened for a moment, then laughed awkwardly.
"Arararara, Shirogai, don't tell me you're planning to cause another major incident like last time. Is this a clone? Is your real body about to sneak into Mariejois again?"
"Did I scare you?"
Shirogai looked amused.
"Aokiji, the Gorosei just arrived in Water 7."
"I know," Aokiji replied with a lazy shrug.
"They couldn't stop you, so they sent me as a backup, hoping I could slow you down."
"The Gorosei wanted to make a bet with me. The stake was Robin. I refused."
"Was it about canceling Nico Robin's bounty?"
"That's right." Shirogai's voice was dismissive.
"Bounties are nothing more than printed announcements pretending to show the World Government's authority. They're worthless to me."
"Just waste paper, huh?" Aokiji smirked, sensing the complete lack of fear behind the words.
Wind whistled through the frozen streets.
Aokiji looked toward the reddish-white smoke rising through the storm.
"It seems CP-9 succeeded. The Sea Train is departing soon. You're still sitting here calmly, Shirogai. Aren't you worried Nico Robin will fall into the hands of the Government?"
"No," Shirogai replied calmly.
"My companions will bring Robin back."
The Straw Hat Pirates flashed briefly through Aokiji's mind.
Straw Hat Luffy, swordsman Zoro, Black Leg Sanji, and the long-nosed sniper.
"You really think they can defeat CP-9?"
Shirogai leaned forward slightly, a sharp glint in his eye.
"Aokiji, want to bet on it? I bet CP-9 won't stand a chance against my crew."
"Don't get careless, Shirogai."
Aokiji exhaled thoughtfully.
He knew Lucci's strength well, and he knew the harsh training CP-9 received from childhood. The Straw Hats had barely grasped the basics of Haki. To him, the outcome seemed clear.
Even so, Aokiji remembered Luffy's strength vividly.
And he knew Luffy's true lineage.
Monkey D. Luffy, grandson of his teacher, Monkey D. Garp.
---
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