Chapter 266 - 124

Chapter 124What is with this family?!Usopp hid behind Zoro, his voice trembling as he spoke: "Since you have that connection, as a MarineAdmiral, you should go catch those great pirates with bounties of hundreds of millions or billions! Why are you staring at us..."Aokiji sighed: "So, have you guys been listening to me at all?I've already emphasized that I'm on vacation; it's off-duty time!Catching pirates is work. Can't you separate work from life? I just came to see an old acquaintance."He pointed at Luffy with an innocent face, "But your Captain, as soon as he heard I was looking for Robin, released Conqueror's Haki without a second thought. You can't really blame me for this, can you?"Everyone's gaze shifted in unison toward Luffy.Luffy puffed out his chest, acting completely righteous: "You scared Robin. Shouldn't I have?""You should!"The Straw Hat crew shouted in unison, supporting their Captain without any principles.Aokiji curled his lip and muttered in a low voice, "This overprotective personality is exactly the same as Vice Admiral Garp's."He waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I uphold Lazy Justice. Anyway... wait a second, I'm getting a bit tired of standing."As Aokiji spoke, he seemed to truly feel exhausted, falling backward and lying directly on the soft grass."Is this guy really a Marine Admiral?"Usopp and Sanji watched Aokiji lying there without any sense of decorum, feeling their understanding of the world collapsing.Aokiji lay there, looking at the sky, and said:"I'm not here to catch you; you can rest assured on that point. I'll just be blunt. I knew all along that Robin was in Alabasta.But a dangerous person like her disappeared after the Alabasta incident. Based on a certain level of concern outside of my duties, I needed to come and confirm Robin's location. It seems my prediction was correct; she really is with you."His gaze swept over Vivi standing next to Nami, and he scratched his head: "Also, I originally had another goal of taking Princess Vivi away. Now it seems like that might be a bit troublesome?"Luffy's fist clenched instantly, and Armament Hakiquietly covered it."Not taking her, not taking her!"Aokiji hurriedly waved his hands. He had originally thought it was fishy that Luffy had kidnapped Princess Vivi, but now seeing it with his own eyes—Vivi standing among the Straw Hat crew with a natural expression and no sign of being coerced—it was clear she had joined the ship and become a pirate herself."I thought it was strange before, but now it doesn't feel strange at all."Nami and Vivi exchanged a glance, whispering about the plan they had just hurriedly formulated."Should we still execute it?""It seems unnecessary now.""He doesn't look like he has any hostile intentions.""Who says only pirates lie? Marines do too! Don't be fooled by his honest appearance!"Nami remained alert. The plan just now was for Nami to pretend to hold Vivi hostage, using her status as a princess of an Affiliated Nation to make Aokiji hesitate to act.Just then, a rustling sound came from the nearby bushes.A group of people in rags, their faces filled with hunger and exhaustion, walked out.They had clearly heard the conversation between the two parties and looked as if they had seen their saviors."Marine-sama! Please save us!""Our ship was wrecked.""Food, water..."Nami was puzzled: "Isn't this a deserted island?"Aokiji sat up and explained, "About a month ago, a merchant ship was wrecked in the nearby waters. They are likely the refugees who were lucky enough to survive."Hearing this, Luffy immediately commanded: "Chopper, check their injuries! Sanji, Usopp, give them the food and water from the ship!""Aye!"Chopper immediately transformed and took out his medical bag.Sanji and Usopp also moved quickly into action.Aokiji watched from the side as the Straw Hatcrew skillfully rescued the refugees, his expression becoming somewhat subtle.To some extent, this group of pirates acted more like Marines than some actual Marines did.What made him lose his composure the most was that after the refugees received the food and water, they actually began to repeatedly thank the Straw Hat crew, completely ignoring him, a genuine Marine Admiral.Has the world changed?Aokiji sighed and stood up, saying, "Forget it. There's an inhabited island not far away. I'll send them there to take refuge."Usopp looked at the dozens of refugees and said hesitantly, "With so many people, even if we use the going merry to transport them, it would take several trips back and forth."Robin said, "He can do it."Sure enough, Aokiji walked slowly to the shore and reached out a finger to lightly touch the sea surface."Ice Time! (Ice Age!)"In an instant, a bone-chilling cold spread frantically across the sea surface, centered on his finger!Accompanied by a tooth-grinding cracking sound, the azure seawater rapidly froze and hardened at a speed visible to the naked eye under everyone's stunned gazes.In just a dozen seconds, an Ice Road extending all the way to the horizon appeared before them.The sunlight shone on the smooth ice, reflecting a dazzling light."What is this?!"Usopp and Chopper's jaws nearly hit the ground."This ice path will last for about a week."Aokiji withdrew his hand, his tone still lazy, as if he had just done something insignificant.The refugees were both shocked and grateful. After thanking the Straw Hat crew and Aokijiagain, they carefully stepped onto the ice and walked in the direction Aokiji had indicated.Once the refugees were far away, the expression on Luffy's face became serious again. He said in a deep voice to his companions:"Everyone, go back to the going merry first.""Why?" Vivi asked, puzzled.Nami seemed to understand something and shook her head at Vivi, signaling her to follow the arrangement.Luffy looked at Robin, his gaze firm: "Robin, stay with me, okay?"His plan's learning time required Robin to be by his side.Furthermore, he would never let her face Aokijialone.Robin looked at Luffy. Her hand, which was tightly clutching his wrist, relaxed slightly but still didn't let go. She nodded: "Mhm.""Hey, Luffy! How can you let a lady..." Sanji said, sounding anxious.Zoro pressed a hand on Sanji's shoulder, his eyes sharp: "Following the Captain's orders is the first rule on the ship. Besides, against an enemy of the Admiral rank, if we jump in recklessly now, we'll only become a burden."He clearly felt the terrifying clash of auras just now; that was definitely not a battle they could easily participate in at their current level.Though the other members of the Straw Hat crew were worried, they also understood that Zoro was right. Under Luffy's firm gaze, they began to retreat to the going merry one after another.Aokiji just watched quietly, making no move to stop them.Chapter 178: Intense Battle with AokijiOnce his companions had retreated to a safe enough distance, where they were all watching nervously from the deck of the going merry,Aokiji finally spoke with a sigh: "Monkey D. Luffy, you really are just like your grandfather, being so sensitive."Luffy looked directly at Aokiji: "You say you're here for a walk, but you really want to fight, don't you?"Aokiji scratched his head and didn't deny it: "You really are unpredictable."The lazy look on his face gradually faded, replaced by a deep seriousness. The surrounding air seemed to freeze along with it. "I came here, initially, just to see you and Robin and confirm a few things.""But now, I've changed my mind."His voice turned cold: "I think it's better if you all die here."Luffy sneered, his fist already clenched and covered in Armament Haki: "Then come and try it!"Robin was confused as to why Aokiji would suddenly come looking for them and declare he would kill them.If he wanted to do that, why didn't he just kill her back then? Why wait until now, until she had finally found a place where she belonged?In the next second, her questions were interrupted by the sound of a violent collision!At some point, an ice saber emitting a piercing chill had condensed in Aokiji's hand:"Ice Blade!""Gum-Gum Bullet!"Luffy's fist, carrying pitch-black Armament Haki, slammed violently against the ice blade!"Ara ara, how terrifying." Quite a few shards of broken ice flew past Aokiji.The sound of clashing metal exploded!The shockwave from the collision expanded outward like a physical force, kicking up grass and dust from the ground.The two sides seemed to have only exchanged a common blow, but Robin could clearly feel the terrifying power contained within that seemingly simple collision.If not for the almost suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere around them and the vibrations coming from beneath her feet, she would have almost thought it was just an ordinary sparring match.After the strike, Luffy's gaze became even more solemn.The tall man before him was on a completely different level from all the enemies he had encountered before.That feeling of effortless power and bottomless strength."Although the World Government doesn't value you enough yet, if one carefully tracks your trail and experiences, they'll find that your crew is quite extraordinary."Aokiji used the force of the collision to slide back a distance, shaking his wrist. His gaze swept over the people on the going merry before finally settling on Luffy, giving his reason:"Your crew isn't large, but every one of you has backbone. And then there's Robin, the Devil Childwho can read the poneglyph.""When dangerous people like you gather together, the chemical reaction produced will only become more and more troublesome in the future."Before he finished speaking, Luffy immediately threw a punch that clashed with Aokiji. "Is that the excuse you've found?"Luffy could accept that as a compliment from Aokiji.Not everyone was qualified to receive such an evaluation from a top powerhouse of the sea.Aokiji suddenly exerted force, the muscles on his arm bulging as a massive power surged, attempting to hurl Luffy away!"You yourself are dangerous!" Aokiji shouted.Luffy flipped nimbly in the air, his Gum-Gum Fruitability activating as his body twisted like it had no bones, shedding the force.At the same time, the skin all over his body instantly turned bright red, and a large amount of steam erupted.Gear Second... On!"Jet Pistol!"Luffy's figure was like a red flash of lightning, appearing instantly in front of Aokiji, his foot carrying a sharp whistling sound as he kicked hard toward Aokiji's face!Aokiji reacted extremely quickly, once again condensing an ice saber to block!Bang!Crack!The ice saber shattered on impact!Aokiji was struck squarely in the chest by that incredibly swift kick, sent flying backward like a cannonball. He broke through several slender trees before plowing a deep trench in the grass and coming to a stop.In their first formal exchange, the two were evenly matched!But Aokiji soon stood up as if nothing had happened, brushing the ice shards and dust off his chest. He continued, "As I thought, especially you. From an initial bounty of fifty million in the East Blue to two hundred million now, and reaching this level after disappearing for a while following Crocodile's defeat."This rate of growth was simply astonishing.He had dealt with countless lawless and gifted individuals, but this was the first time he had encountered someone like Luffy.Should he say, as expected of Garp's grandson?