"We'll definitely go!" Luffy clenched his fists, brimming with confidence. "Fish-Man Island, Elbaf—we're going everywhere!"
"Really, really?" Merry tugged excitedly at Luffy's pant leg.
"Of course. We'll go together," Robin said, watching Luffy and Merry with a gentle smile.
The three of them chatted as they strolled across the strange grassland. Luffy and Robin discussed profound history, while Merry marveled at the absurdly elongated animals around them.
To an outsider, this peaceful scene might have easily been mistaken for a young couple out for a leisurely walk with their child.
Suddenly, Luffy stopped in his tracks. His gaze sharpened, fixed directly ahead. The easygoing expression on his face was instantly replaced by a gravity he rarely showed.
Robin followed his gaze. When she made out the tall figure slowly approaching, her pupils contracted sharply. An involuntary tremor ran through her body, and she instinctively gripped Luffy's wrist.
The man was immensely tall, clad in a white suit vest over a dark blue shirt. A green sleeping mask was pushed up on his forehead. He looked as if he had just woken up, yawning lazily.
"You know him, Robin?" Luffy could feel the tension in Robin's grip and the faint tremor in her hand. His voice dropped.
Robin's breathing was slightly labored. Her voice carried a barely perceptible strain. "Marine Headquarters Admiral... Aokiji, Kuzan."
"A Marine Admiral?" Luffy's gaze turned icy. An intangible aura began to emanate from him.
The Marines' highest combat power. Beings at the very apex of these seas.
So what?
He'd frightened Luffy's nakama. Not even a Marine Admiral got a pass.
"He's here for me." Robin bit her lower lip, forcing herself to remain calm. "You all need to leave. Now."
Almost the moment Robin finished speaking, Nami, Vivi, Zoro, and the others, sensing the abnormal tension, rapidly rushed back.
"What's happening?"
"Robin-san? You look pale."
"Who is this man?"
The questions came rapid-fire, everyone's wary gazes locked on Aokiji.
The moment Vivi saw Aokiji, her expression shifted. She quickly tugged at Nami's sleeve and whispered urgently.
Nami's face grew serious as well.
Chopper, though feeling the oppressive atmosphere, mustered his courage and pointed at Aokiji. "Who are you?! What do you want with Robin?!"
Aokiji looked down at Chopper, a hint of confusion on his languid face. "Raccoon dog?"
"I'm a reindeer, you jerk!" Chopper hopped angrily, pointing at the antlers on his head. "Look! I have antlers!"
"Ouch, my ears."
"Alright, alright. No need to be so hostile, little bro. It's not like I'm here on orders."
Aokiji finally seemed to register Luffy's undisguised hostility. He scratched his fluffy, curly hair, gave a resigned smile, and spread his hands. "I just saw the nice weather and came out for a walk."
Off-duty hours.
Not working, so no pirate catching.
"A Marine Admiral comes to take a stroll on an uninhabited island crawling with pirates?" Sanji lit a cigarette and blew a smoke ring. "That line might fool a three-year-old. Don't kid yourself."
Aokiji sighed, looking as if he had no choice but to deal with them. "It's the truth. I'm taking a walk, and I thought I'd drop in on an acquaintance while I'm at it."
"An acquaintance? Who here do you know?" Usopp, peeking out from behind Zoro, asked.
Aokiji's gaze passed over the group and settled on Robin, who still clung tightly to Luffy's wrist. His tone was calm, almost friendly.
"Sashiburi da ne, Nico Robin. You've grown into a fine woman."
The air around them seemed to solidify instantly, the pressure suffocating.
Luffy and Aokiji were barely a few meters apart. Luffy's face was expressionless. Almost simultaneously, an invisible ripple expanded outward from him, surging toward Aokiji with overwhelming force!
Conqueror's Haki?!
Aokiji's perpetually half-lidded, drowsy eyes snapped wide open. A bead of cold sweat appeared on his brow.
An equally powerful aura, cold and dense like a ten thousand year ice sheet, radiated from him, firmly meeting Luffy's Conqueror's Haki impact. The two supreme forces clashed silently in the air, emitting a faint, resonant hum. The grass beneath their feet bent outward in a perfect ring centered on the two men!
Even the sky seemed to darken.
This also affected Robin.
Positively affected her.
The bone-deep, chilling oppression that Aokiji's presence had instilled in her was swept clean away. The lingering fear born of her past miraculously dissipated into nothing.
Though her rational mind knew they couldn't match Aokiji now, at least her mindset was finally steady. She could start thinking about how to withdraw safely.
She had to admit—compared to other Marines, Aokiji was perhaps one of the few who still retained some conscience.
If not for that, he wouldn't have turned a blind eye to her escape during the Buster Call on Ohara all those years ago.
But the fact that he could hold his ground without flinching against Luffy's Conqueror's Haki spoke volumes. This Admiral's strength was truly unfathomable.
Chopper hadn't yet grasped what a Marine Admiral truly meant. He just knew the atmosphere was terrifying.
Vivi quickly and quietly explained to Nami and the others. "Marine Headquarters only has three Admirals: Aokiji Kuzan, Akainu Sakazuki, and Kizaru Borsalino.
These three are recognized by the World Government as the Marines' supreme combat power. The only one above them is Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Why would someone like this be here?
Their first clash of wills seemed inconclusive.
Aokiji raised a hand to his forehead, looking even more exasperated. "So you inherited that terrifying aptitude from your grandfather, after all?"
"Grandfather?" Luffy frowned, thoughtful. "You know him?"
"Yeah." Aokiji scratched his head. "It's not exactly a secret among Marine high command. You've made quite a splash. And Vice Admiral Garp, your grandfather, never misses a chance to boast to us—says he raised the finest Marine soldier for the Navy."
He paused, a hint of mockery in his tone. "Fine indeed. Just... not quite the fine Marine he was aiming for, it seems."
"Vice Admiral Garp? Luffy's grandfather?" Robin froze. Luffy had never spoken to her in detail about his family.
Nami and Usopp, at least, had heard Luffy mention it earlier.
"No secret," Luffy said calmly. "My grandfather is Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, Monkey D. Garp."
"The Marine Hero Garp?!" Sanji's cigarette nearly fell from his lips.
***
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