"Is he dead?"
"Looks like it."
On the ice, Ren's crew sat on their ship, staring at the motionless Aokiji in the distance. Aside from the thick-skinned Ren, everyone else's face was a mask of worry.
"We didn't just kill a Celestial Dragon... we killed a Marine Admiral too?" Even Hill, usually the most carefree, looked utterly grim.
Klin gripped his sword, his voice heavy with guilt. "Sorry. I was too impulsive."
"Mhm, it's all your fault," Ren nodded in agreement, only to be promptly met with a punch from Hill.
"Stop with the sarcasm already!" Hill gritted her teeth, her fist shaking.
Ren rubbed his head, looking aggrieved. "I was trying to enlighten him!"
"Who enlightens people like that..." Hill covered her face with one hand, sighing in exasperation.
Law also sighed. "Killing an Admiral and a Celestial Dragon... I'm afraid our peaceful days are over."
Gray and Blue stared at the sky, their brains still somewhat stalled. "We... we seem to have done something truly monumental..."
Seeing this, Ren frowned slightly. "Guys! Buck up! So what if we're being hunted? We're pirates! We're hunted every day. Now the chase is just a little tighter, what's the big deal!"
Looking at their captain's nonchalant attitude, the crew didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Forget it. It's already happened. Even if we regret it, there's no turning back now." Ren clapped his hands and addressed them. "Go search that cruise ship for any loot. We're getting ready to leave."
Staying here was an invitation for more Marines to show up. While the news hadn't spread yet, they needed to pack up the goodies and run!
The search task naturally fell to Law. With his Room deployed, he could 'see' every nook and cranny. It was incredibly convenient for scavenging.
While Law played the laborer, Ren walked over to Klin and offered a genuine smile. "Don't sweat it. Even if we hadn't run into a Celestial Dragon today, I would've eventually hunted a couple for fun anyway!"
Klin stiffened, asking with a strange tone, "Why? Captain, you don't have a personal grudge against them, do you?"
Ren smiled faintly. "A grudge? Is there anyone living in this world who doesn't have a grudge against them? My family was quite prominent in the North Blue, yet we had to pay 'Heavenly Tribute' every year just to stay on the board and not get wiped out by the Navy. Do you think I have any affection for them?"
Klin looked at Ren with an odd expression. "I didn't think that's how you felt, Captain."
"Yeah. The Celestial Dragons are parasites sitting on the back of the whole world, sucking it dry. So, don't carry any mental burden. Anyone who has lived in this world over the last eight hundred years should be ready to raise a blade and take their heads!"
Hearing Ren's words, the heaviness on Klin's face eased slightly. "Thanks for the talk, Captain. I feel a lot better."
Ren simply patted Klin's shoulder and walked past him to join the search party.
"Captain, aren't you going to ask me why I wanted to kill them?"
"I have no interest in picking at people's scars."
Watching Ren walk away, a rare smile appeared on Klin's face.
Under the guidance of Law's domain, the treasures on the ship were quickly unearthed. Hill came hopping back to their ship, carrying a massive wooden crate seven meters wide.
"This girl..." Ren shook his head, not knowing where to start his critique.
Just as they were about to set sail, Klin walked over holding a small wooden box and handed it to Ren. "Captain, there's a Devil Fruit inside. Want to take a look?"
"A Devil Fruit? Now that's a rare find!"
Opening the box, a fruit covered in strange, jagged "fangs" appeared before them.
"What kind of fruit is this?" "No idea. Captain, you want to try a bite?"
Everyone turned their eyes to Ren, waiting for his decision.
"Let's get out of here first. I'd rather not be surrounded while we're debating fruit."
With Blue towing the ship from below, it took them ten minutes to leave the frozen zone and return to the open sea.
"Luck is on our side. Let's make ourselves scarce before the Navy arrives!"
Under Hill's command, the sails were dropped, and the crew sped away from the scene of the crime.
Half an hour after their departure, a fleet of warships arrived. Looking at the vast expanse of ice, Admiral Akainu emerged with a grim expression. Magma erupted from his feet, propelling him forward.
When he reached the wreckage of the cruise ship and saw the carnage, his face—already dark—became even more thunderous. His gaze bypassed the Celestial Dragon's corpse, searching the ice for any sign of Aokiji.
When the other Marines caught up, they found Akainu standing over a massive block of ice. Inside was a silhouette—Aokiji.
However, Aokiji's condition was dire. He was covered in wounds. If he hadn't used Absolute Zero at the last second to freeze the very space around him and block Ren's final attack, he wouldn't even have had the chance to enter a state of suspended animation; he would have been vaporized by the Cero on the spot.
The Marines were at a loss and turned to Akainu for orders.
"Take Kuzan back to Headquarters. Then have Borsalino (Kizaru) transport him to Egghead. Tell Vegapunk to find a way to defrost him."
With Akainu's command, the Marines scrambled into action, hauling the "Ice Block Aokiji" back to the warships and heading toward Marineford at top speed.
Akainu remained behind. Once alone, he slowly extended his hand, looking at the frostbite on his palm. His eyes flickered.
"Kuzan, you've grown stronger. Did you break through your limits at the brink of death?" Akainu thought. "Have you also touched that threshold? Regardless, I will reach the unprecedented level of Logia Awakening before you. Only in my hands will the Navy represent true Justice!"
Meanwhile, Ren and his crew sat on their deck, staring at the fanged fruit.
"Based on my years of experience, this is definitely not a Logia! Logias always look like pineapples!" Gray declared.
"And based on my experience, it's not a Paramecia either. Paramecias are always shaped like melons," Blue added confidently.