"So this must be a Zoan type then?" Ren mused, examining the fruit. "Animal type, covered in spikes... could it be the Hedgehog-Hedgehog Fruit?"
"Hiss—now that you mention it, it's actually possible!"
The crew's interest immediately plummeted. If it was just a hedgehog, the fruit wasn't attractive at all.
Hill placed the fruit back into the box. "Let's put it away for now. When we get the chance to find a Devil Fruit Encyclopedia on the black market, we can cross-reference it."
"Fair enough. It's not like we're desperate for a power-up anyway," Ren nodded.
Gray and Blue had zero interest in becoming "anchor humans" (losing the ability to swim), and Law was already a user. Hill, Klin, and Ren weren't about to eat something without knowing exactly what it did.
They sailed for three days without docking, fearing a Navy blockade.
Hill frowned while looking at the morning paper. "It's been three days. The Navy hasn't leaked a word, and Morgans hasn't reported a thing. This is wrong. Very wrong!"
Ren, currently playing cards with the guys, chuckled. "They obviously don't want the world laughing at them for losing an Admiral and a Celestial Dragon. It's not the first time the Navy has buried the lead."
"Exactly," Klin added. "They're likely plotting a massive ambush with top-tier combatants to wipe us out in one go before announcing their 'great achievement' to the world."
"A full-scale blockade... that's going to be troublesome," Hill muttered, her expression clouded with worry.
"Relax, Hill. As long as I'm here, they can't touch us!"
Hill gave a wry smile. "Yes, yes, my Captain is the strongest."
Despite the tension, their only option was to keep moving. Once they reached the New World, even the Navy would find it difficult to pin them down.
Meanwhile: Egghead Island, The New World
Vegapunk had tossed the frozen Aokiji into a massive furnace. The radiant heat was so intense that Kizaru, standing nearby, pulled out a small handkerchief to dab at non-existent sweat. "You aren't going to accidentally slow-cook him, are you?"
Vegapunk rolled his eyes. "Relax. This temperature isn't nearly enough to break Absolute Zero."
As the heat intensified, Kizaru began to actually sweat, but the block of ice containing Aokiji remained untouched. The heat seemed to hit an invisible wall around the Admiral, unable to penetrate the crystalline prison.
After a few minutes, Vegapunk shut down the furnace and used a mechanical arm to drag Aokiji out. "Absolute Zero... how do we crack this?" After a moment of thought, his eyes lit up. "Kizaru, bring him. We're moving to the next experiment!"
They arrived in a room lined with massive, high-tech speakers. Kizaru placed the ice block in the center.
"Get out," Vegapunk ordered.
Once they were safely behind the soundproof glass, the speakers emitted a sharp, high-frequency sonic blast. A blue halo appeared around Aokiji's body, vibrating in resistance to the sound waves.
Vegapunk hit the stop button. "He's still instinctively releasing his ability. If we keep this up, he'll die of exhaustion before he thaws."
"No other way?" Kizaru asked lazily.
"Well... there is, but the Navy can't provide it," Vegapunk hesitated. "You either need to break the Absolute Zero defense with an instantaneous physical shock, or... find Whitebeard."
"Whitebeard?"
"Yes. Constant vibrations from the Gura Gura no Mi might do it."
Kizaru sighed. Praying for Aokiji to wake up on his own felt more realistic than asking Whitebeard for a favor. "I'll leave him in your hands then. I have to report back to the Fleet Admiral."
"You're leaving him here?"
"Of course. He's a giant ice cube. I have to use Haki just to stand near him. Carrying him back is way too much work~" Kizaru said before vanishing in a flash of gold.
The Holy Land: Mary Geoise
Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood before the Five Elders. His Den Den Mushi rang; after a nod from the Elders, he answered.
"This is Sengoku!"
"Fleet Admiral," Kizaru's voice drawled from the other end. "Aokiji is at Vegapunk's. No luck so far. He likely won't be back on the roster anytime soon."
Sengoku's brow furrowed. "Understood. Return to HQ and stay on standby."
After hanging up, Sengoku turned to the Five Elders. "That is the situation. You've seen the battle footage. Ren Kurogane's strength is beyond our understanding. Aokiji was crushed so thoroughly he was forced into a state of suspended animation just to survive."
The Navy had reconstructed the fight using various surveillance methods and Morgans' hidden cameras. The conclusion was undeniable: Aokiji was completely outmatched.
Sengoku took a breath. "I am here to ask: do we leak Ren's actions? With the Navy and World Government's backing, we can push him as the next 'Pirate King Candidate.' If we do, we won't even need to move—every desperate pirate in the world will go after his head for us."