The members of Baroque Works stiffly turned their heads toward the entrance.
There stood a tall man in a white suit, lazily watching the crowd.
One hand was tucked into his pocket, and a green sleep mask rested on his forehead. No matter how you looked at him, he seemed like some laid-back middle-aged guy.
But this very man made everyone in Baroque Works feel like their hearts were about to stop—especially Robin.
Because she was all too familiar with this man's image.
He was none other than Admiral Aokiji!
Crocodile was already numb. He felt like today might just be the darkest day of his life.
He had been caught red-handed doing shady business—and not by just one, but two Admirals!
And one of them was the so-called strongest Admiral: Shikiryū!
What the hell was going on? Since when did Admirals have so much free time? Was a single Shichibukai really worth the personal attention of both of them?
Was there no justice left in this world!?
Crocodile let his hands droop in resignation. At this point, there was only one thing on his mind:
"I'm tired. Just destroy everything already."
...
When Kaito saw Aokiji, a faint smile crept onto his face. He teased,
"Kuzan, I heard from Fleet Admiral Sengoku that you set off a while ago. What took you so long?"
Aokiji looked a bit embarrassed. He was, without a doubt, a chronic procrastinator. Plus, his main goal this time was to observe Robin. That's why he hadn't taken a Navy ship and had instead ridden his beloved bicycle most of the way here.
But he swore—if he had known Kaito was coming, he definitely wouldn't have dawdled. Especially with Robin, that little "telltale strand," involved.
He'd caught a bit of Kaito and Robin's conversation at the door earlier, so he already knew Kaito had recognized her. That made things complicated.
So he quickly revealed himself, hoping to distract Kaito.
Robin's gaze moved between Kaito and Aokiji. Even though they seemed to be joking, an invisible pressure hung over both men.
It was the oppressive aura unique to Navy Admirals. She knew very well—either of these men could easily obliterate all of Alabasta.
Aokiji glanced at Robin and secretly let out a breath of relief, thinking,
"Whew... at least this girl hasn't been corrupted by Kaito yet…"
If Kaito knew what Aokiji was thinking, he'd definitely cry out in protest.
All he did was mimic Aokiji's scary tactics to frighten Robin a little. Sure, she cried—but he didn't actually do anything!
Kaito stretched lazily, then turned to Aokiji with a meaningful smile, the kind that sent chills down Aokiji's spine.
He had a bad feeling—was Kaito about to come after him over the whole Robin thing?
That was exactly what Aokiji feared most.
Not because he thought Kaito would treat him like a criminal—he knew Kaito was lenient with his own people.
What he was afraid of… was Kaito taking Robin back to hand over to the World Government.
Aokiji had never gotten over the Ohara incident. Robin, to him, was both a form of redemption and a source of inner solace.
Especially since he'd personally frozen his friend Saul to protect her. (Though Saul didn't die.)
He often scared Robin, but that was just his awkward, straight-laced way of showing concern.
If Kaito really insisted on taking Robin back… Aokiji genuinely didn't know what he'd do.
After all, Robin was a criminal. And he and Kaito got along pretty well. He couldn't possibly fight Kaito over this—especially since he knew he'd likely lose.
Of course, if it were Akainu instead of Kaito, Aokiji wouldn't hesitate. Worst case, they'd just fight it out.
...
Just as Aokiji was stuck in this moral dilemma, Kaito suddenly flickered and appeared right in front of him.
He patted Aokiji's shoulder and said with a grin,
"I've pretty much finished handling things here. Since you're here now, how about a sparring match?"
"!?"
Everyone in the room—including Aokiji—was stunned.
Shikiryū, an Admiral, was challenging Aokiji—another Admiral—to a duel?! What the hell was going on?!
Aokiji furrowed his brows, not quite understanding what Kaito meant.
Kaito suddenly extended his hand. A chill of Yomi frost surged from his palm, and the room's temperature plummeted instantly.
Everyone except Kaito and Aokiji shivered involuntarily.
Aokiji's eyes widened in shock at the eerie frost emanating from Kaito's hand.
As a top-tier Logia user with the Ice-Ice Fruit, he immediately sensed the unusual nature of this chill.
The temperature was so low—even he was impressed.
He couldn't help but ask,
"Is this… another Devil Fruit ability? What kind of fruit is it?"
Kaito didn't answer right away. He glanced back at Robin, then slowly closed his fingers, causing the Yomi frost to dissipate.
...
He'd just noticed Robin behind him, arms wrapped around her shoulders, trying to keep warm. She was already dressed lightly, and if the cold continued, she'd probably catch a cold.
That small gesture warmed Robin's heart. For a woman who'd been alone for over ten years, Kaito's quiet care meant far more than Aokiji's occasional frightening concern.
After dispersing the frost, Kaito turned to Aokiji and said,
"It's the power of the Yomi Yomi no Mi (Revive-Revive Fruit). Like your Ice-Ice Fruit, it has a 'cold' attribute. I wanted to test its limits… with you."
"I see. Then let's head outside."
Aokiji nodded. As far as he was concerned, as long as Kaito wasn't focusing on Robin, he'd go along with anything.
So without even thinking twice, he agreed.
Kaito understood exactly what Aokiji was thinking. He smiled faintly and added,
"Perfect. It's all desert out there anyway—no risk of harming civilians."
With that, Kaito turned into lightning and vanished from the room.
Aokiji glanced at Robin, said nothing, and quietly followed after.
...
Once the two left, everyone in the room looked at one another, then—almost in unison—shifted their gazes to Robin.
They all reached the same conclusion from the interaction between Kaito and Aokiji: the presence of both Admirals likely had something to do with her.
Especially Aokiji—he hadn't spared a glance for anyone besides Kaito and Robin.
Crocodile now wished more than anything for Robin to just get off his turf. He didn't even care about Pluton anymore. With those two around, trying to go after the ancient weapon would only end with the Navy reaping the benefits.
Robin also knew she couldn't stay here.
With everyone watching, she calmly walked out of the room.
She was heading toward the battlefield—she wanted to watch their fight from the edge.
Kaito's earlier attitude toward the World Government had piqued her curiosity. She wanted to witness, firsthand, the power of this man known as the strongest Navy Admiral.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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