Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Admiral Aokiji
"The sea is frozen!" Kuro stared at the glassy surface, then up at the blazing sun. This stretch of water, near Alabasta a summer island should never ice over. Even in the Grand Line, sea ice appeared only near winter islands, and almost never in mid‑ocean because of the salt.
Wayne stepped from his cabin pen still behind his ear just in time to see a man fixing a bicycle on the distant ice. An eye mask and shaggy hair made the figure instantly recognizable.
Admiral Aokiji-Kuzan.
Robin spotted him too. A tremor ran through her.
Wayne moved beside her, gently taking her hand. "It's all right. I'm here." Robin drew a steady breath, nodded, and calmed. She was no longer the powerless girl of Ohara; she now served the most dependable captain on the seas.
Kuro finally caught on and blurted, "Admiral Aokiji, Ice‑Ice Logia!"
Gloria punched his shoulder. "Your reaction speed is terrible. By the time you notice, the Celestials would already be gone!"
Aokiji pushed his bicycle to the hull and looked up. "Ahhh, running into you here, Wayne‑kun… What a pain. My bike broke again. Mind giving me a lift to the nearest base?"
Even with his new strength, Wayne wasn't sure he could beat a Marine admiral. He answered cautiously. "Kuzan, a Marine on a pirate ship doesn't look great."
"Come on, Wayne‑kun, you're a Warlord technically on our side."
Kuro latched onto the idea. "Right, I'm an underling of a Warlord. Relax, he's one of us!" Gloria silenced him with another jab.
Wayne's problem was Robin. The World Government still wanted her eliminated, and the Marines answered to that government.
He barked an order to Kuro. "Fetch a spare bicycle from the hold for our 'guest.'"
Aokiji hopped onto the deck anyway. "Really now, treating me like a stranger?" His gaze drifted to Gloria, then lingered on Robin.
Wayne's voice cooled. "Pirates and Marines aren't friends. Take your bike and leave."
Aokiji's eyes settled on Robin. "That depends. Nico Robin, 79‑million‑Beli fugitive, survivor of Ohara. Why is she on your ship?"
Robin froze. Memories flooded back ten elite Vice Admirals, ten warships, the Buster Call that erased her homeland. Among the attackers was the man standing before her.
Wayne knew the manga version of Aokiji had spared Robin more than once, but reality could differ. He squared his shoulders. "She isn't an 'enemy of the world.' She's my crewmate."
Robin's eyes glistened at the declaration.
Aokiji sighed. "You understand what that means? If the World Government learns you harbor her, you could lose your Warlord title and be hunted across the seas."
Wayne snorted. "I'm a Warlord because of my own strength, not because the Marines like me. Are you ready to fight me over this?"
Aokiji's tone remained flat. "Former bounty, three hundred thirty million. The Fool who defeated ex‑Warlord Gecko Moria a few years back. Is that what you're banking on?"
Wayne drew Shusui, the fine blade he had bought in Loguetown. "Robin is under my protection. Not even God himself is taking her from me."
Aokiji tilted his head apparently puzzled by the "God" remark then shrugged. "Very well. Show me if you can back up those words."