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Taking advantage of this opportunity, Saul grabbed Robin and sprinted in the opposite direction of the warship!
"Saul ran away with the little girl!" a Marine, still conscious on the nearby warship, shouted, prompting Aokiji to leap into the air.
"Ice Age!"
Two thin lines of ice shot forth from Aokiji's hand! The moment they touched the ground, the entire area quickly froze into ice cubes, rapidly spreading toward Saul!
"Damn it, don't think I'm not here!" Jason roared as he moved directly behind Aokiji. The armed color enveloped Zhenheng as he slashed at Aokiji!
Aokiji had been prepared for this moment. Faced with an adversary who wielded Haki and possessed the qualifications of a king, he remained on high alert. He knew the armed color could strike him, so he deftly used Shave to evade the attack.
However, it interrupted his attacks towards Saul. Jason achieved his goal; he hadn't expected to harm Aokiji this time!
"What an annoying little devil! You could lose your life if you keep this up!"
"You think I'm afraid of death?"
"Well, that's true; people with the qualifications of a king should not fear death!"
"So, are you ready?"
"Bring it on!"
"Whoosh!"
In an instant, both figures vanished, and sounds of metal clashing echoed in the air.
The soldiers on the warship were dumbfounded.
"Then... that brat! He's actually fighting with Vice Admiral Kuzan! How is that even possible?"
"The momentum just now must have been him! With that kind of ability, it's only natural he'd become powerful!"
"But look at his age..."
"Yeah, what a monster!"
Despite Jason possessing three types of Haki, he was still too young and lacked combat experience! Fighting against Aokiji, who was fully engaged, proved to be far too much for him.
Their skirmish concluded within mere moments.
"Ice Cube: Storm Pheasant Mouth!"
"What's happening? I can't escape!"
"Armed color! Hardened!"
"Boom!"
After a resounding crack, Jason was forced to reveal himself, kneeling on one knee while clutching his chest. He held onto Zhenheng with his other hand, gasping for air, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Ah! What an impressive kid! You almost got me!" Aokiji remarked, noting the long tear in his clothing where Jason's attack had nearly reached him. His elementalization had saved him from serious injury.
"Logia abilities are truly troublesome!"
Despite his wounds, Jason refused to yield.
"It's fantastic that you've reached such a high level at such a young age. It's a pity you'll die here today!"
"Hmph, come again! Shave!"
Jason vanished instantly again, but his injuries hindered him, and Aokiji swiftly intercepted him.
Jason slashed backward without looking, but Aokiji blocked the attack effortlessly.
"Feel this!"
Jason's eyes widened in shock.
"Freeze Moment!"
"If the system doesn't save me, we will both die!" Jason called out in his mind, but the system remained unresponsive.
Soon, ice enveloped his entire body! Surprisingly, he felt no pain or biting cold; instead, he only experienced a slight chill. Perhaps it was due to the protection of his Conqueror's or armed colors, or maybe Aokiji simply didn't intend to kill him.
"Well, just stay here for now!" Aokiji's voice echoed from outside the ice.
Sure enough! Aokiji hadn't intended to kill him. After all, Jason wasn't a scholar. Had it not been for Akainu, he believed an ordinary person might have escaped.
Seeing Aokiji freeze Jason, the Marines on the warship could not help but cheer!
"Fantastic! As expected, Vice Admiral Kuzan is the strongest! How could this little brat possibly be his opponent?"
"I have to pursue Saul!"
Aokiji communicated with another warship nearby before vanishing.
Meanwhile, Saul and Robin had not run far and were still some distance from the small raft he had constructed.
"Ice Age!"
Endless blocks of ice spread over, freezing half of Saul's body!
"Aokiji! Why are you here? Where is Jason?"
"Oh~ That kid has been taken care of!"
"What!" Saul exclaimed, shock giving way to an indescribable anger.
"He's not a scholar; he's just a child! Aren't you also opposed to attacking civilians? Why would you do this?"
"He's not just any child. He possesses the qualifications of a king, mastered Haki at a young age, and nearly injured me! We can't allow someone like this to mature and become Marine's enemy!"
"Robin, run!" Saul shouted, turning to her, but Robin seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, mumbling to herself.
"Jason is dead... Jason is dead..."
"Dammit!"
"Robin! Run! Think of your mother and Jason! You're not alone now! You have to live for them! Do you want their sacrifice to be in vain?"
Upon hearing this, Robin finally reacted.
"Mother?"
"Yes, live on with your mother and O'Hara's hope, and for Jason's sake!"
"I don't want that! So what if I escape! I'm still all alone! Jason is dead! I don't want to live either!"
"The sea is vast, and no one will be alone forever! There are surely partners out there waiting to protect you! You must find them, Robin!"
"Freeze Moment!"
Aokiji slowly stepped forward, unleashing another attack on Saul! The ice quickly spread across his body, and Saul used his last ounce of strength to yell to Robin:
"Run now! Don't look back! Smile like me when you're in pain! Hehe, hehehe!"
Saul laughed as he was frozen into an ice sculpture.
Robin cried and ran toward the beach. When she finally reached it, the figure sitting before her filled her with despair.
That figure was none other than Aokiji.
"Extreme justice can sometimes turn people into weapons.
I've decided to let you leave here.
I want to see what the seeds Saul protected with his life will grow into.
You can hate anyone, but you must also find happiness.
Save your own life and live modestly in the future.
I'll create an ice path for you across the sea, allowing you to reach the land in a small boat!"
"You also need to remember that I am not your ally, but the first person to capture you should you commit a crime!"
"My mother is still on the island!"
"Everyone on the island will perish. Of course, if you want to return and share their fate, I won't stop you!"
Aokiji walked away toward the warship without a glance back!
After Aokiji completely vanished, Robin climbed onto the small boat, hugging her legs, sobbing uncontrollably, the tears flowing endlessly.
At that moment, she recalled Saul's parting words and tried to mimic his laughter, even in her pain.
"Dereshishishish Dereshishishish..."
As she chuckled, memories of her time with Jason, Saul, and Dr. Clover flooded back.
After laughing for a while, Robin couldn't help but break into loud cries! Today was far too cruel. She lost everything she held dear today, especially the two most important people in her life: her mother and Jason!
...
Aokiji made his way back to where Jason had been left.
At this point, Jason had been frozen in a sword-drawing posture for quite some time. He could have broken free, but he chose not to, thinking Aokiji would let Robin go. He realized that Aokiji might not extend the same mercy to him. His system was completely silent.
The warship moved further away, until it was out of sight. Aokiji took out his phone and quickly connected to someone on the other end.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan! How are you doing there? Should we send a ship back to pick you up?"
"No, just go back first. I'll return later!"
"Understood!"
As the warship continued moving away and eventually disappeared, Aokiji remarked, "I don't know how you blocked my freezing, but you can come out now!"
Hmm? Didn't Aokiji let him go on purpose? Was the system protecting him? Or was it his Haki?
But Jason concluded that Aokiji knew he wasn't actually frozen, so he simply broke free from the ice covering him.
"Why didn't you take action against me?"
"You are not a scholar. This operation was only aimed at the scholars of O'Hara. It would be terrifying if you were a scholar at your age while also possessing such strength!"
"Yeah! That makes sense!"
"Hey, kid! Do you now plan to become Marine's enemy after what happened today?"
Although Aokiji spoke calmly, Jason sensed that answering positively would lead to his death. Still, he held onto his pride. Aokiji recognized that those with qualifications as kings didn't bother to lie, so he asked directly.
"Who knows? I still have admiration for some Marines, but I truly hate Akainu!"
"Well, you've got that figured out. I don't care much for his style either!"
"One more question: will you become a pirate in the future?"
"I have no idea!"
"Hey! Kid! You're placing yourself in danger!"
"How old am I? No one can predict the future with certainty!"
"Well, that's a valid point. So do you wish to join the Marines?"
"No, I just want to find Robin and protect her. I'm an orphan, and she's my only friend!"
"That's your choice to make, but the moment I hear you engaging in criminal activities, I will ensure you receive your just desserts in the sea!"
After delivering this warning, he picked up the phone once more, dialing again.
"Moses Moses! Vice Admiral Kuzan! Is there something urgent?"
"No, I forgot to bring my bicycle. Could you come back and pick me up, please?"
"Of course! Everyone, follow orders to return!"
Jason "…"
That's not what you just said.
"You can go; the warship will be back soon!"
"Goodbye!"
Without wasting more time, Jason retreated until he reached the spot where Robin departed in her boat. By this time, the Buster Call had concluded.
Jason spotted the ice road Robin created as she left. However, she had taken another boat and left behind the raft constructed by Saul.
But Jason had no intention of using Saul's raft!
He had his own hidden not far away.
He climbed onto his boat and randomly picked a direction, chasing after where Robin had gone! Simultaneously, he mentally cursed the system!
"Dog system! Why didn't you help me just now?!"
"Ding! The Host is here!"
"The system didn't detect that the Host was in danger just now!"
"Shit! Aokiji had already frozen me; wasn't that dangerous?"
"Ding~ He didn't want to kill the Host! So there was no need to activate the emergency plan!"
"You've been talking about this emergency plan for two years. What exactly does it entail?"
"Ding~ The system cannot disclose that information!"
"F**k! Just forget it if you won't tell me!"
Jason rowed furiously! By this time, the ice road was nearly completely melted due to seawater.
He had to catch up with Robin quickly! Otherwise, it would be difficult to locate her once the ice completely melted! He chased after her to another island but still failed to close the gap.
...
Two days later,
On a small island somewhere in West Blue...
"Where has that girl gone? How can she hide so well?"
A young man wore a bitter expression, holding up a wanted poster for Robin with a reward of 79 million Baileys!
This young man was Jason!
He had followed her all the way from O'Hara to this small northern island. Although he had spotted Robin's boat docked on the shore, she was nowhere to be found. The only certainty he had was that the little girl could not be too far away and was still somewhere on this small island!
Just the day before, at Marine Headquarters on Marineford, in Sengoku's office...
"It's her! I'm certain of it!" Spandine proclaimed, determination etched on his face.
"Where did you see her? Have you managed to apprehend her?" the two Marines alongside him questioned with seriousness.
"No! We merely identified this suspicious girl! She appeared on a remote island near O'Hara! But she vanished quickly!"
"Damn! That little kid is incredibly fortunate! I saw with my own eyes her breaking free from O'Hara amid the artillery fire, escaping in a small boat!"
"I still want to pursue her! The boat can't travel far; it has to be Saul's doing!"
"She can interpret historical texts! Even as a child, she is a grave danger! We must use every means to capture her! Otherwise, this Buster Call will prove futile!"
"Raise the bounty! She's wanted!"
Ultimately, in the Warring States Period, a decision was made: Robin had to be arrested.
The Marines acted swiftly, and the wanted notice spread across the world the following day.
"79 million Baileys! How can an eight-year-old child have such a high bounty!"
"I heard she's the demonic remnant of O'Hara who seeks to destroy the world!"
"O'Hara?"
"Yeah! I don't know exactly what she did, but apparently, she seems to have killed many Marines!"
"Is that so?"
"I've heard that the World Government and Marines are involved in capturing her! The main concern is that she has inherited O'Hara's legacy! If she grows strong, she'll pose a severe threat to the world!"
"She's the child of the devil! We can't let her live!"
Listening to the gossip around him, Jason sneered at their despicable tactics!
However, this was the plight of those at the bottom. They would never comprehend the truth; they would only continue to be led astray by false narratives!
"But I still have to find Robin as soon as possible. I can only imagine how much hardship this girl must endure on her own!"
Jason stashed away the wanted poster, looking upward at a 45-degree angle, murmuring to himself before slowly moving forward. As long as Robin remained on this island, he was determined to find her!
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