The members of Baroque Works stiffly turned their necks toward the entrance.
A tall man in a white suit stood in the doorway, a lazy expression on his face.
One hand rested in his pocket, and a green eye patch was strapped across his forehead, making him look more like an unreliable uncle than anything else.
But it was precisely this man who made every heart in Baroque Works sink, especially Robin's.
Because she recognized him all too well—Navy Admiral Aokiji.
Crocodile was even more numb. At this point, he felt like this might be the worst day of his life.
He was in the middle of something shady and had just run into not one, but two Navy Admirals.
And one of them was Admiral Purple Kirin—known as the strongest of them all.
What the hell is going on? Since when were Admirals so free? Am I, a Shichibukai, really worth this kind of attention?
Is there no justice left in the world?
Crocodile dropped his hands, resigned. In this moment, he had only one thought—I'm tired. Just let everything fall apart.
Chiga smirked at the sight of Aokiji and teased,
"Kuzan, I heard Fleet Admiral Sengoku said you left long ago. Why are you only arriving now?"
Aokiji looked a little embarrassed. He was a chronic procrastinator, and this time, instead of taking a warship, he had opted to ride his beloved bicycle. His real purpose wasn't confrontation—it was to keep an eye on Robin.
But had he known Chiga was involved, he would've rushed here immediately.
He had overheard Chiga and Robin's brief conversation earlier, and realized Chiga had already seen through Robin's identity—which made things a lot more complicated for him.
So he revealed himself quickly, hoping to shift Chiga's attention.
Robin's gaze darted between Chiga and Aokiji. Although the two were casually talking, an oppressive aura radiated from them.
The weight of two Admirals in one room was suffocating. She knew full well—if they wanted to, they could destroy all of Alabasta without effort.
Aokiji looked at Robin, then sighed in relief.
Good. The girl doesn't look harmed…
If Chiga knew what Aokiji was thinking, he'd protest that he was being wronged.
He only mimicked Aokiji's scare tactics to spook Robin a little. Sure, she cried—but that was it.
Chiga stretched lazily and gave Aokiji a smile that sent a chill down his spine.
Aokiji immediately felt something was off. He suspected Chiga was about to give him trouble over Robin.
He wasn't worried that Chiga would treat him as an enemy—he knew Chiga's character. He was lenient toward those on his side.
But Aokiji feared that Chiga might hand Robin over to the World Government.
The events of Ohara still weighed heavily on him. Robin had become a form of redemption for him—a symbol of his lingering guilt.
He had even frozen his friend Saul for her sake. (Though Saul hadn't died.)
Even if he scared Robin sometimes, it was his awkward way of showing care.
If Chiga decided to take Robin back, Aokiji honestly didn't know what he'd do.
He couldn't bring himself to fight Chiga—not just because they were friends, but because he knew he wouldn't win.
If it were Akainu, sure—they'd fight it out.
But just as Aokiji was hesitating, Chiga suddenly appeared in front of him.
He patted Aokiji's shoulder and said with a grin,
"I'm just about finished here. Now that you're here, let's have a fight."
"!?"
The entire room fell silent.
A fight ? Just like that?
Aokiji frowned in confusion.
Then Chiga held out his hand. Wisps of icy mist—Yomi Chill—rose from his palm, and the room's temperature dropped instantly.
Everyone except Chiga and Aokiji shivered involuntarily.
Aokiji's eyes widened. As a top-tier Ice-Ice Fruit user, he instantly recognized the unnatural quality of that cold.
Even he had to admit—it was impressive.
He asked cautiously,
"A new Devil Fruit ability? What kind of fruit is that?"
Chiga didn't respond right away. He glanced behind him at Robin, then closed his fingers. The Yomi Chill vanished.
He had noticed Robin hugging her shoulders. She was lightly dressed, and the cold air had begun to seep into her bones.
That small gesture warmed her heart.
Chiga's silent thoughtfulness stood in stark contrast to Aokiji's cold treatment.
After dispersing the cold, Chiga finally replied,
"It's the power of the Yomi Fruit. Like your Ice-Ice Fruit, it shares an ice attribute. So I want to test it—see how far it can go."
"I see… Then let's head outside now."
Aokiji nodded. As long as Chiga wasn't focused on Robin, he didn't mind entertaining him.
He didn't hesitate.
Chiga could read Aokiji's thoughts and gave a small smile.
"Perfect. It's nothing but desert out there—no need to worry about causing collateral damage."
He turned into a bolt of lightning and disappeared from the room.
Aokiji gave Robin a final glance, then silently followed.
After they left, the rest of the room remained frozen in place.
Then, slowly, all eyes turned to Robin.
From everything they had seen, one conclusion was obvious—the simultaneous arrival of two Admirals had everything to do with her.
Especially Aokiji. Besides Robin and Chiga, he hadn't paid attention to anyone.
At this point, Crocodile just wanted Robin out of his territory. He no longer cared about Pluton. With those two monsters involved, chasing after Pluton would only get him crushed.
Robin understood she couldn't stay here anymore. Under everyone's gaze, she walked out with her usual calm.
She wanted to see the battle for herself.
Chiga's attitude toward the World Government intrigued her.
And she wanted to witness with her own eyes—
the strength of the man called the strongest Navy Admiral.
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