Tonjit's face turned beet red with embarrassment. Awkwardly, he forced a change of subject, turning to Luffy with a grateful smile.
"Young man, thank you for saving me! If you hadn't acted so quickly, I would've hit the ice hard. That might've been the end of me."
Luffy scratched the back of his head with a grin. "Ehehe~ It's nothing, really! Just instinct. No need to make a big deal out of it."
Looking at the energetic young crew around him, Tonjit grew emotional. He lowered his gaze to the icy surface beneath his feet, slowly squatting and brushing his hand over the frozen ground as if trying to confirm it was real.
"Ten years... I've finally stood on solid ground again…" he murmured, voice tinged with disbelief and weariness.
But at that moment, Shin'ya walked over, unintentionally breaking the mood. Seeing Tonjit stroking the ice, he tilted his head and asked,
"Uh~ Sorry to interrupt, but… are you sure that's not where you… you know… relieved yourself? Probably not the best place to be caressing."
Everyone fell silent.
Robin immediately tugged Shin'ya's sleeve, her tone scolding and exasperated.
"Can you not ruin the mood? You're being disgusting."
Tonjit slowly withdrew his hand without a word, pretending he hadn't heard anything. He stood upright, clasped his hands behind his back, cleared his throat, and calmly said,
"Ahem… Youngsters, why don't you come inside and sit for a while?"
He turned and walked toward the small hut. But as he reached the door, his steps halted. The entrance was broken, and the interior was a mess—clearly trashed by Luffy during his earlier cleaver-grab.
Tonjit sighed internally, shaking his head at how reckless the youth of today could be.
Luffy noticed and chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head.
"Ahaha… about that, maybe we'll skip the house visit. We're gonna check out the rest of the island! You go ahead and do your thing!"
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Luffy spun around and shouted,
"Guys! Let's go explore! Let's see if there's anything fun around here!"
Before the words even finished echoing, whoosh!—Luffy launched off like a spring, sliding rapidly across the ice and vanishing in a blink.
The rest of the crew followed quickly. Soon, they arrived at the central part of the island—where a massive frozen pirate ship stood silently, encased in ice.
The ship's design was distinct: a fox-themed figurehead and detailed fox motifs across the hull.
Everyone stopped and gathered near the frozen vessel.
"This is weird…" Luffy's eyes were wide with curiosity as he stared at the ice-bound ship.
"How'd these guys get frozen like that?"
After a moment of thinking, Luffy stretched out his arm and sprang up to the ship's deck.
"Heeyah!"
Landing with a soft thud, Luffy looked around and was stunned by what he saw. Dozens of figures were frozen mid-action, locked in transparent ice blocks.
He walked among them: a man with pink, fox-ear-shaped hair and a red clown nose… a sweet-looking pink-haired girl… and two bizarre-looking fish-men. One had marlin-like features, the other looked like a muscle-bound loach.
Luffy stared at the pink-haired man and muttered in awe,
"This guy's got a butt growing out of his head…"
"Oi~ Guys, come look at this! There's a guy here with a butt on his head!" Luffy shouted.
Usopp and Chopper came sliding up, eyes wide.
"Where?! I wanna see too!"
But when they reached the deck and saw for themselves, Usopp scoffed,
"Tch—That's clearly hair, idiot. How do you even mistake that for a butt?"
Nami, meanwhile, had her priorities straight.
"Hmm… I wonder if there's treasure in the storage hold. I'm going to check it out."
Just as she was about to head in, Shin'ya stepped in front of her, raising a hand.
"Wait. Don't go in. I sense a strong presence inside… I think the Marine Admiral who froze this place is still here."
Everyone tensed immediately.
Chopper, Usopp, and Nami leapt behind Shin'ya, peeking cautiously toward the ship's entrance.
Robin froze up slightly as well—Shin'ya could feel her hand trembling in his grip.
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji's expressions sharpened. They stepped forward slowly, ready to fight.
Suddenly, a voice rang out—lazy and unbothered.
"Ara~ ara~~ So noisy. I was hoping for a peaceful nap... and you just had to ruin it."
Unhurried footsteps followed.
Zoro's hand was already on his sword hilt, his eyes fixed on the approaching figure.
Sanji's leg lit up with blue flame as he prepared for combat.
Then, stepping into view, wearing a white suit and an eye mask, was none other than Admiral Aokiji.
"Ara~ Nice weather today," he muttered lazily, glancing up at the sky.
He stretched his arms overhead with a yawn, then looked at the Straw Hats without a shred of urgency.
"Hmm~ Who are you all again?" he asked, utterly relaxed.
Robin instantly went weak at the knees. She leaned heavily into Shin'ya's arms.
Shin'ya held her tightly around the waist and whispered calmly,
"Don't worry. I'll take care of him."
Feeling his embrace, Robin's panic eased slightly. She said nothing, but rested her head against his chest.
Luffy, Nami, and Zoro exchanged glances. They could clearly feel Robin's fear, but also her growing sense of safety in Shin'ya's arms.
The tension on the deck thickened.
Aokiji, still as casual as ever, waved a hand.
"Oh dear~ Don't glare at me like that. You're scaring me."
He continued in that same bored voice,
"I didn't come here on business. Just wandering… soaking in the sea breeze. I was curious how the woman I let go is doing."
Zoro's eyes narrowed. His fingers tapped the hilt of his Sandai Kitetsu.
But Aokiji paid no attention to the tension. He looked directly at Robin.
"Nico Robin… You've grown smarter. Seeking protection from strong allies now, huh?"
Robin flinched slightly at his words, but she held her ground.
She turned, meeting his gaze head-on.
"I'm not running anymore. This crew is my home. If you want to fight… then bring it."
Her voice was calm, but firm.
Luffy and the others smiled quietly at her declaration.
Aokiji then turned to Nami and gave her a slow once-over.
Nami immediately stiffened.
"W-what do you want? I'm not scared of you!" she shouted.
Aokiji pulled out a mirror, adjusted his hair, then looked at Nami with an expressionless face.
"Beautiful lady, are you free tonight? Candlelight dinner?"
Silence.
Everyone blinked, stunned.
Then—
"Y-you pervert!!" Nami exploded, face turning red. She pulled out her Clima-Tact, ready to smack him.
But Sanji was already a blur.
His face was dark, his eyes blazing.
"You damn Marine… Just because you're an Admiral doesn't mean you get to flirt with women! Candlelight dinner? Over my dead body!"
But Aokiji only sighed, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder.
"Ara~ ara~ You guys are such a pain."
He laid down flat on the deck, pulling his eye mask back on.
"Treat me like a tourist. I'm not on duty. I believe in lazy justice. I don't feel like lifting a finger today."
Usopp muttered under his breath, "Your justice really is as lazy as you look…"
Aokiji yawned.
"Didn't you just wake up?" Nami asked, dumbfounded.
"Exactly. That's why I'm going back to sleep. People get lazier with age," Aokiji said flatly.
---