Grand Line, at the heart of an uninhabited island, the girls stared blankly at the tall man with a lazy demeanor before them. Robin's eyes reflected her unease, her face betraying her nervousness. However, the warmth from Ace's hand gave her strength, preventing her from losing composure like she had in the original story.
"Admiral of Headquarters? This uncle?" the girls asked in unison, scrutinizing the relaxed Aokiji.
"Ah la la, you shouldn't judge people by their appearance," Aokiji replied, spreading his hands nonchalantly.
"The Admiral of Headquarters is known as the highest combat force under the World Government. Only three Marines can hold this rank at any time, known as the Three Marine Admirals," Robin explained, her voice steady despite her tension.
Hearing this, the girls looked at Aokiji with renewed apprehension.
"In any era, there are three Admiral positions, representing the peak combat power of the contemporary Marine. The current generation is even considered the strongest in history," Ace added, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Ace elaborated, "Admirals vary in strength. The previous generation had its powerhouses, like Fleet Admiral Sengoku, but also weaker ones like Black Arm Zephyr. Today's Admirals—Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji—are undeniably the strongest trio in Marine history. Each one has the power to contend with the Four Emperors."
Aokiji smirked slightly. "Ah la la, your tone is quite provocative, Portgas D. Ace."
If Aokiji didn't know that Ace had just entered the Grand Line, he might have thought Kizaru had already encountered him. It was quite the affront.
"Why is a Marine Admiral here with us? Shouldn't someone like him be dealing with big pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions, those who cause real chaos on the seas?" Nami exclaimed after hearing Robin and Ace's description of Aokiji.
Her question hung in the air, and everyone, including Aokiji, turned to look at Ace. The atmosphere grew tense, the weight of the situation settling over them.
Nami turned to look at Ace, who gave her a warm smile. Her expression froze as she considered their situation. She looked at her captain, Portgas D. Ace, with a bounty of 150 million beli, who had used Conqueror's Haki in Logue Town to decimate the Marines stationed there and "abducted" Tashigi. After entering the Grand Line, he killed Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai, and broadcasted the Alabasta incident across the entire kingdom. He even disrupted a meeting between Naval Headquarters and the Shichibukai by making a phone call that ruined the gathering and challenged the Four Emperors Kaido directly. It dawned on her that they were the source of turmoil across the entire sea. Holding her head, Nami burst into tears.
"Ah la la, what you did really caused a headache for the headquarters," Aokiji said, his lazy expression fading. "Especially during the Shichibukai Conference, releasing Conqueror's Haki in Holy Land Mariejois. Even the Celestial Dragons suffered from it. We have orders to hunt you down if we find traces of you. What a troublesome man you are, Portgas D. Ace. Your actions have thrown the sea into chaos."
Aokiji's normally lazy demeanor was replaced by burning intensity as he stared at Ace. While Aokiji often seemed indifferent to the headquarters' affairs, he couldn't ignore the significant events in Mariejois.
Crocodile's death had led to a Shichibukai meeting in Mariejois, overseen by Fleet Admiral Sengoku, to discuss a replacement. But Ace, the one who killed Crocodile, had called into the meeting, releasing his Conqueror's Haki and rendering many Celestial Dragons unconscious. This blatant provocation had enraged the Five Elders, leading them to pressure Naval Headquarters to take immediate action against Ace.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, frustrated and furious, even sparred with Garp to blow off steam. He then ordered that Ace be treated as a priority target, second only to the Four Emperors. This marked an unprecedented level of attention from the Marines, usually reserved for the most dangerous of pirates.
Traditionally, Admirals serve as a deterrent against the Four Emperors. Vice Admirals typically handle pirate pursuits unless the pirate in question proves too powerful. In those cases, the Marines often temporarily withdraw. The emergence of Ace, however, had begun to destabilize the balance between the Marines, Shichibukai, and the Four Emperors.
Aokiji looked at Ace's young face, feeling a mix of emotions. At Ace's age, Aokiji had just joined the disciples of the former Admiral Black Arm Zephyr. Though he was considered a prodigy, Ace was on a different level, already causing significant upheaval across the sea.
"Celestial Dragons!" Vivi's face changed slightly. As the princess of Alabasta, she understood the gravity of the situation. The Celestial Dragons, claiming to be "descendants of the Creator," would indeed warrant a response from a Marine Admiral if threatened. Understanding why even an Admiral had appeared, she realized it was because Ace's actions had caused Celestial Dragons to fall into comas. Despite this, she smiled, knowing Ace would never lose.
"You mean those pigs in Mariejois? They turned out to be the Celestial Dragons, the nobles of the world. It's really scary," Ace said, smiling lightly. He had released his Conqueror's Haki in Mariejois simply because the Celestial Dragons disgusted him. To him, cleaning up such "pigs" was a trivial act, and he felt no fear of the consequences.
"Tsk, those are some unruly words, Portgas D. Ace," Aokiji said, scratching his head and narrowing his eyes. Ace's disregard for the Celestial Dragons and his labeling of them as pigs demonstrated his wanton nature, making Aokiji realize just how unruly and fearless this pirate truly was.
When the girls saw Aokiji making moves, they immediately became vigilant.
"Well, don't be so nervous. Even though I said this, I'm not here to catch you this time," Aokiji waved his hands and returned to his lazy look as he watched the girls preparing for a fight.
Then, his eyes turned to Robin. "After the Alabasta incident, Nico Robin disappeared. I came here this time to confirm the news about Nico Robin."
"Robin?" The girls were stunned. Could Robin really attract the attention of a Marine Admiral?
Aokiji's eyes brightened as he spoke slowly. "At the age of eight, she was offered a bounty of 79 million beli by the World Government. The amount of the bounty represents not only strength but also the degree of threat to the World Government. Although you were just a child then, you survived despite such a huge reward on your head. When betrayed, you ran away. When taken in, you took advantage. Is this how you've survived, Nico Robin?"
Robin's pretty face changed with every word Aokiji said. In the end, she couldn't stand it anymore. "Six-wheel flower, Anchor flower!" she shouted, her face pale with anger, activating her Flower-Flower Fruit ability.
"Grrrrrr!" Aokiji looked at the six arms growing out of his body with a hint of surprise.
"You took the lead to attack me before I even made a move?" Aokiji asked, still calm. "Ace and the Entei pirates are different from the others!" Robin's eyes flashed with anger as she clenched her hands, using all six arms simultaneously.
In Ace, she found a sense of belonging and a real place to live. The idea that she was using Ace and would betray them infuriated her.
"Crack!" The six arms created by the Flower-Flower Fruit exerted force, and Aokiji's body instantly broke into pieces of ice.
"Ah la la, Aokiji is a user of the Logia Frozen Fruit ability," Robin said as she watched Aokiji slowly reform from the ice pile. "If you attack me first, aren't you afraid of involving them all?"
Aokiji, back to his original form, looked at Robin with an astonishing amount of freezing energy radiating from his body.
"Vivi," Ace said calmly.
"Pfft!" The ground beneath Aokiji's feet thrust out a large sword made of sand, stabbing his newly reformed body.
"Desert Greatsword," Vivi said, pressing her right hand on the ground and raising her pretty face with a confident smile.
"Ah la la, Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit ability, wrapped with Armament Haki. You must be Princess Neferutali Vivi of Alabasta, right?" Aokiji, who had elementalized in advance, avoided the stab but looked at Vivi with some changes.
The Sand-Sand Fruit had fallen into the hands of the Entei Pirates. Aokiji wondered how they had obtained it so quickly after Crocodile's death. He suspected the use of Devil Fruit regeneration technology, which was supposed to be limited to Zoan Devil Fruits. But how did they manage it with a Paramecia, let alone a precious Logia?
Aokiji's expression became more solemn. He thought of a possibility and felt the mystery surrounding Portgas D. Ace growing stronger.
"Princess of Alabasta? No," Vivi said with pride. "I am no longer the princess of Alabasta. I am a combatant of the Entei Pirates, Vivi!"
Aokiji nodded. "Indeed, your father, King Nefertari Cobra of Alabasta, announced that he severed the father-daughter relationship with you. The World Government acquiesced to this to handle the Alabasta incident. A smart approach."
Turning his gaze to Ace, Aokiji asked, "Portgas D. Ace, are you going to fight me over this woman? It seems your relationship with them is already very deep, Nico Robin. Do you really know how dangerous she is? All the organizations that have been involved with her have been destroyed."
"That's so long-winded, Aokiji," Ace said, taking Robin into his arms. Robin felt warmth from Ace's heart, raised her pretty face, and stared blankly at Ace's side profile.
"Robin is my historian. That's all there is to it," Ace declared, his words causing smiles to spread across the girls' faces as their fighting spirit began to warm up.
Robin's delicate body trembled, and tears flowed down her pretty face. "It's great to be your historian," she whispered.
"Besides, do you take yourself too seriously, Aokiji?" Ace said, holding Robin and looking directly at Aokiji with a light smile.
"Bah! Boom! Boom!!!" A terrifying roar suddenly sounded, signaling the start of the battle.