Not long after Rayleigh left the tavern, Takumi decided to head out as well.
It was still early, so he wandered along the coast until he found a quiet little beach. He set up a lounge chair from his inventory behind a large rock and settled in for a nap.
He had just dozed off when the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears.
"Well, well. Looks like you snagged the best spot before I could," a lazy voice drawled.
Takumi frowned slightly. He recognized that voice...
It was Aokiji.
Not bothering to open his eyes, Takumi simply rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.
Aokiji smirked, but didn't push the issue. He just stood nearby, put on his sleep mask, and dozed off while standing.
Time passed, and the two of them slept peacefully behind the rock.
Meanwhile, a pirate ship was quietly making its way toward the seemingly deserted beach.
The ship anchored at the shore, and dozens of men, dressed in nondescript clothing, disembarked and started heading towards the town.
As they passed by the rock, they froze, spotting the two figures.
"What's going on here?" a young man in a tricorn hat whispered nervously. "Boss, I think these two might've seen us. Shouldn't we take them out?"
The captain, a gruff man with a scruffy beard and a face only a mother could love, smacked him on the head. "Idiot! They're asleep! Just keep quiet and don't wake them up."
"But, boss, what if they're faking it? Let me go check them out," the young man insisted.
"Yeah, boss, let him take a look. If they're pretending to be asleep, they'll tip off the Navy as soon as we're out of sight. We might as well deal with them now," another pirate added.
"Fine, go ahead, but be quick about it," the captain sighed, rubbing his temples.
The young man, his hand on his sword, cautiously approached Takumi and Aokiji.
"Alright, boss, I'm going in," he muttered back, trying to sound brave.
The captain just shook his head, exasperated, while the other pirates looked on with excitement.
"Go for it, show them who's boss!" one pirate urged.
"Don't chicken out now! Give 'em what they deserve," another laughed.
"Ha, this should be good. Those two won't know what hit them," a third added.
"Wait a minute... doesn't that guy sleeping on his feet look familiar?" an older pirate suddenly remarked.
"Come on, you're seeing things. Everyone looks familiar to you," his companion scoffed.
Takumi, on the other hand, had noticed the pirates long before they made landfall. But since they weren't making a fuss and seemed intent on sneaking past, he figured they weren't worth the trouble and decided to let it slide.
But now, as they started chattering and getting louder, his patience was wearing thin.
The young pirate, now standing over Takumi and Aokiji, hesitated for a moment before slowly raising his sword toward Takumi.
Just as the blade was inches from Takumi's face, Takumi's eyes snapped open, startling the young man so badly that he dropped his sword with a clatter.
"Why are you still here?" Aokiji said lazily, pushing his sleep mask up to his forehead and glaring at the pirate.
The young man collapsed in terror, "They were faking it! Boss, what do we do? Should we kill them?"
He looked back at his captain with pleading eyes.
The captain, now pale, barked, "Get back here, now!"
The young pirate scrambled back to the group, practically tripping over himself in his haste.
The captain, sweating nervously, called out, "Listen, you two. You'd better not try anything. I've got thirty men with me, and you're just two. If you promise not to tell the Navy we're here, we'll let you live."
"The Navy, huh?" Takumi smirked and pointed at Aokiji. "He's with them."
"W-What?" the pirates gasped.
Aokiji scratched his head, his voice as lazy as ever. "Yeah, I did tell Smoker I'd help him catch some pirates, but I'm supposed to do that on Roger's death anniversary. You guys can go; I'm not in the mood to chase after you right now."
"Wait, he's actually Navy?" one of the pirates stammered.
"This is bad, really bad. Of all the luck, we run into a Marine right after landing!" another panicked.
"Wait! I remember now—I saw his picture in the paper! That's Aokiji, an Admiral in the Navy!" the older pirate shouted, his eyes wide with fear.
"What? An Admiral? Are you sure?" one of his crewmates asked, trembling.
"Positive! He's the real deal!" the old pirate insisted.
"Oh no, we're dead! An Admiral could crush us with one finger! What do we do, boss?" the pirates wailed, their faces pale with dread.
As the pirates descended into chaos, Aokiji sighed, a drop of sweat forming on his forehead. "I just said I'm not going to catch you. Could you at least listen?"
But his words fell on deaf ears as the pirates, including their captain, spiraled into despair.
"Screw it! We're dead either way, so we might as well fight! Maybe, just maybe, we'll get lucky! Let's go, men!" the captain roared.
"Yeah! Better to die fighting than to just stand here and wait! Attack!" another pirate shouted.
"Charge!" the pirates screamed, rushing toward Aokiji.
Internally, Aokiji groaned. This was the last thing he wanted to deal with.
He glanced over at Takumi, who had calmly stood up, adjusted his clothes, and was watching the scene like a disinterested bystander.
With a sigh, Aokiji muttered, "I told you, I'm not here to fight. You idiots should've just walked away. Now look what you've done…"
As the pirates closed in, Aokiji effortlessly dodged their clumsy attacks. Realizing he had no choice, he unleashed his Ice Time technique. A blast of freezing air swept over the pirates, and in moments, they were all frozen solid, locked in ice mid-charge.
"Damn, they just don't listen," Aokiji muttered, scratching his head as he surveyed the frozen pirates.
Takumi chuckled quietly but said nothing. He packed up his lounge chair and began heading back.
As he walked away, Aokiji watched him thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "That kid... he's got nerves of steel."
Before Aokiji could dwell on it, his Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
Answering it, he heard Garp's familiar voice. "Hey, Aokiji! You're in Loguetown, right? Have you run into a kid named Takumi?"
"Takumi?" Aokiji replied, scratching his head. "Yeah, he was just here."
********
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