One Piece: The Arm of Fate

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Robin's pupils shrank into needles, and she immediately crossed her arms over her chest, staring at Aokiji.

Kuina beside her also sensed something was wrong and instinctively rested her hand on Wado Ichimonji.

"What a coincidence?"

Shano stepped forward, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Coincidence? You obviously came here on purpose. How long have you been squatting here?"

This was clearly a planned ambush—an encounter?

No way it was just coincidence!

Last time on Tor Island, he had already randomly run into Akainu under the cherry blossoms—an incredibly low-probability event.

And now another one?

Impossible!

What kind of cursed luck would let someone run into two admirals in a row?

"Ah, got caught, huh?"

Aokiji scratched his messy curly hair. "Tsk. I probably got here around noon, but since you were all scattered, it was annoying trying to find you one by one. So I just waited for you to gather before I showed up."

"Hey, Smoker, who is this uncle?"

Seeing Aokiji in such casual clothes, Nami didn't quite get the situation and whispered to Smoker beside her.

"Kuzan. An old friend of mine."

Smoker held a cigar in his mouth, eyes narrowing slightly. "One of the three most powerful admirals in the Navy Headquarters."

Huh?

An admiral?!

Nami was stunned. She immediately shrank back, placing herself protectively in front of Shano.

"Don't be so nervous, little girl."

Aokiji slowly sat up from the bench. "If I were here to arrest you, you'd all be popsicles by now."

"People sure love to brag."

Shano's Observation Haki had already swept across the island like a tidal wave. After confirming Aokiji was alone, he grinned.

"So you really came alone, huh? Pretty arrogant. A single admiral thinking he can take me down?"

"...Hmm."

Aokiji tilted his head, resting his chin in his hand as he studied Shano.

"That's right."

He shrugged, speaking earnestly:

"If anyone else said that to me, I'd laugh it off. But you… you actually qualify."

"Shano. Born in the Kingdom of Oikot. Unknown surname, unknown biological parents, unknown lineage. A few years ago, you made quite a name for yourself in the East Blue."

Aokiji narrated calmly:

"And now, just 18 years old, you've already drawn major attention from the World Government. A bounty of one billion. A force that can shake the world."

"What a terrifying résumé."

He sighed sincerely and then looked at Robin.

"No wonder you chose this crew to hide with, Nico Robin. Your vision and luck have definitely improved. At least for now, you won't need to find a new place to run to anytime soon."

"Many of the threats and enemies that once terrified you mean nothing in front of this man. He really has the power to protect you."

Robin bit her lip, silently staring at Aokiji. Her hands clenched without her realizing it.

"That's enough, Kuzan!"

Smoker bit down on his cigar, frowning.

"Stop intentionally saying stuff like that. What's your real purpose here? Did you just come to rip open O'Hara's old scars in front of Robin?"

"..."

Aokiji looked at Smoker in mild surprise.

"Back then, with your rank, you didn't have access to those kinds of secrets. But ever since you defected, you seem to know quite a bit."

He raised an eyebrow. "Ah, that's unexpected. Nico Robin, you actually told them about what happened back then. It seems you've built quite the bond with these people."

"If I had learned about O'Hara's crap earlier, I might have left the navy years ago."

Smoker cut him off with a sneer and pulled his ten hands from his back.

"Just answer the question. Don't dodge. Besides, both Shano and Robin have already told us—it was you who let her go back then. So why have you been secretly tracking her all over the sea these years, Kuzan? What are you trying to do?"

"That's exactly what I want to explain."

Shano's tone turned relaxed. He sat down on the bench, crossing his legs.

"I'm guessing the main reason you're here today is Robin. The World Government doesn't even know she's on my ship, but you found her first. What, did you plant a tracker on her?"

"Hey now, don't make me sound like some pervy stalker."

Aokiji raised both hands in surrender. "Chasing her around? That's too much. I've just been keeping an eye on her from time to time. I wanted to see how far that spark Sauro tried to protect could go..."

"As for how I knew she was with you—"

Aokiji lowered his head, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a photo. "Here. Garp showed this to me when he came back to HQ a while ago. That old man… he really respects you."

Shano took the photo.

It was a selfie of Garp standing on the dog-head warship, grinning and waving goodbye to the End in the distance. No idea what he was so happy about…

Anyway, the figures on the End were blurry. Robin stood quietly at the back, barely visible.

Even elite government agents would have trouble recognizing her.

But Aokiji had noticed something, and followed the trail here.

"You're insane. You even picked that up?"

Shano tossed the photo back at him, giving a look of disdain. "And you're still denying the stalker accusation?"

"..." Aokiji fell silent for a moment.

"Don't get hung up on that."

He said weakly, "Look at what's become of O'Hara's survivor. Of course that was part of why I came—but after seeing you in person, all that seems irrelevant now."

"Oh, and even Smoker became a pirate. I couldn't understand that at first," Aokiji pointed at the man still puffing next to him. "But now, I don't care anymore."

"Hah? Bastard, don't push your luck!" Smoker growled, his fangs bared. "It's been years since we last met and the first thing you do is throw shade? I'll burn you with this cigarette!"

"Relax. That's not what I meant. I said that because…"

Aokiji shrugged, turned his head, and leaned forward toward Shano.

"My curiosity about the two of them might find its answer in you."

He stared at Shano seriously.

"Tell me. After everything—what are you aiming for?"

"Huh? What are you even talking about?" Shano smiled.

"You want me to spell it out?"

Aokiji met his gaze and lowered his voice:

"Since you were 14 or 15, you've been making waves in the East Blue. You dealt with many tough pirates, became a girl's idol for years, and were even hailed as the embodiment of justice."

"Since going to sea, despite all the government slander in the papers, you and I know the truth."

"In Loguetown, you protected the people at the cost of becoming an enemy of Vice Admiral Onigumo."

"In Alabasta, you destroyed the Hanafuda Pirates for the sake of justice."

"Just a few days ago, you rescued a group of slaves from a ship…"

"You've never robbed a town, never attacked civilians. Wherever you've been, the people are grateful."

Aokiji's tone darkened. He leaned in closer and closer. A frigid aura began to rise from his body. A glint flashed in his eyes.

"If you keep going like this, where does that leave the navy? Where does that leave our 'justice'?"

"And now you've taken in the child of O'Hara. So tell me, what do you really want? What's your ambition?"

The atmosphere turned tense in an instant.

Kuina pulled her sword halfway. Nokiko clenched her fists. Zeff's heels lifted slightly. Nami stepped out from behind Shano, her orange hair flaring with flames…

Shano stared at the wrinkled, intense face right in front of him.

Then, he suddenly grinned.

He was about to speak when a furious shout rang out from the garden entrance:

"HOW DARE YOU! You dare to attack the adults?!"

Everyone froze and turned toward the sound, only to see a massive eight-meter-tall figure charging at them, shaking the ground with each step.

Nearby couples screamed and ran for their lives.

Wait—who is this guy?

For a moment, everyone, even Aokiji and the crew, looked confused. Only Shano raised an eyebrow with interest.

"Is he with you?"

Smoker and Aokiji exchanged looks and both shook their heads.

"What's going on...?"

"Wait," Nami frowned. "This guy seems familiar... I think we've seen him before…"

She didn't get to finish.

The huge man's body swelled and warped. His thick limbs grew long brown fur, and two large tusks curved from his mouth.

—In the blink of an eye, a giant mammoth stood before them, eyes burning red, glaring at Aokiji.

"If you want to hurt Lord Shano, you'll have to go through me, bastard!"

The mammoth let out a deep roar and swung his massive trunk down toward Aokiji like a wrecking ball.

"Aah… la la…"

Aokiji raised his eyebrows. An ancient Zoan-type? Rare indeed.

But… why the sudden attack?

He remained calm, not even blinking. When the trunk was just about to hit him, he finally raised his right hand—slowly.

Snap!

The moment they made contact, an intense cold burst outward. Starting from Aokiji's palm, a terrifying frost spread up the trunk in an instant.

Jack's eyes widened in horror. He struggled, but it was useless. His trunk was instantly frozen into a crystal pillar.

And that was just the beginning.

The ice raced over his entire body—tusks, limbs, even his tail—until only his eyes could move.

In just two seconds, the towering mammoth had become a perfect ice sculpture, shining like crystal under the streetlights.