One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

No matter how fast they ran, they couldn't outpace Aokiji.

A chill wind surged forward, overtaking Maude and Sunny.

Shwip!Without warning, the cold wind transformed into an ice wall, cutting off Maude and Sunny's escape.

The sudden appearance of the wall forced Maude and Sunny to skid to an abrupt halt.

In front of the ice wall, a mass of cold air gathered and coalesced once again into Aokiji's towering figure.

This time, having shed his usual lazy demeanor, Aokiji swiftly materialized into his physical form.

His three-meter-tall frame cast a massive shadow over Maude and Sunny, the oppressive chill radiating from him freezing the very air. The suffocating aura weighed heavily on them.

Maude's right hand darted to grip the hilt of Chidori, while Sunny swiftly raised her firearm, aiming directly at Aokiji before pulling the trigger without hesitation.

Bang!

The bullet passed harmlessly through Aokiji's body, achieving nothing.

To Aokiji, their frantic reaction resembled two startled animals baring their fangs in self-defense. He sighed and regarded the two young individuals with a tinge of helplessness.

"Let's talk this out, okay? No need to start shooting or swingin' swords—"

Before he could finish, Maude drew Chidori, its blade cloaked in Haki, and slashed horizontally without mercy.

Swish!

It was a clean, decisive strike, appearing to Sunny as though Maude had carved a gaping wound across Aokiji's abdomen.

In reality, the cut wasn't inflicted by Maude at all. Aokiji had preemptively turned his body into ice, creating a gap for the blade to pass through—a standard defensive tactic for Logia Devil Fruit users to evade Haki-imbued attacks.

As his strike fell short, Maude wasted no time. He grabbed Sunny and retreated rapidly.

Watching this, Aokiji scratched the back of his head.

From the ground beneath his feet, a visible frost spread outward, quickly reaching under Maude and Sunny. A layer of ice formed on the surface, its chilling mist filling the air.

The frozen ground caught their soles mid-stride. Losing balance, the pair tumbled onto the icy surface, sliding several meters before coming to a halt.

Fortunately, neither of them was injured.

But Aokiji's repeated restraint made them realize how slim their chances of escape truly were.

Maude rose swiftly, his expression grim as he locked eyes with the ever-nonchalant Aokiji.

Given their current strength, escaping from a Navy Admiral was nothing short of a fantasy.

Maude had a hunch about Aokiji's reason for holding back.

"Is he planning to use us to threaten Sol…?"

The thought crossed Maude's mind, making him grit his teeth as he racked his brain for a way to escape.

Even with the odds stacked against them, he refused to sit idly by.

Aokiji observed their hesitation and stopped spreading the frost further.

"Don't be so on edge. I'm not here to do anything to you," Aokiji said casually.

However, his lack of self-awareness regarding his identity as a Navy Admiral was glaring.

Under such circumstances, when a Navy Admiral suddenly appeared in their path in his elemental form, who would believe he had no ill intentions?

The sheer weight of his title alone made his words sound unbelievable.

Maude didn't buy it for a second.

After a brief silence, Maude untied the rope around Bailey, who had been trembling in fear and curled up into a ball.

With the knot undone, Maude hoisted the pudgy ferret in front of him and whispered, "Run. You're just a pet—no one will stop you."

With that, he hurled Bailey out of the icy zone.

Bailey tumbled a few times before coming to a stop.

As he righted himself, Bailey looked back at Maude and Sunny, standing on the frozen ground, his mouth opening soundlessly.

Running…

It seemed like the only thing he could do.

Steeling his resolve, Bailey gritted his teeth and fled.

On the ice, Aokiji glanced briefly at the escaping ferret.

Was that supposed to be a message for me?

"Eh, whatever," Aokiji muttered, turning his attention back to Maude and Sunny.

"How should I put this? Hmm… I'm just here on vacation. Thought I'd check out this rare big showdown while I'm at it."

Hands in his pockets, Aokiji tilted his head, looking in the direction where Garp and Sol were fighting.

"Honestly, this isn't even my fight. But if you two keep running around, it's just gonna give Garp-san more trouble. So please, cooperate and don't make things difficult for me. Especially you," Aokiji said, briefly locking eyes with Maude.

"That slash earlier wasn't exactly friendly."

"…"

Maude's body tensed immediately.

Unfazed, Aokiji scratched his cheek and glanced again toward the distant battlefield.

From here, there was nothing to see but the distant sounds of the ongoing clash.

How boring.

Maybe I should take these two up to that tall building for a better view?

But then again, would I get shot for doing that?

Sigh, someone better come and take over already.

Aokiji sighed, clearly more interested in Garp and Sol's fight than in babysitting Maude and Sunny.

His relaxed demeanor caught Maude off guard.

This wasn't what he had expected.

Maude thought Aokiji might use him and Sunny as leverage against Sol, forcing Sol to surrender.

But Aokiji's intent seemed to be nothing more than keeping them here to ensure Sol wouldn't retreat.

If that was the case, wouldn't taking them hostage be a more effective strategy?

Was this what the Navy called "justice"?

Regardless, escape was impossible. Fighting back was even less viable.

With Aokiji's earlier warning in mind, Maude knew that making another move would likely provoke a decisive response.

All he could do was hope the situation wouldn't get any worse.

At least it wasn't Akainu standing in their way.

"Maude."

Sunny finished reloading her gun and looked at him for guidance.

At some point, she had grown to rely on Maude's decisions.

Maude shook his head, signaling her not to act rashly.

Sunny nodded silently, her thoughts shifting to Sol and Bailey.

"Maude, do you think Bailey can run fast enough? With all the pirates fleeing the town, he might get trampled…"

"…"

Maude's eye twitched.

Seriously? Is this the time for that?

Seeing the genuine concern in her eyes, Maude sighed and reassured her softly, "He should be fine. After all, he does a hundred push-ups and sit-ups every day."

"Mm." Sunny nodded earnestly.

Just then, Aokiji's demeanor shifted.

His gaze became serious as frost began seeping from his arms, forming a thin layer of ice over his skin.

"I've thought it over. After all…"

Maude and Sunny's hearts tightened.

"You'll have to come with me," Aokiji declared, striding toward them.

His plan was simple: bring them to the tallest building nearby for a better vantage point.

But at that moment—

Bang!

A bullet zipped through the air, arriving in an instant.

"Ah-la-la," Aokiji muttered, his body dissolving into mist as the bullet struck the ice surface.

Crack!

The sheer force of the shot shattered the ice across a hundred meters.

Reforming his body several meters away, Aokiji warily eyed the direction the shot had come from.

"I told you—I'm just here on vacation."

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