"This guy... What's his deal?"
"Ryuen, are you sure you've got the right person? How could someone be a Marine Admiral?" Anya said with a strange expression.
In Loguetown, she had seen countless hardworking Marines, busy chasing pirates and earning merits every day.
But this Marine Admiral in front of her...
"This charming young lady, how can you judge a person just by their appearance? My philosophy as a Marine is 'lazy justice,'" Aokiji said, tilting his head and looking serious.
"What kind of philosophy is that!"
"Your laziness matches your look perfectly!" the Dream Exploration Team shouted angrily at Aokiji.
This guy—how is this even fair?
They were all working hard for their dreams, and yet here was a Marine Admiral preaching about "lazy justice" as if it was some shortcut to success.
"Anyway... hmm... sorry, I got a bit tired of standing," Aokiji said casually. Without waiting for their reaction, he lay down on the ground as if it were the most natural thing to do.
The Dream Exploration Team felt a strange breeze blow through, one so bizarre it left them all frozen in place as if turned to stone.
"My purpose here is simple," Aokiji said lazily, propping his head on one hand. "After the Crocodile incident, Vice Admiral Garp mentioned that Nico Robin might join your Dream Exploration Team. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovᴇlFire(.)nᴇt
I was curious about it and wanted to confirm. It seems my guess was right—she's indeed with you."
"This guy... He really is laid-back," Hog muttered, exasperated.
"That attitude of not taking anyone seriously... In a way, it does resemble what you'd expect from a Marine Admiral," Leah said, looking at Aokiji's lazy demeanor with a puzzled expression.
Ryuen glanced at Robin, who still hadn't recovered from her earlier shock. Her face was pale, and a few cold sweat droplets glistened on her cheeks.
He walked up to Robin and said softly:
"Robin, you don't need to overthink this. You may not have seen what I'm capable of yet, but you can trust me!"
After Ryuen finished speaking, the other members of the Dream Exploration Team turned to look at Robin.
They had almost been deceived by Aokiji's lazy demeanor. This guy, Aokiji, used to be one of the Vice Admirals who destroyed Ohara.
"Ryuen... everyone..." Robin slowly snapped out of it, still looking a bit dazed as she glanced at them.
At this moment, Aokiji sat up, propped his head on his hand, and stared at the Dream Exploration Team. His expression was as if he were constipated, lost in thought.
"Admiral Aokiji, just tell us why you're here," Ryuen said casually as he also sat down.
"Ryuen, is that how you talk to a superior? If I recall correctly, you're still part of that unit," Aokiji said, shifting his gaze from Robin to Ryuen.
"You... you're not planning to pull rank on me, are you?" Ryuen gave Aokiji a strange look, scanning him up and down.
"I wouldn't do that. It doesn't align with my sense of justice," Aokiji waved his hand and explained.
"In that case, Admiral, why exactly are you here?" Kuina asked coldly.
She had always been wary of Aokiji. His laid-back demeanor didn't fool her, as she could sense a hint of hostility from him.
Aokiji noticed Kuina's guarded stance. He raised his eyes slightly to glance at her before slowly looking back at Ryuen.
He said, "I came here to check on Nico Robin's current condition, but also because of you—the Dream Exploration Team."
The team stared at Aokiji, waiting for him to explain further.
"I looked into your history and found that all of you are quite remarkable young people.
Even though your numbers are small, the individuals in your group coming together makes me think you'll become increasingly troublesome in the future.
Despite having ties to both the Marines and the World Government, as a Marine Admiral, I've noticed that you're not under the control of either.
From the time you first set out to map the East Blue seas to everything you've done so far, your growth has been rapid.
I've dealt with many lawless types, and I believe your potential is downright terrifying," Aokiji said, lowering his head but glancing at the team from the corner of his eye.
Ryuen squinted slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. Even the rest of the team now looked at Aokiji with a colder demeanor.
Unbothered by their stares, Aokiji continued calmly, "What makes you especially dangerous is you, Nico Robin!"
In an instant, everyone drew their weapons, ready to attack Aokiji at Ryuen's command.
"The bounty amount doesn't just reflect a criminal's strength but also the threat they pose to the World Government.
That's why, at the age of eight, you became a wanted criminal with a bounty of 79 million berries.
Even as a child, you were smart enough to survive.
Betrayal and escape, currying favor, using people—relying on your intelligence, you've navigated the dark world to this day.
And this time, the group you've chosen to hide among is them, isn't it?"
After saying this, Aokiji's sharp eyes locked onto Robin.
Hearing his words and meeting his piercing gaze, Robin's face turned pale.
"You've got some nerve saying such unpleasant things!" Anya snapped at Aokiji, her expression furious.
The rest of the team seemed like they were about to lose it, ready to attack Aokiji on the spot.
Still, Aokiji ignored their anger.
Standing up, he said calmly, "Soon, you'll understand. You'll regret bringing along such a troublesome woman.
The best proof of that is the fact that every organization tied to Nico Robin has ended in ruin."
Why was that, Nico Robin?"
As he finished speaking, Aokiji's questioning gaze turned to Robin, as if expecting her to provide an explanation.
Robin was shaken by Aokiji's words. She felt deeply uncomfortable because everything he said was true. It was indeed through such means that she had survived until now.
What made her uneasy was that she was now a member of the Dream Exploration Team.
Now that Aokiji had said all this, would her teammates stop trusting her? Robin couldn't help but think.
At this moment, Ryuen stood up.
He looked at Aokiji and said coldly:
"Let's fight, Aokiji. Let me see how strong a Marine Admiral really is."
Although he understood why Aokiji was saying these things, it didn't matter.
Right now, he was pissed!
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