(Skipping the Davy Back Fight)

With that, the Sexy Foxy and the Foxy Pirates sailed off.

"What a weird group of pirates," Zoro remarked.

Luffy shook his head and hefted Foxy's black flag over his shoulder, "There's something I've gotta do before we leave."

Luffy led the way and the Straw Hats all followed him back to Tonjit's house.

-x-

"That's right Shelly," Tonjit said as he watched the Sexy Foxy sail off from his house. "It's finally over." The nomad was so caught up in tending to his beloved horse that he completely missed the tall man standing in front of his door.

Neeiigghhh... Shelly brayed softly and looked down at her bandaged leg. That was where Foxy had shot her while she and Tonjit had been taking a joyride after reuniting after ten long years.

"You've faithfully waited ten years for me," Tonjit told his loyal horse, "Now it's my turn to wait with you. I don't care how long it takes. We'll chase after the other villagers once your leg's fully healed."

Tonjit heard someone coming and looked up with a wide smile as all eight Straw Hats Pirate approached him. They, also, all missed the tall man standing in front of Tonjit's front door.

"You're back!" Tonjit called out to them.

"We brought you a souvenir," Luffy announced as he held out Foxy's flag to Tonjit.

Tonjit looked passed the flag at all of Luffy's bandages, "You're hurt. Are you alright?"

"Shishi!" Luffy chuckled, "Aw this? It's nothing."

Tonjit smiled, "Thank you for your help."

Neeeiiggh! Shelly chimed in.

"Is that why you accepted the fight?" Nami asked. "Because you wanted to help him? And here I thought you were just being stupid again."

"Man, you're rude," Luffy complained.

"You're gonna have to catch me up here," Y/N requested, "What's this guy's story?"

One exposition later...

"Well, we'd like to take you to where your village was moved," Nami admitted, "But since the ten small islands of Long Ring Long Land are all parts of one big island that's mostly underwater the Log Pose won't be able to pinpoint it."

"You don't have to do that," Tonjit assured them. "Shelly and I are very patient. We'll be fine. But since you came all this way, you can come inside. You're all most welcome."

"Do you have anything to eat?" Luffy requested. "And no more cheese, please."

"Hahaha!" Tonjit laughed as he turned and led the way into his house. THUD! Tonjit walked right into the tall man that had been standing in front of his door.

ZZZZZ... More like sleeping in front of his door. While standing.

"Whoa, what's this?" Tonjit sputtered.

"A person?" Usopp questioned.

"Has he been here all this time?" Nami wondered.

The man was tall and thin but with a muscular build. He was easily ten feet tall but most of it was made up from his long legs. He had a wide nose, tan skin and short curly black hair that puffed out around his jawline. The tall man was well dressed in a pair of white pants and a white vest with a blue long sleeved collared shirt underneath it. He had a yellow tie around his neck and his eyes were covered by a pale green sleeping mask.

"Huh?" the tall man grunted as he finally woke up, "Who are you guys?"

"WHO ARE YOU?" most of the Straw Hats shouted back at him.

There were two notable exceptions. First was Y/N who backed away and stared at the tall man in utter shock, the second was the usually stoic Robin whose blue eyes had gone wide in horror. Thuk! Robin fell backwards as the tall man pulled up his sleeping mask.

"Robin?" Luffy called out when he saw the shocked archeologist.

"Miss. Robin, what's wrong?" Sanji asked.

"Oh my, you've turned into a beautiful woman... Nico Robin," the tall man remarked.

"Who the heck is this guy?" Nami demanded.

Y/N stared at the tall man in wide-eyed horror. "This guy... is Marine Admiral Aokiji..."

-x-

Admiral Aokiji:

-x-

The Straw Hats found themselves faced with Marine Admiral Aokiji outside Tonjit's house.

"Wait... did you say Admiral?" Sanji questioned. "That's one of the highest ranks there is!"

"But it's true," Robin said as she finally managed to regain some of her composure. "There are only three officers in all of the Marines that hold the position of Admiral."

"The names of the Admirals are codenames," Y/N continued. "There's Akainu – the Red Dog, Kizaru – the Yellow Monkey, and this guy, Aokiji – the Blue Pheasant. The only one that's ranked higher than them is Fleet Admiral Sengoku and he's the big commander of the Marines."

"The three Admirals are known to the world as the World Government's Ultimate Powerhouses," Robin concluded.

"Then why the heck is someone like this even here!?" Usopp exclaimed. He looked up at the ten foot tall Admiral. "Shouldn't you be out hunting big name notorious pirates, or something?"

"He should be," Y/N agreed. "Normally the Admirals wouldn't bother with a small crew like ours. I had hoped that we'd be able to establish ourselves more before we got our first Admiral visit. We're nowhere near ready for this guy. We're all dead."

"ALL DEAD!?" Chopper repeated in shock.

"Okay, maybe not all dead," Y/N stated, "If we'd met Akainu here, we'd all be dead. But this guy has a bit of reputation so some of us might actually make it out of here alive."

"ONLY SOME?" Chopper shrieked.

Zoro frowned as he looked from the shaken Y/N and Robin to the Marine Admiral. Y/N and Robin were the two members of the crew with the most world experience. The fact that Y/N, a former Whitebeard Pirate, who had been so confident that Luffy would beat Foxy was now worried about them dying here meant that Aokiji was the real deal. So despite Y/N's obvious fear, Zoro's hand went down to his swords.

"Is this guy... really that strong?" Nami asked as she stared up at Aokiji in concern.

Aokiji blinked and looked down at Nami, "Oh my, you're cute. Are you free tonight?"

"YOU WATCH YOUR MOUTH, YOU LANKY JERK!" Sanji shouted.

"That's actually a good thing..." Y/N said, "If he thinks she's cute he might spare her."

"HEY YOU!" Usopp snapped at the Admiral, who didn't seem focused, "PAY ATTENTION!"

"Whoa-whoa-whoa!" Aokiji said in a placating manner. "Hold on, you guys. I'm just out taking a little stroll. You guys are... uh... you're just... ah, I forget."

"You're not making any sense, you weirdo!" Usopp and Sanji complained.

"Are you guys kidding?" Usopp questioned Y/N and Robin, "You must be mistaking him for somebody else. This doofus wouldn't pass for a regular marine, there's no way he's a Marine Admiral."

"Hey, don't judge a book by its cover," Aokiji protested. "My motto is Lazy Justice."

"THEN OUR JUDGEMENT WAS RIGHT!" Usopp and Sanji snapped.

"Anyway, what I was saying is..." Aokiji trailed off, "Uh... excuse me a moment." The tall Marine Admiral dropped to the ground and laid on his side while using his white officer's coat as a pillow. "Being on my feet too long makes me tired."

"Then why were you sleeping standing up?" Usopp muttered.

"What I was saying," Aokiji said, "Was that I have no intention of capturing you or killing you or anything like that so just take it easy. I'm only here to confirm the whereabouts of Nico Robin. Vice Admiral what's-his-name from G-8 reported that she was with you."

"That is one tall piece of apathy," Sanji noted.

"The only thing high ranking about him is his nerve," Usopp added.

"I'll put some sort of report together for Headquarters later," Aokiji resolved. "Now that you've added another crew member whose got a price on her head your overall bounty has gone up. One hundred million, plus eighty million, plus sixty million, plus seventy-nine million equals... aw screw it, some big-ass number."

"Just do the damn math," Zoro growled.

"It's three hundred nineteen million," Y/N supplied. "And I for one don't think we should look a gift horse in the mouth. He's decided to spare us so let's get out of here before he changes his mind."

Nami eyed Y/N skeptically, "You can't honestly be scared of this guy?"

"Just... trust me," Y/N practically pleaded. "He's way stronger than he looks. Let's get out of here while he's still feeling merciful. The last thing we want to do is provoke him."

"GUUMM... GUUUMMM..."

"STOP IT! STOP!" Usopp shouted as he and Sanji grabbed Luffy and restrained him.

"WHAT'RE YOU GUYS DOING?" Luffy demanded. "Lemme go!"

"WHY'RE YOU TRYING TO START A FIGHT WITH THIS GUY!?" Sanji scolded him.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Usopp exclaimed, "He's one of the strongest marines there is!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Luffy yelled. "I'M NOT JUST GONNA STAND AROUND WHILE THIS GUY TRIES TO TAKE ROBIN AWAY FROM US!"

"Hey, take it easy," Aokiji told him, "I already said I'm not gonna do anything, remember?"

"WELL I AM!" Luffy hollered, "I'M KICKING YOUR ASS!"

Y/N rushed over and stood in between Luffy and Aokiji, "Luffy, you can't beat this guy! This is a marine that Ace would have a hard time beating! And he has fire powers!"

"THAT'S AN EVEN BIGGER REASON TO BEAT HIM UP!" Luffy insisted.

"Whoa there, give me a break," Aokiji requested, "I don't wanna fight. I'm just taking a stroll."

"THEN YOU CAN STROLL RIGHT OUTTA HERE!" Luffy retorted, "GO AWAY!"

"Wow... I think Luffy might be winning this," Nami mumbled as she surveyed the angry pirate captain and the reluctant marine officer.

"Look, I'll leave," Aokiji conceded, "But before I do, I was listening earlier while I was asleep." Aokiji reached out and pointed at Tonjit, "You."

"Huh?" Tonjit questioned.

"I'm a very light sleeper so I heard most of your conversation," Aokiji explained, "Prepare to move out immediately."

"Hey, old stilts guy! Don't listen to this guy!" Luffy warned Tonjit, "He's with the Marines!"

"..." Tonjit stared at Luffy.

"..." Luffy stared back at Tonjit.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Tonjit asked.

"Oh, I guess you're right!" Luffy realized, "Normally the Marines are the good guys and the pirates like us are the bad guys! Shishishishi!"

"This is no laughing matter!" Usopp scolded Luffy.

"Sure it is!" Luffy replied, "How is that guy gonna help anybody?"

"Basically, the villagers moved away while you were gone," Aokiji recounted from what he'd overheard from Tonjit's explanation to the Straw Hats. "You want to catch up with them. This island is a ring of ten islands and you want to go three islands ahead to where the others are. You planned to wait for the tide to go down so you could cross to the next island on your horse but your horse has an injured leg so you can't go now. Is that about right?"

"If you know that much," Usopp said, "Then you must realize he can't make the journey now."

"No," Robin finally spoke up, "This man has the power to help him."

"How 'bout we let the Admiral handle this," Y/N suggested, "In the meantime, we can get out of here."

"No way!" Luffy refused. "I don't trust the old-stilts-guy alone with this weirdo marine!"

"Damn it," Y/N cursed. "We're screwed."

-x-

Later, Tonjit and the Straw Hats had packed the nomad's belongings onto his tarp-covered wagon. The injured Shelly had been loaded on the wagon and the Straw Hats had brought it to a shore with a marker on it. Admiral Aokiji had followed behind them.

"Alright, we're that the shore," Luffy announced.

"That should do it," Usopp said as he finished tied the tarp onto the wagon.

"We loaded up all your stuff and some food and water," Sanji added. "It should be enough to last you for a week."

Nami eyed the flag marker, "So this is the place where the tide recedes once every year and opens a path, right?"

"That's right," Tonjit confirmed.

Y/N hung back with Robin and eyed the Marine Admiral warily, "As soon as they get the old man out of here, we make a break for it. And then you can explain why an Admiral knows you personally." Robin frowned.

"It feels good to do a little work every once and a while," Aokiji commented as he stood behind the wagon.

"Yeah! No doubt about that!" Luffy agreed from on top of the wagon. "You know something, you're not so bad."

"What do you know," Nami remarked, "They're hitting it off."

"Thank you for all your help," Tonjit gushed, "Would you like some cheese?"

"Don't offer him that!" Usopp scolded the nomad.

"So now what?" Luffy asked. "Are you gonna swim across and drag the wagon along with you?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Aokiji replied. He dropped his white officer's coat and walked to the edge of the shore, "Alright everybody, stay back." Aokiji knelt down and stuck his hand in the water.

"..." the Straw Hat silently watched the Marine Admiral.

"..." Aokiji closed his eyes and kept his hand in the water.

"..." Did he fall asleep again?" Chopper wondered.

SPLOOOSH! A huge yellow dinosaur-like sea monster with sharp teeth and a jagged spine shot out of the water.

"WHAT IS THAT THING?" Luffy yelped.

"IT'S SOME KIND OF MONSTER!" Usopp shrieked.

"IT'S THE GUARDIAN OF THESE SEAS!" Tonjit exclaimed.

"SNARLAH!" The Going Merry-sized monster dove at Aokiji.

"HEY, YOU! RUN FOR IT!" Usopp yelled at Aokiji.

"WATCH OUT!" Luffy warned the Admiral.

"Grr..." Zoro growled and reached for his sword.

"Ice Age..." FWOOOSH... Ice shot out from Aokiji's hand and froze the water around him. FWOOOSH... The ice kept going and froze the sea monster solid. FWOOOSH... The ice rushed onward and froze the waves in place as it stretched all the way across to the next island in the ring. FWOOOOSHHH!

The Straw Hat has were left staring in shock at a frozen ocean while Aokiji knelt on the shore with patches of ice all over his body.

"A Devil Fruit!" Zoro gasped.

"The sea... it's... frozen..." Luffy realized as he stared at the large expanse of frozen water.

"He ate a Logia Devil Fruit known as the Ice Ice Fruit," Robin stated, "This is the power of a Marine Headquarters Admiral."

Krek! Aokiji pulled his hand out of the frozen sea and paid no mind to the sea monster in front of him as he got up and walked away.

"It'll stay like that for at least a week," Aokiji announced as he picked his coat back up. "You can take your time until you meet up with your village. It'll get cold so be sure to bundle up."

"Is this... a dream?" Tonjit wondered as he stared at the frozen ocean in shock. "The Sea has become as hard as the ground. It's a contentment of ice." Tonjit smiled at Shelly, "You see that, Shelly? We can cross the ocean. We can see our friends and family again after ten whole years!"

Neeeiggh! Shelly happily agreed.

"You there, thank you!" Tonjit called after the Marine Admiral. "What a miracle! Thank you!"

Aokiji scratched the back of his head and gave Tonjit a casual wave as he left the shore.

"Well, it's time for us to get going," Tonjit announced once he'd put coats on himself and Shelly.

"Yeah, good luck old-stilts guy and horse!" Luffy called out.

"Shelly, make sure to get that bandage changed," Chopper reminded the horse.

"I don't know how to thank you," Tonjit addressed the Straw Hats, "If you hadn't come along, it'd still be on those stilts."

"Aw, don't mention it!" Luffy reassured him.

Tonjit pulled his wagon onto the frozen ocean and started on his way. He turned and called out to the Straw Hats. "THANK YOU! I'LL NEVER FORGET THIS!"

NEEEIGGGH! Shelly gave her own farewell.

"Take care!" Nami replied.

"Stay well!" Chopper advised.

"Stay warm," Y/N added.

"Stay off those stilts!" Luffy chimed in.

"STAY SAFE!" Usopp shouted.

"ENJOY THE JOURNEY!" Luffy exclaimed.

"BYE!"

The Straw Hats watched as Tonjit made his way passed the frozen sea monster and across the frozen sea until his finally disappeared from sight.

-x-

Ultimate Powerhouse:

-x-

"Ah, that felt really good," Luffy remarked. "Uuugghh!" Then he realized how cold it was near the frozen ocean. "It feels like winter just happened!"

"Brrr..." Nami mumbled as she hugged herself to stay warm in her t-shirt. Whup! A long black trench coat was suddenly draped over her shoulders. She turned to see Y/N standing next to her now in just his cloud shirt and cargo pants.

"Score one for the trench coat," Y/N boasted. Nami shook her head and smiled at him.

"This is great!" Chopper exclaimed as he skated by on the frozen ocean. The furry reindeer was unbothered by the cold that accompanied the ice.

Luffy and Usopp laughed at the happy reindeer. "Shishishishi!"

"Ahahahaha! Must be that Winter Island blood!"

Aokiji sat cross-legged on the grass near the shore and rested his head in his hand while he watched the Straw Hats as they walked away from the shore.

"Huh?" Luffy asked as the Marine Officer stared at them an scratched his head. "What?"

"How should I put this?" Aokiji wondered, "You're the splitting image of your grandfather, Monkey D. Luffy."

"Ah!" Luffy gasped and went wide-eyed.

Aokiji continued, "Or maybe I should say you're just as reckless and hard to figure out."

"GAH!" Luffy yelped. "You knew... my grandpa?"

"Seriously?" Usopp questioned. "Luffy's?"

"He's a marine," Y/N explained. "The old geezer's famous." Luffy had broken out into a cold sweat.

"Luffy, are you okay?" Usopp inquired, "What's wrong? You're sweating."

"Uh, nothing!" Luffy sputtered, "Really! I'm fine!"

"Grandpa can be pretty scary," Y/N supplied, "Honestly, that old jerk's always hated me. He blames me for Luffy wanting to become a pirate. But took it out on Luffy."

"Y/N! Shush!" Luffy pleaded with his brother. "This guy will tell Grandpa and then he'll find us and kick our asses!"

"You mean the old bastard will kick your ass," Y/N corrected him. "He'll probably just throw me to the next island."

"Your grandpa helped me out once a long time ago, Monkey D. Luffy," Aokiji recounted. "That's why I'm here. I wanted to see you and Nico Robin together with my own eyes."

Aokiji frowned, "But now, I've changed my mind. Maybe I should just kill you guys now."

"Oh wonderful," Y/N muttered, "He's decided that he wants to kill us after all. This is why we should've run for it while we had the chance."

"The World Government still doesn't consider you a threat," Aokiji stated, "But I know enough of your history to see you're a formidable crew. You may be few in number but with the shrewd rogues gathered here... this crew likely will be a problem later on considering the circumstances of your original bounty, the numerous actions you've taken and the speed of your progress." Aokiji scanned the Straw Hats one-by-one. "I've fought pirates and other outlaws for most of my life. But thinking about how you'll turn out scares the hell outta me."

"Hey wait! Hold on a second!" Usopp protested, "You said you were here to check things out! Not to kill anyone!"

Aokiji ignored him and continued, "There's one among you that I consider the most dangerous. That would be you... Nico Robin."

"So despite everything you really are here for Robin!" Luffy realized, "Now I'm really gonna kick your ass!"

"The size of her bounty isn't just a reflection of her strength and power," Aokiji informed them. "It also represents something else. That would be the level of threat and danger that she poses to the World Government. That's why I seventy-nine million berri bounty was placed on her head at the tender young age of eight. I'm pressed you were able to survive, especially as a child. You've managed to betray, sidestep and escape from everyone in your past. And then found a new partner to make use of. You survived in the underworld by being quick to switch sides. And now you've chosen this crew as your next haven."

"Again," Y/N said as he looked over at Robin, "You probably should have mentioned that you had a Marine Admiral for a stalker."

"That's enough jerk!" Sanji snapped at Aokiji. "I'm not just gonna stand here and let you speak to a lady like that! What kind of ridiculous grudge are you holding against Robin?"

Usopp ran over to Sanji and held the cook back. "Stop it, Sanji!"

"I don't have anything against her," Aokiji admitted, "The only connection we have between us is that I let her escape from me once. That's about it. It was a long time ago. You will all learn soon enough that protecting this troublesome woman leads to nothing but regret. If you need proof, consider this: every organization that she's had something to do with in the past has been annihilated. Not one single solitary member escaped except for her." The Admiral slowly stood up. "Why is that, Nico Robin?"

"..." Robin tensed.

"SHUT UP, YOU JERK!" Luffy shouted. "The past doesn't matter!"

"That's right!" Usopp exclaimed, "If it did we wouldn't have Y/N or a dangerous former Pirate Hunter or a degenerate conniving ex-thief woman on our crew!"

BONK! Nami clubbed Usopp over the head. "Don't go overboard!"

"Who we are now is more important than who we were," Sanji insisted.

"That's right!" Chopper chimed in. "Robin is our friend! Don't you dare say anything bad about her! You hear me!"

"If we're gonna die, we might as well put up the messiest fight possible," Y/N reasoned.

"I'm all for that," Zoro agreed.

"I see," Aokiji said, "So these poor fools don't suspect a thing."

"Just get to the point!" Robin snapped as she crossed her arms. "If you want to arrest me then why not just do it already! Trienta Fleur!" Thirty arms grew out of the tall, lanky marine's body and out of the ground at his feet. A dozen grabbed his legs, another dozen wrenched out his arms, two braced his back and the final four grabbed his chin.

"NO, ROBIN!" Usopp shrieked.

"Never thought you'd be the one to attack first," Y/N remarked.

"Oh my, did something I said strike a nerve?" Aokiji asked. "That's too bad. I must have overestimated how reasonable a woman you were."

"CLUTCH!" KRRESSHH! Robin's army of arms wrenched backwards and Aokiji's body shattered to pieces. Large chunks of ice laid where the Marine Admiral once stood.

"AAAAH! HE SHATTERED INTO A MILLION PIECES!" Chopper yelped.

Krek-krek-krek... The shattered pieces of ice joined together and form a large lump.

"IT DIDN'T WORK!" Usopp cried out in alarm. "WE'RE SCREWED!"

"I say we run for it," Y/N offered.

Krek-krek-krek... Two long lanky arms and a distinct head could be made out on the lump.

"RIGHT! I'M ALL FOR Y/N'S PLAN!" Usopp yelled. "EVERYBODY RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Krek-krek-krek... Two long legs formed at the bottom of the ice lump and the ice started to fall away and revealed Aokiji's curly black hair and tanned skin.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Usopp and Chopper screamed as Aokiji reformed his broken body.

"Now, now," Aokiji scolded, "That wasn't a nice thing to do."

Aokiji grabbed a handful of grass as he stood up then threw it to the side. Fwwwoooooo! Aokiji blew out an ice cold breath and froze the grass into a long frozen stick. Aokiji grabbed the end and brandished the stick like a sword. "Ice Saber!" Aokiji readied his sword as he stared down at Robin. "I didn't want to have to kill you. But now..." Aokiji swung the ice sword down at Robin. Robin closed her eyes and flinched.

KLANG! Robin opened her eyes and found that Zoro had blocked Aokiji's sword with his own. The Admiral and the Swordsman silently stared at each other.

SKISH! Sanji jumped up in front of Aokiji, "SLICE... SHOOT!" THWAK! The cook kicked Aokiji's sword out of his hand and sent it flying away from him.

"YEEAAH!" Usopp cheered while Luffy charged in.

"I don't remember asking for your help, cook!" Zoro growled.

"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing to you, moss-head!" Sanji retorted from overhead.

"Time to go, Robin!" Y/N announced as she grabbed Robin and pulled her away.

"GUUUMM... GUUUMM..." Luffy ran at Aokiji and stretched his arm out behind him.

Whap! Aokiji grabbed Zoro's arm then caught Sanji's leg. Whap!

"...BULLET!" WHAAAM! Luffy slammed his fist into Aokiji's stomach. The tall admiral lurched backwards but he didn't fall.

Krek-krek-krek... Ice started to grow on Luffy's fist from where it had made contact with Aokiji. "It's cold!" Krek-krek-krek! The ice continued up Luffy's arm to his elbow.

Krek-krek-krek... The same thing happened to Zoro's arm and Sanji's leg where Aokiji had grabbed them.

"AAAHH! HE FROZE 'EM! HE FROZE 'EM!" Chopper shrieked while Usopp screamed. "AAAAAHHHHH!"

"HE GOT ALL THREE OF THEM!" Nami exclaimed upon seeing how easily the Monster Trio had been dispatched, "AT ONCE!"

"AAUUGGHH!" Luffy, Zoro and Sanji all howled as they dropped to the ground and clutched at their frozen limbs.

"Hey, put me down!" Robin yelped as Y/N swept her up onto his shoulder and raced off.

"See ya around, Frosty!" Y/N taunted the Admiral.

"What a pain," Aokiji grumbled as he surveyed the other Straw Hats then turned and chased after Y/N and Robin.

Krek-krek-krek! Ice gathered at Aokiji's feet as he ran along the grass after Y/N and Robin. Krek-krek-krek... His feet grew until they were each over a foot long. "Ice Skis..." SWWIISSSHHH! Aokiji used the ice at his feet as a trail and skied after Y/N.

-x-

"He almost froze them solid!" Chopper exclaimed as he rushed over to the fallen Straw Hats. "I have to help them quickly! If they get frostbite their limbs will start to rot!" Chopper looked beside him and saw Usopp frozen in shock. "Usopp! What're you doing? We've gotta help them now!"

"I want to help..." Usopp whimpered as his legs shook in terror, "But I can't seem to move! Did he freeze me too?"

"NO!" Chopper snapped at him, "YOU'RE JUST TOO SCARED TO MOVE, COWARD!"

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Usopp screamed, "LUFFY! SANJI! ZORO!"

Nami stared after Y/N, Robin and Aokiji then looked down at Luffy, Zoro and Sanji. "If he took out these three that easily, Y/N and Robin don't stand a chance!"

"Y/N... Robin..." Luffy growled as he pushed himself up off of the ground. His ice coated arm hung at his side. "I WON'T LET HIM GET THEM!"

"Grr... Y/N..." Zoro grunted as he pushed himself up with his own ice covered arm hanging at his side.

"Miss. Robin..." Sanji mumbled as he pushed himself up despite his iced-over leg.

"I'M GONNA KICK THAT MARINE'S ASS!" Luffy shouted as he raced off along the trail of ice that Aokiji had left. Zoro, Nami, Sanji and Chopper chased after him.

"GUYS! WE'RE RUNNING THE WRONG WAY!" Usopp whined as he ran behind them.

-x-

"You'll never be able to escape him," Robin pointed out, "You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Y/N replied as he ran with Robin thrown over his shoulder. "But he's after you. That means he's going to chase me. And if he's chasing me then he's not freezing all of the others."

Krek-krek-krek... From her vantage point over Y/N's shoulder, Robin saw the grass freeze in a path and Aokiji skiing towards them.

"LOOK OUT!" Robin called out as the ice closed in on them.

SKISH! Y/N jumped to the side to avoid the incoming ice which allowed Aokiji to catch up.

SKUUSSHH... Aokiji skidded a stop and surveyed Y/N and Robin. "So you've decided to stop running."

"I've led you far enough away from the others," Y/N reasoned as he put Robin down. "Robin, run. Get the others, get to the ship and get out of here. I'll hold him off as long as I can."

"I... I won't leave you!" Robin insisted.

"He wants to kill you!" Y/N reminded her, "Get outta here!"

"You'd lay down your life for her?" Aokiji inquired. "She's a cursed woman. She will bring nothing but despair upon your crew. It's not worth it."

"This cursed woman is my friend," Y/N replied, "If I die here while she and the others all escape then it'll have been worth it. ROBIN! GO! NOW!" Y/N gave Robin a shove and she finally complied and stated running.

Aokiji turned to go after her. SKISH! Y/N jumped passed the Admiral and blocked his path.

"I'm about to lose another one..." Robin thought to herself as she fled from the battle.

"You know what I'm capable of," Aokiji pointed out as he stared down Y/N, "And yet you stand in my way. You do realize that this is a fight you can't hope to win."

"Yeah, I know," Y/N agreed, "But as long as I can be a pain-in-the-ass and make sure that you don't get what you want, it'll still count as a win for me."

Aokiji grinned faintly, "I see. So you really are the red-headed pain-in-the-ass that Garp complains about. The one that he claims corrupted his grandson into becoming a pirate. I always thought he meant 'Red Haired' Shanks."

"And what brings you to that conclusion?" Y/N asked as he slipped a Dial out of his pocket.

"I heard that Shanks lost his arm while he was harbored on Dawn Island," Aokiji stated. "That's where you two are from, isn't it? And now your Captain wears Shanks' old straw hat."

"Shanks was probably a contributing factor," Y/N admitted, "But I got to Luffy before he did."

Y/N lifted his foot and mounted the Dial onto the bottom. "I've got one shot at this. The Sea Stone should allow me to hurt him. And Luffy loaned me one of his punches for the Dial. Of course, he thought it was just an Impact Dial."

"TAKE THIS!" Y/N shouted as he jumped up and shot his leg out at Aokiji's face. "Javelin... REJECT KICK!"

Whap! Aokiji caught Y/N by the ankle and stopped his foot an inch from his chin.

"Nice try," Aokiji said as Y/N dropped to the ground and hopped on one leg. "But I read the reports. I know that you have Sea Stone in your possession. I'm not about to let you get a hit in."

"Don't mock me!" Y/N growled, "Just do it, you bastard!"

"Ice Time..." FWOOOSSHH! Aokiji's hand on Y/N's handle became pure ice and the ice quickly spread to Y/N's leg.

"AAUGGHH!" Y/N screamed as his foot froze and the ice started to work up his leg. Krek-krek-krek... The ice reached his waist then branched off. One bit went down and froze his other leg while the rest froze his chest. Krek-krek-krek... "UUGGGNN!" The ice spread out from Y/N's chest and went down his arms to his hands. Krek-krek-krek... "AHH!" The ice continued upward and finally covered Y/N's head.

Aokiji pulled his hand away and Y/N was left completely encased in ice. He leg was still raised from his missed kick.

Aokiji frowned at his frozen opponent, "I could smash you and kill you now. But as I told you, I've read the reports. You're a former Spade Pirate and a former Whitebeard Pirate. You were rumored to have been killed at the hands of Blackbeard when he betrayed your crew. That resulted in Whitebeard annihilating the G-5 Marine Base and Portgas D. Ace spending the last year out for revenge on a manhunt."

"The World Government isn't quite ready for the repercussions that killing you might cause," Aokiji continued. "Be thankful that you have powerful friends in high places. That's the only reason that I've spared your life. Otherwise, not even Garp could have saved you."

Aokiji turned and followed his ice trail after Robin and left the frozen Y/N behind him.

-x-

Rubber vs. Ice:

-x-

The Straw Hats raced along Aokiji's icy trail but stopped short when they found Robin running along it in the opposite direction.

"Robin! What's going on?" Luffy questioned as Robin ran up to them. "Where's Y/N?"

"He's trying to distract Aokiji," Robin answered, "He's buying us time to get back to the ship."

"YOU JUST LEFT HIM THERE ALONE?" Nami demanded.

"I didn't want to!" Robin insisted, "He all but pushed me down the path!"

"He can't beat that ice-guy alone!" Luffy exclaimed.

"I know, Luffy," Robin agreed, "None of us can. Even if you weren't still recovering from your fight with Foxy, you still wouldn't stand a chance against this man. He's a monster!"

"ROBIN, LOOK OUT!" Chopper suddenly shrieked.

A tall shadow fell over Robin and the archeologist immediately paled.

"You've made some very loyal friends, Nico Robin," Aokiji remarked.

"Wait... if he's here..." Nami whimpered, "Then Y/N..."

"I left him alive," Aokiji stated. "But he might not be for long if he doesn't get thawed out."

"NOOO!" Nami wailed as she bolted straight passed the terrifying Admiral and raced onward down the icy path.

Whap! Aokiji slammed his fist on the ground. "Ice Time Capsule!" FWWOOOOOSSSHHH! A wave rose up off of Aokiji's hand and rushed at the Straw Hats

Robin recognized the attack and dove out of the way. SKISH! "DON'T LET IT TOUCH YOU!" she yelled back at the Straw Hats. "THAT ICE WILL FREEZE ANYTHING IT TOUCHES!"

SKA-SKISH! The Straw Hats scattered to avoid the rushing wave of ice.

Aokiji stood up and stared down at Robin. "You'll never change, Nico Robin."

"No, that's not true!" Robin insisted as she stood back up to face him.

WHUP! Before she could react, Aokiji lunged and wrapped his arms around her for an icy-hug.

"ROBIN! GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Luffy shouted. "WATCH OUT!"

Krek-krek-krek... Ice spread out from Aokiji's arms and started to cover Robin's body.

"I'm not who I..." Robin gasped as the ice trailed down her long legs and up to her shoulders, neck and face. Krek-krek-krek...

"ROBIN!" Sanji hollered.

Krek-krek-krek... The ice covered Robin's head and froze her solid.

"AH!" Zoro yelped in surprise.

"AAAAAHHHH! ROBIIIIN!" Usopp and Chopper screamed in horror.

The whole process had only taken a couple of seconds. The Straw Hats stared wide-eyed as Aokiji pulled back and released the frozen Archeologist.

-x-

"Y/N, NO!" Nami cried out when she reached the end of the ice trail and spotted the frozen Treasure Hunter. "Nonononono! Please, you can't be dead! I can't lose you!" She stared at Y/N in horror. His leg was still raised and his mouth was opened in a pained scream.

"He said you were still alive," Nami recounted, "I'll... I'll thaw you out... somehow..." Nami turned around and pressed her back against Y/N then lashed her leg out behind her and kicked the leg that Y/N was standing on. Thwak! Y/N toppled forward onto Nami.

"UGGHH!" Nami groaned as she struggled to hold Y/N up. She was still wearing Y/N's long trench coat which shielded her from the cold. "Damn, that ice weighs a ton... What were you thinking, idiot?"

Nami strained under the weight of Y/N and the ice he was encased in as she trudged back along the icy path.

-x-

"Grrrrr..." Luffy growled as he stared from his frozen Nakama to the Admiral responsible for it. "YOU BASTARD!"

"Stop yelling," Aokiji said, "If you thaw her out carefully, she'll live. However, her body is extremely fragile in this state so you'll need to handle her with care. If any part of her breaks, she'll die!" Aokiji pulled back his hand, "For example, if I were to smash her like this..."

"STOOOOP!" Luffy screamed as he dove forward.

SWISH! Aokiji's fist passed through empty air. He looked down and saw that Luffy had knocked the frozen Robin out of the way and had caught her before she hit the ground.

"That was close!" Luffy gasped as bent over backwards to keep Robin from hitting the ground.

"Hmm," Aokiji grunted as he raised his foot to shatter Robin with a stomp.

"WAAAH!" SWIISH! Usopp surprised even himself, when he vaulted over Luffy and swept Robin out of the way before Aokiji could crush her.

Whomp! The Admiral ended up stomping on Luffy instead.

"WOOHOO!" Usopp cheered as he stood near Chopper with Robin tucked under his arm.

"ALRIGHT!" Chopper exclaimed. "THAT WAS AMAZING, USOPP!"

"What in the hell are you doing?" Aokiji growled as he glared at them.

"USOPP! CHOPPER!" Luffy called out as he rolled away from Aokiji. "QUICK! TAKE ROBIN AND RUN BACK TO THE SHIP! THAW HER OUT AND KEEP HER SAFE!"

"Right!" Usopp and Chopper replied. "You got it, Captain!"

The two of them all too happy to run away as they carried Robin between them.

"Hurry!" Usopp said as Chopper held Robin in his Heavy Point form, "But be gentle, okay?"

"It's cold!" Chopper exclaimed.

"I know, but Robin's even colder, genius!" Usopp pointed out.

"Don't bother," Aokiji said as he slowly followed after the fleeing duo. "The world would be a much better place without that woman in it."

SHINK! Zoro stood up and held his sword out beside him with is good arm to block his path.

"Not to split hairs," Zoro told the Admiral, "But a Pirate Crew consists of people just like that."

"You've got that right, Pirate Hunter," Aokiji agreed, "Now kindly step aside."

"LIKE HELL!" Sanji snapped as he ran up behind Zoro.

"WAIT! DON'T ATTACK HIM!" Luffy commanded his remaining two Nakama. Zoro and Sanji stared at Luffy in surprise. "Stay back and don't interfere. I'm gonna fight him one-on-one."

"..." Aokiji turned around to face Luffy who stood in a fighting stance still covered in bandages from his fight with Foxy and now with a partially frozen arm.

"GUYS! I'VE GOT Y/N!" The three Straw Hats and the Admiral turned to see Nami staggering towards them with the frozen Y/N on her back.

"Damn it!" Zoro cursed, "He got Y/N too!"

"Get him back to the ship," Luffy ordered, "I'll handle things form here."

"Alright, fine," Zoro conceded as he went to Nami and hefted Y/N onto his own back.

"What do you say?" Luffy challenged the Admiral. "The two of us can settle this on our own!"

"Fine by me," Aokiji accepted as ice spread across his body, "But since I don't have a ship to take you back... then I'll just have to kill you."

-x-

Back at the Going Merry, Usopp and Chopper had taken Robin into the bathroom and put her a tub filled with hot water.

"She... she can't breathe like this, can she?" Usopp questioned.

"I think she's in a state of suspended animation," Chopper told him.

"Does that mean she'll die if we don't do something?" Usopp asked.

"If we warm her up too quickly, she might shatter," Chopper explained. "We have to restore her temperature from the inside out."

"Are you sure that this is really gonna work?" Usopp inquired as he scooped up a cup of hot water and dumped it on Robin.

"I don't know," Chopper confessed. "But it's the only thing I—"

"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Usopp cut him off. "YOU DON'T KNOW? This is Robin's life we're talking about here!"

"I know..." Chopper replied as tears welled up in his eyes, "But I've never treated anyone whose entire body was frozen before! I know that Aokiji said she was still alive but I just don't see how that could be possible!"

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP!" Usopp snapped at the reindeer, "If you can't do anything to save her then no one in the whole world can! You understand me? You are the Doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates, got it?"

"I KNOW! OKAY?" Chopper yelled back, "JUST SHUT UP AND STOP YELLING AT ME!"

Usopp grew quiet and the two of them stared at Robin. The ice at top of the archeologist's head was beginning to melt off under the hot shower spray and as the ice melted away, the blue-black color returned to Robin's hair.

Usopp and Chopper went back to scooping up cups of hot water and dumping them on Robin's body.

"CHOPPER!" Zoro's loud shout came from outside.

Chopper rushed from the bathroom, darted through the storage room and came out on the deck where he spotted Zoro, Sanji and Nami on the shore.

"What's going on?" Chopper inquired. "What're the three of you doing here? Where's Luffy?"

"What're we supposed to do with him?" Zoro asked as he pointed back at Y/N with his good arm.

"GAH! Y/N'S FROZEN TOO!" Chopper shrieked.

"SHUT UP AND FOCUS!" Nami yelled at him. "What are we supposed to do about it?"

"I don't know!" the panicked Doctor admitted, "We've already got Robin in the tub... Y/N won't fit in there with her... especially with his leg up like that... Um... We need hot water..."

"Hot water..." Nami repeated as her mind scrambled to think of something. "Heat!" Nami pulled out her Clima-Tact and pointed one specific segment at the patch of water in front of the Merry. "HEAT BALL!" BLUP! BLUP! BLUP! BLUP! Nami swung the pipe and sent a stream of red bubbles into the water.

Between the two of them, Zoro and Nami carried the frozen Y/N into the sea water that Nami had just heated up.

"What're we supposed to do about this frozen arm and leg?" Sanji questioned Chopper.

"Douse every part of your body that's frozen in water," Chopper instructed.

SPLASH! A moment later, Sanji had cannonballed into the water along with Zoro, Nami and the frozen Y/N. Zoro quickly submerged himself and dunked his arm in the water.

"Will this do Chopper?" Sanji asked.

"Yes," Chopper answered, "Once the ice begins to melt start rubbing the affected areas and then come up to the ship right away! Nami, make sure to keep heating up that water. If you can rub him you'll speed up the melting process."

"Right," Nami agreed.

"I've gotta go help with Robin," Chopper said as he darted back inside.

Nami grabbed Y/N's shoulders and straddling his raised leg. "Hold on Y/N..." Nami took a deep breath and dunked them both underwater. She raised the Heat Pole to her mouth and expended half her breath as she blew into it. BLUP! A red air bubble came out and washed over Y/N's face. Nami acted fast on her remaining breath and rubbed at his face which caused the ice to slowly peel away to reveal cold skin underneath.

Splash! Nami and Y/N broke the surface less than a minute later.

"Huff... huff... huff..." The sound of Y/N's labored breathing was music to Nami's ears.

Usopp came out of the storage room a couple minutes later and was surprised to find Zoro and Sanji on the deck rubbing their previously frozen limbs.

"What the-why're you guys here?" Usopp questioned. "What happened? Where's Luffy?"

"Fighting Aokiji one-on-one," Sanji answered.

"ONE-ON-ONE!" Usopp exclaimed. "You mean you left Luffy to face him all by himself?"

"Those were the Captain's orders," Sanji stated.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Usopp demanded, "Can't you tell when an order is unreasonable? I can't believe that you would be so cold-hearted that you would just leave him!"

WHAM! Sanji shot up and slammed Usopp back against the wall. "HEY!" the cook snapped. "IT WAS A DUEL! CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? IT'S WHAT HE WANTED!"

"Stop it, both of you!" Zoro ordered them. "This isn't the time!"

"..." Usopp and Sanji quieted down and stopped fighting.

"Right now we need to stay focused," Zoro resolved. "Whether this decision was one of his passing whims or not, it doesn't matter. Whatever happens, we have to be ready to deal with it, understand?"

-x-

"Huff... huff..." Luffy panted as he faced off with Aokiji. Spikes of ice were scattered all around them. But none of it was on Luffy with the exception of his previously frozen arm.

"You really are an odd one, aren't you?" Aokiji remarked.

"RAAAAAH!" Luffy roared as he charged at the Admiral.

Aokiji reached out his icy hand. SWISH! Luffy ducked under Aokiji's outstretched arm then lashed out his leg. THWHAM! Luffy swung his leg straight up and sent Aokiji flying up into the air.

FWOOF! Luffy quickly inflated himself with his Gum Gum Balloon technique then twisted his rubber body and compressed all the air inside him. Luffy bent down and released the air from his mouth and sent himself corkscrewing up into the air. FWOOOOO!

"GUUUUUUM... GUUUUUUMMM... STOOOORRRMMM!" WHISH-WHISH-WHISH! Luffy lashed out with a vicious barraged of punches as he flew up to meet the airborne Admiral. POW-POW-POW! KRESH! Luffy's fists connected with Aokiji's icy body and shattered it to pieces. But he kept going and used the attack he'd beaten Crocodile with to smash the chunks of ice into tiny flakes of ice. POW-POW-POW-POW-POW!

Luffy's assault had completely destroyed Aokiji's body. The biggest bits of him that could be seen were snowflake-sized bits of ice.

Krek-krek-krek... But the shattered ice gathered up above Luffy in a large form. WOOOSH! Much faster than before, the tiny flakes of ice came together and reformed Aokiji's lanky body. WHAP! The Admiral grabbed onto Luffy as they continued to fly upward into the air. The attack that had beaten Crocodile was no match for a Marine Admiral.

"Ice Time..." Aokiji's body once again became covered in ice which quickly spread to Luffy. Krek-krek-krek!

"Uugghh..." Luffy groaned as the ice worked its way up his body until it covered his head.

-x-

"Come on, we've gotta go find Luffy!" Sanji insisted.

"If nothing else, we should see how the duel ended," Zoro realized as he stood up.

Usopp had gone back into the bathroom to help Chopper thaw out Robin.

"Nami, how's Y/N?" Zoro asked.

"I managed to melt the ice off of his shoulders," Nami reported. "Look, I can move his arms." Zoro and Sanji watched as Nami raised Y/N's arms up over his head. His forearms and hands were still covered in ice but it had been melted off of his upper arms, shoulders and parts of his chest.

"Then we'll leave him to you," Zoro decided, "We're going back for Luffy."

"Good luck, Nami-swan," Sanji called back to her as he and Zoro leapt off of the ship and raced back to the battlefield.

-x-

Aokiji frowned as he sat facing the frozen Luffy. The rubber pirate's fist was still extended from his failed final attack.

"What do you say?" Luffy had challenged him, "The two of us can settle this on our own."

"Aw man, you got me," Aokiji realized. "The moment I agreed to fight you one-on-one, I settled to fight you and you alone. But that was your plan, wasn't it? If I were to attack your crew now, I'd be the bad guy here, isn't that right, Captain." Aokiji smirked, "Or did you actually think that you could beat me?"

Aokiji stood up and dusted off his pants. "Let me give you a piece of advice. Keep a close eye on Nico Robin. Eventually, she'll grow to be more than you can handle. The nature of the violent fate that she was born into will be a greater danger than you can possible imagine. More of a burden than you could ever hope to bear. That's what it means to have that woman as part of your crew." Aokiji raised his foot and held it in front of Luffy's face. "You have been warned, Monkey D. Luffy."

KRESH! Aokiji shot his foot forward and smashed it through ice. Ice that was beside Luffy, not on him. The Admiral had decided to spare Luffy's life.

-x-

"Usopp! Get me some towels!" Chopper ordered. They'd managed to melt all of the ice off of Robin. But she was still unconscious and needed to be dried off and warmed up.

-x-

KREK! Nami snapped Y/N's raised leg down and admired her handiwork. Using considerably colder water than what was in the shower, she'd managed to melt the ice off of Y/N's face, shoulders, upper arms, waist and upper legs. That was more than half of it.

"Almost there Y/N," Nami announced, "I've got you..."

-x-

"Hurry up, cook!" Zoro called out to Sanji as they raced along the shore to recover the Captain.

-x-

"It would be easy to break you and kill you right now," Aokiji addressed Luffy. "But I have a debt to honor. Consider us even for you taking care of Crocodile." Aokiji reached down and picked up his coat then headed off. "Oh, and Smoker said to..." Aokiji trailed off, "Oh, I forget what his message was. Who cares?"

Aokiji walked off and left Luffy alone. At least for two seconds until Zoro and Sanji arrived.

"There he is!" Zoro pointed out when he noticed the frozen Captain.

"LUFFY!" Sanji shouted.

"He's still in one piece," Zoro noted.

"That's good news," Sanji realized.

"I'll carry him," Zoro and Sanji said at the same time. "Let's get him to the ship. STOP SAYING WHAT I'M SAYING!"

-x-

Whup... Y/N reached out and put his ice-covered hands on Nami's shoulders.

"Y/N..." Nami gasped, overjoyed to see him moving on his own. She reached up and grabbed his hands then rubbed at the ice until it flaked off.

"Thanks..." Y/N mumbled. He hands slid up from her shoulders and cupped her chin and surprised Nami when he pulled her to him and kissed her.

"Mmmm..." Nami moaned against Y/N's lips as she eagerly kissed him back.

He was probably delirious. But damn it if she didn't want this. She'd lugged his frozen ass back to the others and had spent all this time melting the ice off him. She deserved some kind of compensation. It wasn't taking advantage of him is he had initiated the kiss.

Nami kissed him until she was nearly out of breath. But that was when Y/N's hands slid up from her chin to the back of her head. Nami tried to pull away and break the kiss but Y/N's grip kept her locked in place. She was running out of air! Was he trying to kill her? OH NO!

Nami's eyes flew opened and she stared into the cold, deadly eye of Red Eye.

-x-

Thawing:

-x-

Nami thrashed and struggled to break free from Red Eye's hold but despite still being partially frozen, he was too strong and she couldn't break his grip.

He had her mouth covered so she couldn't call for help. But there was no one to call out to anyway. Usopp and Chopper were occupied with Robin. Zoro and Sanji were off recovering Luffy. There was no sign of Y/N anywhere. Nami was all alone against Red Eye.

Krek-krek... The ice around Y/N's knees shattered and broke off as he bent them and started to drag Nami down under water. Nami desperately took a breath in through her nose before she went under. Sploosh!

Oh god. He was trying to drown her. She'd been suckered in and now she was alone and at his mercy. Nami struggled and beat on Y/N's shoulders but her blows lost a great deal of their impact underwater. They probably wouldn't have done anything anyway.

She was already running out of air. She'd be dead by the time Zoro and Sanji returned. Her only saving grace was the fact that the Eye was still covered. If Red Eye had his powers, she'd be dead already.

Desperate, Nami shot her leg up between Y/N's legs. Whup! Red Eye hadn't needed the Eye to see that attack coming and clamped his legs closed around Nami's knee.

Nami was growing light headed. Red Eye's hold was like a vice. There was no breaking it. He'd protected his most obvious weak spot and now Nami was almost out of air, almost out of strength and almost out of time.

Panic set in. Nami writhed and flailed against him. She clawed at Y/N's sides as she dug her fingers through the remaining ice into his shirt and the bandages wrapped around him. Wait—bandages! Y/N had been injured during the Davy Back Fights! Coincidentally, his stomach was one of the last spots that was still frozen.

KROOSH! Nami shattered the ice as she drove her elbow into his injured stomach. Red Eye reeled back but still held on. WHUM! Nami shot her free leg up and drove her knee into Y/N's stomach.

BLUP! SHE DID IT! SHE FINALLY FORCED HIM OFF OF HER! Nami lashed out and hit him again. WHUM! Red Eye recoiled and Nami quickly shot herself back up to the surface.

WHAP! Red Eye grabbed her by the ankle. Nami's lungs burned and she flailed her arms as he dragged her back down to him. Nami desperately fished into her shirt and pulled out the three segments for her Clima-Tact. She quickly stuck them together to form a long staff just as Red Eye pulled her down to him.

WHUMP! Nami hit him upside the head with her Clima-Tact. Red Eye's hand fell off of her and his eye rolled back. WHUMP! Nami hit him against for good measure then shot herself upward.

SPLASH! "AAAH!" Nami broke the surface and took a deep breath of precious air. SHE WAS STILL ALIVE! Nami dove and swam to the shore, looking to put as much distance between her and Red Eye as she could. At this point, Admiral Aokiji would be a more welcome sight.

Thud! Nami dropped down on the grassy shore and finally managed to catch her breath. She looked back over her shoulder and saw Y/N's unconscious body floating on the water in front of the Merry.

"MISS. NAMI! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Nami turned to see Sanji and Zoro come running with the frozen Luffy. He was still in one piece. Aokiji had left him alive.

Of course, now they show up, once the disaster had been averted and she'd saved herself. Nami back at Y/N. Both personalities were still unconscious. The only ice left on him was on his forearms, back, calves and feet. Right now Luffy needed the most help and had to be thawed out.

"I'm fine," Nami finally answered. "I'm just... catching my breath. Can one of you guys get Y/N onto the ship so we can dry him off? Luffy needs to be thawed." Zoro trudged off into the water to retrieve Y/N but Sanji was still eying her with concern. "I'm fine. Really. Hurry up and get Luffy onto the ship!"

Sanji nodded and finally left her. She didn't tell him about her close call. There were more pressing issues to deal with and it would only create more drama.

-x-

Aokiji stood on yet another one of Long Ring Long Land's shores. He was on the opposite side from the path he'd frozen to the next island for Tonjit.

The Marine Admiral straddled an ordinary-looking bicycle as he put his white suit jacket on and pulled out a piece of paper.

"If they follow their Log Pose from this island their next destination is... Water 7," he realized. "The City of Water. Oh my, would you look at that. They're getting really close to our Headquarters, aren't they?"

With that in mind, Aokiji set off and rode his bike straight off the shore and onto the sea.

Krek-krek-krek... Aokiji's Ice Bike created a thin path of ice as he pedaled across the water.

"Oh, excuse me," Aokiji called out to a dolphin as he pedaled passed it.

EEK-EEP! The dolphin squeaked in reply.

RING-DING! Aokiji rang his bicycle's bell as he rode off and left the Straw Hats behind him.

-x-

Chopper emerged from the storage room to address Zoro, Nami, Usopp and Sanji on the deck.

"All their hearts... ARE BEATING!" the reindeer announced with relieved tears in his eyes.

"YEAH!" the four Straw Hats all cheered at the great news.

"LUFFY!" Usopp called out.

"MISS ROBIN!" Sanji swooned as he and the Sniper raced towards the opened door.

SWISH! Chopper transformed into his Heavy Point form and blocked the door.

"NO!" Chopper scolded them, "You can't go in yet! I don't want them disturbed, understand?"

"Hey, Doctor Chopper," Sanji said, "How 'bout I make them some food?"

Chopper shrunk back down and did a happy dance. "Calling me 'Doctor' won't make me happy or anything, you stupid jerk!" Chopper told him. "But... I suppose some warm drinks would be nice for when they wake up. I'll carry them in to them later."

"AYE-AYE, SIR!" Sanji happily replied as he raced up to the galley to make the drinks.

Zoro looked over at Nami who was silently gathering towels. "Hey Nami, should we set sail?"

"No, not yet," Nami answered, "Not while the Captain's out of commission. The Log Pose has our new heading but let's rest here until they all recover."

"What's with you?" Zoro questioned.

"Nothing," Nami replied, "Why do you care?'

"You're quiet for once," Zoro admitted.

"I'm fine," Nami insisted.

Zoro turned in time to see Usopp slide down the wall and drop to the floor. "What's wrong Usopp?" Zoro asked, "You look beat."

"Are there gonna be more guys like him?" the exhausted sniper wondered, "...coming after us wherever we go? This is crazy... I don't know how much more of it I can take."

"Get some sleep, idiot," Zoro replied, "You're just exhausted, okay?"

-x-

Night fell. The Straw Hats all slept together in the Galley.

Nami and Robin's cloud mattresses had been brought upstairs for Luffy, Y/N and Robin to sleep on under the close supervision of the crew. Robin had her own bed while Luffy and Y/N were sharing Nami's.

"Zzzz... zzzz..." Luffy snored while Y/N laid silent next to him.

Zoro was sleeping in the corner with his head resting on his swords.

Nami was in another corner with her legs hugged to her chest.

Usopp and Sanji had fallen asleep sitting at the dining table and had their heads down on it.

Chopper was sound asleep in front of the two cloud beds that contained his three patients.

"..." Robin laid silent on her own bed and stared up at the ceiling.

Whump! Y/N rolled off of his bed and hit the ground then pulled himself up on Robin's bed and stared down at her.

"So why you didn't tell us that a Marine Admiral was keeping tabs on you?"

"I didn't know," Robin confessed. "I've only seen him once. Twenty years ago he allowed me to escape from him. I hadn't seen him until today."

Y/N sighed as he pulled back and sat on the ground in between the beds. "It still would've been nice to know that an Admiral had a personal interest in one of us. Then we could've at least prepared for him and wouldn't have been caught off guard."

"Why did you do it?"

Y/N turned and saw Nami staring at him from the corner. She'd been watching him the whole time to see which personality woke up.

"Hey," Y/N greeted her, "Thanks for thawing me out."

Nami scowled. He had no idea. He had no clue that he'd nearly killed her.

"Answer me!" Nami ordered. "What... were you thinking? You knew how strong he was. You knew you didn't stand a chance. Why did you do it?"

"Simple," Y/N said, "I was protecting what I love."

Nami flinched. Damn him. Half of him loved her and the other half was trying to kill her. The incident earlier had been too close for comfort and she knew now that Y/N desperately needed to gain control over his evil personality.

Of course, she couldn't tell him that. The first time he'd nearly killed her he ended up breaking up with her. Who knew what he'd do if she told him how close his evil side had gotten this time.

"You know I hate it when you do that self-sacrifice crap!" Nami snapped at him before she shot up and ran out of the room.

She knew now that Y/N was justified in breaking things off with her. He had no control over his other personality and he needed to find a way to rein it in.

She'd nearly lost him twice. First to Foxy and next to Aokiji. Both times it had felt like her world was ending. She still cared about him. She still loved him. But she knew now that as much as she hated it, he would never be hers until he finally managed to pull himself together.

"Simple, I was protecting what I love."

"Bastard!" Nami spat. As much as she wanted to hear those words, now she hated them. They were a mocking taunt of something that she wanted with all her heart but couldn't have.

-x-

Y/N turned to Robin. "Okay, you've gotta help me out on this one. What did I do this time?"

"We might have missed something," Robin admitted then frowned. "Perhaps she's upset that you decided to face one of the most powerful marines in the world on your own. Maybe she didn't want you to give yourself up for her."

"Is that why she's upset with me, or why you're upset with me?" Y/N inquired.

"Could be both," Robin suggested.

"Sorry," Y/N apologized. "But seeing him again had clearly caught you off guard. You were in no state to fight him. Things probably wouldn't have gone much differently if you had."

"You were right about what you said during that race," Robin told him, "I don't have a lot of friends. But the last thing I want is to see one of them die trying to protect me. Not again."

"Friends protect each other Robin..." Luffy suddenly mumbled. Y/N and Robin looked over at him in surprise. "...but Nakama protect each other no matter what."

-x-

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!