Very soon, a massive fleet of Marine warships completely surrounded Bonam Island.
Soldiers poured onto the island like a rising tide, combing through every corner in search of their targets.
Even before landing, they had sealed off all nearby waters. They had even intercepted and arrested anyone trying to flee from ships further out along the trade routes.
What could be seen was only a small part of their force; countless other vessels had already spread out across every route radiating from Bonam Island.
"Report! Admiral Kizaru!"
"No sign of the targets anywhere!"
For a long while, Kizaru simply sat on a rock by the shore, looking out at the scenery with utter boredom.
A Vice Admiral from Headquarters walked up, saluting and shouting his report.
"So… they really did escape, huh?"
Kizaru wasn't surprised in the least. He casually picked some wax from his ear.
The fact that those two criminals had escaped Sabaody Archipelago alive was proof enough that this particular fugitive was no ordinary man.
And they were still alive…
For so long, everyone had assumed they were dead.
When Headquarters had received the report from the outpost, every high‑ranking officer — including the Fleet Admiral himself — had been stunned.
That they were still alive was the last thing the World Government wanted to hear.
"However… we did find one resident who hadn't fled. An old man."
The Vice Admiral signaled, and soldiers brought forward a ragged, elderly man.
Kizaru glanced at him, and a look of interest appeared on his face. "This one… isn't just some ordinary person, is he…"
He didn't recognize the man, but the sharpness in his eyes and the aura he carried told Kizaru everything he needed to know.
Because of what had happened here, the World Government had acted swiftly even before their arrival, gathering intelligence from all sources… and they now knew much of what had taken place on Bonam Island.
"I knew it… There was no way someone like Sir Crocodile would suddenly stay quiet and keep to himself."
Kizaru smiled. He walked over to the old man, leaned down, and brought his face close. Behind his tinted glasses, his gaze was sharp and mocking as he spoke.
"I think… you must know something, don't you? Would you be so kind as to cooperate with our investigation?"
"Quite the display you've brought here."
Kizaru's tone sounded gentle, but it hid a sharp, threatening edge. The old man remained calm, his eyes fixed on the massive warships anchored across the sea.
They were equipped with advanced weaponry and munitions — more than enough to bombard the entire island. These were no ordinary vessels.
The old man knew full well what the Buster Call meant…
Even without resorting to such extreme measures, it was clear Bonam Island was doomed to vanish.
"What do you want to know?" the old man asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"You know exactly what crimes that former slave committed. Hiding him will bring you nothing but misery… With your history and reputation, you'll either be executed or thrown into Impel Down for life." Kizaru warned, then changed tone instantly. "When did he leave? Which direction? What kind of ship was he on?"
"Southeast. A very small boat or raft."
The old man nodded lazily toward the horizon. "If they had been sailing something large or noticeable, they would have been spotted long before reaching here from Sabaody."
"Hmm."
Kizaru nodded, stroking his chin as if he believed him.
Then — BAM!
Blood sprayed from the old man's mouth. His eyes bulged in agony.
Kizaru had kicked him hard in the stomach.
The tremendous force drove the old man to his knees, doubled over in pain.
"Pirates… every single one of you, so very tricky."
Kizaru looked down at him as he collapsed, coughing violently, and spoke in a slow, drawling voice.
Nearby, a Marine officer swallowed hard, unsure how to react.
They had all assumed this was just a simple, harmless old man.
"Vice Admiral Garp has arrived!"
The Vice Admiral standing guard suddenly looked toward the shore, his posture stiffening as he saw a figure descending the gangway of a ship.
"WHAHAHAHA! Any news yet?!"
"Heard that little rascal got away again?!"
Garp's voice boomed before he even came into view.
He wore his signature dog‑eated cap, hands stuffed casually into his pockets, walking toward them without a trace of urgency or tension.
Kizaru rubbed his head and quickly summarized the situation and all information gathered so far.
"He definitely knows something."
Kizaru pointed at the old man, whose face was still twisted in pain, and spoke to Garp.
"You're too late!"
Suddenly, the old man looked up, his face smeared with blood. He stared directly at Garp and Kizaru, his expression turning savage and cold.
"I saw him… He is no ordinary man! Someone like him will surely go to the New World and shake the whole world to its core! You Marines failed again… Hahaha! Just you wait… He's going to give you the biggest surprise of your lives! I have already seen that day coming… Hahaha!"
His laughter was wild, filled with triumph and undisguised gloating.
"Well now, you've made me even more interested in him."
Garp laughed too, completely unfazed and unangry.
"Orders from above say we must keep the news that he's alive as quiet as possible… Though I suspect the word has already spread by now. The Celestial Dragons want him silenced no matter what — even if everyone knows — and that includes this entire island."
Kizaru glanced sideways at Garp. "I thought you never liked getting involved in this kind of work, Vice Admiral."
"I'm only here to catch that kid. This one is yours to deal with."
Garp turned away, pulling out a Den Den Mushi as he walked back toward his ship.
"Hey… Aokiji? That kid can't have gone far… He's nearby, but I doubt he went toward Reverse Mountain. We've sealed off every route and found nothing. So… chances are high he entered the Calm Belt…"
As Garp walked further away, his voice carried over the line as he spoke with another Admiral.
Meanwhile, out on the sea where the Grand Line met the Calm Belt, Kuzan — Aokiji — was slowly riding a bicycle. He wore his distinctive frog‑shaped eye‑shield and constantly scanned the horizon in every direction.
"Have you reached the area yet?"
"Found anything?"
Garp's confused voice came through the snail in his hand.
"What I find interesting is… no ordinary ship can enter the Calm Belt. Without wind to fill the sails, they lose all power and drift — a death sentence. Plus, the Sea Kings here are unlike anywhere else… both in number and ferocity. If there were only two of them escaping, they wouldn't be sailing a large ship, and their mobility would be limited. Once inside the Calm Belt, they would lose speed completely, or even get stuck in one place. Not to mention being ripped apart and eaten by Sea Kings."
"Even riding at my leisurely pace, I should have found them by now…"
Kuzan braked, one foot resting on the layer of ice spreading beneath his tires. He frowned deeply. "Unless… they died? Devoured by Sea Kings?"
"But there's no wreckage… no traces at all."
"This feels exactly like what happened at Sabaody Archipelago…"
"Unless… they have some special method to completely overcome the dangers of the Calm Belt."
Kuzan stopped his bicycle and set it aside.
"What do you plan to do?" Garp asked from the other end.
"When everything is unknown… the only choice is to use the simplest, most basic method available."
As he spoke, wisps of cold air began to radiate from Kuzan's body. Ice crystals formed rapidly across his clothes and skin.
He opened his mouth, exhaling a visible cloud of freezing mist.
Slowly crouching down, he placed both hands deep into the seawater.
"ICE AGE."
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire surface of the ocean around him froze solid. The ice spread outward at terrifying speed, covering everything in sight.
As an Admiral, Aokiji could freeze the entire sea between two islands if he chose. The range and scale of his power were unimaginably vast.
Far away, countless Sea Kings swimming in the shallow depths sensed the danger and surged upward to escape.
But before they could break the surface, they were instantly frozen into giant sculptures, glittering in the sunlight.
In moments, when Kuzan stood up… as far as the eye could see, everything was covered in blinding white ice. The entire ocean had been frozen still by his Devil Fruit ability.
"It goes beyond what the eye can see… but as long as they are moving through these waters, they will be affected."
Aokiji's mind raced. Then he glanced down at the ground beneath his feet.
"Including submarines."
From the way Oboro had escaped Sabaody, combined with the fact that they had independent mobility and could sail without wind or currents… a submarine was the most logical vessel they could be using.
His power reached deep below the waves, enough to freeze anything hiding on the seabed. Though his maximum depth was limited, no ordinary submarine could dive into the deepest trenches — the pressure and the Sea Kings alone made that impossible.
"What a pain… Guess I'll just keep looking."
Kuzan scratched his head, climbed back onto his beloved bicycle, and slowly rode away.
____________________
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