Cain and the others did not have to wait long before Iceburg came hurrying toward the warehouse with a group of workers.
Although the call he had received left him deeply shaken, he had not allowed it to delay his work.
Using his extensive connections throughout Water 7, he quickly purchased a complete set of musical equipment for Cain and the others.
However, since two stages now needed to be built, they required far more equipment than originally expected.
Once everything had been counted and prepared, Iceburg immediately gathered his people and escorted the shipment over.
Time was extremely tight.
He needed to return at once to revise the concert plan and coordinate with the Marines, so he had no choice but to leave early.
When Cain and Uta heard that Iceburg had urgent business to handle, they completely understood and offered to take him back aboard the Going Merry.
Iceburg even asked whether they wanted to spend more time exploring the city.
Cain and Uta hurriedly declined.
"No, no. We're good."
Even when nothing had happened during their shopping trip over the past two days, they could constantly feel Yasopp watching them.
It made every little thing they did awkward and restrained.
Now that the musical equipment had been purchased and the Going Merry had been found, their most urgent task was escaping Yasopp while he was still on the island.
…
"Everyone, hold on!"
At Cain's shout, flame clouds formed beneath the Going Merry, steadily lifting the ship carrying Uta, Aokiji, and the others before gently lowering it into the sea.
"Did I make Papa angry just now?"
Bella hid behind Uta, speaking quietly with unmistakable hurt in her voice.
"I could've done it too. Why did Papa use other clouds instead of me?"
"It's all right, Bella," Uta quickly reassured her. "You were only just born. Papa was probably worried you might get hurt, so he did it himself."
She paused curiously.
"But now that you mention it, can Bella carry people through the air too?"
"Of course I can, Mama!"
Bella immediately slipped out from behind Uta and floated beneath her feet.
After pressing gently against her, she carried Uta into the sky.
…
After Cain safely lowered the Going Merry into the water and brought Iceburg, who had been closing the warehouse doors, back onto the deck, he finally landed himself.
He looked up at Uta and Bella flying freely through the sky, then drew his gaze back and sighed calmly.
"It wouldn't be bad if time could stay frozen at this moment forever."
"Yeah. Unfortunately, time never stops. It only keeps moving forward."
Aokiji stared at the rolling sea before finally revealing the thoughts he had kept hidden for so long.
"Cain, I'd like to ask you for a favor."
"After my battle with Sakazuki ended, I started thinking that perhaps I should leave the Marines. But Fleet Admiral Sengoku told Sakazuki and me a great deal about you, and he taught us quite a few things as well."
"I thought Sakazuki might change somewhat, so I held off on submitting my resignation. But it seems he's still the same man he's always been. I simply can't get along with him."
"So once this incident is over, I intend to leave the Marines. I haven't decided where I'll go afterward, which is why I wanted to ask you to give me a ride."
Aokiji paused before continuing.
"Whitebeard once said there was no ship in the New World capable of carrying him. Now, it feels as though there's no Marine warship capable of carrying me either."
"I've spent a lot of time thinking about what you told me—that adults weigh benefits and consequences, while only children care about right and wrong."
"Perhaps I've always allowed the title of Admiral to bind me. I want to travel and see the world for myself, then decide from my own perspective what justice truly means."
Cain listened, then slowly nodded.
"Sure. Giving you a ride isn't a problem, but I have two conditions."
"First, you're not allowed to become a pirate afterward."
"Second, rides on this ship aren't free. You'll have to pay."
"Ah, you don't need to worry about the first one. I'm still a Marine Admiral right now, after all. Even if I leave the Marines someday, I have no intention of becoming a pirate."
"As for the second condition, money won't be an issue. I'll make sure you're properly paid."
Aokiji yawned. Now that Cain had agreed, the tension in his shoulders eased.
He lay down, pulled his sleeping mask over his eyes, and prepared to take a nap.
"No, that's not the kind of payment I meant."
Cain pointed toward Bella, who was carrying Uta in slow circles above the ship.
"I want you to teach Bella how to use her freezing powers."
Cain knew that, in a certain sense, Bella was the same kind of "freezing human" as Aokiji.
She could learn many techniques directly from him.
Aokiji lifted one edge of his sleeping mask and looked at the small blue-and-white cloud overhead, faint cold mist drifting around her.
After thinking about it, he decided the proposal made perfect sense.
Providing some labor in exchange for a free ride was only reasonable.
Besides, Cain was technically on the Marines' side. Helping strengthen him was hardly a problem.
More importantly, Uta already adored Bella
If Aokiji built a good relationship with the little cloud, it would undoubtedly become much easier to hear Uta sing in the future.
Just then, Uta and Bella descended safely onto the deck.
The moment Uta landed, she hurried over and curiously asked what the two men had been discussing.
Cain explained his idea of having Aokiji teach Bella to control ice, and Aokiji immediately stepped forward, intending to become friendly with her first.
He transformed half his arm into ice, allowing wisps of glowing white cold to spill outward.
He even shaped some of the ice into a lollipop and deliberately softened his voice.
"Hello there, little Bella. Uncle has some of your favorite cold air right here. Would you like to train together with Uncle?"
"Uncle can help you master your powers much faster."
To be fair, every word Aokiji said was perfectly targeted.
With his abundant freezing energy, he had accurately hit Bella's greatest weakness.
Unfortunately, every word also struck Cain's nerves with equal precision.
Dark lines covered Cain's face as he turned toward Uta.
In that instant, he finally understood exactly how anxious and frustrated Shanks had felt before.
The next second, Cain kicked Aokiji squarely in the face.
"If you want to train her, then train her! Why are you talking like some creepy old man trying to lure away a little girl?! What are you planning to do to my Bella?!"
"You're a Marine Admiral! Can't you speak like a normal human being?! Your voice already barely sounds human, and now you're not even trying to hide it! Have you completely given up on being a person?!"
Aokiji had intended to dodge casually, but he had not expected Cain to activate Six Paths of Reincarnation: Human Path, forcibly disrupting his Observation Haki.
The kick landed cleanly.
Aokiji was launched into the air, spun a full three hundred and sixty degrees, and crashed heavily onto the deck.
"I'm sorry!"
Realizing how questionable his words had sounded, Aokiji immediately apologized.
And so, carrying everyone and an enormous amount of musical equipment, the Going Merry quietly set sail toward Water 7.
However…
...
"Hmm, this tastes pretty good. I'll bring some back for Uta-chan. And this cannonball looks interesting too. I'll take it back for Cain to try…"
Yasopp carried a huge pile of purchases on his back while spreading his Observation Haki at full power to locate Cain and Uta.
The longer he searched, the more confused he became.
"Huh? That's strange. Where did they go? Why can't I sense them?"
And so, Cain successfully escaped Yasopp, buying himself and Uta some private time together…
For half a day.
For the next several days, Cain lived beneath an endless rain of gunfire.
Until finally, the night before Uta's concert arrived.