Aokiji stood frozen as he took in the chaos around him.
Marine soldiers were calling out the names of captured pirates one after another while the fighting and destruction continued to escalate.
Once he finally calmed down and looked properly, he realized there were no ordinary civilians in the venue at all.
Every last person in the stands was a pirate.
Aokiji lifted one hand and gave it a casual sweep.
Freezing air instantly rolled across the audience seats, encasing most of the resisting pirates in ice.
His control was so precise that not a single Marine was harmed.
Unfortunately, Akainu had already moved on to the second stage of his plan and had no intention of giving Aokiji any chance to recover his position.
He wanted to push him all the way into the pirate camp.
Akainu immediately roared at the surrounding Marines,
"Admiral Aokiji! Did you think your actions could hide the truth I witnessed with my own eyes?!"
"You have openly declared your intention to leave the Marines, and you were just seen conspiring with pirates. Your crimes are unforgivable!"
"Today, I will represent the entire Marine force and place you under arrest!"
The accusation came so suddenly that Aokiji was left utterly stunned.
In an instant, the balance of the battle completely reversed.
As Akainu's attack came crashing toward him, Aokiji vaulted over Yasopp, who was still communicating with the Red Hair Pirates, and shouted in disbelief.
"Sakazuki, what the hell is going on?!"
"What's going on?"
Akainu scoffed coldly.
"Your actions speak for themselves. If you have questions, go confess to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, traitor!"
With pirates surrounding them and a member of the Red Hair Pirates standing nearby, Akainu could not openly reveal the entire plan.
All he could do was give Aokiji that indirect hint.
If he wanted answers, he should ask Sengoku.
Yasopp had just ended his call when a wave of magma came surging toward him.
He immediately raised his rifle and fired, accurately blasting the molten stream apart.
"Heh. So that's how it is," Akainu said coldly. "You pirates really did manage to turn Kuzan against us. Disgusting!"
"Tch. Typical Marines. You'll even try to kill your own comrades."
Yasopp fired back without hesitation.
"If the Marines don't want him, then we pirates will gladly take him."
Yet privately, Yasopp had already formed a different plan.
The Red Hair Pirates had just informed him that Uta's concert was proceeding without issue.
Combined with the deliberately manufactured chaos around him, it was obvious that something about the situation was wrong.
Helping Aokiji benefited him for two reasons.
First, Cain had already mentioned that Aokiji was considering leaving the Marines, and now Akainu was apparently trying to kill him.
Second, Yasopp had not arrived by ship.
He had no idea when the Sea Train would return, so he desperately needed Aokiji's freezing powers to cross the ocean.
He had no idea that Marine warships were stationed all around the island.
This was simply the escape plan Yasopp had settled on in the moment.
What he never expected was that his words would make Aokiji's supposed collusion with pirates look completely undeniable.
Yasopp fired two more shots at Akainu, then retreated sharply, grabbed the bewildered Aokiji, and dragged him toward the exit.
Aokiji knew he had to explain his position immediately.
But after seeing that most of the pirates had either been frozen or arrested, Akainu stared at the two fleeing figures and silently watched Aokiji prepare to speak.
'Forgive me, old friend.'
'People always say pirates are the freest people on the sea. I've never agreed with that.'
'But from now on, you can finally act according to your own heart. You won't need to consider my opinions anymore.'
'Go and carry out your own justice.'
With that thought, Akainu stopped hesitating.
He charged directly after Aokiji and Yasopp, raising one arm.
"Hell Hound!"
He gave Aokiji absolutely no chance to defend himself.
…
By the time evening approached and Uta's concert was nearly over, Cain, Aokiji, and Yasopp were standing together on a small sheet of floating ice.
"So… the concert was split between two islands?"
Cain stared at Aokiji with deep sympathy.
"That Marine plan is completely ridiculous. So you were framed just like that, Kuzan?"
"I understand exactly how miserable that feels."
Back when everyone believed he had kidnapped Uta, Cain had also found himself unable to explain anything properly.
Then he looked down at the object beneath them.
"Wait. Where did you even get that bicycle?"
"We found it in a rubbish pile behind the mountain. That isn't important!"
Yasopp grabbed Cain by the collar and roared,
"You brat! You hid over here watching Uta's concert by yourself while leaving us stranded on that island! You bastard!"
"Hey, calm down! I had no idea either!"
Cain hurriedly broke free and defended himself.
"Even Aokiji, an Admiral, was kept in the dark. How was I supposed to know what the Marines were planning?"
Then something occurred to him.
"Wait. Even if you escaped, how did you find this place?"
"Oh, right. I almost forgot to mention that."
Aokiji scratched his head and looked toward the distance.
"Sakazuki chased us the whole way while firing magma attacks."
"We managed to shake him off for the moment, and then we happened to spot you in your dragon form, so we came straight over."
The waters surrounding Water 7 were not particularly vast, so anyone circling long enough was bound to run into someone eventually.
Besides, Cain's enormous dragon form was impossible to miss.
Neither of them realized that Akainu had deliberately guided them in this direction.
After all, his attacks had appeared completely serious. Several times, they had nearly been knocked into the sea.
There was no reason for either of them to suspect he had been helping.
Aokiji's position had also become extremely awkward.
The moment he fought back, the accusation that he had betrayed the Marines would become even more convincing.
Running was his only choice.
Yasopp had no interest in fighting either.
Time was running out, and he still wanted to see Uta's concert. Only an idiot would choose to fight Akainu head-on.
After hearing Aokiji's explanation, Cain nodded and quickly asked,
"So what are you going to do now, Kuzan?"
"You already said you wanted to leave the Marines, but being branded a pirate like this can't be good."
"Why don't you join us?" Yasopp immediately offered. "The benefits are great."
"I can't make the decision myself, but if I ask the boss, he'll definitely agree."
"No. That won't be necessary."
Aokiji shook his head and explained his thoughts.
"Pirates, Marines… I've been trapped between these positions for too long. Right now, I don't even know which side I should choose."
"So I've decided to become a bounty hunter."
"I won't allow any faction to bind me anymore. I'll carry out my own justice."
"There should be reporters on that island behind us. Before the Marines release an official statement and completely brand me as a pirate, I'll make my decision public."
"What?!" Cain and Yasopp shouted together.
"Why are you both so surprised?"
Aokiji looked at Cain.
"You haven't forgotten, have you? I promised you I wouldn't become a pirate."
"And if you're only worried that I'll come after your crew, you're overthinking it."
"Bounty hunters are driven by profit. Besides, you're my teacher's grandson, and I still need to travel on your ship."
"I won't try to kill you."
Cain's eyes twitched.
'So you won't kill me, but beating me half to death is perfectly acceptable? Don't think I didn't hear that!'
Aokiji looked at the two of them.
"Come on. If we waste any more time, Uta's concert will end."
He immediately began running across the ice toward the shore.
Yasopp hurried after him.
"Wait for me!"
Aokiji glanced back.
"Why are you coming too? Don't tell me you're also a fan of Uta's music."
"Of course I am! That girl is—"
Yasopp abruptly covered his mouth.
He absolutely could not reveal Uta's connection to Red-Hair.
Cain remained alone on the ice, staring helplessly into the distance.
He could only hope Akainu would not suddenly appear again.
Naturally, that was exactly when he received a call from Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
After hearing the full explanation, Cain was completely dumbfounded.
Sengoku's original intention had been to push Aokiji toward Cain's side as a pirate liaison.
Instead, Aokiji had now firmly decided to become a bounty hunter.
…
In the end, the incident was officially declared a large-scale, systematic Marine operation targeting pirates.
The secret plan to push Aokiji toward Cain's faction remained known only to a very small number of senior officers.
However, Aokiji leaving the Marines and becoming a bounty hunter was now an established fact.
Even the Marines could no longer change it.
Once Aokiji learned the complete truth behind the operation and understood Akainu's real intentions, he was equally stunned.
He recognized the effort Akainu had made on his behalf, but the situation could no longer be reversed, so he decided to stand by his choice.
Aokiji publicly announced that he would focus on hunting pirates worth over one hundred million Beli, especially the most dangerous among them—Cain.
He claimed that he would supervise Cain and determine whether he truly intended to protect Uta as promised.
In a way, this also supported Akainu's plan.
Whether he would genuinely try to capture Cain was something no one could say.
From that day forward, pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million Beli—men who had once acted without restraint because most bounty hunters were rare and weak—would now face an unrestricted ice-type nightmare.
(Note: Since Aokiji is now a bounty hunter, he needs to capture pirates for their rewards. To cooperate with Akainu's plan, he also has to "hunt" Cain. Of course, this does not mean genuinely capturing him.
It mostly involves pursuit, contact, communication, and fights without killing intent. In a roundabout way, he has joined Cain's side. Cain's connections are simply too complicated, and with Aokiji's Marine background, he could never blend in as naturally as Uta did.
Cain is not Blackbeard, after all—he does not accept everyone who shows up.)
…
The Marines' decision to separate the concert across two islands and exploit the event to capture pirates was undoubtedly underhanded.
Akainu, however, personally accepted all responsibility.
He declared that pirates deserved no tolerance.
This would become the guiding principle of his command once he became Fleet Admiral.
Pirates should not expect to enjoy the same rights as ordinary civilians.
If they wanted to attend concerts peacefully, they should surrender, atone for their crimes, and find a way to have their bounties revoked.
Akainu's domineering approach had a powerful deterrent effect.
After Whitebeard's death, his final declaration that the One Piece truly existed had inspired countless people to become pirates.
But after this operation, combined with Aokiji becoming a bounty hunter, many of them immediately became more restrained.
Some abandoned the idea of piracy entirely.
Others voluntarily surrendered and begged for their bounties to be withdrawn.
A few even began capturing other pirates in hopes of redeeming themselves.