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Liam raised his hand and began applying makeup to Robin.
Petals swirled around her face, attaching themselves and seamlessly molding into the likeness of Liam's own features, carefully crafting the illusion of "Jolyne Cujoh." If one were to ask why he was so skilled at this, the answer was simple— he had done it before.
Back on Amazon Lily, whenever the Boa sisters wanted to play with "Princess Jolyne," they would often sleep in the same bed. Feigning slumber near Hancock was no easy feat— Robin had to truly drift off.
During those moments, Liam would take the opportunity to use the power of the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) and work with Robin to maintain the "Jolyne mask" throughout the night.
"Whether Jolyne Cujoh's identity can be legitimized, despite being blacklisted, hinges on this moment." Liam smiled and stepped back.
Robin took a deep breath and strode calmly across the deck. As she reached the far end, she heard a familiar, languid voice rising from below: "Hello, ladies. I'm here to find someone..." The voice that once sent a shiver down her spine now felt less oppressive, dulled by Liam's subtle hypnotic influence.
Robin spotted Sandersonia emerging from the cabin, her eyes locked on the sea in surprise. "A Devil Fruit user? How can someone move like that on water...?" she murmured.
Robin approached her and whispered, "Hie Hie no Mi user. It's Vice Admiral Kuzan from Marine Headquarters."
"A Vice Admiral?" Sandersonia's voice remained unusually steady, though suspicion flickered in her golden eyes as she leaned in closer. "Princess, your complexion... it looks a little strange."
Before Robin could answer, Liam's voice rang out from above. "Looking for someone? Would that be me, Vice Admiral?"
...
"Ice Age."
A bone-chilling wave swept across the deck, freezing everything in an instant— Liam, Sandersonia, Marigold, and the entire ship's surface became an icy wasteland.
Encased in the frost, Liam tested his movement slightly before deciding to remain still. This was an advantage.
If Aokiji believed "Jolyne Cujoh" had not been interfered with by an outside force, their plan would stay intact. Naturally, Liam— still fully conscious— continued to maintain Robin's "Jolyne mask" despite the ice binding him.
Even through the frost, Liam's Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) sensed Aokiji's presence— like a humanoid chill— sweeping across the deck, leaving only Robin unfrozen.
Robin was fighting back. Even with her body partially encased in ice, the (B.I.B.) armour was resisting.
But per Liam's instructions, B.I.B. did not put up too much of a fight. Soon, Aokiji froze Robin's shoulder and half her body, sending her collapsing onto the deck. Then—
Aokiji stepped on her.
Wait. That presence— Hancock?
Liam, still trapped in the ice, frowned. Was she too sharp, or too slow? Perhaps too engrossed in playing games with Bonney in her quarters to notice the battle unfolding until now?
"Jolyne!"
"Didn't expect... another lady... care for some tea?"
"Was it you... who did this to them?"
"Let her go!"
"If I don't...?"
"You'll die."
Liam's Kenbunshoku Haki was precise in identifying auras and their intensity, but it wasn't as refined as the Heart Network— especially one enhanced by the Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder-Thunder Fruit), capable of listening like a god or even peering into minds. Through the ice, he could only vaguely hear the heated exchange above.
Hancock had arrived. Robin, pinned beneath Aokiji's boot, looked at her with weary eyes. She wanted to shake her head— to signal something— but feared it would only raise suspicion.
Then Aokiji seized Robin by the collar, preparing to toss her overboard.
Hancock panicked.
Even frozen solid, Liam felt a flicker of urgency. Hancock's heart was in the right place, but if this went wrong, their entire plan would be for nothing.
Without hesitation, he shattered the ice and lunged at Aokiji.
If he was going to throw her, then do it already— don't draw it out!
Hancock, misinterpreting Liam's sudden movement, followed suit and lashed out with a kick. Aokiji, unfazed, casually tossed Robin into the sea—but as he did, Robin and Liam retaliated, forcing him back.
...
Boom!
The frozen sea swallowed Robin whole, the world growing silent save for the muffled echoes of the battle raging above.
'Don't worry. The main body will handle this soon…'
B.I.B.'s voice drifted into Robin's consciousness like a whisper on the tide.
She couldn't respond. Couldn't even move. Her strength had drained away, her body sinking deeper into the abyss. Her Kenbunshoku Haki was weak, barely allowing her to sense the battle continuing far above.
But as long as she could feel the warmth lingering on her face, Robin found solace...
.........
Robin's eyes fluttered open. A gentle rocking beneath her confirmed she was on a ship.
As her vision adjusted to the dim light, she recognized the familiar wooden ceiling of her cabin aboard the Kuja Pirates' vessel.
"You're awake," A familiar voice murmured nearby.
Robin lay beneath a thin blanket, turning her head to find Liam seated beside her. He waved a hand, and a steaming cup of milk tea floated into his grasp.
"Relax. The show was a roaring success. That fool's already gone."
Liam flicked his fingers, and a few petals drifted into the cup, creating gentle ripples on the tea's surface.
Robin sat up slightly, accepting the floral-infused drink from him and taking a measured sip. The ice that had once gripped her shoulder was completely gone.
Then a thought struck her. "The others— what happened to them?"
"They're fine," Liam reassured her with a smirk. "Mari shattered the ice using the power of the Snake-Snake Fruit, and the rest were struggling until Hancock brought Bonney to help."
When Bonney had been forced to reveal her Devil Fruit ability earlier, she had admitted that the Age-Age Fruit didn't just alter the age of living beings— it could affect objects as well.
That meant that when she touched the frozen figures on the ship, she could revert the ice to an earlier state— back into the water, dissipating it harmlessly into the air. Aokiji's Hie Hie no Mi (Ice-Ice Fruit) worked by manipulating moisture, but Bonney's power rewound its effects before they could fully take hold.
Naturally, the change wasn't permanent, but once the ice reverted to water and dispersed, it no longer mattered. Even if it refroze elsewhere, the Kuja warriors and their ship had already been freed.
To touch something and induce a kind of entropy... or reverse it. That was how Liam perceived Bonney's Age-Age Fruit.
Robin exhaled softly. They had made it through another storm.
(End Of This Chapter)