MANO A MANO

On the deck of the Going Merry, Usopp and Chopper are in a state of sheer panic. Usopp screams, "SHE... SHE'S NOT BREATHING!" Chopper, looking frantic, replies, "I THINK SHE IS IN STASIS." Usopp demands, "CAN'T WE SPEED THIS UP!? SHE WILL DIE!!!" Chopper explains the danger: "NO, IF WE ADD HEAT, HER BODY WILL CRACK!! WE HAVE TO LET HER BODY GENERATE HEAT INTERNALLY." Usopp stares in disbelief, sweating profusely, "IS THIS... REALLY ENOUGH...?" Chopper, tears welling in his eyes, admits, "I DON'T KNOW, BUT... I CAN'T THINK OF ANOTHER WAY...!" Usopp grabs his own face in frustration, yelling, "YOU CAN'T JUST SAY YOU DON'T KNOW!! ROBIN'S LIFE IS ON THE LINE HERE!!!" Chopper cries out, "I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYONE FROZEN COMPLETELY LIKE THIS BEFORE!! THAT BLUE PHEASANT SAID SHE IS STILL ALIVE... THOUGH I FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE..." Usopp angrily retorts, "DON'T SAY THAT! IF YOU CAN'T DO IT, THEN NO ONE CAN SAVE ROBIN! YOU'RE THE SHIP'S DOCTOR!!"

Inside the ship's bathroom, Usopp and Chopper are desperately trying to save Nico Robin. Robin is standing in the shower, her entire body completely encased in solid ice. Usopp yells, "I KNOW!!! JUST QUIET DOWN AND KEEP SPLASHING!!" as he and Chopper frantically throw buckets of water over her frozen form. The shower is running, pouring water over her head. The sound of splashing water fills the room. Usopp looks exhausted and terrified, his eyes wide as he continues to douse her. Chopper, equally panicked, throws another bucket of water, his teeth gritted in determination. Robin remains motionless, her face frozen in a blank expression beneath the cascading water.

In the bathroom, Usopp and Chopper continue their frantic efforts to thaw Robin. Suddenly, a voice from outside yells, "CHOPPER!" On the shore near the Going Merry, Sanji, Zoro, and Nami have arrived. Sanji looks confused, asking, "AAH! EH? HOW COME THERE ARE ONLY THREE OF YOU? HEH... HEH..." Zoro is carrying a completely frozen Luffy on his shoulder. Zoro urgently shouts to the ship, "I'LL TELL YOU LATER! WE'RE GOING BACK, SO HURRY UP AND THAW US!" Chopper, hearing this from the bathroom, responds in a panic, "AH... OKAY! UM...! WE HAVE TO PUT WATER ON THE FROZEN AREA... BUT ROBIN IS IN THE BATHROOM ALREADY..."

Nami looks on in shock, her eyes wide as she asks, "IS ROBIN OKAY!?" Chopper, still panicked, replies, "I'M NOT SURE YET." Nami gasps, "EH?" Chopper stammers, "AH..." Meanwhile, Zoro takes immediate action with the frozen Luffy. He drops Luffy's ice-encased body directly into the shallow sea water near the ship with a large splash. Zoro watches anxiously as Luffy bobs in the water, wondering aloud, "PUHA...! WILL THIS WORK!?"

Chopper calls out instructions from the ship's deck: "JUST DEFROST AT LOW TEMPERATURE... THEN COME UP AND MASSAGE THE AREA THAT WAS FROZEN! NAMI! PLEASE GO HELP THAWING ROBIN!!" Nami quickly agrees, "OK!" On the deck, Sanji and Zoro sit slumped against the cabin, looking battered and exhausted. Zoro questions Sanji, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHERE'S LUFFY? WHERE'S AOKIJI?" Sanji, lighting a cigarette, replies, "HE SAID HE WANTS TO GO 'MANO A MANO' WITH AOKIJI..." Usopp is horrified by this revelation, yelling, "MANO A MANO? THEN YOU JUST LEFT HIM AND CAME BACK LIKE THAT?" Sanji defends his actions, "THAT WAS THE CAPTAIN'S ORDER..." Usopp angrily retorts, "SO WHAT? YOU CAN'T JUST RUN AWAY!!? YOU ARE TOO CRUEL!!" Sanji, losing his temper, snaps back, "OR SCARED! SHUT UP!"

Sanji violently grabs Usopp by the collar, his face contorted in anger as he yells, "IT'S 'MANO A MANO!' TRY TO UNDERSTAND, DAMN IT!" Zoro intervenes, shouting, "STOP IT, YOU TWO! THIS IS NOT THE TIME!" He continues, his expression serious and strained, "NOW IS... THE CRITICAL MOMENT OF OUR SURVIVAL. BE THIS DUEL THE RESULT OF HIS IMPULSIVE NATURE." A flashback shows Luffy, half-covered in ice, panting heavily and cursing, "DAMN... IT..." Zoro concludes his thought, "RIGHT NOW... WE HAVE TO REMAIN CALM AND PREPARE FOR THE WORST!"

The scene shifts back to the duel between Luffy and Aokiji. Aokiji stands tall amidst the frozen wasteland, looking down at Luffy. He remarks calmly, "YOU'RE... AS STRANGE AS I THOUGHT..." Luffy, refusing to give up, charges fiercely at the Admiral. He sprints across the ice, his arm pulled back for a strike, screaming a battle cry, "WUAAAAAAAH~~~~!!"

Luffy leaps high into the air above Aokiji. He inhales a massive amount of air, inflating his torso like a giant balloon. "INHAIL...!!" he shouts, followed by a forceful "EXHAIL!!!" as he twists his body. He unleashes a rapid-fire barrage of punches downward at Aokiji, yelling his attack name: "GOMU GOMU ~~~~ STORM!!" The punches rain down in a furious blur of motion.

Aokiji effortlessly catches one of Luffy's flying fists in his hand. He exhales a breath of cold air, "PHUF..." In an instant, ice rapidly spreads from Aokiji's grip, engulfing Luffy's entire body. Aokiji calmly declares his technique: "ICE TIME". Luffy is completely frozen mid-attack, encased in a thick layer of jagged ice, his expression frozen in a yell.

Luffy is shown completely immobilized, a solid statue of ice with his fist still extended. Aokiji stands before him, scratching his head thoughtfully. He recalls Luffy's words: "LET'S SETTLE THIS... JUST YOU AND ME. MANO A MANO." Aokiji realizes the implication, muttering, "... HM... I GOT TRICKED." He sits down on the frozen ground, looking at the frozen captain. "I AGREED TO SETTLE THIS, ONE-ON-ONE... AND I WON... BUT... IF I ATTACK ANY OF YOUR CREW, I WOULD BE BREAKING A PROMISE... RIGHT, CAPTAIN?"

Aokiji looks closely at the frozen Luffy, a slight smirk on his face. "--- OR WAS IT... THAT YOU ACTUALLY THOUGHT YOU COULD WIN." He stands up, brushing off his pants with a "PAT... PAT..." sound. Turning his back on the frozen pirate, Aokiji begins to walk away across the icy landscape. He leaves a final warning: "I'LL REMIND YOU AGAIN... IN THE NEAR FUTURE, YOU WILL SUFFER... THE TROUBLES THAT FOLLOW ROBIN NICO."

A close-up of Aokiji's face shows his serious expression as he states, "THAT WOMAN BRINGS NOTHING BUT MISFORTUNE, YOU WILL BREAK APART SOON ENOUGH." The scene briefly cuts to the Going Merry, showing Usopp and Chopper looking exhausted, Nami helping a still-frozen Robin in the shower, and Zoro and Sanji looking tense on the deck. Aokiji continues walking away from Luffy's frozen form, his coat billowing in the wind. He delivers his final verdict: "THE CONSEQUENCE OF LETTING THAT WOMAN ON YOUR SHIP... IS THIS! LUFFY D. MONKEY!!!"

Aokiji continues his departure, speaking over his shoulder. "IT WOULD BE EASY TO SHATTER YOU RIGHT NOW... AND SEND YOU TO HELL, BUT I OWE YOU A FAVOR... YOU HELPED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CROCODILE... SO NOW WE'LL CALL IT EVEN." He pauses briefly, adjusting his sunglasses. "ALSO... NEVER MIND. SMOKER'S MESSAGE IS TOO STUPID... GOOD BYE." As Aokiji leaves, Zoro and Sanji rush to the scene. Sanji spots their captain, yelling, "THERE! LUFFY!!" Zoro sees the frozen figure and shouts in relief, "HE'S STILL IN ONE PIECE...! ALL RIGHT!!" He immediately takes charge, "LET'S GO! TAKE HIM BACK TO THE SHIP!"

Aokiji is now riding his bicycle across the surface of the ocean, the water freezing beneath his tires to create a path. He checks a Log Pose on his wrist. "ACCORDING TO THE LOG... THE NEXT ISLAND IS... HMM?" He looks surprised by the reading. "WATER SEVEN, THE CITY OF WATER...? ARARARA... IT SEEMS THAT..." He continues pedaling, the sound of the bicycle bell ringing. "WE'RE GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE HEADQUARTERS. SORRY, LITTLE BRO."

The Going Merry is anchored peacefully in the sea, the tall, strange trees of Long Ring Long Land visible in the background. On the deck, Chopper is crying uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face as he wails, "WUU... WU...!!" Sanji and Zoro are sitting nearby, looking exhausted but relieved. Chopper manages to choke out the good news: "THEIR HEARTS ARE... BEATING AGAIN!!"

A wave of relief washes over the crew. Usopp and Chopper dance joyfully on the deck, cheering, "HURRAY~~~!! YEAH~~~!! LUFFY~~~!! ROBIN-CHAN~~~♡." Sanji quickly scolds them, "WAIT! YOU CAN'T COME IN YET! THEY NEED REST." Chopper, eager to help, asks, "HEY, DR. CHOPPER! WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?" Sanji, slightly flustered by the title, replies, "D... DOCTOR? I WON'T GET HAPPY JUST BECAUSE YOU KISS UP LIKE THAT! UM... WHEN THEY ARE AWAKE, GIVE THEM SOMETHING WARM TO DRINK! THEN WE'LL TAKE THEM UPSTAIRS." Zoro asks Nami, "NAMI, SHOULD WE SET SAIL?" Nami shakes her head, "NO. NOT WITH THE CAPTAIN IN THAT CONDITION... THOUGH THE LOG IS READY. LET'S STOP HERE FOR TODAY." Usopp sits slumped against the wall, exhausted. "HAHU..." Sanji asks, "WHAT, USOP? ARE YOU HANGING IN THERE?" Usopp looks up, worried, "ARE WE GOING TO RUN INTO... MORE STRONG GUYS LIKE THAT...?"

Zoro looks down at Usopp and says, "... I'M JUST RELIEVED... THAT ALL OF THAT IS FINALLY OVER...... IDIOT, GO TO SLEEP. YOU LOOK TIRED." The Going Merry sits quietly on the water under the night sky. Inside the men's quarters, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper are all fast asleep, snoring peacefully. In the women's quarters, Robin is lying in bed. A caption reads, "WHAT IS ROBIN THINKING IN THE DARKNESS?" A close-up shows Robin's face; her eyes are open, staring blankly ahead, lost in thought.

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