Mistake in finding the maximum value in a subsequence

Question

public class Ques1{
    public static int func(int i, int j, int ans, int[] arr){
        if(j == arr.length-1){
            return Math.max(ans,arr[j]);
        }
        if(i == arr.length-1){
            return Math.max(ans,arr[i]);
        }
        int maxi = Math.max(ans,Math.max(arr[i],arr[j]));
        System.out.println(maxi);
        return func(i, j+1, maxi, arr);
    }
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int[] arr = {12,10,2,4,6,1,9,28};
        int n = arr.length;
        for(int i = 1; i < n-1; i++){
            int ans = func(i-1, i, Integer.MIN_VALUE, arr);
        }
    }
}

While finding the largest value in a subsequence, between two indices i and j in an array, initially i=1 in the main function and in the defined function 'func', i=0 and j=1 and it continues, the answer is correct until the last step, where the value of j is the length of array - 1. I've tried debugging, the problem I'm facing is when the value of j increases to 7, and the length of array is 8, so instead of the first 'if' block proceeding, the value of j decrements back to 0 and the last return block executes, and then the function exits the loop and i starts from i=2. The answer should be 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 28, but the last answer is also 12 instead of 28.

The problem I'm facing is when the value of j increases to 7, and the length of array is 8, so instead of the first 'if' block proceeding, the value of j decrements back to 0 and the last return block executes, and then the function exits the loop and i starts from i=2. The answer should be 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 28, but the last answer is also 12 instead of 28.