Marine Academy, teaching building.
Zephyr stood on the rooftop, overlooking the energetic recruits below, his eyes calm and indifferent.
He once regarded the training of a new generation of marine personnel as his life's work.
But now he realizes that there is something wrong with the Marines' roots. If this cannot be changed, no matter what he does, it will be in vain.
"Zephyr-sensei!"
Aokiji caught up with him, and seeing that Zephyr had no intention of looking back, he took the initiative to hand him a bottle of sherry as usual.
Zephyr looked at the bottle, a smile appeared on his lips, and he took out the cork and took a big sip: "Haaa!"
"It has remained the same for decades, and the taste is still the same, pure."
Seeing that Zephyr didn't seem to care about what happened just now, Aokiji felt relieved.
However, he couldn't help but be extremely curious about what Zephyr experienced during the time when he was captured by Gawain: "Zephyr-sensei, what did you go through during that time in Raven Harbor?"
"Why would such a change occur?"
Zephyr put the bottle down beside him, his eyes still fixed on the recruits below him.
"Do you know?"
"I have been chasing pirates for decades and have arrested countless pirates. I have always believed that what I am doing is the right thing."
"But when I heard what White Knight Gawain said, I realized that I had never understood the group of pirates."
"I don't know why they went to sea or what they went through. I just blindly pursued the false justice engraved on the Marines flag."
The laziness in Aokiji's eyes disappeared immediately. Only by understanding Zephyr's changes could he untie Zephyr's knot: "What did you say?"
"If there is a choice, except for a very few pirates like Shiki and Rocks, who would be willing to be a pirate?"
Aokiji fell silent for a moment.
He remembered what the World Government had done in Ohara and the countless times he had carried out the mission.
Right now, Aokiji suddenly realized that the one with the knot in his heart might not be Zephyr but himself and the entire Marines.
Before Aokiji could speak, Zephyr turned around and asked.
"What about you?"
"Have you ever learned about this?"
"Or is it just like before, unable to find the right direction and still wandering around like a zombie?"
"Ahhhh."
Aokiji's mouth twitched, and he said helplessly.
"I couldn't help but chase you out because I was worried about you. You really are no different from before, and you don't care about the students' feelings at all when you speak."
"Hahahaha."
Zephyr's hearty laughter suddenly rang out on the rooftop.
But as Zephyr smiled, tears welled up in the corners of his eyes: "How could I not know what Sengoku was thinking?"
"But are those who were sacrificed to maintain the stability of the overall situation meant to be the nutrients for the continuation of the status quo?"
"Who has ever cared about their feelings?"
"What is the difference between peace forged with the involuntary sacrifice of some people and bloody bread?"
Aokiji was stunned for a moment but turned his head to look at the innocent-looking recruits below and felt very upset.
Zephyr raised his hand and patted Aokiji's shoulder: "If you want to eradicate evil and uphold justice, you must first know what evil really is."
"Kuzan, open your eyes and see what this world really looks like."
"A confused fist can't lead you to find your own way."
Aokiji nodded, but he couldn't help but feel extremely curious about White Knight Gawain, who enlightened Zephyr: "What kind of person is that guy?"
Zephyr naturally knew who Aokiji was talking about. After hesitating for a moment, he gave his answer:
"As a pirate, he is undoubtedly unqualified."
"But if he can become king, even if his ability to govern the country is not mentioned, he will be a good king. After all, I have only met this one pirate in my life who can empathize with the suffering of the lower class."
"How about going to meet him?"
Aokiji was stunned: "Didn't Fleet Admiral Sengoku just say..."
"He has no say."
Zephyr grabbed Aokiji's hand and pressed it on Aokiji's chest: "It's what I say here that counts."
The wind on the rooftop suddenly blew up, shaking the cloak on Aokiji's shoulders.
The word justice is extremely glaring at this moment.
… … ...
Inside the meeting room, as Sengoku made his deployment, all the high-ranking officers left one after another, leaving only Sengoku and Tsuru still sitting in their seats.
"You shouldn't have said that."
"Zephyr has sacrificed so much for the Marines and for justice. Even if it is a fight for justice, at least we shouldn't hurt his heart."
Faced with Tsuru's questioning, Sengoku closed his eyes and remained silent. He felt extremely guilty, but he did not regret it.
After a few seconds, Sengoku said: "Didn't we have such thoughts back then?"
"But the world is not a fairy tale after all."
"War, fighting, plundering, these things that arise from the darkness in people's hearts can never be completely eliminated."
"Justice is never omnipotent."
"All we can do is to minimize the unrest within the smallest scope possible."
"Zephyr is... too childish."
"Well."
Following Tsuru's sigh, the conference room fell silent again.
But she inexplicably had a premonition in her heart that the dispute at today's meeting might just be the beginning.
Marines, things are going to change.
… … …
In Alabasta, all you can see is endless yellow sand.
The wind, mixed with sand and gravel, blows on anyone's face like a sword, easily leaving streaks of blood.
Gawain and his group ride a moving crab that is over 20 meters long and head straight towards the Alubarna.
It is the capital of Alabasta and also one of the few oases in Alabasta.
Soon, a small town appeared in everyone's sight. Before they could get close, the deafening shouts had already rushed into everyone's ears.
Gawain leaped forward, covering a distance of several hundred meters in an instant, and landed steadily on a building outside the town.
He also used this to see the figures of the two warring parties clearly.
Both sides were dressed in typical Alabasta style.
One side was well-equipped, wearing complete sets of armor, holding flintlocks or spears, and advancing and retreating in an orderly manner. It was obviously a regular army, but the number of people was less than one-fifth of the opposite side.
The other side was mostly composed of thin civilians who were half-naked and had unspeakable hatred and despair in their eyes. They relied on their ruthlessness to force the other side to retreat step by step.
"The local guards and... the rebels led by Koza?"
Gawain frowned.
This was the third small town they had passed through, and all of them were caught in civil unrest at the same time.
Gawain had long known that there were rebel forces within Alabasta, but the fact that they had reached such a scale at this point in time was beyond Gawain's expectations.
"Is it true that a desperate dog will jump over the wall?"
Gawain lowered his eyes and saw the truth clearly.
As soon as Crocodile was defeated, riots broke out in Alabasta.
If someone said there was nothing fishy about this, Gawain would not believe it at all.
"I'm afraid his purpose is to delay the Alabasta army, or even me so that he can buy time to find the historical text."
"Unfortunately, even if you do find the historical text, it will only bring you despair in the end."
Gawain murmured, and then he set his sights on the two parties still fighting in the distance: "There is no need to continue this meaningless war."
As the sound landed, an invisible circle of Conqueror Hak spread out from him as the center and swept across the entire battlefield in an instant.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two sides stopped fighting, and the people present lost consciousness in an instant, and some even foamed at the mouth.
But compared to dying in this meaningless war, this is the best outcome.