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"The Navy does not yield to pirates! As Fleet Admiral, you of all people should be setting an example!"
Akainu's voice cut like a blade. He openly defied Sengoku's order, his entire being radiating the ruthless aura of a man forged in the crucible of war.
In his mind, for a Marine to die fighting a pirate was an honorable death. To retreat out of fear of casualties made the very word "justice" meaningless.
True justice was not something you shouted from a podium. It was an act, paid for in blood and sacrifice.
What value did a Marine have who preached justice but refused to die for it?
Akainu's features twisted with cold fury. He ignored Sengoku's command and, half-transformed into magma, began striding across the plaza. He paid no attention to Arthur, the architect of this chaos, who watched from the sky like some bored deity.
His target was the mad beast on the ground.
He did not care how many Marines died. All that mattered was that Kaido was weakened, that evil was punished.
His promotion to Admiral had made him the de facto leader of the Navy's hardliners. His actions now galvanized them.
Vice Admiral Onigumo, the man Arthur had nearly crippled years ago. Vice Admiral Doberman. Vice Admiral Maynard. One by one, they fell in line behind him, a phalanx of absolute, uncompromising justice.
The schism within the Navy—the Doves, the Hawks, the Centrists—was now on full display for the world to see.
Even in an organization dedicated to justice, conflict was inevitable.
"SAKAZUKI!" Sengoku roared, his eyes bulging with rage. "A tactical retreat is not cowardice! Can you not see you are falling right into Arthur's trap?"
"You are not yet Fleet Admiral. You are an Admiral. Stand down. That is an order!"
"I refuse," Akainu replied, his features as hard and unforgiving as volcanic rock.
"First, we will arrest Kaido of the Beasts. Then, we will deal with the Thunder Emperor. The eradication of all pirates—that is my justice."
Smoke and ash billowed from his body as his arms erupted in molten rock.
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"Hah... Hahahaha!"
Arthur's wild, unrestrained laughter echoed down from the sky.
"How ugly," he said, wiping a tear from his eye. "To see such pathetic infighting in the ranks of the Navy... it is a truly pathetic sight."
He had never imagined his little gift would cause such a rift.
Yet in his mind, Akainu, for all his bloodthirsty, ruthless fanaticism, was a better Marine than Kizaru, Aokiji, or even Sengoku.
To never bow to evil, no matter the cost. That was true justice.
Aokiji's lazy apathy, Kizaru's slippery ambiguity... even Garp's conviction paled in comparison to Akainu's absolute, unwavering zeal.
They had all dedicated their lives to fighting pirates, yes. Yet Garp's own son and grandson had become the very "evil" he fought against.
Dragon had gone a step further, declaring open war on the World Government itself.
Your position in the world determines what is good and what is evil. As a pirate, no matter what you do, you are judged as a demon.
Arthur had burned, killed, and plundered his way across the seas. He had never once tried to hide what he was. 'You say I am evil? Fine. Then I will be the greatest evil you have ever seen.'
From top to bottom, inside and out, he was the most wicked man on the seas.
In this world, no one could truly claim to represent justice.
Yet Akainu... perhaps he was the closest.
A man of absolute, uncompromising conviction.
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"Shut your mouth, Arthur, you brat! The affairs of the Navy are not for you to comment on!" a familiar voice boomed.
Garp had appeared on the plaza.
He looked haggard, yet his aura remained immense, oppressive.
To Arthur's eyes, however, the old man was a hollow shell. The battle three years ago, the act of burning his own life force... no amount of Devil Fruit healing could ever restore him to his peak.
"Sending that idiot Kaido here was just a small gift," Arthur said, his smile vanishing, his voice dropping to an even tone. "As for the punch from three years ago... I was weak. I have no one to blame but myself."
"But I never said I was done causing trouble for the Navy."
With that, he ignored the hateful glares from below, ignored Kaido's mad roars, and gave a signal to Shiryu. It was time to leave.
His true purpose for bringing Kaido here was to create a diversion. With all of Marineford's attention focused on the Beast, the security at Impel Down would be at its weakest.
They had learned from his past breakouts. The prison would be more heavily guarded than ever. If he attacked it directly, they might execute Redfield before he could even reach him.
This was the only way. To draw the high-level guards away from the prison and back to Marineford. Only then would he have a chance to break out the Red Count in one piece.
"You think you can just leave? Do you think Marineford is a place you can come and go as you please?"
Seeing the steel boat begin to turn, a desperate cry ripped through the air.
Jessica.
Before the astonished eyes of the entire Navy, she shot into the sky using Moonwalk, her longsword already drawn.
"Jessica, get back here!"
Vice Admiral Gion and Aurora cried out in shock, yet it was too late.
"SHING!"
Her blade, glinting in the sun, became a blur of motion—fast and powerful, yet holding no killing intent.
"Hm?" Shiryu, a cigarillo clenched between his teeth, was momentarily surprised. His first instinct was always to protect his captain. He moved to intercept her.
"Let her come."
How could Arthur ever forget his first crewmate? He could read the intent in her blade, and a faint smile touched his lips.
He waved Shiryu back and stood his ground, unmoving.
In the blink of an eye, Jessica was upon him, her sword striking true, aimed directly at his heart.
She had never imagined he would not even try to dodge. She pulled back at the last second, yet the tip of her blade still tore through his shirt.
"Why did you not move?" she demanded, her voice tight with emotion. "Do you look down on my strength that much?"
"Look down on you? An attack weaker than a tickle... you could not kill me even if you stabbed me through the heart. What I mean is, no matter how hard you train, you will never be able to keep up. The only way you will not hold me back is if you come back to my crew and cook for me for the rest of your life."
He said it with a genuine, joyous laugh. He grabbed the blade of her sword and, with a sharp tug, pulled her toward him.
The force was irresistible. She stumbled forward, right into his waiting arms, a single, powerful hand wrapping around her slender waist.
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