At the entrance square of the street named Hope, several corpses were currently hanging, dried like cured meat under the sun, swaying endlessly in the wind—a sight that was utterly terrifying.
Yet among the crowd that had gathered, not a single person showed even a hint of fear at this scene.
Instead, from the depths of their hearts, they let out a cry of genuine fervor!
At the brink of their nation's demise, these people chose not to help ordinary citizens survive, but instead became parasites, clinging to those already suffering and sucking out their last drops of blood!
The hope of Hope Street could only be truly awakened through their blood!
Each drop of blood that fell from their bodies shone as brightly as the morning sun.
Monet watched the crowd kneeling on the ground, clinging to each other and weeping bitterly, her expression complex.
She turned to Jake and asked with confusion.
"Jake, why is it that after we killed their own people, they show no resentment but instead thank us profusely? I was initially worried that randomly killing citizens of Flevance might provoke public outrage, even incite them to attack us collectively. Or at the very least, our actions should have reduced the remaining Flevance residents' goodwill toward us to freezing point. But now, they're actually chanting our names. This..."
Hearing Monet's question, Jake glanced at the still-kneeling, tearful crowd and sighed softly before replying.
"When a nation faces sudden catastrophe and crisis, even if the saviors aren't their own countrymen, as long as they rescue the nation and its people, they'll naturally receive the most sincere gratitude and highest honors.
As for those who only care about their own survival during national turmoil, willing to sacrifice the lives of most around them—such individuals perhaps shouldn't even be considered human. Since they're no longer regarded as fellow countrymen, no matter how many we kill, the people of Flevance won't see it as us slaughtering their own.
From the moment these individuals began wantonly killing their compatriots, defecting to the enemy, and even guarding their own people for the foe, they'd already been disowned by Flevance citizens. What we're killing now are merely traitors who've sided with Doflamingo's forces or other neighboring nations' factions!"
Hearing this, Monet nodded, then continued asking.
"Then Jake, shall we go out now? This rare gathering of nearly everyone presents a perfect opportunity. Providing medical aid to the townsfolk here should earn us considerable goodwill, allowing us to recruit more survivors from surrounding areas."
Jake nodded at Monet, standing up as he walked while instructing her.
"Monet, remember to conserve some energy later. While I'm conducting treatments, use your abilities to produce as much clean water as possible. Too many here haven't had access to clean drinking water. I can tell their physical weakness stems mainly from long-term underground living conditions and poor water sources."
Hearing this, Monet frowned slightly.
"The issue of drinking water—I hadn't considered that before. Have the soldiers from those other countries gone so far as to resort to such madness? Cutting off the water supply to kill these innocent civilians—what crime have these people even committed?"
Jake shook his head and sighed.
"No major crime. They were simply born in the country of Flevance. The water supply was cut off only recently, so it's normal you didn't know. Even I just found out. It seems that Doflamingo, knowing we've arrived, has already grown impatient and started targeting us."
"But... what's the point of driving these civilians to their deaths?"
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki and Fleet Admiral Sengoku didn't send us here just to save the citizens of Flevance. The more important point is our future course of action and the foundation it lays for the Marines's large-scale purge efforts."
"Think about it, Monet. If most of the residents here are killed by Doflamingo through various means, our final mission will fail. And once the idea spreads that most civilians in the area we're protecting were slaughtered, with only those who fled surviving, it will plunge all of Flevance—and us—into utter despair."
"Doflamingo wants to destroy the trust and confidence we've built in the Marines this way. At the same time, he's issuing another warning to the people of Flevance—that they must strictly obey his commands if they want even a chance to survive."
As he spoke, a faint sneer curled at Jake's lips.
He was nearly at the spot where the people knelt in submission, yet his voice remained steady, without the slightest trace of agitation.
"Doflamingo's tactic would usually be highly effective. Most people, unwilling to die or unable to abandon their loved ones, would swallow their pride and submit to his rule. But this time, he misjudged the extent."
"Extent? What extent?"
"Simple. He pushed them too far. When most people are cornered to the brink of death, they'll fight back recklessly. And right now, the citizens of Flevance have already lost nearly everything they hold dear. Even if Doflamingo threatens them with death, they won't feel fear—because the people they cared about are already dead."
"At this point, the more Doflamingo oppresses them, the more it backfires. I've already had someone spread the news about the water being cut off. By now, the streets are probably filled with curses against Doflamingo. 'When people cease to fear death, how can you frighten them with it?' That bastard's defeat is already sealed."
Upon hearing this, the two had already arrived at the square.
Jake wore a coat emblazoned with the word "Justice," and soon, countless golden specks of light materialized in his hand.
His voice was gentle and warm, so captivating that the crowd longed to hear it again the moment he finished speaking.