A pirate, brazenly eating in broad daylight.
And I, a Marine Colonel, can only stand here and watch?
Smoker's sharp gaze stayed fixed on Shirogai, who sat relaxed at the table, calmly chewing on spicy skewers as if nothing in the world could touch him. The scent of roasted meat and red-hot seasoning made the scene feel even more absurd to the Marine officer.
He clenched his fists.
He wanted to slam that smug look right into the bubbling hotpot.
Then, he felt a tug at his sleeve.
"Hm?"
Smoker looked down to see a small girl, her skin tanned from the sun, holding a few cooked skewers in her tiny hands. She looked up at him timidly, silently offering the food.
He froze for a moment, then accepted them without a word.
Taking a deep breath, he began to eat.
"…"
The little girl snuck a glance at Shirogai.
"…"
Shirogai gave her a subtle wink.
"Hehe."
She beamed, then skipped away happily.
"Damn it!" Smoker growled, tossing the finished skewer to the ground. He glared at Shirogai, fury boiling in his gut.
"Did you use a Devil Fruit ability to manipulate the girl?"
Shirogai smiled, unfazed.
"Do I really look like the type to pull something that low?"
"Yes," Smoker answered flatly.
Shirogai smirked. "Scram."
The shop owner, noticing that a fight wasn't breaking out, let out a relieved sigh and returned to brewing more seasoning to refresh the hotpot base.
Shirogai snapped his fingers. A flicker of light shimmered behind his eyes as a subtle illusion settled over the owner and his daughter. It would ensure they heard none of this conversation — better to keep them out of the line of fire.
Raising the skewers in his hand, Shirogai grinned.
"Since we're just sitting around, and your Marines have this place locked down tight, how about we chat?"
Smoker folded his arms. "I don't chat with pirates."
His voice was colder than the wind off Marineford.
But Shirogai didn't care. He casually popped another piece of meat into his mouth and asked:
"Smoker, what do you think the Great Pirate Era has brought to this world, ever since the execution of Gol D. Roger?"
Smoker said nothing. But the image returned, unbidden — that unforgettable moment in Loguetown.
Roger, grinning at the gallows, even as he faced death.
It still haunted his dreams.
Shirogai chewed and continued, his voice soft but steady.
"Roger's death wasn't the end. It was the spark.
He left behind the greatest treasure, One Piece, and his final words were like dynamite in the minds of dreamers: 'Do you want my treasure? Find it. I left everything in one piece.'
And boom — the sea erupted with ambition."
Smoker clenched his jaw, but still said nothing.
Shirogai kept going.
"Now, from the Marine's perspective, it's all chaos. Criminals, revolutionaries, wild cards — they've flooded the Grand Line.
But tell me… whose fault is that?"
Smoker finally broke his silence.
"We executed Roger to prevent more bloodshed. But the world misunderstood. Pirates came flooding in. We protect civilians. We fight for order. Don't twist that."
Shirogai's smile turned sharp.
"The World Government waves the flag of Absolute Justice, but who are they really protecting?
The Celestial Dragons. The parasites of Mariejois.
They bleed nations dry under the name of tribute. Do you think the common folk matter in their eyes?"
Smoker's face darkened, but he replied coldly:
"The World Government is recognized across the world. Pirates could never hold that kind of legitimacy."
Shirogai dabbed at his lips with a napkin.
"Recognized? You mean feared.
You let the World Government decide what's right and wrong. They're the judge and the executioner.
Isn't that convenient?"
Smoker stayed silent.
Shirogai leaned back, voice calm but cutting.
"You ever wonder how many so-called 'just acts' were crimes with a ribbon on top?
And how many so-called 'evil pirates' were just people trying to survive?"
More silence.
Until finally, Smoker muttered:
"I won't deny… there are flaws. Crocodile, for example."
Shirogai gave a hollow chuckle.
"Crocodile? That Shichibukai puppet?
He ran Alabasta into the ground for three years while the World Government looked the other way."
Smoker's hands trembled slightly.
"I'm filing a report. I'll make sure the truth about Alabasta is exposed."
"Truth?" Shirogai scoffed. "Go explain that truth to the people who died of drought because of your silence."
Smoker fell silent again.
Shirogai tilted his head. "Tell me something. Do you think there are any heroes left in this world?"
"Vice Admiral Garp," Smoker replied immediately. "He's a hero. To everyone."
Shirogai nodded.
"True. Garp is a hero.
To his comrades. To civilians. To the ideal of the Marine.
But not to his family."
Smoker's eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?"
Shirogai's voice was like frost.
"Your Marine roasts him alive on a spit — demanding perfection from him while ignoring the trash crawling through your own ranks.
And that's why Garp is alone.
You call that justice?"
Smoker responded heavily.
"The Marine isn't perfect. But it's the only thing standing between people and chaos.
We are the world's last line of defense."
Shirogai smiled thinly.
"Civilians can protect themselves. But every time they try, you label them criminals, rebels, traitors.
You call them the Revolutionary Army."
Smoker had no rebuttal.
Shirogai continued:
"And with that label, the World Government wipes them away — like stains on fine porcelain.
That's what happens when one power controls the narrative. You define all dissent as evil… and then crush it under your 'justice'."
Finally, the smile faded from Shirogai's face.
His eyes were steady and unflinching.
"So tell me, Smoker.
What is justice?
And what is evil?"
---
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