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Chapter 117 Marine
[Marine Headquarters · New Marineford]
The morning sun shines on the white walls of New Marineford. Dozens of brand-new warships are anchored in the harbor, each with a striking "Justice" logo printed on its sails.
Marshal Sakazuki stood in the Marshal's office at the highest point, overlooking the entire Marine headquarters through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
His crimson coat fluttered slightly in the wind, and his eyes were as cold as steel.
On the combat screen, a series of red dots marked "Cleared" flashed, and parts of New World were shrouded in a blue halo controlled by the Marine.
"Report!"
The messenger walked in quickly and saluted. "New World G-3 Branch has sent us victory news! Smoker Vice Admiral has successfully eliminated the Water Pirates' stronghold!"
After hearing this, Sakazuki's expression grew even more grim. "Continue to advance the front line and spill the Pirates' blood all over every inch of New World's waters!"
"yes!"
Rogge slowly walked into the command room. Sakazuki looked at him, a rare smile of satisfaction on his face:
"Kid, this is what a Marine should be like."
Rogge smiled faintly and glanced at the map on the big screen:
"My Lord Marshal, it's time to prepare to harvest the last of the turbulence."
————
Inside the medical room, Trafalgar Law stood beside the bed with his hands in his pockets, looking at the old man in front of him calmly.
Zephyr sat beside the bed, breathing steadily and with a bright gaze.
His chest rose and fell vigorously, and his arms, which had been withered for many years, finally regained the strength they had in their youth.
"Is this… what being healthy feels like?"
He clenched his fists in disbelief, and then his eyes became moist.
"Luo... little devil, I owe you my life."
Luo shrugged, his lips curled up slightly: "Don't be so pretentious, old man."
The door was flung open, and Ian and Binz rushed in. When Ian saw Zephyr sitting up, tears instantly welled up in his eyes.
He burst into tears and threw himself into Zephyr's arms, his tears soaking the old man's hospital gown.
"Teacher... you finally don't have to suffer from illness anymore..."
Zephyr grinned, revealing his old scarred, hideous smile. "Don't be such a whiner, little girl. Is this even like our Marine's Ein?"
Binz's eyes were filled with admiration. He stood aside and saluted, saying, "From now on, I will follow you to the end!"
Zephyr laughed, stood up, and patted Luo on the shoulder: "It seems that I can still fight for another ten years!"
Luo chuckled and turned away. "Don't push yourself, old man. I don't want to save you a second time!"
————
In a quiet courtyard far away from the hustle and bustle of the headquarters, Sengoku lay leisurely in a rocking chair, his white hair particularly dazzling, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand, and Rosinante beside him was feeding a few docile goats.
"Grandpa, you seem to be in a good mood today." Rosinante smiled.
Sengoku narrowed his eyes, looking at the Marine flag in the distance, and sighed softly: "If that b*****d Garp were still here, he would probably laugh at me for being so leisurely now..."
Rosinante was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Mr. Garp... I'm sure you'll enjoy your retirement, too."
Sengoku shook his head, his eyes deep. "Enjoy yourself, but there are some things I must keep an eye on."
He picked up the newspaper on the table. The headline read: "Marine Cleans Up New World, the Era of Absolute Justice Arrives!"
"Sakazuki and Rogge...their 'justice'..."
Rosinante frowned: "Are you worried that they will get out of control?"
Sengoku didn't answer directly, but simply said, "Once the scales of justice tilt too far... sooner or later they will collapse."
————
The night deepens and the silver moon is in the sky.
Outside the fence of the courtyard, the sea breeze blew, bringing bursts of salty and humid air, and the sound of waves hitting the rocks in the distance was like the sound of nature.
Luo walked over on the rustling fallen leaves, and the moonlight cast a Madara-like shadow on his black windbreaker.
Sengoku was placing two bottles of aged whiskey on the stone table, the amber liquid glowing alluringly in the moonlight.
A plate of freshly grilled saury exudes a burnt aroma, and next to it are a few fruits picked from the orange tree transplanted from Garp's old house.
"Little devil, you came just in time."
Sengoku patted the rattan chair beside him. The Marine emblem on the wooden back had been polished to a shine. "I got a nice bottle of wine today."
Luo's slender fingers traced the bottle label, and he raised an eyebrow. "South Blue Special, 30 years old. It seems the old man's retirement life is more comfortable than being a marshal, isn't it?"
Sengoku's hearty laughter startled the seagulls from under the eaves. "Hahahaha, my biggest worry right now is how to finish all this stock."
Luo raised his eyebrows: "Are you planning to get me drunk?"
Sengoku laughed. "What? Even an Op-Op Fruit user is afraid of drinking?"
Luo skillfully unscrewed the cork, and the aroma of wine instantly filled the night breeze.
He poured half a glass for Sengoku and filled it for himself, then raised the glass to the moonlight.
The wine swayed gently in his hand, reflecting the blurry faces of the two people.
"Luo," the old man suddenly asked, "how many people have you saved with these hands?"
Trafalgar Law's fingers paused slightly. In the moonlight, the thin calluses left by years of holding a scalpel were clearly visible.
"I can't remember."
Luo took a sip of wine, the spicy liquid sliding down his throat. "But everyone who couldn't be saved remembers it."
There was a moment of silence. In the distance came the dull sound of waves crashing against the rocks, like some kind of silent sigh.
Sengoku suddenly pulled out a yellowed photo from his pocket. It was a photo of himself, Garp, and Crane when they were young standing on the deck of a warship.
"When we joined Marine, we didn't envision what we have now."
His thumb gently rubbed the edge of the photo. "Garp always said that justice should be a reassuring presence..."
Luo's eyes swept across the smiling Marine hero in the photo, and then looked at the orange tree in the corner of the yard that was obviously well cared for.
He suddenly understood something: "Are you worried that Marshal Sakazuki is going too far?"
"What I am worried about is..."
Sengoku put the photo back in his arms and said in a low voice, "When justice becomes a cold machine, what is the difference between us and the Celestial Dragons?"
The night wind suddenly became cold.
Luo's black windbreaker rustled as he gazed at the lights of Marine Headquarters in the distance, which burned throughout the night. He spoke slowly, "At least... machines won't betray their own programming."
Sengoku was startled when he heard that, then smiled bitterly: "You little brat..."
Sengoku leaned back in the rocking chair and shook his wine glass. The wine swayed in the glass like the waves of time.
"Luo, you're a famous doctor in the Marine Corps right now. When do you plan to start a family?"
Luo was slightly stunned, then snorted softly, and a trace of barely perceptible loneliness flashed across his eyes.
"Home...that kind of thing disappeared ten years ago."
Sengoku was silent for a long time before he sighed:
"In this world, it's hard to even think about living a peaceful life."
He drank the wine in the glass in one gulp, with a gleam in his eyes:
"However, precisely because of this, someone needs to stand up and maintain order!"
Luo responded softly: "So, you still can't let go."
Sengoku smiled bitterly, his tone carrying a rare sense of vicissitudes: "As an old man, I have seen too many separations of life and death, and I thought I was cruel and ruthless enough..."
"But these guys today have gone further and are even colder than we did back then."
"Is it cold?"
Luo looked up at the starry sky, "I think... they are just more real."
Sengoku stared at him with a complicated look in his eyes: "You, you live clearly, but you also live too clearly."
"Little ghost, sometimes, being a little confused can make life easier."
Luo smiled and raised his glass to drink with Sengoku again.
After a few drinks, Sengoku's expression gradually relaxed. He gazed at the starry sky and suddenly asked, "Luo, do you think...is the Marine now still the Marine we once pursued?"
Luo swirled his glass and remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "The definition of justice is never fixed."
"Admiral Sakazuki's 'absolute justice' may be extreme... but at least, the Marines will no longer be manipulated by the World Government."
Sengoku gave him a long look and suddenly smiled: "You little brat, you're quite perceptive."
Luo shrugged. "I'm just a doctor. I don't care about politics."
Sengoku raises his glass: "Cheers to 'not caring'!"
The two smiled at each other and clinked their glasses.
————
At this moment, the latest information was reaching Rogge.
Vegapunk's communication projection showed an excited smile:
"Admiral Rogge, the new generation of Seraphs, the 'Garp' and 'Kuzan' types, have completed combat suitability testing and are ready for deployment."
Rogge narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at Leiter and Enel, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth:
"Let's go, I'll take you to see a real miracle."