Chapter 284: Issho's Ideals and Justice
From the Den Den Mushi, St. Saturn's deep voice transmitted: "We are already aware of what those two have done."
"Their goal was the user of the Heal-Heal Fruit."
He paused for a moment, as if weighing the options. A moment later, he added another sentence: "But ultimately, they did not cause too many casualties..."
The entire plaza fell into a deathly silence. Everyone held their breath, as if waiting for the judgment of a god.
Finally, St. Saturn's voice sounded again. His tone was slower than before, but it carried a trace of reluctant compromise:
"...Spare one of them."
Those few short words seemed to declare the absolute limit of the World Government's concessions.
At this moment, it wasn't just an order; it felt more like a strategic play to manage Roy's unpredictability.
Roy looked down, glancing at Hancock slumped in Shakky's arms, and then looked at Shakky, who was heavily injured yet still desperately standing.
"Fine, I'll give you face." Saying that, he hung up the Den Den Mushi directly.
"Get lost."
Those last two words were directed at Hancock and Shakky.
Those words were like the fingers of the Grim Reaper, parting the boundary between life and death.
Shakky felt as if she had been granted a grand pardon. Not daring to take another look at Roy, she quickly supported Hancock and stumbled away toward the port.
Hancock forcefully endured the intense pain. The fracture in her leg made it almost impossible to walk, but her thoughts were even more chaotic than her wounds.
Blood stained her red dress, and dust obscured her former radiance. She was in a completely wretched state, not even having the courage to look back.
But in her mind—that brief yet shocking conversation echoed over and over: "The Five Elders... actually took the initiative to yield to him?"
"He actually dared to say 'I'll give you face' to the supreme authority of the Celestial Dragons..."
She looked at the blurry street ahead, her whole body trembling, yet an unprecedented emotion surged in her heart.
Awe? Humiliation? Unwillingness? Or... something else?
"Roy..." That man who destroyed her pride in an instant, yet spared her life in her most desperate moment—
He was the true powerhouse, the likes of which she had never met in her entire life.
A strange and complex feeling quietly sprouted in her heart.
...
Roy slowly withdrew his gaze, turning to the crowd in front of him.
He looked at King Riku, Viola, Rebecca, and the others, his voice unhurried. "The matter is resolved."
A simple sentence, yet better than a thousand words.
A look of awe and gratitude flashed in King Riku's eyes, and he bowed deeply: "Mr. Roy... thank you for saving Dressrosa once again."
Viola also lowered her head gently, tears welling up in her eyes, while Rebecca clenched her fists tightly, her face full of admiration.
Roy merely waved his hand lightly. He looked not far away, where that quietly standing figure remained motionless.
He chuckled softly, beckoning to the man. "Mr. Issho, interested in having a chat?"
Issho leaned on his shikomizue (cane sword). Tapping the ground lightly, every step he took was as steady as a mountain.
He smiled faintly, his tone gentle: "It would be an honor."
The two top-tier powerhouses walked side by side, slowly heading toward the royal palace.
...
Dressrosa · Royal Palace Garden
The wind rustled through the branches and leaves. A cobblestone path wound through the flowers and trees, reflecting two figures walking side by side.
Roy and Issho walked slowly forward.
Back at the plaza, the soldiers had already firmly bound the heavily injured Hanafuda with Seastone chains, escorting him to the arriving Marine warship.
King Riku and the others tactfully left as well, going to comfort the citizens and begin the post-war cleanup.
At this moment, the garden contained only the silent footsteps of two top-tier powerhouses and the sound of the gentle breeze blowing through the vegetation.
Roy spoke first. "Mr. Issho, given your strength and ideals, staying in the civilian world to travel... is far too much of a waste."
Issho, leaning on his cane sword, tilted his head slightly at those words. His tone was leisurely: "Oh? Then where does Vice Admiral Roy believe this old man should go?"
Roy looked ahead, his expression unchanged: "The Marines."
"The current Marines need someone like you."
Issho chuckled softly, a mild trace of amusement in his voice: "Vice Admiral Roy thinks too highly of this old man."
"I am nothing but a blind traveler who likes to wander around and act on behalf of heaven."
Roy slowly shook his head, his tone cutting straight to the point: "A traveler wouldn't use 'Hell's Journey' to suppress a Shichibukai."
Issho fell silent. His footsteps remained steady, but the knuckles gripping his cane tightened slightly.
After a long while, he spoke calmly: "Can the Marines... truly realize 'Justice'?"
His tone held no provocation or sarcasm; there was only a questioning and searching born from experiencing the myriad states of the world.
"Among the nations affiliated with the World Government, nobles oppress commoners, and the slave trade operates in broad daylight... In some countries, even the Marines themselves have been reduced to the private armies of the nobility."
"Is such 'Justice' still worth protecting?"
Roy didn't stop his steps, his expression stern. "Justice has never been realized by relying on a system."
"It relies on people."
He paused, turning to look at Issho. "In your travels so far, you must have passed through countries where the Revolutionary Army has overthrown the aristocratic system, right?"
Hearing this, Issho furrowed his brow slightly, his tone slow: "Revolution... you mean?"
Roy said calmly, "Abolishing noble privileges, equally distributing land, and allowing commoners to participate in politics."
"A structural remodeling starting from the bottom."
A touch of gravity appeared between Issho's brows, as if he were trying hard to recall something.
"You are talking about... the 'Red Revolution' promoted by the Revolutionary Army?"
The corner of Roy's mouth curled up slightly, his gaze looking toward the distant sky like a meteor: "Red Revolution, huh? That name does fit..."
"Back then, I just mentioned it casually, and Dragon took it to heart. But Dragon is an idealist; his pace is simply too rushed."
"Revolution requires using violence to break the deadlock, but it also requires using systems to reconstruct."
"Otherwise, even if you successfully overthrow a tyrant, you're merely welcoming another tyrant."
In that moment, Issho's Observation Haki rippled slightly. His emotions were no longer like a calm lake; instead, waves were stirred up.
He said slowly, "This old man once visited a remote small country."
"There, there was no arrogant and domineering nobility, no tragic fate of slaves. The land was tightly embraced by the commoners, and the parliament was as transparent as crystal."
"Children could swim carefree in the ocean of knowledge. Farmers no longer endured the torment of starvation. Even the patrolling soldiers were as polite as gentlemen."
He paused slightly, his tone revealing rare emotion: "That country... was like a dazzling pearl, radiating an unprecedented vitality."
He murmured softly: "So... that was the ideal you proposed..."
Roy chuckled lightly, remaining noncommittal. "Ideals are not important."
"Only the results matter."
"The Marines and the Revolutionary Army... are nothing but different paths."
"But if the destination is truly 'Peace', then that is enough."
Issho remained silent for a long time. The cane sword he leaned on gently tapped the stone slabs, as if striking his own heart.
"Vice Admiral Roy."
"Your vision truly surprises this old man. A Marine force with you in it might truly be different..."
He tilted his head back slightly. Although his eyes were tightly closed, it was as if he was looking Roy directly in the eye. "But this old man's journey is not yet over."
"Before making a decision, I wish to see it with my own eyes again..."
"To see if the revolution you spoke of truly holds up in more countries."
Roy nodded, revealing a meaningful smile: "Of course you can."
He stopped walking, his tone whispering like the wind: "However, time is running short."
"The tides of the new era have already been raised... Those who hesitate will only be swallowed up."
Issho gently tightened his grip on his cane sword, nodding slightly, his voice firm: "This old man understands."
The two men's footsteps continued to stretch out in the gentle breeze. Their conversation ended there.
But in this moment, two wills that should have been on different trajectories converged at a turning point in destiny.
Issho's "Moral Justice" advocated for gentleness and the hearts of the people.
Roy's "Peace through Destruction and Recreation" advocated for ending the old order through revolution.
The two paths were as different as day and night.
Yet in this moment, they resonated truly for the very first time.
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