"This time… it's really over."
Rowan avoided Sakazuki's attack as the kunai in his hand rose and fell, light flashing with each movement. Within just a few seconds, all the kunai that had not fallen into the sea were retrieved.
"In truth, whether you believe it or not, there were no scholars on those refugee ships."
As he spoke, Rowan looked down at Kuzan. "Marine justice… does it stand with the people, or with the rule of the World Government? I think you already have your answer, Vice Admiral Kuzan."
"Roger ignited the Great Pirate Era before his death, using his own life as the price, using twenty years of chaos across the seas as the cost. What do you think his purpose was?"
At that moment, Sakazuki also stopped attacking.
There was no meaning in continuing.
Even Borsalino, a Logia user with the Glint-Glint Fruit, had failed to stop this man at Sabaody. There was no reason to believe he could do any better.
Seeing Rowan cease his interference, Sakazuki immediately turned and headed toward the warships carrying out the bombardment. He needed to confirm the implications of Rowan's words, though it now seemed that Ohara had no more ships leaving.
"Kuzan! I will report everything that happened here to Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Remember your position!"
Leaving those words behind, Sakazuki departed toward Ohara.
Below, Kuzan did not even glance at him. His thoughts were entirely occupied by Rowan's question.
Why?
Why would Roger do such a thing?
To spark an era of pirates, to trade his life and plunge the world into chaos for twenty years… what was the purpose?
Having followed Garp for years, Kuzan had some understanding of Roger.
The Pirate King… yet not a typical pirate.
Because most pirates on this sea had no restraint, especially when it came to plundering civilians.
But Roger was different.
And yet, that same man would destroy an entire nation's military over an insult to his companions.
On the frozen sea, Rowan noticed Kuzan's conflicted expression and decided to push further.
After all, Kuzan did not know that Roger had turned himself in because he was already dying. Elevating the reasoning would make a stronger impact.
In Rowan's memory, the Ohara incident was the beginning of Kuzan questioning Marine justice.
"If a tree is merely diseased, then killing the insects is enough. But if the roots themselves are rotten, then no matter how many insects you kill, the entire tree will eventually wither and die."
Rowan appeared atop the mast of the warship.
The Marines below immediately grew tense, raising their rifles toward him, yet not a single one dared to pull the trigger.
They might not understand his words, but they clearly understood his strength. This was someone who could hold back Vice Admiral Sakazuki.
"Relax."
Rowan waved his hand lightly, then continued, "The Great Pirate Era creates more 'insects,' stirring the rotten roots until they are destroyed. Only through destruction can there be rebirth. That was Roger's purpose."
"Oppression has existed for eight hundred years. Those in Mariejois have oppressed the entire world. Heavenly Tribute, slavery, wars, destruction of islands, suppression of history…"
"Vice Admiral Kuzan, do you think this world should slowly decay under such sickness, or should the rotten roots be cut away to welcome a new beginning?"
Silence fell.
Only the faint sound of Marines swallowing nervously could be heard.
Facing such an opponent, the pressure on them was immense, especially when it seemed their own strongest figure might actually be wavering.
After a long time, Kuzan slowly shook his head.
Then he looked directly at Rowan. "I don't want to understand all that."
"Because if Roger was right, then what he did is no different from what Sakazuki tried to do just now when he attempted to sink those refugee ships."
"The people on those ships did not want to die for Sakazuki's justice, and the civilians who died in the Great Pirate Era would not want to die for some so-called future either."
Kuzan's voice grew steadier. "I can't judge who is right or wrong. But I understand myself."
Had it failed?
No.
At this moment, the seed of the Void Century had already been planted deep within him.
"The future will give you the answer."
Rowan prepared to leave. "One sentence from Roger changed countless lives. His words reshaped the world. Kuzan… I look forward to the day you truly find your own justice."
As his voice faded, Rowan vanished from the mast.
In the distance, Ohara burned.
Thick smoke rose into the sky as the entire island was reduced to ruins.
Ohara… destroyed.
One week later, at Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
As expected, the World Government's reprimand arrived.
The Golden Den Den Mushi for the Buster Call had been activated, so why had the Marines not executed it immediately?
If they had not received the signal, then why did the bombardment only begin after the refugee ships had already left?
Kuzan, who had already been implicated once during the South Blue incident, was once again brought into question.
Sengoku, who had just put down the Den Den Mushi, felt a splitting headache.
The document in his hand was thrown directly onto the desk.
Kuzan's justice…
The Buster Call had indeed not been officially triggered. This was clearly stated in the reports from all five Vice Admirals. In the end, it was Sakazuki who gave the order to begin the bombardment.
But from the moment the cloaked man appeared, saved the refugee ships, and held Sakazuki back, Kuzan's actions had already proven something.
His justice… had begun to diverge from that of the World Government.
In truth, whether it was Sengoku, Zephyr, or Garp, the older generation of Marine top combat power had never fully aligned their sense of justice with the World Government.
But they compromised.
Garp refusing promotion to Admiral was a compromise. His obedience was a compromise. Zephyr was no different.
And as for what they insisted on…
Refusing to use the slave-powered moving walkways in Mariejois was about the extent of it.
Mariejois, the Room of Authority.
"Are all the scholars of Ohara confirmed dead?"
"According to CP reports, yes. However, due to delays from the Marines, we cannot rule out survivors."
"Have CP continue investigations in the West Blue. If their goal is still the Poneglyphs, they will resurface."
"And Ohara?"
"It has been reduced to ruins. The Tree of Knowledge was burned completely. No one remains."
"That kind of will… this is the best outcome."
"And the user of the Clone Fruit. This time, he appeared using Sakazuki's face."
"That ability requires physical contact according to records. Sakazuki's warship was present at Ohara. Investigate it."
"And Kuzan."
"He inherited Garp's kind of justice. There is precedent for how to handle such individuals."
"The role of the Marines is to restrain pirates. That is sufficient. But the Marine side… Sengoku must issue a warning."
"And Sakazuki is suitable."
"Absolute justice?"
"Observe further."
"Agreed."
West Blue, Lasgap Town, Marine Branch 80 Base Commander's Office.
"At a time like this, you still have the mood to come wandering here?"
Colonel Nomi looked at Kuzan. "Headquarters just received orders from the World Government to block the Reverse Mountain entrance. Seems like something went wrong with your operation."
"And from the rumors going around… you're the one taking the blame again? Your luck has been terrible these past two years."
Kuzan stood by the window, looking down at the Marines below, as if he hadn't heard a word.
After a long silence, he finally spoke. "The Marines at Branch 80… feel different."
"Of course they're different."
Nomi replied casually, "Compared to the elites at Headquarters, they're far weaker. Headquarters deals with dangerous pirates from the New World. How can a West Blue branch compare?"
Kuzan shook his head slightly. "No. I mean their mindset. The way they think and see things is fundamentally different from Headquarters."
The room fell silent.
Nomi stood up and walked beside him, looking out the window as well.
"Marineford… is too close to Sabaody."
"The ugliness there, the things that can't be changed… they affect people."
"The lawless zones from Area 1 to 29… tragedies happen every single day. When you're that close, you learn things. And ordinary Marines are still just ordinary people. They can empathize."
Nomi sighed. "They can empathize, but they can't change anything. The ideals they had when they first joined the Marines… get shattered."
"After all… those slaves captured by traffickers… could easily have been them once."
Kuzan remained silent for a long time.
"This place is different."
Nomi nodded slightly. "Lasgap Town is different. The Marines here know pirates are the enemy. They hunt pirates to protect civilians… and to protect their own homes."
Kuzan turned his head and met Nomi's gaze. "I heard that after Rowan arrived, the bounty exchange funds at Branch 80 increased significantly. Officially, it's all from bounty hunters… but in reality, that money is being used for compensation, isn't it?"
Nomi froze.
Was it really a good idea to ask that so directly?
It had already become an unspoken rule in Branch 80, but Marine Headquarters strictly prohibited it.
Bounty hunters could claim rewards for captured pirates, but Marines only accumulated merit, not money.
Seeing his friend remain silent, Kuzan continued, "And the situation at Reverse Mountain… you've been putting on quite a show these past few days."
Nomi felt even more awkward.
Reverse Mountain was the only unofficial entry point into the Grand Line. After the orders came down, Branch 80 had increased manpower there.
But in recent days…
Whenever they saw pirate ships, they attacked with full force.
But if it was smuggling ships or other vessels, they would fire a few shots, pretend to be overwhelmed, and deliberately let them pass.
Even the old routine of collecting "tolls" had been dropped. This was blatant disobedience while pretending to comply.
Among the Marines in the West Blue, there were also those who came from Ohara—or had once been there. Nomi had long expected this kind of behavior, but he chose not to stop it.
"Well… after all, in the Four Seas, Marine branches are generally weak. At best, they can fire guns and cannons. If they can't win, there's nothing they can do, right?"
Nomi spread his hands helplessly. "These merchant ships nowadays sometimes carry more firepower than pirates. And with the current speed at Reverse Mountain, even if we wanted to chase them, we couldn't catch up."
At this point, Nomi probed carefully.
"That freak Rowan is gone now. Honestly, I even thought about sealing off the Reverse Mountain entrance completely. That way pirates from the West Blue wouldn't be able to enter the Grand Line, and if they forced their way through, they'd just wreck their ships and die. But the higher-ups forbid it. Do you know why?"
Why?
Kuzan didn't answer.
Since graduating from the training camp with the title of "monster," over the years he had seen many things.
During the Battle of Edd War, he once wondered why Garp had refused promotion to Admiral again. It wasn't until he himself became an Admiral candidate that he understood—Admirals had the duty to protect the Celestial Dragons.
And the Celestial Dragons…
In the South Blue incident, although he hadn't been the one to leak that information, once he learned the truth afterward, it had shaken him deeply.
The Reverse Mountain entrance from the West Blue into the Grand Line was extremely narrow. Every crossing carried the risk of shipwreck. Blocking such a route wouldn't be difficult.
Yet the higher-ups refused.
Why…?
Because they did not want pirates to disappear completely.
Compared to the Four Seas, the Grand Line was much smaller. Every year, countless pirates flooded into it from the Four Seas, burning, killing, looting along the way. That alone justified the existence of the Marines.
At the same time, it made the Heavenly Tribute necessary.
If you didn't pay, you wouldn't receive Marine protection. Non-affiliated nations would become targets for neighboring countries and pirates alike.
So…
Was Nomi hinting at him?
"You're still the same as ever…"
Kuzan smiled faintly. "Rowan's promotion order is coming. After graduating from the training camp, he jumped two ranks and became the youngest Marine Headquarters Colonel. After the Ohara incident, he'll become the youngest Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral."
Nomi froze for a moment. "That fast?"
Kuzan replied, "He has backing. This time, he didn't share the blame with me. He went ahead with CP9, arrived early, and assisted in capturing all the scholars. The credit alone is enough."
As he spoke, Kuzan kept his eyes on Nomi's expression.
But he saw nothing.
His old friend had changed a lot. Back in the training camp, he wasn't this calculating.
Yet no change… was the greatest anomaly of all.
"You know, you should be angry."
"Hm?"
"Sabaody Archipelago. The one who stepped on you back then was from CP. I still remember how furious you were. But now…"
"Ah."
Kuzan's arm suddenly shot forward, but Nomi sidestepped and avoided it.
"Your Haki has improved quite a bit. But here in the West Blue, I can't find a reason for you to have regained your spirit. After all, in all these years, you only came to me for one thing."
Nomi scratched his head awkwardly. "Don't say such strange things. Out of sight, out of mind. Here, I found the reason I became a Marine in the first place. Of course I'd pull myself together."
Is that so?
Suspicion lingered in Kuzan's eyes, but everything was still just speculation based on the personality he once knew.
And Rowan…
Now despised even more by the mid-ranking Marines at Headquarters—how could someone like that inherit what Nomi once stood for?
"I'm leaving."
"Hm? Leaving already? Not staying a couple more days?"
Kuzan turned and walked away, waving his hand behind him. "I've delayed long enough. Might as well go back and get scolded early, get it over with."
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