Next Bonus, 100!!
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At present, the factions under Jin's command were diverse. Ideally logical work was necessary.
"The tragedy of Dressrosa is not just the pain of that country, but a wound on the entire world."
"World peace—a unified world—is our dream. But the road to that goal is covered in thorns."
"No matter what, history will prove..."
"Dignity cannot be bought with surrender, and true peace cannot be built on a foundation of inequality."
"Finally, regarding whether we should save Dressrosa. My answer is: Yes!"
"But we are not saving King Riku or the appeasers. We are saving the innocent people who have been dragged into this mess."
"We are an army of peace!"
"We will become a great nation."
"We cannot be alienated by the bestial laws advocated by the Celestial Dragons, cloaked in the guise of 'Gods.'"
"We cannot watch a catastrophe like a Buster Call—an act of inhuman extinction—happen before our eyes and stand by with cold indifference."
"Because if I stand by and watch today, then when disaster befalls me tomorrow, there will be no one left to speak for me!"
"We cannot speak only of violence and ignore justice. We cannot speak only of money and ignore morality."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Just after dawn.
The Buster Call fleet arrived in the waters off Dressrosa and began an indiscriminate bombardment.
Under the organization of King Riku and Kyros, some people fled by ship, while others escaped to Green Bit.
But a massive number of innocent civilians remained on the main island.
"Your Majesty, we must go..." Tank Lepanto urged.
He had boarded Law's ship earlier, but upon returning to Dressrosa, he had naturally rejoined his King.
King Riku shook his head. He looked around at the helpless citizens. Those who had clamored for surrender had already fled.
In the face of life and death, if they could surrender once, they could surrender a thousand times.
King Riku closed his eyes in agony. "I made a mistake. I should stay and face the punishment."
The Marine lineup assembled for this operation was terrifying.
Admirals: Sakazuki (Akainu), Kuzan (Aokiji).
Admiral Candidate: Gion (Momousagi).
Vice Admirals: Momonga, Yamakaji, Doberman, Onigumo, Doll.
Thirteen warships. Roughly one thousand Marine elites on each vessel.
In the name of "Justice."
Indiscriminate slaughter!
Reflected in Kuzan's eyes were the raging flames. He couldn't help but think of Ohara all those years ago. It was a similar scene.
His heart wavered like the fire itself.
Sakazuki's face was hard as stone.
Executing orders was a soldier's duty.
Colluding with pirates was a sin!
Gion heard the screams and wails from the island, and her heart ached.
But she endured it.
Jin had given her a mission: Target the Admirals.
"Report! Admirals Sakazuki and Kuzan! A fleet led by Golden Lion Shiki and Loki is approaching!"
"Hm?"
"Strange."
Sakazuki raised an eyebrow. "What are those trash trying to do? Walk right into the net?"
"Perfect!"
He clenched his magma-wreathed fist.
Sakazuki and Kuzan had another mission besides the Buster Call: Kill Shiki, and capture Loki and Law.
Sakazuki barked his orders. "Momonga! Yamakaji! Doberman! Onigumo! Doll!"
"Sir!"
The five Vice Admirals stepped forward.
Sakazuki was the Commander-in-Chief of this Buster Call.
It was clear that compared to Kuzan, the World Government and the Five Elders preferred Sakazuki, who acted like a loyal hound.
The future battle between Sakazuki and Kuzan would be significant. It represented the clash of two distinct ideologies within the Marines.
"You continue the attack!" Sakazuki ordered.
"Sir!"
The five Vice Admirals responded. They were the main force of the Buster Call bombardment.
"Kuzan, Gion. You're with me. We will intercept Shiki's group and bury that old lion at sea."
Kuzan and Gion nodded.
Three warships broke formation from the main fleet, sailing to meet the returning ships of Loki, Law, and the others.
Loki's massive frame was impossible to miss.
Diamante held a spyglass, looking at the bombarded Dressrosa.
"Has it begun?"
"How cruel."
Sagrey crossed his arms. "Instead of worrying about them, you should worry about how we're going to deal with them."
"Marine Admirals... Sakazuki and Kuzan," Law said, hugging his nodachi, eyes closed in concentration. "They certainly think highly of us."
Sakazuki stood at the prow of his ship. He glanced at Loki, then fixed his gaze on the figure floating in mid-air—a man with golden hair and a demon mask.
"That's the Golden Lion Shiki who rivaled Roger?"
Sakazuki was surprised.
Intelligence reports said Shiki's injuries had been healed.
It's true.
It must be the power of the Ope Ope no Mi.
Once the distance closed, Sakazuki gave the order.
"Open fire!"
"Sir!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The three warships fired their cannons.
The screech of shells filled the sky.
Jin, controlling Shiki remotely, acted.
Shiki waved a hand. The Fuwa Fuwa no Mi manipulated the air, forming a thick, invisible wall that intercepted every single shell.
"Sakazuki! Kuzan! You bombard innocent civilians? Is this the 'Justice' you Marines hold so dear?!"
Shiki spoke, his voice amplified, booming across the sea.
"Look at the people you are bombing! Children! The elderly!"
"Look at the word written on your backs."
"Justice?"
"Is Marine 'Justice' nothing more than serving the powerful and bullying the weak?"
"If that is so, then there is no difference between you Marines and pirates. Don't defile the word 'Justice' any longer."
"Change it to 'Disgrace'! Change it to 'Butcher'! You executioners... ask your own hearts! Do you not have nightmares?!"
Sometimes, a verbal assault was effective. It cost no energy, and if it could shake the enemy's morale, it was a profit.
Having someone like Koby on the other side would have been perfect right now.
Sakazuki frowned. "Hey. Since when is a pirate qualified to lecture us on Marine Justice?"
"Akainu," Shiki retorted. "What kind of logic says a pirate cannot speak of justice?"
"Since when is Justice your exclusive property?"
"Pirates are evil, sure. But the Marines? As the accomplices of the Celestial Dragons, you are stupid, broken, and evil!"
"At this moment, any Marine with a shred of conscience or justice should be ashamed of this Buster Call!"
Many Marines lowered their heads in guilt, their faces flushing red.
Others, shamed into anger, began to shout insults back.
Deep down, everyone has a ruler in their heart. Were the Marines, acting in the name of "Justice," doing something unjust?
Did they not know?
No. They pretended not to know.
But now, the bubble had been popped.
Borsalino, Kuzan, Garp, Zephyr... why did so many high-ranking Marines eventually start slacking off or leaving?
They had their own ideals. But those ideals were trampled by the World Government.
It was the word "Justice" itself that pricked their hearts. The louder they shouted the slogan, the emptier and more lost they felt.
They couldn't find a reason to fight.
Why was a weakling like Koby pushed forward as a hero? It was essentially a reflection of the weakening fighting will of the Marines as a whole.
An army that doesn't know why it fights will naturally rot from within.
"SILENCE!"
"Exterminating pirates is Marine Justice!"
Sakazuki's heart was unshakeable. "Killing you protects more people! That is Justice!"
As a soldier and an Admiral, Sakazuki was excellent. But that didn't make his actions right.
"In the end, only strength speaks. The winner is Justice!"
"ICE AGE!"
Kuzan stepped forward, freezing the raging sea in an instant.
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~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
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