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A young, powerful vice admiral—and a rising star at that. Anything he said was bound to draw attention.
If this interview made it out into the world, the news agency's popularity would skyrocket.
"Justice?"
Kyle paused, thinking carefully, then answered with quiet seriousness.
"The justice I believe in is equality between people."
"No ranks of high or low. No divisions by race. Absolute equality of dignity—between individuals, and between races!"
When he finished, he looked straight into the camera of the Den Den Mushi and broke into a bright, sunny smile.
He didn't notice the reporters in front of him turning pale.
"I once heard a friend talk about our goal as Marines—about why we strive to grow stronger and keep pushing forward."
"He said—"
Kyle pressed his lips together briefly, still smiling.
"We don't grow stronger to become people above others."
"We grow stronger so that this world will no longer have anyone above others at all."
His voice was calm, almost gentle.
And yet, the world went silent.
Every reporter's face drained of color. Their bodies trembled. The image on the Den Den Mushi shook violently. Only Kyle's voice continued to echo, spreading across islands, nations, and every corner of the sea.
For more than ten seconds, the world seemed to stop.
Dead silence.
Absolute equality between people. Between races.
Equal justice.
To the world as it was now, those words were like thunder on a clear day. They made people shiver, thrilled them, drove them half mad with emotion.
The impact was no less than the final words of Pirate King Gol D. Roger not long ago, the sentence that had ignited humanity's boundless ambition.
And what came after struck even deeper, sending chills down spines as an indescribable flame flared to life in countless hearts.
Becoming stronger. Joining the Marines. Not to stand above others.
But to build a world where no one ever stands above anyone else.
Countless renowned powerhouses recalled their own pasts, when they were weak, when others had trampled them underfoot.
Countless ordinary people felt a blazing fire ignite inside them.
They wanted to change the world—not to climb over others, but to realize a dream where no one ruled from above.
Madness.
The world fell into a silent frenzy because of Kyle's words.
"Equality."
"No one above others."
People murmured these phrases under their breath, as a seed was quietly planted in their hearts.
And the name Kyle, the Marine vice admiral, was carved deeply into their memories—never to be forgotten.
Those words were too shocking, like a peal of thunder crashing straight into the soul of the world.
"As Marines, we exist to protect the peace and livelihoods of countless civilians."
"Justice is not the justice of the victor."
"It is justice that protects the weak."
"Because every strong person was once weak."
After a brief pause, Kyle looked at the stunned camera and continued smiling.
"I still remember what I was like back on the Sabaody Archipelago—weak and powerless."
At that moment, one reporter finally snapped back to reality. His face filled with terror as he frantically shook his head and made a silencing gesture.
"This reporter, what's wrong?" Kyle asked, confused.
Only then did all the reporters react, staring at him in fear and shock.
What he had said was simply too terrifying for the world to hear.
If everyone was equal, then what were the Celestial Dragons? What were nobles and aristocrats?
These words were enough to overturn the very foundations of the world.
Just then, Sengoku stepped forward with a dark expression. He clamped a hand over Kyle's mouth and roared at the reporters.
"Cut it off!"
"Cut everything he just said!"
Then he grabbed Kyle and vanished from sight in an instant.
All that remained were terrified reporters exchanging panicked looks. When they glanced down at the Den Den Mushi, despair crept onto their faces.
It was a live broadcast.
Which meant that everything Kyle had just said had already been heard by the entire world.
—
"Damn it! What the hell were you thinking, saying all that?!"
Loguetown, temporary base.
Sengoku's roar echoed through the entire facility.
"?"
Kyle looked genuinely confused.
"I told you to say something casual, just enough to send them on their way!"
"Do you have any idea what you just said?"
"Do you know what kind of impact those words will have if they spread?" Sengoku shouted.
Kyle scratched his head. "I was talking about justice."
"Isn't justice about standing in front of civilians and protecting their safety and right to live?"
"And aren't we Marines the final line standing between them and danger?"
Sengoku froze for a moment. "You're not wrong."
"But—"
"But—"
He opened his mouth, but the rest of the words wouldn't come out.
At that moment, Garp's booming laughter rang out nearby.
"Sengoku, don't look like that!"
"I think the kid's absolutely right!"
"Otherwise, what does Marine justice even mean?"
"In our eyes, civilian lives matter just as much, don't they?"
After a pause, he added with a teasing grin,"If you ask me, the reason the world is so shocked by what Kyle said—"
"—is just because some people have rotted away and turned into a pile of trash."
Sengoku spun around and roared, "Garp!"
"Don't forget who you are."
Garp clicked his tongue but didn't push it further.
Seeing his old friend back off, Sengoku turned back to Kyle, took a deep breath, and spoke gravely.
"You've caused a huge disaster this time."
"The consequences of what you said are beyond imagination."
"The whole world might go mad because of it."
Kyle smiled calmly.
If he dared to say it, he had already prepared himself to bear the cost.
"Hah…"
"The words are already out there. From now on, you'll have to face the consequences."
"Kyle, you'd better be ready."
Sengoku rubbed his forehead, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
With Kyle's momentum and reputation within the Marines, he might have become an admiral before long.
But those words had exposed his political stance—and that made him dangerously unstable in the eyes of the world.
It could seriously affect his future.
"I understand," Kyle said with a small smile.
Then he turned and left.
As he walked out of the office, he noticed the Marines watching him.
Officers and soldiers alike.
In every pair of eyes, there was deep respect—and admiration.
Equality. No one standing above others.
To certain classes, those words were fatal. Absolutely unacceptable.
But to the countless civilians and people at the bottom, they were the spark that ignited faith and hope in their hearts.
"Vice Admiral Kyle!"
The first salute was crisp and respectful.
"Vice Admiral Kyle!"
"Vice Admiral Kyle!"
Voices followed one after another—vice admirals, rear admirals, officers, and even ordinary soldiers.
Kyle smiled and returned the salute, then quickened his pace and left.
And what happened at the temporary base in Loguetown was only the beginning.
At this very moment, the entire world was boiling.
"..."
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