The people of Drum Kingdom quickly discovered that their country was blockaded; not only could those inside not leave, but outsiders were also forbidden from entering.
Everyone thought this was another one of Wapol's new schemes, even though the people blocking the port and surrounding the country were Marines.
No one believed they were saviors. Justice primarily protected important figures like Wapol, and the Marines' ability to enforce their justice on the high seas was inseparable from the support of these wealthy patrons.
The quality of the Marines varied, and this was even more true in remote areas, where heroes were rarer than lottery winners.
Until they saw the Marine leading the group.
"Hey! Is that person…?" Someone spoke, uncertainly.
"How could such an important figure come to a place like this?"
"Admiral Aokiji!"
"If we ask him, will this country be saved?"
"As long as we can convince Wapol to let the doctors come back…"
"Is it really possible?"
"Idiot! This is an Admiral! If even he can't do it, then there's no justice left in this world!"
"Right, you're right! Let's go ask him together!"
"Wait, something's not right. The Marines' direction… it looks like the Royal Palace?"
Aokiji, still half-asleep, walked along the main road of Drum Kingdom, hearing their words clearly—or rather, these people hadn't even tried to hide what they were saying.
"Oh dear, oh dear! Is this another country with lots of problems? How did such a small place get involved with Nero?"
The order came from the World Government: the villain who offended the Celestial Dragons, King Wapol of Drum Kingdom, was to be hanged.
Because of the involvement with Nero, Fleet Admiral Sengoku had him, who was in the First Half of the Grand Line, come personally to be safe.
Although Aokiji felt it was useless; Nero was not someone an Admiral could stop, let alone someone whose power and status were on completely different levels.
Kuzan's stance on this trip was also very clear: he would stand with Nero. If she wanted to kill, she would kill; if she wanted to fight, she would fight. She could do whatever she wanted.
These past few years, he felt that justice was becoming increasingly elusive: the fire of Ohara, Marines firing on civilians, an emperor who transformed from a Pirate King executive to a World Noble… This world was truly absurd, and justice, mixed in with it all, became ambiguous.
He had clearly been walking straight towards justice, but got lost halfway, and his once burning justice had become a half-hearted, lazy justice.
"How clever, Mr. Garp," Kuzan murmured, pulling his hat brim lower.
He planned to carry out the order to arrest Wapol first. He had sensed Nero's presence in the forest when he arrived, but if he could meet her later, he would try to meet her later.
As an old rival from the same era, he was now in a much more pathetic state compared to Nero. Even if he was a glorious Admiral in public, his old friends could mostly tell at a glance that something was wrong with him.
Lost in thought, Kuzan arrived in front of the snow-white Royal Palace, exhaled the stale air from his chest, and slightly raised his eyelids: "Well then, let's get this over with quickly."
…"Little kids shouldn't always look so glum. It's just moving some stuff."
Kureha, dressed in fashionable hip-hop attire, strode ahead: "You don't want your master to go hungry, do you?"
"I can't even imagine that person ever going hungry."
Kuina followed behind, carrying groceries several times larger than herself, with Chopper looking much the same beside her.
"By the way, is there some kind of festival or event in town? It's quite lively up ahead."
Kuina looked in the direction of the crowd. In the center of an open space, a group of people were busy building something with wooden planks.
"Who knows? But it shouldn't be a festival. This country isn't in the mood for such things right now," Kureha said casually, glancing over.
"It looks like there are Marine soldiers there too. Have pirates infiltrated this country?" Kuina felt very concerned, finding the actions of these people rather unusual.
Given that Nero was also a pirate in the past, she always paid special attention to such developments.
Seeing her expression, Kureha knew what she was thinking: "It's fine. Even if your master were still a pirate, it would take at least three Admirals plus the entire Marineford to contend with her."
"Eh!!! Is that Nero really that amazing?" Chopper, who had been silent, was instantly shocked.
"That's too exaggerated!" Kuina said, speechless. Kureha's words sounded like she was coaxing a child: "How can anyone be that strong?"
Having seen just the tip of Nero's power, Kuina still didn't believe anyone in the world could be that strong. Even if Nero was the Worlds Greatest Swordsman, that statement was too exaggerated.
Hearing this, Chopper also breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt a little honored that he had once carried Nero on his back.
Seeing that Kuina didn't believe her, Kureha didn't argue. She took a swig of sake, grinned, and let out a soft chuckle: "Nero isn't fighting alone; she's an Emperor!"
Kureha, who had been away from Niccus for a long time, wasn't entirely clear about Nero's current combat strength. Her previous words indeed contained some exaggeration, but perhaps it was a lucky guess?
Kuina immediately accepted this, with a hint of longing in her voice: "The legendary Golden Country of Niccus, are the people there really that powerful…"
A young Marine soldier interrupted their conversation: "Um, excuse me, do you have any rope? A sturdy one."
"There's an extra one over there, but it was used to tie meat before," Kureha said, nodding towards Kuina's large backpack.
"Thank you so much!" The young Marine soldier took the rope and thanked them politely.
"No problem, it's just a broken rope. But what are you guys doing over there? You seem quite busy."
"Eh? You don't know yet?" The Marine soldier was a bit surprised, but seeing their bags and luggage, he quickly realized they might not live in the city.
"It's just that the King here, Wapol, offended a Celestial Dragon, and he's going to be hanged today. That Celestial Dragon generously said that only Wapol needed to be dealt with, but he demanded that all the people of the country come to witness it."
Thud!
The sake bottle shattered on the ground. Kureha's mouth hung open in shock, and Chopper, who had known some of the inside story beforehand, had a similar expression.
Only Kuina was perfectly fine with Nero's actions. Nero was hardly a good person; when she was willful, she didn't care about morals, laws, or anything else.
However, it was indeed somewhat unexpected that a King was involved this time, but since Hathaway didn't stop her, it shouldn't be a big problem.
Moreover, along the way, King Wapol's reputation in this country could be described as hated by both humans and ghosts.
The Marine soldier was used to their surprised expressions and merely reminded them: "If there's anyone around you who doesn't know this news, please inform them. If it's discovered that someone didn't go, the trouble will be much greater."
Seeing that Kureha and Chopper hadn't recovered yet, Kuina stepped forward and agreed, sending off the enthusiastic Marine soldier.
Kureha & Chopper: (´ × ω × `)
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