Paradise, the sea area of Sabaody Archipelago.
On a luxury yacht, Kizaru stood on the deck with an expressionless face. The enthusiasm shown by Saint Elaine, one of the Celestial Dragons... or perhaps it was enthusiasm, was a bit too much for him to handle.
Not only did he invite Kizaru onto the yacht, but he also... bestowed his twelfth mermaid wife upon Kizaru.
Bestowing a wife upon a Marine Admiral? It was indeed the kind of absurd thing a Celestial Dragon would do.
In the words of his little brother Beelzebul: This is a piglet born of a giant hog; one cannot judge them by human moral standards.
Kizaru understood that if he refused, there was a 99.9% chance this mermaid lady would be shot dead. However, if he accepted, his reputation would definitely take a hit.
Not to mention Kuzan and Garp.
Even his old boss Sengoku would likely look at him with a strange gaze: "What's wrong with you? There are so many outstanding young women at Marineford. Aren't they enough for you to choose from?"
"Do you really have to share the same tastes as the Celestial Dragons?"
Probably only that fellow Sakazuki would pat his shoulder and offer comfort: "A Marine's duty is to obey orders. Brother, you've had it rough."
Just as Kizaru was feeling troubled, Saint Elaine's guard narrowed his eyes.
"Kizaru, this is a gift from Saint Elaine. Hurry up and accept it with gratitude."
At this moment, the question Beelzebul asked two and a half years ago inexplicably rang in Kizaru's ears.
[Brother Borsalino, just how high a price can a person pay for justice?]
Even though he had eaten the fastest fruit, and even though with his speed he should have been able to go anywhere he pleased, he had somehow ended up as the person with the least freedom.
What a terrifying world.
Humans don't live like humans, while beasts sit on high, not only enjoying supreme power but also squandering inexhaustible wealth without ever having to work.
"Thank you." Kizaru accepted the maidservant.
Hearing this, the guard immediately curled his lips in a smug grin, his eyes filled with disdain—
So what if he's a Marine Admiral? He still has to obediently follow Lord Saint Elaine's orders, without even the slightest room for defiance.
Upon learning that the yellowish Admiral had accepted the gift, Saint Elaine pursed his lips in satisfaction.
This guy isn't bad. It's a pity he's only a Marine Admiral. If he were the Fleet Admiral, wouldn't I have an Admiral accompanying me everywhere from now on? I'd never have to worry about being kidnapped and ransomed by those damn pirates again.
However, thinking about how he had lost a beloved mermaid wife to win over the yellowish Admiral, Saint Elaine beckoned to his family guard.
"Once we reach Sabaody, go and have the yacht coated. I will personally go to Fish-Man Island to pick out some slaves."
"Yes, Lord Saint Elaine."
With the arrival of the Celestial Dragons, the World Nobles, imminent, the Marine and CP Agentss had already cleared Grove 1 of Sabaody and formed an airtight security net.
It was claimed that not even a fly could get in.
Before long, the guard took the yacht to be coated.
Wearing his glass bubble, Saint Elaine sat on the back of a giant slave, nonchalantly eyeing the commoners and slaves kneeling on both sides of the street.
Whenever he spotted a slave that caught his eye, Saint Elaine didn't even need to speak. With just a glance, the family guards and CP Agentss would pounce like hounds, bundle up the target, and drag them away.
Witnessing this scene, Kizaru silently switched to a darker pair of sunglasses, as if by doing so, he could shut out all the filth before his eyes.
In the news published in the newspapers regarding the introduction of the Morning Star Pirates members, there was a sentence about why Fujitora Issho blinded himself that once made Marineford feel ashamed.
[To be blind is a stroke of luck! There are truly too many things in this world that one cannot bear to see.]
Kizaru suddenly understood Fujitora Issho.
To be blind, in this terrifying world, was indeed a kind of luck in a sense.
Regarding such a Great Swordsman with justice in his heart becoming a pirate, Sengoku had complained more than once—
The Marine need to expand the scope of conscription. We must recruit more people with a sense of justice into the Marine ranks; at the very least, it's better than having them recruited by pirates.
Unfortunately, this was sternly rejected by the World Government.
[You were right again, little brother.]
Two and a half years ago, Kizaru and Beelzebul had a soul-searching conversation on Sky Island about why the world shouldn't be like this.
Little brother Beelzebul said:
The primary duty of the Marine has never been to uphold justice, but to maintain the order established by the World Government.
In this order,
the privileges of the Celestial Dragons are inviolable, and the authority of the World Government is unquestionable. Even if the common people are wailing under the weight of oppression, as long as it doesn't shake the foundations of their rule, the Marine can turn a blind eye.
Ultimately, justice is just a shiny coat draped over this order. When the coat is torn away, what's revealed is the cold rule of privilege.
Therefore, the World Government will never sit idly by and let the Marine slip out of their control. In fact, essentially, pirates are a byproduct created by the World Government to maintain balance.
Kizaru walked on expressionlessly, an absurd thought inexplicably rising in his heart: How does Beelzebul, a pirate, understand the Marine so well?
Before long, Saint Elaine and his entourage entered a private box in the Slave Auction House. The guard responsible for taking the yacht to be coated also returned.
"Lord Saint Elaine, your vessel's coating has been expedited. It will take about two days."
Just as Saint Elaine was about to speak, two CP Agentss burst into the room in a panic, before they even had a chance to report the emergency.
Bang!
Saint Elaine blew on the smoking gun barrel and looked at the surviving CP Agents.
"You'd better have some news that interests me, or else you're next."
The CP Agents's throat bobbed.
"Lord Saint Elaine, Beelzebul has arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago on the east blue emperor with all the members of the Morning Star Pirates for coating."
Bang! The gunshot rang out again.
The CP Agents's head blossomed, and he collapsed.
Saint Elaine's eyes turned blood-red. Panting heavily, he looked at Kizaru: "Yellowish Admiral, go and capture that guy immediately! I want him to suffer a fate worse than death!"
As a member of the Nairona Family, Saint Elaine was a Celestial Dragon among Celestial Dragons, raised since childhood with the awareness of being a descendant of the gods.
Before meeting Beelzebul, he had never experienced the humiliation of being kidnapped or used as a human cushion. It was because of that damned commoner that Saint Elaine became a laughingstock in the Holy Land Mary Geoise.
Although no one dared to mock him to his face, Saint Elaine knew that behind his back, countless Celestial Dragons and members of the Nairona Family were laughing at him.
Today, Saint Elaine vowed to wash away his shame.
However, Kizaru simply shrugged.
"I'm sorry, Saint Elaine, but I'm afraid I alone am no match for the Morning Star Pirates."
Half a year ago, when the Marine executed the Ohara Buster Call, even Sakazuki and Kuzan couldn't stop Beelzebul's group, let alone him being the only Admiral present now.
Saint Elaine's eyes were red, and like someone who had lost his mind, he roared word by word.
"Then call all the Marine Admirals here!"
"Go, now!!!"
...