Chapter 267: Screw Your Justice! 2

In the midst of their words.

Aokiji looked at Gao Wen with amusement.

The sea breeze blew, sweeping over the glaciers and carrying a biting chill that struck everyone's faces, freezing them until their whole bodies trembled.

The completely frozen ocean was now displayed before everyone.

"Hey, hey, hey~"

"Is this for real?!"

"The entire sea surface has..."

A guard could not help but swallow hard, for the ocean within sight had already turned into a glacier.

The pirates who had been wailing endlessly in the sea of fire were instantly frozen into ice sculptures, these people even maintaining the struggling poses they held at the moment of death.

It made one's scalp go numb just looking at them.

There was no doubt about the strength of the lazy-looking man before their eyes.

Whoosh—!

The terrified guards instantly raised the flintlock pistols in their hands.

Yet this sharp weapon, which had once been enough to take countless lives, could not bring them the slightest sense of security at this moment.

Everyone's gaze fell upon Gao Wen.

In their view, only Gao Wen, who was equally powerful like a monster and had sliced dozens of pirate ships to destruction with a single strike, possessed the ability to compete with the man before them.

"Lower your guns."

Gao Wen's indifferent voice made everyone feel a powerful force.

With me here, nothing is a problem.

Such a thought arose simultaneously in their minds.

The crowd slowly lowered the flintlock pistols in their hands, retreating a few steps behind Gao Wen in a movement so slight it was barely perceptible.

Even though they knew their duty was to protect the refugees behind them, the instinctive fear of living creatures still caused their bodies to make the corresponding move.

Some realized this, their eyes filled with shame.

Others were still bewildered; stumbling and staggering, they only realized their backs were already soaked with cold sweat and their faces terrifyingly pale when their companions helped them up.

Hoo—!

The sea breeze blew, lifting a few stray strands of hair from Gao Wen's forehead.

At this moment, Gao Wen instead let out a sigh of relief.

Although Aokiji had not answered directly, the attitude he revealed already indicated that his purpose was definitely not to come here and cause trouble for him.

Considering Aokiji was dressed in casual clothes and clearly had not come in his capacity as a Marine, Gao Wen secretly harbored a guess but held it back without speaking.

"Boring."

Gao Wen complained aloud, then directly bypassed Aokiji's half-joking remark to ask:

"Are you here to help or to make trouble?!"

"Well~"

Aokiji raised his hand to scratch his head:

"I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news to tell you."

Gao Wen frowned, a sense of foreboding arising inexplicably in his heart.

After temporarily handing over the post-battle cleanup work to Zoro and Van Augur, he called for Xiang Keluo and walked aside together with Aokiji.

This was not because Gao Wen intentionally wanted to hide anything from the others.

Rather, the bad news from Aokiji's mouth reminded him of certain events that had once occurred in Ohara.

The commoners of Water Seven, amidst the continuous flames of war, were already covered in cuts and bruises, their bodies and spirits both nearing their limits.

The Marine support had become their last spiritual pillar; if even this spiritual pillar were to collapse, these guards would immediately lose the will to resist.

"Follow me."

A few minutes later.

Inside a building in the port that was barely still intact.

Gao Wen, Xiang Keluo, and Aokiji sat together in a circle.

On the table was a flickering candle flame; the dancing lamplight reflected Xiang Keluo's icy expression.

"In other words, upon learning of what happened in Water Seven, the World Government's first reaction was not to dispatch troops for support, but to think of resolving this chaos with the smallest possible cost to restore stability to the seas."

"And the final result of their deliberation is to launch a Buster Call, sinking all the refugees along with this city into the sea?!"

Suppressed rage filled Xiang Keluo's voice.

This formerly selfish and cruel pirate, after becoming Gao Wen's right-hand man and possessing true existence that could be called comrades, had undergone many transformations he had never imagined.

There was even a hint of Gao Wen's shadow upon him.

Sympathy for the weak.

This was the quality Xiang Keluo saw in Gao Wen that differed most from other pirates.

Although he had never said it, and perhaps was not even aware of it himself, one thing was certain.

Among Gao Wen's crew, the person who first understood, first followed, and most wanted to become Gao Wen's kind was none other than Xiang Keluo himself.

It was precisely because of this.

That he felt unable to bear the suffering of the commoners in Water Seven, and even wished to lend them a hand despite risking great danger.

Had it been his former self, he would have merely sneered at his current self.

He knew just how much expectation those commoners of Water Seven held for the Marines' justice.

That was the sole pillar supporting those people's faith!

But now you're telling me the Navy fleet has arrived here to execute a Buster Call?!

"Screw your damn justice!"

Kuro's nearly uncontrollable roar made Aokiji bury his head even lower, filling his heart with unspeakable shame.

He wanted to refute it, but this was the fact, the fact staring him in the face.

Aokiji didn't know how long those glaciers could hold back Akainu, but he knew that once that man reached Water Seven, everything would be reduced to ashes.

This once-glorious city had only one destiny: to sink into the sea!

"You... no, our time is running out."

"Tsk—!"

Kuro spat out a mouthful of saliva, then took a deep breath, gradually suppressing the churning emotions in his heart.

Soon.

Everything gradually became clear in Kuro's mind.

"The Navy executing a Buster Call serves no more than two purposes: first, to prevent the spread of the Pluton blueprints; second, just as you said, to end this war."

"In that case..."

Thinking this, Kuro did not continue but instead turned his head to look at Gao Wen:

"Can we trust this guy?!"

Gao Wen glanced at Aokiji; seeing the latter now standing with arms crossed, head bowed and silent, he nodded and said:

"The fact that this guy appeared here and leaked Navy movements to a group of pirates already explains everything."

"Then I'll continue."

"The plan must be moved up; let Franky and the others speed up their work and spread the forged Pluton blueprints before the Buster Call is launched."

"Forged Pluton blueprints?!"

Aokiji repeatedly chewed over the key information in Kuro's words, and after a moment's thought, he understood; he couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration:

"That's actually a pretty good strategy."

"Those pirates came for the Pluton blueprints in the first place; once they get their hands on them, the predicament of Water Seven will naturally be resolved."

"At that point, whether it's the World Government or that guy Akainu, their primary task would be to prevent the spread of the Pluton blueprints, making the Buster Call unnecessary."

"Brilliant~"

"Gao Wen, you truly live up to your name!"

Aokiji subconsciously assumed this was Gao Wen's scheme; after all, for a man with vision far beyond his era to do something so unreasonable...

It made perfect sense!

It simply made perfect sense!

Kuro felt like his lungs were about to explode from anger, his expression resembling someone who had been constipated for a week, yet he found it hard to speak up and explain.

After all, arguing over such matters would make me, Kuro, look very small-minded!

However, both of them unanimously agreed with the strategy regarding the forged Pluton blueprints.

Only Gao Wen's tightly furrowed brows remained unrelaxed:

"Has there ever been a precedent where a Buster Call was interrupted?!"

Aokiji calmed down, pondered for a moment, then shook his head:

"Even within the Navy's own records, the number of times a Buster Call has been executed is countable on one's fingers; the most recent instance was already several years ago."

"Are you worried that even if the pirates besieging Water Seven withdraw, the World Government will still complete the Buster Call?!"

Gao Wen nodded:

"At the very least, we cannot pin all our hopes on the possibility that the World Government will terminate the execution of the Buster Call."

Recalling everything he knew about the Buster Call, about the World Government, and about the Five Elders.

Gao Wen felt a vague sense of unease rising in his heart.

With the improvement of his Observation Haki, he had a certain premonition regarding future crises; he had experienced such premonitions before during several battles.

And without exception, every one of those premonitions had been confirmed.

Yet this time, the unease in Gao Wen's heart was the strongest it had ever been.

"In any case, let's prepare for both scenarios."

Gao Wen looked toward Kuro:

"Kuro, take some people and tally how many ships in Water Seven are still seaworthy; at minimum, there must be enough to evacuate these refugees in the city to the next port."

"If there aren't enough... then go steal some!"

"There's no shortage of anything around Water Seven except pirate ships, of which there are plenty."

In a flash, Kuro transformed into a gust of swift wind and vanished from the room; only then did his voice echo through the air.

"Understood."

Immediately after, Gao Wen shifted his gaze to Aokiji:

"What about you next? Are you planning to leave, or stay here and lend a hand?"

"Uh..."

Aokiji curled the corner of his mouth into a slight smile:

"If you provide the meals, I might consider it."

"Then it's settled."

Gao Wen shook his head, yet the corner of his mouth couldn't help but curl into a slight smile.

With such a powerful combatant joining them, there were many more things he could do.

Previously worried about surprise attacks from special ability users like Wang Zhi, he had always held back.

Now with Qing Zhi guarding the main base, those concerns were indeed gone, allowing him to thoroughly clean up the surrounding areas.

Afterwards, Gao Wen briefly explained his current disguised identity and the general battle situation in Seven Waters Capital, then leaped forth, soaring out of the harbor with a whistle.

He began patrolling the areas around Seven Waters Capital.

Once a threatening target was found, Gao Wen would decisively strike, slicing a ship in half with a single blade.

When tired or hungry, he would find a deserted island, absorb a few breaths of ley line energy, and fully recover on the spot.

He had directly become a perpetual motion machine.

In just one night, the pirates who had previously been eager to try their luck withdrew entirely from the area within dozens of nautical miles around Seven Waters Capital.

Only the clouds high in the sky grew denser and heavier by the moment, with flashes of Lei Guang appearing occasionally, yet no rain ever fell.

Led by the guards, Qing Zhi entered the refugee camp, temporarily taking over the duties of the Guard Captain.

"Truly..."

"I haven't agreed to this yet~"

Looking at the uniform on his body, which was slightly too small, he shook his head with a hint of helplessness.

"However, it doesn't feel bad~"

Having removed the heavy uniform of a Marine Admiral, Qing Zhi felt entirely relaxed, his steps becoming noticeably lighter and quicker.

Most matters within the camp were handled by dedicated personnel, proceeding in an orderly manner under Xiang Keluo's arrangements.

Qing Zhi suddenly found himself with free time.

Wandering around the camp, he witnessed many scenes completely different from what he had previously believed.

Members of Gao Wen's pirate crew, wearing ill-fitting Marine uniforms, moved among the refugees, handing out half a loaf of bread or crude medicine.

There were also pirates surrounded by frightened children in the camp, solemnly recounting fabricated stories of righteous Marines subduing evil great pirates.

Although these stories were full of loopholes, illogical, and even contradictory from start to finish.

Yet these youths listened with great seriousness, their eyes shining with brilliance, while some tugged at the pirate's clothes and fell into deep sleep.

In such a turbulent environment, being able to sleep peacefully was already an extremely fortunate thing.

Qing Zhi understood clearly what this meant.

The slight hesitation he had harbored due to his status as an Admiral vanished completely at this moment.

These people should not die.

Whether these civilians or the pirates under Gao Wen's command.

Suddenly.

A startled cry came from behind Qing Zhi.

"Officer Kuzan?!"

Qing Zhi paused, turned his head, and saw T-Bone looking at him with a face full of shock:

"Peng En? I remember you were already... does this mean that guy saved you?!"

T-Bone nodded, a look of relief appearing on his face:

"Originally, I was somewhat worried; these Marines' style of conduct didn't seem like they had received professional training, but rather bore a heavy imprint of pirates."

"Your appearance here means that Vice Admiral Lancelot and the others are your subordinates?!"

Qing Zhi's breath caught, but he did not answer T-Bone's question, for whether he denied or affirmed it, he could not bring himself to speak.

After a few breaths, Qing Zhi said with profound meaning:

"So, do you hope they are Marines or pirates?!"

"Of course, Marines!"

T-Bone replied without a shred of hesitation, speaking with absolute certainty:

"Although their conduct has various problems and they lack discipline, forgive my bluntness, but these are the most upright, most kind..."

"No, they are the Marines closest to the common people."

"If I hadn't already abandoned my identity as a knight, I would even want to recommend them to become knights of the kingdom; they have such qualifications."

"Even you hold such a high opinion of them?!"

A trace of a smile lingered on Qing Zhi's lips.

As Akainu's original adjutant, Qing Zhi had naturally met T-Bone before.

In fact, many times when Akainu and Qing Zhi clashed, it ended with Akainu being held back by T-Bone.

For Akainu, this man held special significance; calling him a bosom friend or brother would not be an exaggeration in the slightest.

"I am quite curious what expression that guy Akainu would have if he knew your views on these pirates... ah, Marines."

"Truly something to look forward to."

T-Bone was momentarily confused, but out of a Marine's instinct, he still chose to follow behind Qing Zhi, temporarily taking on the role of an aide.

Mayor's Building.

In an underground room, Franky and a group of top-tier shipwrights sat together, staring intently at the blueprints on the table where the ink was not yet dry.

"Finally completed!"

"Based on the sci-fi warship provided by Franky, plus our design that cast aside constraints and the laws of physics, this is the ultimate warship, also known as the..."

"Pluto!"

"If this thing can actually be built, perhaps even the real Pluto would fall far behind!"

Paulie couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration; working continuously for a day and night had exhausted him to the extreme, yet his eyes at this moment shone bright like two lamps:

"Suppose—I'm just saying suppose—is it possible, given our abilities, that we could create this monster?!"

(End of Chapter)