Chapter 246

"Shwa—"

Kuzan flashed forward and blocked Sakazuki's path, gripping his shoulder in one hand.

"Enough, Sakazuki," Kuzan said in a low voice. "Dying just like this—can you really be at peace with it?"

At peace with it?

Sakazuki's gaze wavered for a moment.

"This world isn't simply black and white, good and evil." Sima Di spoke in the tone of someone who had been through it all, lecturing him: "When it comes to being a person, you still have to know how to be flexible. Being too stubborn makes things unpleasant for everyone."

"Hmph! You......"

"Shwa—"

Though Sima Di had not maintained that "terrifying state," he still appeared before Sakazuki almost as if by teleportation. His black hand had already reached into his chest, pulled out his heart, and crushed it in one grip.

Rabbit Talisman!

That divine speed was so fast even Kuzan couldn't react in time!

Sakazuki, too, had lost all his strength; the light faded from his eyes. His formidable physique kept him from dropping dead on the spot, and scenes from his past flashed before him.

Sealed memories awakened.

Actually......

When he was very young, he too had longed to become a free and unrestrained pirate!

Until......

A band of pirates slaughtered his entire family. All that remained was he, carrying a hatred for pirates carved into his very bones, which forged the iron-blooded, righteous Admiral Akainu.

But......

None of that mattered anymore, because......

He was about to die.

In this final moment of his life,

Sakazuki suddenly felt a trace of regret—there were still so many things he hadn't done! So many pirates he hadn't killed!

If only he were given one more chance......

Forget it,

There would be no more chances.

Sakazuki's eyes were wide open in unyielding death, the focus of his pupils slowly scattering.

"What did you do!!!" Kuzan's eyes went wide.

How dare you!

Seeing that Kuzan was about to erupt in fury, Sima Di said lightly: "Control your emotions. If you start fighting me, I won't be able to save him."

The fury in Kuzan's eyes faded, replaced by a hint of doubt.

He can even save this?

Sima Di said nothing more. He tossed over the Senzu Beans Sakazuki had rejected earlier, wrapped them in telekinesis, and crudely shot them straight through his belly—a straight line between two points being the shortest route straight to his stomach.

The next second,

Sakazuki's missing heart miraculously healed, and his scattered gaze once more gained its spark. He and Kuzan stared at each other, wide-eyed.

After Sakazuki had his "black hand reach into his chest and pull out his heart," it was Kuzan who had caught him......

The atmosphere was extremely awkward!

Sakazuki rose silently to his feet, his expression complicated as he stared at Sima Di. Flames ignited in his hand, yet he hesitated, not making a move.

First of all!

He truly couldn't win.

Even though he had only been at half his full strength earlier, Sima Di had still crushed him all the same.

Secondly......

Having had his sealed memories awakened,

Sakazuki suddenly realized—had the him of the past, who wanted to set out to sea and become a pirate, truly been destined to Nandaojiu Society evil?

He had longed to travel and adventure across the free, boundless sea.

Just like......

The Straw Hat Pirates of today.

Having gone through a brush with death, Akainu

was as if he had suddenly seen through everything, no longer clinging to so-called "absolute justice"—after all, the him of the past had once been prepared to become one of them.

"Don't think that just because you saved me, I'll compromise with pirates!" Sakazuki said defiantly.

But the magma on his fist had been withdrawn.

Another case of a mouth that refuses to match the heart—a "tsundere"?

Sima Di was well familiar with this!

Recently, spending time with Hancock, he'd gotten quite skilled at handling it.

"You're not compromising with pirates; you're merely bending yourself for the sake of justice," Sima Di said with a smile.

These words gave Sakazuki a convenient way out; it all depended on whether he...

"Hmph! In the name of justice, if you truly become real pirates, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth!" Sakazuki said, word by word.

Then......

He turned and left without looking back.

As he passed Kuzan,

Sakazuki's figure paused for a moment, and he said: "Perhaps you were right. My absolute justice is a burden to the current Marines. I'll keep watching you, but the moment you do anything that betrays justice, I will Biding Society any cost to kill you!"

............ 0

"I'm seeing such a prickly Sakazuki for the first time too." Seeing Kuzan looked at Sima Di and said, "So... I've received your wager. What are you trading with me now?"

Still treating it as a transaction?

Sima Di countered, "What do you think of the World Government?"

Seeing Kuzan pondered for a moment,

then said, "A bunch of people who eat, drink, and wait to die, calling themselves nobles while riding atop the world. The heavy Celestial Tribute is used for their indulgence, with only a negligible portion barely maintaining order across the seas."

"Barely maintaining? No, that's intentional on their part." Sima Di sneered. "Only as long as pirates continue to ravage will those nations seek the World Government's protection, and only then will the World Government collect more Celestial Tribute... As long as the World Government exists for one more day, pirates will never vanish."

Seeing Kuzan fell silent.

Because what Sima Di said...

was damn right!

"Are you Dragon's man? This theory sounds very much like his." Seeing Kuzan shifted his tone: "These things don't matter, but how can you guarantee that after overthrowing the World Government, you won't become the new Celestial Dragons, the new World Government?"

"First, you must understand one thing: I have no interest in becoming some noble. I'm merely an adventurer who loves exploration."

Sima Di raised one finger.

"Second, I'm not Dragon's man either. In my view, the Revolutionary Army is still a bit childish."

Sima Di raised a second finger.

"Finally, regarding the matter of the dragon-slayer eventually becoming the dragon... There is no empire that never sets. Corruption is inevitable. At that time, people like us will arise again to overthrow that corrupt empire."

Sima Di spread his hands, indicating he was done.

Seeing Kuzan nodded thoughtfully.

However...

"Then why go to such great lengths? What is it for?" Seeing Kuzan stared intently at Sima Di.

After doing all this, it couldn't possibly be for...

"Because of interest, I suppose." Sima Di stated bluntly. "In my grand design, toppling the corrupt World Government step by step to bring new life to the world would certainly be fascinating."

"Interest? Like in Alabasta?"

Seeing Kuzan stared at Sima Di, trying to discern if he was lying.

Sima Di met his gaze openly.

He wasn't deceiving Seeing Kuzan; interest was indeed a part of it—though only a small part.

As for the larger portion...

it was naturally for signing in at iconic scenes!

Although there was no pattern,