Chapter 358: Meeting of the Navy High Command

After the War of Marineford, the Navy's high command all understood that, compared to the Four Emperors, Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen was the Navy's number one existential threat.

For the first time in centuries, the Navy Headquarters had been forcibly erased from the map.

Even the Pirate King Luo Jie had never accomplished this.

What sent a chill through the Navy's high command was this: Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen was unlike any pirate who had come before.

Past legendary pirates had either shouted their ambition to become King of the World or declared their dream of becoming Pirate King.

All their ambitions were laid bare.

But Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen was completely different—he not only thought strategically, but was exceptionally skilled at concealment.

The Navy could never have imagined—

That Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen could transform from a pirate into a World Noble, a Celestial Dragon, and yet, when he went to Navy Headquarters to cancel the Morning Star Gang's bounty, he still left behind a black glove with a golden lion.

Leaving the Navy with a grudge but no way to seek revenge.

What puzzled Kizaru even more was that all of Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen's actions were aimed at overthrowing the World Government.

The contrast was utterly jarring.

After a moment of reflection, Kizaru was about to set off on his return journey.

His gaze was suddenly locked onto a figure stepping off the ship—even though the person had deliberately disguised themselves, Kizaru recognized them at once—

"Captain... Karp."

If encountering Akainu in Inazuma had been an accident, seeing Karp shattered Kizaru's understanding of the world in an instant.

Akainu's defection was at least understandable—he had always believed in a vague, ambiguous justice.

But Captain Karp was a Navy hero.

Have you, too, defected?

Yet, not long after—

When Kizaru saw two more figures disembark behind Karp, he exhaled in relief.

"Master Zefa... Ms. He..."

If only Karp had come, Kizaru might have suspected him of hedging his bets—but now that both Zefa and He had arrived, there was only one possibility.

Just as he himself had done a few days ago, the Navy's high command had come to Inazuma on a group inspection.

And why had they come to inspect?

Probably because they shared his own thought: when Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen rebels, the Navy will likely choose not to side with either side.

They may even deploy to the Four Seas to hold the line.

After all, centuries of Celestial Dragon oppression have stirred unrest beneath the surface of the Four Seas; Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen's rebellion will inevitably trigger a chain reaction.

Once war breaks out, there will be no shortage of schemers trying to profit from the chaos.

No one can predict how brutal the war will become, nor can anyone be certain what treacherous tricks those schemers will employ.

But one thing was certain—

The moment war erupted, this sea would plunge into an unpredictable storm, and the Navy would be the wild card within that storm.

As Kizaru pondered, Karp seemed to sense something and glanced in Kizaru's direction.

"Hey, the guide you're looking for."

Zefa followed Karp's gesture and immediately spotted Kizaru standing dazed by the roadside.

"The harbor's too crowded—let's leave quickly."

Thus, Kizaru, who had intended to return after his inspection, was forcibly detained by Karp and the other three to serve as their guide.

Kizaru was speechless with despair, forced to accompany his three seniors, spending several days visiting Kuri, Shimi, Usawara, Suzu, and Bai Wu.

What Zefa witnessed and heard in Inazuma deepened his complicated feelings toward Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen.

Hearing is false; seeing is believing.

Across the sea, countless nations lived in misery, their people exploited by their own nobles and Celestial Dragons, sometimes even by corrupt Navy officers.

Of course, there were also those damned pirates.

It was these vermin that made life so hard for the common folk and turned the sea so chaotic.

Zefa had lived most of his life and had never encountered a nation as peaceful and prosperous as Inazuma.

Pirates dared not attack Inazuma; Celestial Dragons dared not cause trouble here; and Inazuma itself had almost no nobles at all.

This suddenly made Zefa realize—

If you only kill pirates, you'll never cure the world's root disease.

Kill the pirates!

Kill the nobles! Kill the Celestial Dragons too!

Only by wiping out every last one of these vermin can the world be healed.

Across the entire sea, only Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen's Morning Star Gang and Inazuma seemed capable of achieving this.

"This place is good."

"A fine place to retire."

Karp nodded in deep agreement with Zefa's assessment.

Otherwise, he would never have been persuaded by his eldest son, Dragon, to bring his two grandsons and Luo Jie's widow, Lujio, here to settle.

Inazuma was truly an anomaly upon the sea.

From the Thunder God Saint Saint Saiwen to the Daimyo of the Flower Capital, Master Tenghu, and the Daimyo of Zou, Mihawk, down to the lowest officials, all seemed to be working tirelessly to improve the people's lives.

Not like the nobles of other allied nations, whose only thoughts were how to hoard wealth and snatch beautiful women.

"It truly is a good place," He observed more carefully: "Aside from high commercial taxes and expensive housing, there's almost nothing to criticize."

Perhaps this was precisely why Inazuma was so wealthy?

Hearing this, Kuzan spoke up to explain.

"According to the villagers, Barzab calls this 'taking from the people and using it for the people.' Most of the commercial taxes are used to build public welfare facilities."

"Public schools, hospitals..."

"Public transportation, social security, and so on."

"Moreover, Inazuma follows the principle of equality for all. Commoners do not need to kneel before officials; even if they meet the Raiden Shogun, they are not required to perform the kneeling ceremony."

Not needing to kneel was, in Saint Saint Saiwen's eyes, an utterly ordinary decree, but out on the Grand Line, almost no allied nation could achieve it.

Whether allied nobles or Celestial Dragons, they all immensely enjoyed the feeling of being knelt before.

"It's a bit like inside our Navy."

Tsuru rubbed her temples.

"I don't understand. Given Saint Saint Saint Saiwen's current power and status, why does he want to liberate all slaves and overthrow the World Government?"

"What benefit does this bring him?"

"He could quite contentedly enjoy the privileges of a Celestial Dragon. Even if he is unwilling to go to Mary Geoise, he is still the king in Inazuma."

As the saying goes, there is always a reason for everything. Tsuru truly could not fathom why Saint Saint Saiwen would do such a thing.

There must be a reason.

Upon hearing this, Garp hesitated for a few seconds before speaking.

"I know this."

Sensing the gazes of the three—Tsuru and the others—converge upon him, Garp gave an awkward smile.

"As you know,"

"Luo Jie and I had a good relationship. According to Luo Jie, Saint Saint Saiwen once said while drunk that this world should not be like this."

"Being born human, one should at least not starve to death."

"He wants to build a world where everyone can eat their fill. That is all."

As the words fell, whether it was Kuzan or Zephyr, or even Chief of Staff Tsuru of the Headquarters, all fell silent for a very, very long time.

To build a world where everyone can eat their fill—did Saint Saint Saint Saiwen have such a great dream when he was a child?

Then... why become a pirate?

Joining the Navy would be good, but joining the Navy also... I'm afraid it truly could not be done.

After a long while, Tsuru sighed.

"He is a person worthy of admiration."