"When you see through this problem, you will find the future path of the Marines, at least the path I think the Marines should take."
After that, Gawain was no longer interested in staying. Now, he only thought about the Conqueror's Haki entanglement that he had just mastered and was not even proficient in.
He couldn't wait to get familiar with the ability he had just acquired.
Whoosh!
With a burst of piercing sound, Gawain's figure vanished into the vast sandstorm, heading swiftly toward Alubarna in the distance.
In the desert, the masters and apprentices were silent for a long time.
The wind howled, the dust rose, and the sky darkened for a moment.
The cloak behind Aokiji was blown and rustled, but it was not as shocking as his heart at the moment:
"What does White Knight Gawain mean? Does he agree with Roger's approach?"
"But Roger is a pirate after all!"
"At his point, whether he likes it or not, the influence of just the name is enough to kill countless people!"
"And the battles he waged with Whitebeard and Shiki... How many innocent people were caught in the crossfire?!"
Kizaru expressionlessly raised his hand to adjust his sunglasses; his face was extremely solemn: "With that guy's personality and insight beyond the times, this question may not be so simple; there should be a deeper meaning."
"What exactly is it?"
Aokiji's tone revealed a hint of urgency.
He couldn't even help but think about whether to catch Gawain and ask him clearly, but the reason in his heart made him barely control his desire.
Roger is not a typical pirate, and how can Gawain, who is known as the most righteous man in East Blue, be a typical pirate?
Gawain is not a person who only wants to make the world chaotic.
Even if Aokiji is not close to Gawain, he can see this from Gawain's words.
On the contrary, Gawain may be the pirate who is most likely to stand on the side of justice in this era.
It's just that there is an essential difference between the benevolence and justice that Gawain believes in and the justice of the World Government.
Attacking him at this moment will undoubtedly completely push this man to the opposite side of the Marines.
"Damn, bastard!"
"Why speak in riddles at a time like this?"
"Tsk!"
Aokiji couldn't help spitting, but a familiar chuckle came from his ear the next moment.
"Haha..."
"Hahahahahaha!"
This laughter became louder and louder with the passage of time, even covering the whistling wind at this moment.
"Zephyr-sensei?!"
Both Aokiji and Kizaru looked toward the source of the laughter, only to see Zephyr lying on the sand, his chest heaving as he laughed uncontrollably.
"That damn brat... What a nasty sense of humor."
Zephyr's laughter gradually stopped; he couldn't help but raise his hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes. Then, he slowly stood up, straightening his waist.
When he looked at his two students again, there was only unspeakable solemnity in Zephyr's eyes: "Tell me, Kuzan, Borsalino… are the Marines truly the only force qualified to pursue that word? Or rather, who really has the right to define justice? The World Government? The Marines? The pirates? Or the heart beating in your own chest?"
The moment his words landed, silence returned to the scene.
But this time, it wasn't confusion or doubt.
Aokiji and Kizaru stood frozen.
They understood now.
Amid the wind, Zephyr murmured softly:
"My heart and my actions are as clear as a mirror. Everything I do... Is justice!"
… … ...
At the same time, Whisky Peak.
Since Baroque Works was almost completely destroyed, this place was originally deserted, and the bar operated by Baroque Works was also closed.
But with the pirate flag from the Warlord of the Sea, Whisky Peak regained its vitality in less than a month.
Merchant ships of all sizes gathered from all directions, and the originally deserted town became lively again.
There were many shops of all sizes, and the crowds of people were dense.
Kuro and others naturally had no opinions on this, and they had no intention of caring about it. They only had the ongoing team ranking battle.
At this moment, at the back mountain of Whisky Peak.
On a flat sandy land, there were giant cacti all around, but many of them had collapsed.
The broken ends on the giant cactus were either as smooth as a mirror, which showed that they were cut by swords, or were directly broken by violence.
Bang!
Boom!
Swish!
Amidst the explosion, the two figures kept colliding, bursting out with terrifying might.
Lucci, who was in Life Return Paper Art Fighting Form, and Zoro, going all out with his three-sword style, fought with unyielding intensity.
The terrifying strength of the two frequently left huge pits on the sand or cut off the giant cactus in the distance.
"Not only the captain but also the strength of the senior cadres has made a qualitative leap!"
"I heard that when Zoro just joined the group, he was humiliated by the captain with a dagger, but now he has become so powerful?!"
"In my opinion, he is still not as good as Lucci. After all, Lucci is from the CP organization. I heard Kalifa accidentally say that he is the strongest genius of CP9 in the past 800 years!"
"Wait a minute. Do you actually have a chance to get along with Kalifa?!"
Kuro, Gin, and other cadres, as well as dozens of ordinary crew members, gathered here, chatting casually.
"Not only Lucci, but even Zoro is hiding so deeply?!"
Gin couldn't help shaking his head just because he confirmed again that these bastards secretly kept a few tricks, waiting to overturn himself or even Kuro next to him in the ranking battle within the ship.
Fortunately, he's the same as them, and he has more than one trick.
Gin smiled slightly, but his eyes fell on Kuro beside him: "Come to think of it, what was that devil fruit you ate?"
Gin had already noticed it.
After Kuro returned to Whisky Peak from Alubarna, he put down the ten claw knives that he had always kept with him.
This can only mean that Kuro has gained the power to replace the claw knives.
Originally, Gin could still vaguely sense the gap between himself and Kuro, but now he can't feel it anymore.
Facing Kuro at this moment, he even had the illusion of facing the former Gawain.
"Who knows?"
Kuro remained calm and instinctively pushed his glasses with his hand. His eyes were still on the two people fighting in the distance.
But Gin saw a trace of indescribable loneliness on his face.
Kuro murmured: "At first, I thought that the distance between me and Gawain might not be that far anymore."
Recalling the scene of fighting with Gawain in the desert outside Alabasta, Kuro swallowed his saliva: "But now I can't see how strong that guy is."
"Isn't this as it should be?!"
Gin's mouth curled up a smile: "The captain is naturally the strongest one in a Pirate crew."
"But the distance between people should not be so far."
"Your words sound a little familiar to me..."
Gin glanced at Zoro, who was fighting fiercely with Lucci.
He looked strange; then he turned his head to look at Kuro and couldn't help but smile: "If you lose your fighting spirit, you may not even be able to defeat me."
"You?"
Kuro glanced at Gin and raised his chin slightly: "A few days ago, you might have had a tiny chance of defeating me, but now, aside from Gawain, no one on this ship, even if you all teamed up, could match me."
"You..."
Gin frowned slightly and wanted to refute Kuro's words but saw the absolute confidence in the latter's eyes.
He swallowed back the words he was about to say and asked his original question again: "What devil fruit did you get?"
Kuro smiled faintly: "You will know later."
"You..."
Boom!
The conversation between the two was interrupted by an explosion in the distance.