Koala was left speechless by Black Maria's words, frowning as she looked at the furious workers before her.
"Listen, we mean no harm. We came with the intention of liberating Wano Country. Everyone, can you tell me if you've been coerced or not?" Koala called out loudly to the workers.
"Shut up! Damned beasts, you've killed so many people! Let's fight them to the death!"
"That's right! Fight them!"
Watching the workers lose their rationality to anger, Koala felt a headache coming on and turned to Ivankov.
"Calm them down, Iva."
Ivankov nodded, his massive figure vanishing from sight in an instant.
With a few flashes, he charged into the crowd of workers, his ten fingers swiftly striking their bodies one after another.
"Tranquility Hormone!"
Ivankov's strength was incomparably greater than that of these ordinary workers.
His charge was like a tiger among sheep—unstoppable.
The workers couldn't resist his movements at all, collapsing in droves within moments.
However, Ivankov didn't kill them.
Instead, he used his ability to calm them, putting them into a deep slumber.
When only three workers remained, Ivankov stopped.
With a swift grab, he seized them—including Ronmoku—as effortlessly as plucking chicks, bringing them before the group.
"You devil! Did you kill them?" Ronmoku, forgetting his fear, roared in fury.
"Don't be nervous~ They're not dead, just asleep. When they wake up, they'll feel refreshed," Ivankov explained with a wave of his hand.
"Not dead?"
Ronmoku froze, but then his gaze fell on the charred corpses on the ground, and his rage flared anew.
"But you killed Old Crow! And so many other innocent people! You're not righteous revolutionaries—you're vicious pirates! No, you're worse than pirates!"
Kid's killing intent hadn't faded.
Hearing this, he fixed Ronmoku with an icy glare and said darkly.
"Innocent? None of the Beast God Pirates are innocent. They all deserve to die!"
Ronmoku glared back at Kid, unafraid of his chilling gaze, and bellowed.
"They weren't Beast God Pirates! They were just guards selected by Her Majesty to protect the workers from wild beasts on the plains! Are you blind, you monster? Who would recruit white-haired old men as pirates? You monster!"
Kid's face twisted with fury, itching to crush this insignificant ant before him.
"Not Beast God Pirates?" Sabo's face grew even paler.
His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
Koala's lips trembled as she murmured, "We killed civilians? How? But Ulti and the others—they were clearly Beast God Pirates officers..."
Ronmoku stared at Koala with hatred.
"Lady Ulti, Lord Page One, and Lady Black Maria were all personal guards assigned to Her Majesty by Caesar-sama! Her Majesty is Caesar-sama wife!"
"Caesar's wife?"
The group was stunned by Ronmoku's words.
Kid's killing intent surged, and in a flash, he lunged toward Hiyori inside the factory.
"Hahaha, Caesar's wife, perfect! I'll chop off this woman's head and send it to Tottoland for that bastard Caesar to admire!"
Sabo's expression changed as he suppressed his shock.
His figure vanished as he intercepted Kid's path.
"Eustass Kid! You can't touch Hiyori—she's the queen of Wano Country and the last heir of the Kozuki family! She can't die—we haven't found the Pluton yet!"
"Move aside, Sabo!" Kid wasn't listening.
All he wanted was to make Caesar taste the pain of losing a loved one.
His right fist lashed out at Sabo, even infused with Haki.
Law stood where he was, making no move to intervene.
In his heart, killing an unarmed woman was simply too despicable.
"Calm the hell down! Fire Fist!"
Seeing his attempts to stop Kid were futile, Sabo's pent-up frustration erupted.
His rage surged, and his right fist exploded forward, scorching flames intertwined with Haki, sending Kid flying dozens of meters through the air.
Boom!
Kid landed, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
He snorted coldly, shooting Sabo a glare before turning away without another word.
"Kid-boy! Where are you going?" Ivankov hurried over, trying to grab him.
Kid stepped onto a rifle, launching himself into the sky as he soared into the distance.
"I'm going to wipe out every last member of the Beast God Pirates in Wano Country!"
"Dammit, that guy is completely unstable—he's not fit to be a Revolutionary at all!" Koala fumed.
Sabo landed and turned to Hiyori, speaking softly, "Hiyori, are you alright? I'll have Iva come treat you—"
But to his surprise, Hiyori screamed at him, "Get away! Stay away from me!"
She clung to the unconscious Ulti, sobbing between dry heaves, clearly terrified.
Sabo gritted his teeth, taking a deep breath as he recalled Dragon's words to him.
"Sabo, when faced with a difficult choice, you must learn to think—whether to sacrifice the few for the many, or abandon the revolutionary path for the sake of a handful."
"When weighing a few lives, dozens, even hundreds or thousands, against billions across the world, some sacrifices are necessary."
"We ourselves must be ready to sacrifice at any moment. When comrades die, do not grieve too deeply—for they gave their lives for an ideal world!"
"The path of revolution is destined to be arduous, destined to be paved with bloodshed. Only then can we free everyone from the rule of the Celestial Dragons and usher in a new dawn!"
Sabo's expression gradually calmed, the guilt in his heart suppressed as he regained his composure.
"Compared to Wano Country, the great cause of liberating the entire world is far more important! The Pluton must fall into the hands of the Revolutionary Army!"
Now fully composed, Sabo reverted to his role as the Revolutionary Army's second-in-command.
He stepped behind Hiyori and silently pressed a large hand against the back of her neck.
Hiyori's sobs cut off abruptly as she collapsed.
"Sabo! What are you doing?" Koala gasped, rushing forward.
"Your Majesty! You bastard—what did you do to her? I'll kill you!"
Ronmoku roared in fury, breaking free from Ivankov's grip as he charged at Sabo.
Sabo's face remained impassive.
After his earlier reflections, he seemed to have undergone a sudden transformation—his eyes now flickering with both pity and ruthlessness, two starkly contrasting lights.
"To sacrifice the few for the sake of the many—that is the true path of revolution! Hesitation and weak compassion will only condemn more souls awaiting salvation to hell!"
Boom!
Under the horrified gazes of Koala, Ivankov, and the others, Sabo's eyes blazed with cold determination as he ruthlessly swung his palm.
A whip-like chain of flames lashed out, binding the three charging workers.
The scorching fire rapidly climbed their bodies, soon engulfing them completely.
As agonized screams rang out, three charred human figures collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
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