Marine Koby: The So-Called Justice

"Thank you so much, Luffy~~"

On Roman's ship, a youth with glasses and a middle part was looking at a sea chart while turning the ship's wheel.

His name was Koby. He had previously been taken by the fat female captain of the 'Giant Club Pirates' as a laborer. He had escaped danger after bumping into the Roman duo and was currently 'part-time' working as a navigator on Roman's ship.

Of course, the so-called 'Giant Club Pirates' was just Roman's sarcastic remark. The female captain's real name was Alvida, the one who later ate the 'Slippery-Slippery Fruit' and transformed from a fat woman into a great beauty.

As for the battle between Roman, Luffy, and the 'Giant Club Pirates' earlier—it was roughly:

I got up, one punch KO.

Roman wasn't very skilled at navigation, and Luffy... anyone who dared to set sail in a small dinghy and a barrel shouldn't be expected to have mastered 'Navigation Skills'! So, Koby, having escaped hardship, was able to put his expertise to use by piloting the merchant ship.

Now, on the deck of this 600-ton merchant ship, there were only three people: Koby, who was steering; Luffy, with paper bandages wrapped around his face; and:

Roman, with weights pressing on his back, grunting as he did push-ups.

'998'

'999'

'1000'

"...Luffy, about the Grand Line..."

The youth with glasses steering the ship glanced hesitantly at Roman, who was undulating like a human pile driver. Compared to Luffy, who made one feel 'instantly familiar,' this youth named Roman... made Koby feel fearful.

"I heard it's called the 'Graveyard of Pirates' there, it's very dangerous..."

Although they had only known each other for less than a day, Koby genuinely worried about his 'friend' Luffy.

"Yeah, that's why I want to find some strong companions!"

The energetic Straw Hat Luffy faced the sea, his ambitions soaring.

"Oh right, the Marine base you're going to, isn't there a guy named 'Zoro' locked up there~~~"

"If he's a decent guy, I'll make him my companion—"

"No, no, no,"

Koby shook his head repeatedly in fright.

"I heard that Zoro is a bloodthirsty mad dog who enjoys killing! People in this sea call him the 'devil in human skin'!"

"And, he must have been arrested by the Marines because he's a bad guy—"

"Heh heh,"

A cold laugh from the side interrupted Koby's words. Roman, covered in sweat, stood up, picked up a towel from a nearby bucket, and wiped himself down as he spoke nonchalantly.

"Bad guys, good guys--"

"The Marines are good guys? And those arrested by the Marines are bad guys?"

In that case, I'm truly sorry, but it won't be long before your worldview is completely overturned.

"A great man once said, 'To speak of good and bad without considering one's stance is simply hooliganism!'"

As he spoke, Roman pointed at Luffy.

"Luffy saved you. Would you say he's a 'good guy' or a 'bad guy'?"

"Whoa! Mister Luffy is of course a good..."

"But this guy," Roman beckoned, and the 'bandage' on Luffy's head automatically unraveled and flew towards him, revealing a silly face.

Tsk, this recovery speed is truly unscientific.

Even though Roman's 'Paper Bandage' was medical supplies soaked in various medicinal liquids, it was too much for scars to not even be left after just a few days...

"This 'good guy' took my ship a few days ago and 'forced' me to become his crewmate. Tell me--"

Roman looked calmly at Koby, causing the timid Youth to avert his gaze.

"Is Luffy still a 'good guy'?"

Ignoring Luffy, who was shouting "Hey, hey, hey, you volunteered!" from the side, Roman let out a cold laugh and continued.

"This ship was actually a merchant ship that was wiped out by a pirate crew!"

"That pirate crew was poisoned and killed by their own captain, so you could say they indirectly avenged the merchant ship. May I ask: Is that captain a 'good guy' or a 'bad guy'?"

"At the same time, that captain was killed by his combat captain--which is me! Speaking of which, I've brought justice to those pirates who died with their eyes wide open. May I ask: Am I a 'good guy' or a 'bad guy'?"

As he spoke, Roman, with a cold laugh, tapped the ship's railing again and pointed downwards.

"And this merchant ship was actually carrying weapons, intended to be sold to the royalty to suppress the commoners who couldn't survive! -- The pirates killed the people on the merchant convoy, so theoretically, they actually saved the lives of millions. May I ask: Are pirates 'good guys' or 'bad guys'?"

"Furthermore, the king who bought the weapons intended to suppress the 'rebels' and maintain stability, while the rebelling commoners were simply unable to survive. May I ask: Who between them is the good guy? Who is the bad guy?"

"This... this..."

Faced with Roman's string of questions, Koby, wearing glasses, stammered and was unable to speak.

"Righteousness or not, it's just a matter of words."

"As long as one is willing, anyone can find an excuse of 'justice' for their actions."

"So, all smart people know to paint themselves as 'justice'," like Crocodile, like Doflamingo, like... the rot within the Marines!

"And only certain idiots shout every day that they want to be the 'King of the Pirates'—"

As he spoke, Roman glanced at a certain straw-hatted person. However, all he saw was the other's face filled with question marks.

"But, but I believe justice definitely exis—"

Swish, Slash!

A paper knife appeared at his neck, interrupting Koby's rebuttal.

"The 'justice' of the weak is just a slogan!"

"Like now," Roman's body began to emanate a chilling killing intent, "with a slight wave of my hand, your 'justice' will turn to ash—"

"Alright,"

A hand blocked the space between Roman and Koby, Luffy's steady voice interrupting their 'argument'.

"Roman, don't scare Koby."

Swish, The paper knife in his hand disintegrated, turning back into paper and 'merging' into Roman's arm.

"I was just speaking the truth, Luffy."

"'Justice' is the side with more people? The weak side is 'justice'? The one being bullied is 'justice'?"

"Don't joke, how do you know your 'justice' isn't 'evil' in the eyes of others? Humanity stands at the pinnacle of all things not by relying on 'justice',— 'justice' is not such a weak thing."

"'Justice' is stronger than evil, smarter than evil, more than evil·······"

"Alright, Roman."

The 'foolishness' on Luffy's face had vanished, replaced by seriousness.

"Justice and all that, I don't understand it, and I don't want to understand it."

"Those I get along with are my friends, those I dislike, I'll beat them flying!" Luffy cheerfully concluded this 'debate'.

"Hahahaha~~~"

Roman, stunned for a moment, laughed and shook his head.

"That's right, what reason, what justice..."

If I like them, they're friends. If I don't like them, they're enemies.

It's that simple.

"Alright, we're at the Marine base!"

Standing on the dock, Luffy shouted with one hand on his hip. Seeing his excitement, who would have thought he was a 'pirate'? Anyone who didn't know would think he was a 'relative' of the Marines...

Wait!

This guy actually seems to be a relative of the Marines--

"Koby, you're amazing!"

Luffy exclaimed sincerely, a fact that even Roman had to admit:

The three of them piloted a merchant ship of several hundred tons, with one being an amateur and another a muggle. To have reached their destination smoothly. This was already:

"Luffy, if you really want to sail, you'd better find a professional Navigator. Relying on drifting is..."

"Food! Food!"

However, Luffy had no intention of listening to him at all. He had already dashed towards the port.

"Let's go,"

Roman patted Koby's shoulder, making the timid Youth tremble all over.

"Although I don't really like you, but--"

"Who cares, you're the Captain's friend,"

"After this 'farewell meal', you'll be a Marine, and we'll continue to be pirates--"

Although he estimated that his future 'pirate' career wouldn't involve any more legitimate pirate 'business'... If he ate and ran... Forget it, as a dignified transmigrator, he represented the face of 4 billion Earthlings!

Eating and running was out of the question.

So:

"I'm so full~~~"

"Boss, how much?"

After making a pile of empty plates, Roman stood up to pay the bill. -- Expecting Luffy to have a concept of 'money' was as miraculous as expecting Celestial Dragons to understand 'pity'.

As for Koby?

A grunt bullied relentlessly by the Giant Club Pirates, could he possibly possess something like Beli?

"Oh right, that Zoro is at this Marine base, isn't he?"

In an instant, the entire restaurant fell silent, everyone's hands freezing mid-action.

'Hey, hey, Luffy, see?'

Koby whispered to the 'loose-lipped' Luffy.

'Everyone's terrified, just as I thought, that Zoro really is a bad guy.'

"So that's how it is..."

Facing a suddenly enlightened Luffy, Koby breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile.

"Oh right, I just checked the notice board, the highest-ranking officer at this base is a Colonel named Morgan--"

Clang! Crash!

The restaurant patrons, who had seemed frozen in place moments before, reacted as if they had heard a forbidden curse! Their faces changed drastically, and they immediately stood up and bolted!

"Hey, hey, hey, you haven't paid yet!"

Roman, who had shouted this, turned back helplessly and gave the proprietress an apologetic nod.

"Sorry, it seems my friend has caused you trouble."

"N-no, it's fine..."

Facing the trembling proprietress, Roman could only shrug his shoulders, then turned back and picked up one person with each hand:

"Let's go, Luffy."

"And you too--"