Justice Without Stain!

"Black Knights" are not the exclusive creation of "Black Count" Lowett. Every Necromancer of official Mage rank has, more or less, created them. He's just the best at it.

He even created monsters as unreasonable as the Black Dragon Legion.

As mentioned before, Mages are more like scholars.

And as scholars, they naturally have... theses, to prove their academic abilities and be admired and studied.

That's right!

Black Knights are, in fact, theses by Necromancers to prove the results of their cultivation.

They are collectively termed bio-engineered bodies that attest to a Necromancer's academic research.

Under the moonlight, a magic circle drawn in blood emitted a faint crimson glow. A one-armed man with black hair held a chilling weapon, rummaging through a corpse. The scene was extremely bizarre.

Especially since the corpse would occasionally tremble as if electrocuted, and a zombie with vacant eyes stood guard beside it, creating a suffocating atmosphere.

A few days later, on the Grand Line, Marine Headquarters.

Knock, knock, knock!

The ten-centimeter-thick bronze door was knocked upon. In the office, a stout old man wearing toad-like glasses looked up.

"Enter!"

His voice was loud and authoritative, but even the strands of black hair hanging down from his hat couldn't hide the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

"Report! Urgent dispatches from East Blue Branch 153 and the Kingdom of Goa!"

Vice Admiral Momonga stood at the doorway, his gaze respectfully fixed on the old man sitting at the end of the long, rectangular conference table, the one with thick whiskers above his lips and a braided whip hanging from his chin.

This was the current Fleet Admiral of the Navy!

Sengoku the Buddha!

"East Blue? Kingdom of Goa?"

Hearing Momonga's report, Sengoku's eyes, full of wisdom, flickered with a hint of confusion. Sengoku stopped what he was doing and put down his pen. "Have a seat and tell me."

"Yes!"

He knew the Kingdom of Goa, but Branch 153... aside from remembering that such a unit existed, Sengoku didn't know what was happening there.

Sitting down, Momonga hesitated for a moment before saying, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, something's gone wrong... Princess Sally Nandecanette of the Kingdom of Goa was escorted by Branch 153 to Loguetown, but she was injured midway and remains in a coma."

"Nandecanette was injured?"

Sengoku frowned, then slammed his hand on the table.

"What was Garp doing?!"

Momonga: "..."

I knew it!

As one of the few countries in the East Blue whose name was memorable to them, the royal family of the Kingdom of Goa held noble status and had connections with the Celestial Dragons. Security had to be handled with the utmost care.

Any problem would be a major diplomatic incident.

Normally, even if Garp wasn't interested in escorting them on their "visit," he should have brought them to Loguetown and handed them over to Smoker. Once they passed through the Red Line and reached the Grand Line, the "G" series branches of the Grand Line would be personally responsible for their security.

Dangerous routes like crossing the Calm Belt were out of the question, even with Kairoseki-lined ship hulls.

Let alone handing them over to an unknown branch.

It was Garp's doing, wasn't it?!

Momonga's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

"Alright, that's so Garp!"

Hesitating again, Momonga coughed dryly. "Well... Fleet Admiral, Mr. Garp wasn't with them. After handing them over to Branch 153, he turned directly towards the Calm Belt and is already almost back at G3 Branch."

This world was divided into four seas and the front and back halves of the Grand Line by the Calm Belt and the Red Line Continent. Ordinary ships had to travel along the route of "Four Seas → Red Line → Grand Line" to reach their destinations.

However, crossing through the Calm Belt could save navigation time measured in "months." G3 Branch, where Garp was stationed, was carefully chosen by him. It was close to the Calm Belt, and crossing it led to the East Blue.

Only a strong individual like him had the qualification to be willful and treat the Sea Kings clustered in the Calm Belt as nothing.

But that wasn't the point!

Momonga swore.

Hearing this, Sengoku's forehead twitched unnaturally. That was a sign of extreme anger.

He silently turned and handed a document to his goat chewing at his knee, then nodded very calmly.

"Ah, I see."

Gulp...!

Momonga nervously swallowed.

"Get him here for me! Now! Immediately!"

CRASH!!

The thick wooden table turned into fragments, and with a loud bang, wood chips flew everywhere.

Sengoku panted, his nostrils flared.

"That bastard! I haven't settled the score with him for his grandson becoming a pirate yet!!"

Momonga remained silent, then turned to look at the soldier who rushed into the office upon hearing the commotion, nodding his chin.

"You can go, it's nothing."

Seeing that Sengoku indeed seemed fine, and given his current terrifying expression, the soldiers swallowed and stood at attention.

"Yes!"

Turning back, Momonga saw Sengoku glaring fiercely at him.

"Why aren't you leaving yet?"

"Uh..."

Scratching his itchy scalp, Momonga licked his lips and said, "Also, it's not just that. There's also the pirate Lowett, who accepted the Navy's recruitment under Vice Admiral Aokiji's instruction last time, and the commander of Branch 153, Morgan. They also... have very complicated situations."

"Oh..."

Sengoku's gaze was mournful. Perhaps he had gotten too angry, his sorrow deeper than despair.

He wanted to sit back in his chair, only to find it had snapped in half from his earlier burst of Haki, three of its four legs broken.

So he sat down on the floor, pulling his legs up to sit cross-legged.

Sengoku had a "You can say whatever you want, I'm listening" expression, his chin resting on one hand.

"After Princess Nandecanette was assassinated, her fiancé Sterley demanded that Morgan and others arrest the culprit..."

Momonga recounted the events of that day on the ship clearly, making one suspect Momonga had been present.

However, this was natural.

The Navy might have lost the initiative in the New World, and the strength of the Four Emperors and their philosophy of stability left them with little energy to gather intelligence. But on the Grand Line, and in the four Blues, no one could escape the Navy's eyes and ears.

Not to mention the target itself was a Navy branch.

If they lacked such intelligence-gathering methods, how could they maintain the overall peace of this sea?

After listening, Sengoku's expression was blank.

"According to his account, all the fault lies with Lowett's unrepentant ambition, attempting to drag him down?"

"Yes."

"Idiot!"

Sengoku let out a light laugh and said no more.

With his wisdom and experience, how could he not see through such a flawed excuse?

It was simple logic. What was the point?

The pirates of the Black Cat Pirates couldn't figure it out.

Jordi couldn't figure it out.

Sengoku couldn't figure it out either.

So the question was, what was his motive?!

First, he offered an arm to infiltrate the Navy, then he chose to leave before he even got comfortable. If he had intended to be a spy, even if Morgan abandoned him, he would have found a way to trick a prisoner out.

Whether it was true or false, as long as it existed.

As a meritorious official, with the Navy's backing, who would he fear?

Further speculation even suggested that he might have orchestrated the assassination himself!

Since it didn't make sense, it meant someone was lying!

Sensing Sengoku's thoughts, Momonga continued his report: "Not only that... on the very next day, using the Den Den Mushi of Branch 16, Morgan ordered a Vice Captain named Jordi to report Morgan, making a different statement."

It was a shocking statement.

It not only labeled both Lowett and Morgan as "having ulterior motives" but also explicitly stated that the arrested Kuro was problematic and demanded a retrial.

Hearing this, Sengoku could no longer feel angry.

He looked up at Momonga, grinning, "Truly... the temple is small but the wind is strong, the water is shallow but there are many turtles!"

Unforgivable!

"Let me handle it, Fleet Admiral!"

Seeing the killing intent in Sengoku's eyes, Momonga stood up, his rough, dry fingers touching the hilt of his sword.

"No, you don't need to."

Under Momonga's surprised gaze, Sengoku's face lost its coldness, turning solemn.

"Tell that Jordi that arbitrarily slandering his superior is not advisable."

"Fleet Admiral?"

Momonga froze for a second.

"Then tell Morgan that Headquarters believes in his achievements and trusts his character."

"Finally, notify the East Blue Branch that 'Triangle Spellbreaker' Lowett is dead. Do not publicize this matter; have them search secretly."

Peace and stability are the most important things in this great pirate era!

Besides that, nothing else is worth mentioning.

The truth is not important.

What's important is that the World Government must not have any blemishes, and the Navy must not have any blemishes.

Justice must not have any blemishes!

Momonga felt a bit heavy-hearted and took a deep breath.

"Understood!"

"A cat crying for a mouse is false compassion, but if fear can stop a cat from eating meat its whole life, then I should thank this Lowett."

Sengoku stood up and patted the dust off his pants.

"Go, summon Garp for me!"

"Yes!"

Momonga said no more, nodded, and turned.

So the question arises, are there really cats that don't steal fish?

He tightened his grip on the sword.

"Sigh!"

With a long sigh, his retreating figure cast a long shadow, and the word "Justice" on the white coat of his Navy uniform seemed to be painted with even thicker ink.

The second matter is that I forgot the second matter.

I went out to buy cigarettes and chatted with someone for a few sentences, and then, whoosh, what was I going to say?

Time spares no one!

Cherish every moment!