Celestial Dragons Have a Good Reputation?

"My thinking is very simple—use the harshest means to kill Sauron and warn everyone inside the Navy, so they won't dare to have any thoughts of betrayal."

Sakazuki said coldly and mercilessly. After Sauron defected, the Navy personnel who helped him escape were dealt with by his own hand.

Traitors all had to die.

"I think Vice Admiral Sakazuki's idea is a good one. You can express your thoughts boldly. If Marshal Kong has any objections, tell him I support your idea." Ross replied with a smile.

He liked straightforward people like Sakazuki.

With Sakazuki charging ahead, he could just stand in the back and wave the flag.

If it weren't for Sakazuki's deep obsession with the Navy and pirates, Ross would have wanted to poach him.

Thinking about how Sakazuki fought desperately at the Summit War, compared to the other slackers, any superior would sincerely wish for more subordinates like Sakazuki who gave it their all.

"I'll convey my opinion to Marshal Kong."

Sakazuki nodded seriously. He wasn't unaware of Ross's intentions, but having a Celestial Dragon backing him could only benefit him.

He only wanted to kill all pirates. As long as Ross was willing to support him, he would gladly elevate Ross to the Five Elders.

Absolute justice would judge every pirate!

"Then I'll be waiting to see it."

Ross nodded with a smile, watching Sakazuki turn and leave.

"He and Kong are both using you."

Zephyr stood beside Ross, his expression complicated as he warned.

"Using me means I still have some value. Isn't that a good thing? I'm not Beli—I can't make everyone like me."

Ross chuckled. It seemed his efforts over the past few days hadn't been wasted; at least Zephyr was willing to think about him now.

As for the issue of being used, as long as he got tangible benefits, reputation didn't matter at all.

A Celestial Dragon with a good reputation?

Put those two words together, and any normal person would find it absurd.

"As long as you're clear on that. Sakazuki's justice is a bit extreme. He only cares about results, and the process might stir up no small trouble." Zephyr warned.

"If justice isn't extreme, can it still be called justice?"

Ross asked with a smile, then added without hesitation:

"Besides, his justice isn't extreme enough. The most extreme ones want to press their fists against my forehead, not aim them at pirates."

"You must mean Dragon, sir. After he defected from the Navy, he did make some inappropriate statements and started something called the Self-Bravery Army. His thinking has gone off track." Zephyr shook his head.

"What's your take on Dragon?"

Hearing Zephyr's assessment, Ross grew interested.

This was the first time he'd heard a Navy man talk about the Revolutionary Army and Dragon, and he wanted to hear Zephyr's opinion.

"You should know his background. His father is Garp. During his years in the Navy, we all trained him to be the next Admiral."

"But after witnessing several cases of conflict between nobles and commoners, he began to resent the justice advocated within the Navy."

"In his view, the justice suppressed by this cruel order isn't true justice. The Navy isn't the embodiment of justice, but an accomplice of the World Government and its allied forces. So he left the Navy."

"Because of Garp, the Navy didn't publicize the matter internally. They just quietly kept an eye on him to prevent any uncontrollable situations."

"After Roger died and the Great Pirate Era began, Dragon took the opportunity to establish the Self-Bravery Army. When it was founded, the Navy held a meeting, and I attended."

Zephyr's eyes carried a trace of reminiscence as he spoke unhurriedly:

"Self-Bravery Army, as the name implies—a free and valiant army. Led by Dragon, its aim is to eliminate all injustice and bring freedom to the world."

"Isn't that platform good? Freedom—what a nice word." Ross sneered.

"A child's idea." Zephyr shook his head. "No matter how dark the order, it's better than the chaos freedom brings."

On the matter of order, Zephyr had never wavered.

Even if the World Government did the worst job possible, it was still ten thousand times better than so-called worldwide freedom.

"That's true."

Ross agreed with that view.

People weren't all the same. Don't assume that once the whole world was free, everyone would behave themselves.

If the whole world were free, it would inevitably fall into a dark age. In the end, ambitious people would still rise up to establish oppressive classes and systems.

As for universal human consciousness or a world of perfect harmony—as long as humans had desires, it would never happen. The previous world's thousands of years of human history had already proven that.

Even if a Saint with absolute power appeared, once that Saint died, the future would still be what it was.

It wasn't equality under a Saint's rule, but rather humanitarian governance under a Saint's dictatorship.

Still, Ross wanted to hear more of Zephyr's thoughts on this.

Zephyr's thoughts could also represent a portion of the Navy's personnel, and he could use this as a reference.

"Saint Ross, do you understand the situation in the Non-aligned Nations?" Zephyr asked in return.

"Not really. I only know that the Non-aligned Nations aren't under the World Government's jurisdiction, don't have to pay the Celestial Gold, but the Navy won't protect them either," Ross shook his head.

He truly didn't know much about the Non-aligned Nations, only that every few years the World Government would pick one to make an example of.

But even so, Non-aligned Nations still sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

Some were too chaotic due to their remote locations, while others were simply lawless territories.

"I've been to some Non-aligned Nations before. I can say there's basically no order there—strength is everything."

Zephyr sank into memory, speaking slowly:

"After 800 years of development under the World Government, basically any country with even a shred of order has been absorbed into the ranks of the member nations. Only a few chaotic small countries, some disorderly islands, and nations with unique geographical conditions remain as Non-aligned Nations."

"I once went to a Non-aligned Nation area called 'Rata Town,' a small town on Rata Island in the South Blue. It's on the edge of the South Blue, with about 10,000 locals, and the area is basically controlled by pirates or warlords."

"As for the local residents, I wouldn't say they're suffering. To be honest, they're actually doing pretty well—on average, each resident earns 1 million Belly a year."

As Zephyr said this, a trace of mockery curled at the corner of his mouth.

1 million Belly—even in the Sabaody Archipelago, that counted as a high-income group.

"They're in the illegal trade," Ross said with certainty.

For ordinary people to earn that much, they could only be in illegal business, which was the norm in Non-aligned Nations.

Not to mention Non-aligned Nations—member nations did this kind of business too. Everyone was the same.

"Exactly. Rata Town markets itself as a tourist paradise and a free city, attracting a large number of tourists from member nations every year, but internally, it's actually the Slave Trade," Zephyr snorted lightly.

"The Slave Trade? Is that illegal?"

Gion was confused beside him. It was her first time hearing that slave trading was illegal—weren't there plenty of slave shops in the Sabaody Archipelago?

"Slave trading isn't illegal, but kidnapping and trading citizens of member nations is an illegal act," Ross said calmly.

The World Government's laws were actually quite bizarre.

Robbery, murder, and kidnapping were all crimes with corresponding measures, though of course the law didn't extend to nobles, and each member nation had its own autonomous laws.

But one thing was basically the same: kidnapping was a crime, but buying and selling slaves wasn't.

So then the question was, where did all the slaves come from?

Don't ask—the answer was that they came from Non-aligned Nations, and no member nation had any missing persons.

As long as they stuck to that, there was a channel to explain the origin of the slaves.

"So that's how it works."

Gion couldn't believe it. She felt the World Government's laws were a bit of a joke—didn't that give slave traders a loophole to exploit?

"And so areas like Rata Town evolved. They're lawless territories themselves, using all sorts of tricks every year to lure or forcibly take people to Rata Town. After giving them Rata Town identities, they sell them all over the world."

"The slave trade in the Sabaody Archipelago is already a filtered batch of premium goods. These Non-aligned Nation areas like Rata Town, along with the rampant Slave Ships everywhere, are the front lines of the slave trade."

"As long as you make a deal with them, even if you were once a noble, they can fabricate a story about you renouncing your noble status and joining Rata Town."

Zephyr snorted coldly, inwardly displeased with this kind of behavior.