The Thousand Sunny sailed quietly across the sea.
Ever since their desperate retreat from Marineford two days ago, the atmosphere aboard had been so oppressive it was hard to breathe.
No one spoke. Each person was lost in their own emotions.
Snake was dead.
That man who was always quiet but stepped forward when it mattered most had been left forever on the cold soil of Marineford.
And now, Lucky Roux, seated in a corner of the deck, had eyes so gloomy they seemed ready to drip water.
In his mind, he kept replaying the scene before Snake went to his death.
The figure who had charged into the Gate of Death, grabbed Luffy by the collar, and then been pierced from behind by a magma fist.
And before that, the moment Ben Beckman had died beneath Gion's blade.
Again and again.
The people around them had died one after another.
And what had all of it accomplished?
Nothing.
At that thought, the fury Lucky Roux had suppressed for so long could no longer be contained.
"There's something I've been holding in for a long time."
Lucky Roux slowly rose to his feet, his gaze fixed firmly on Luffy.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Ben Beckman is dead. Snake is dead too."
Lucky Roux took a deep breath. "When they never had to die."
The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere on deck froze.
"Lucky Roux..."
Yasopp opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Lucky Roux glared him into silence.
"Yasopp, this has nothing to do with you. Your screwups got our comrades killed before, and I couldn't even be bothered to call you out on it!"
Lucky Roux sneered, sweeping his gaze across the group.
"Am I wrong? We've been running all over the place