Justice that Reigns Over the World

In the southern waters of the Goa Kingdom, a 153rd Branch Warship sailed at high speed.

The Warship's Training Room.

Zoro wore a regular soldier's uniform as he swung the Barbell Sword through the air, drenched in sweat.

He was currently part of the Warship's logistics staff, specifically responsible for cleaning the Training Room. He did not count as an official marine.

To remain aboard the Warship long-term, he needed a legitimate identity. Otherwise, the other marines would inevitably have their objections.

Luo Ya was training as well.

Before long, a signalman arrived outside the Training Room and called out, "Major Luo Ya, we will soon arrive at Foosha Village!"

"Alright."

Luo Ya wiped away his sweat and headed for the shower room.

"Zoro, clean yourself up. Come ashore with me later."

"Got it."

Zoro set down the Barbell Sword.

He had to admit that life aboard the Warship was much more fulfilling than before.

His schedule was regular, his meals were guaranteed, and he did not need to think about anything. He only had to focus on training and find time to clean the Training Room each day.

In terms of hardship alone, it was at least ten times worse than being a Bounty hunter. However, all that hardship paid off. The sensation of gradually growing stronger filled him with incomparable excitement.

He craved strength!

The 153rd Branch Warship docked beside the Dog-headed Warship.

Seeing the Navy arrive, the villagers of Foosha Village were quite curious. The village chief took the initiative to greet them. When he saw the number 153 marked on the Warship, he roughly guessed their purpose.

They had come for Garp.

"I am the chief of Foosha Village."

"Hello, Mr. Village Chief. We are Marines from the 153rd Branch."

Luo Ya politely explained his purpose. "We heard that Vice Admiral Garp returned home for vacation, so Colonel Rhode sent us to pay him a visit. May I ask where Vice Admiral Garp's home is?"

"Follow me."

The village chief led the way.

The East Blue symbolized peace, and the relationship between the Navy and the people was quite close.

Although there were certainly bad apples within the Navy, they were only a minority. Overall, the Navy cared for the people, and the people trusted the Navy.

Luo Ya led several adjutants behind the village chief and soon arrived at Garp's home, an utterly ordinary house.

As expected, Garp was not home.

The village chief's head began to ache.

If Garp was not home, he had most likely gone into the mountains to mingle with those bandits. That was a stain on the Navy and could not be told to outsiders.

"This officer."

"My name is Luo Ya, Major of the 153rd Branch."

Luo Ya introduced himself with a smile.

It seemed his name had not yet reached this quiet Small Village.

"Major Luo Ya."

The village chief looked apologetic. "Vice Admiral Garp is not home at the moment. How about you rest at the tavern? Once Vice Admiral Garp returns, I will inform him."

"Then thank you."

Luo Ya was not surprised in the slightest.

If Garp had quietly stayed home, that would have truly surprised him.

Makino's Tavern.

"Welcome!"

The proprietress, Makino, was exceptionally warm and hospitable.

Foosha Village was a poor village, and the villagers had limited spending power. Only when entertaining visitors from outside could the tavern make a substantial profit.

"Hello. Please prepare some food and drinks for me."

Luo Ya sat beside the bar, his thoughts churning.

Back then, Red Hair had also sat where he was sitting now, then taken a massive slap from the Mountain Bandit King, right?

Heh, how generous of him.

Fullbody sat beside Luo Ya with a wineglass in hand, looking somewhat puzzled. "Major, why do you look so calm?"

"Calm?"

Luo Ya did not understand what Fullbody meant.

"Too calm!"

Jango leaned over as well, his face full of excitement and exhilaration. "Even when I was a Pirate, I deeply admired Hero Garp. Just thinking about meeting Garp himself makes my body tremble with excitement."

"Me too!"

Fullbody eagerly agreed and waved his fist. "Vice Admiral Garp has been my idol since childhood. To be honest, I wear the Iron Fist Gauntlets because I am imitating Vice Admiral Garp."

Hero Garp was the man with the highest prestige in the Navy.

There was no second.

There were far too many legends about Garp. Most marines had grown up listening to his heroic deeds, and a large number had joined the Navy specifically because they admired him.

Garp was the Navy's spiritual pillar!

Zoro chose that moment to interject, "Is that guy really that impressive?"

"You bastard, what kind of attitude is that?!"

Fullbody and Jango flew into a rage. One pressed down on Zoro's body with force while the other squeezed his neck hard.

"Apologize! Apologize to Mr. Garp!"

"L-Let go! I can't breathe!"

The three of them descended into a mess.

Luo Ya smiled as he picked up his wineglass and took a small sip.

Calm, huh.

He truly was calm at that moment.

When he had first learned that he would meet Garp, he had been genuinely excited. He had hoped to learn a few things from Garp, especially the Six Styles.

But that excitement had not lasted long.

During training, he had suddenly realized that he and Garp were not the same kind of person. He could not devote himself as Garp did.

He was not that selfless.

He had joined the Navy to rise above others, for fame and fortune, and to stand at the summit of the world.

In his view, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Garp, and Admiral Aokiji's faction were far too moderate. Morality and responsibility bound them tightly.

On the contrary, he rather liked Akainu's radical ideals.

Of course, he did not approve of killing innocent civilians to achieve one's goals, much less turning one's guns on one's own subordinates.

He had his own bottom line.

What he liked was radicalism!

Whether it was the Pirates, the World Government and Navy, or the kingdoms ruled by those nobles, this entire world was filled with evil from top to bottom.

Especially the Celestial Dragons who ruled the world.

Only evil could defeat "evil"!

Luo Ya sincerely believed that following the old paths of Garp and Fleet Admiral Sengoku led nowhere. In the end, one would still be a puppet on strings, or play alone like Garp, or worse, leave in disillusionment like Aokiji.

The higher one climbed, the harder it became to turn back.

Only by becoming the "most evil" person, by becoming the one who broke the rules and made the rules, could one stand atop the world.

"Justice that Reigns Over the World."

That was the justice Fleet Admiral Sengoku believed in.

Perhaps that domineering "justice" ought to be realized by him!

The corners of Luo Ya's mouth rose as he drained the wine in his hand in one gulp.

"Major."

"Hmm?"

Luo Ya turned his head and discovered that Fullbody and the other two were staring at him.

"What is it?"

"N-Nothing!"

The three of them shook their heads at the same time.

For some reason, they had just felt an astonishing chill from the major, as though they had been stared at by a terrifying beast.

It made their hair stand on end!

Clang!

A sudden noise came from behind the bar.

The three hurriedly looked over and were stunned to discover that Makino had somehow collapsed. A wineglass rolled beside her, and wine had spilled all over the floor.

"Miss Makino!"

The three scrambled to help Makino onto a chair. After fussing over her for quite a while, Makino finally woke up in confusion.

"Miss Makino, are you alright?"

"Mm~~ I'm fine."

Makino held her head, still feeling dizzy. In her hazy memories, it felt as though her head had been struck by something heavy.

My head is spinning!