Plain Justice: Standards of Judgment and Methods of Enforcement

After obtaining the intelligence and the list, Shazo confirmed that this was the Gray Zone fire from the main storyline flashback.

However, unlike what I remember, the order to set the fire was not given by the king, and so far no Royal Palace guards have been involved in the arson.

Shazo found it slightly strange, but he didn't care.

The Goa Kingdom is Affiliated Nation of the World Government, and eliminating the Goa King would cause a lot of trouble. It's good that the King didn't participate in the arson.

However, after receiving the investigation report, Shazo did not immediately carry out the killing.

The next day, he led the East Blue Special Mobile Fleet away from the Goa Kingdom to continue the East Blue patrol mission of the 77th Branch.

The nobles of the Goa Kingdom were overjoyed, while the king was greatly astonished.

But they quickly thought of the Celestial Dragons who were about to arrive, and the immense power that protected Celestial Dragons, and immediately felt that they had grasped Shazo's weakness.

His Majesty the King even felt that in exchange for this intelligence, the loss of not actively participating this time was insignificant.

All the nobles became even more excited and put in their utmost effort to curry favor with the Celestial Dragons.

When the East Blue Special Mobile Fleet completed its patrol and returned to the Goa Kingdom, Shazo still did not make a move. He simply picked up Captain Red, who had stayed in the Goa Kingdom last time, and then quickly left.

Within six days, Captain Red delivered a more rigorous investigation report, with a longer and more detailed list attached.

This time, Captain Reid did not leave immediately, but instead asked, "Brigadier General Shazo, are you really going to punish the nobles of the Kingdom of Goa?"

Shazo Zuo nodded. "Of course, they surrounded the Gray Terminal of the gray area, drove the so-called 'lowly' into the garbage dump, and then set fire to it, killing so many people. Shouldn't they be punished?"

Captain Red said, "That's certainly true, but... but they are nobles."

Shazo sneered, "Whether or not one should be punished has nothing to do with whether or not one is a nobleman?"

"Ryder, do you know what my principles of Justice are?"

Captain Red replied solemnly, "Your Commodore, your concept of Justice is Plain Justice."

Shazo continued, "Then do you know what ' Plain Justice ' is?"

Captain Red shook his head; he truly didn't know.

Not only did Captain Red not know, but Faye, the ship's captain, and Major Borg, the Marine Corps commander, also didn't know.

After all, Shazo Zuo had never given a specific explanation.

But now that he had enough confidence, he seized the opportunity and said to all the officers on the warship, "So-called Plain Justice is the pursuit of the simplest Justice."

"Judging Justice is simple: if something has already caused or is certain to cause loss of life and property to civilians, it is Justice; preventing such loss is Justice; punishing the culprits who caused the loss is Justice."

"Plain Justice focuses only on definite facts and the inevitable outcome, without considering uncertain inferences such as possibilities or perhaps."

Major Borg, "Shazo, what is the result of edge pointing?"

Shazo replied, "An example will make it clear: when a pirate raises his sword to strike someone, the result is that the person will be injured or killed."

"You don't need to wait until someone is killed by pirates to realize that pirates killing people is Justice, and stopping them is Justice."

The Jun Jun nodded in agreement, but at the same time, they felt this was too simplistic; was it really necessary to explain it so seriously?

Shazo noticed their indifference and emphasized, "I'm not emphasizing this because I think you'll make a mistake. I believe that anyone with eyes and a heart won't make a mistake on something so simple."

"My concern is that you make judgments out of overconfidence and arrogance, especially by speculating about the distant future as a standard for judging Justice."

"No matter what, the possibility of reducing loss of life and property in the future cannot prove that killing and Fire Release today are Justice."

"Because regardless of whether murder occurred, there is only one future, and it's impossible to prove whether the loss was greater or less through comparison."

"An inference that cannot be proven right or wrong is sophistry."

The officers all understood. It was the first time they had ever felt that judging whether something was Justice was so simple, and they all nodded excitedly.

Then someone said, "By the standards of Plain Justice, all the nobles of the Goa Kingdom should receive Justice punishment!"

"Commodore judgment is absolutely correct."

But one simple-minded fool still asked, "Commodore, we've already passed through the Goa Kingdom twice. Why don't we punish those damned nobles immediately?"

Shazo kept this simpleton in mind and put him on a blacklist, deciding to keep a close eye on him and not promote him casually.

They have absolutely no tact.

He told his subordinates, "Plain Justice" is about simplifying judgment criteria, getting straight to the heart of the facts, and minimizing the influence of conjecture—it's not about being mindless!

"On the contrary, what my ideal of Justice needs most is a mind—not only to make rational judgments about whether Justice, but also to make judgments that enable the execution of Justice."

"After determining that something needs to be stopped or someone needs to be punished, the next step is to determine whether Justice can be served."

"First, you have to consider whether you have the ability to do it; if not, you should naturally give up."

Major Borg said with dissatisfaction, "Commodore General, how can you give up?"

Shazo looked him up and down several times, then suddenly laughed and teased, "Oh, Major Borg is quite confident."

"Well, as we just said, the nobles of the Goa Kingdom deserve to die, and you agreed with that."

He picked up the last list in the report and gestured to hand it to Borg: "Take this list and go kill them all."

Major Borg was speechless. Only when he was in his own shoes and thought about it from his own perspective did he realize how unreliable his words had been.

So it turns out he wanted Brigadier General Xia Zuo to do it, instead of doing it himself.

Borg Major blushed immediately and apologized sheepishly, "I'm sorry, Shazo, I was wrong."

At such close range, Shazo could clearly see what the Major was thinking, so she glared at him fiercely. "You're just being arrogant. You clearly can't do it yourself, yet you use my strength as a reference to make the judgment that you can kill all the nobles of the Goa Kingdom."

"Think before you speak next time, or I'll transfer you to Wano Country in the New World to capture Kaido."

Major Borg's neck was completely red, and his head almost drooped into his chest.

Shazo continued, "If one's strength is sufficient, the next step is to assess whether the timing is appropriate."

"For example, today I received a detailed investigation report, and I have the power to punish these criminals, but I cannot do so."

"Because the Celestial Dragons are coming soon; they will definitely come to the Goa Kingdom."

"If I were to kill half of the nobles of the Goa Kingdom at this moment, it would be a slap in the face to the Celestial Dragons, the World Government, and the Navy."

"So, are my actions truly Justice?"

Shazo's problem was extremely complicated. Not only could young people like Captain Red and Major not understand it, but even middle-aged people like Faye Borg couldn't figure it out at all.

The captain couldn't help but sigh, "Justice is so complicated."

Shazo laughed heartily, "That's more like it! Justice is the most difficult, complex, and fragile luxury. How can Justice be achieved without rigorous investigation, careful consideration, and comprehensive judgment?"

"If Justice were so easy to achieve, why has it taken 800 years to reach Justice? And why should our navy carry these two words on our backs?"

Captain Red was racking his brains. He took a deep breath and gave up on the complicated thinking.

He decided to follow Brigadier General Xia Zuo from now on, doing whatever he was told to do, so he wouldn't have to worry about anything.

Borg Major found it difficult, but he was still determined and didn't want to give up so quickly.

Lieutenant Colonel Faye strongly agreed with Brigadier General Xia Zuo's ideas, and his rich experience made him absolutely agree with the methods proposed by the brigadier general. He had decided to think and judge according to this standard from now on.

Shazo received the voices of three officers from [Mantra], realizing that his first comprehensive explanation of his ideals of Justice had successfully attracted three subordinates, turning them into his loyal followers.

He was very satisfied with the result, and felt even more confident in transforming the navy for his own use in the future.

However, he also reflected on his speech. It was normal that Borg and Reid didn't understand the reasoning, but his explanation caused them confusion, which was his mistake.

Not every young sailor can be like Reed, who, when he can't figure something out, simply gives up thinking and wholeheartedly follows Shazo.

There are many more young people like his former adjutant, Borg, who don't understand or can't comprehend, yet still want to keep thinking.

If he suffers from thinking about this problem for a long time, it will cause him to feel fear, and he may even turn around and abandon his own sense of Justice.

This is an unnecessary loss.

We still need to improve our speaking skills, learn to stir emotions, and master the techniques to evoke emotional resonance so that even if young people don't understand, they won't feel bothered by the excitement and enthusiasm.

Using his powerful intellect, Shazo devised ways to enhance the effect of his speech, and gradually a grand vision emerged in his mind.

Wait, why does this feel so familiar?

[This isn't how instructors operate; this is hope Hai's style of speaking!]

[----]

[Fine, whatever. It's still better than the Celestial Dragons and feudal nobles, a million times better!]

Back at 77th Branch, Shazo began to seriously read Reid's report.

He quickly discerned between the lines of the report the resistance of those in the gray area against the arsonist atrocities committed by the nobles of the Goa Kingdom.

It even includes snippets of information from Luffy's three brothers.

--

Luffy's ability to extend his arms, in particular, left a deep impression on many of the respondents.

On the first day the fire started, the sudden downpour and strong winds revealed traces of a dragon to him.

This greatly surprised Shazo, because at that time his [Mantra] perception edge was still some distance from the Goa Kingdom, but the qualified distance was not far.

There's a good chance that the dragon was once shrouded in the [Mantra], yet he didn't notice it at all.

It's unclear whether this former Marine Vice Admiral was lucky enough to avoid his [Mantra], or whether his abilities were so special that he couldn't be detected by the [Mantra].

Shazo muttered to himself, "I'll have to find a chance to verify this later."

"If we really can't find the dragon, I have to solve this problem, otherwise it will become a huge hidden danger."

Thanks to Shazo's previous efforts and his current silence, the Celestial Dragons' visit to the East Blue went very smoothly.

The Celestial Dragons felt quite satisfied with the welcome and flattery from the common people and nobles, and in their good mood, they committed far fewer atrocities.

However, the Celestial Dragons remained incorrigible, causing many who had misunderstood the Celestial Dragons to realize their mistake, and some even began to accept the Revolutionary Army's propaganda.

Sometimes, the greatest propagandists of a revolution are actually on the side of the revolutionized party.

The East Blue Navy, led by the 77th Branch, was on high alert for the possible evil deeds of the Celestial Dragons. Finally, a month later, they managed to send the Celestial Dragons away without any major incidents.

All the naval personnel breathed a sigh of relief and began to resume normal operations.

Shazo immediately launched his punitive action. Because of the delay of a whole month, he couldn't even wait for the sea trials of the Seventh-Generation High-Speed Battleship. He took off alone and flew towards the Goa Kingdom.

At this moment, a grand banquet is being held in the Royal Palace of the Goa Kingdom.

Because the Celestial Dragons who came were not just Saint Charlos, but a team of several Celestial Dragons, the Goa Nobles ' flattery and devotion earned them the approval of several Celestial Dragons.

In particular, the measure of separating nobles and commoners with high walls won unanimous praise from the Celestial Dragons.

Therefore, the World Government official who served the Celestial Dragons stated that next year's Heavenly Tribute Share could be reduced by half as a reward for the Goa Kingdom.

Although the Celestial Dragons and the World Government reduced or exempted taxes, the Goa Kingdom still had to collect the original amount, which would become an unexpected source of income for the king and nobles.

This is an enormous fortune; the total cost of welcoming the Celestial Dragons was less than half of this amount.

The nobles and the king were naturally overjoyed.

Therefore, the atmosphere at the banquet was very joyful. Even Outlook III, who had lost his son, forgot about Zarbon and happily calculated how much he could get this time.

Besides money, the land outside the city walls was also a great fortune.

Just as all the nobles were overjoyed and the banquet reached its climax, a huge window in the wall was shattered by a meteor.

Amid the exclamations of the nobles, a meteor fell in the center of the hall, revealing the figure of Brigadier General Xia Zuo.

His cold gaze locked onto the nobles present, and his chilling, undisguised murderous aura silenced everyone.

Many noble ladies fainted upon hearing his glance.

The wise king's heart pounded wildly; his previous slight regret vanished, replaced by lingering fear and a sense of relief.

He mustered his courage and asked, "Commander Xia Zuo, what brings you to the Kingdom of Goa?"

Shazo glanced at him, casually pulled out a list, and said, "I'm here to punish the criminals."

"The criminal who set fire to a large number of poor people."