The Navy's traitor and thankless wretch

Just when the pirates were in despair, a voice rang out. "Why despair?"

A figure stepped forward, stood atop the warship's figurehead, and declared loudly, "The voyage isn't over yet! Pops's orders are for us to return to the New World!"

How can we stop here?

It was Ace, battered and exhausted Ace!

As a young man who had just come of age, his body was still quite thin, far from being as robust as Whitebeard's.

Marco could even see that Ace's body was trembling slightly from the pain of his wounds.

However, Ace stepped forward, his figure standing tall and straight on the figurehead, the huge Whitebeard Pirates symbol behind him shining brightly.

Marco felt a momentary dizziness, Ace's not-so-robust figure reminded him of his stalwart Pops.

Sure enough, his Pops was right; Ace and he were the same kind of man.

A leader who stands tall and upright!

Marco stared blankly at Ace, who was covered in wounds, and uttered his name: "Ace?"

"Ace!"

"Ace!!"

"Marco, Pops's orders are not to be disobeyed!" Ace adjusted his cowboy hat and turned to say, "Our ship cannot stop until we return to the New World!"

"If anything dares to stand in our way—"

"Then let me wipe it out."

Ace's aura suddenly surged, and his awe-inspiring Conqueror's Haki burst forth, sweeping across the entire sea. Orange-red flames also erupted from his body.

With half his body already engulfed in flames, Ace leaped into the air, lightly soaring into the sky. He raised his left hand, which was ablaze with Kakkō, and swung it downwards, unleashing a raging torrent of fire.

[Fire Fist]

The orange wave of fire transformed into a giant flaming fist that crashed down from the sky, causing massive flames to erupt on the sea surface and sending up plumes of white mist.

A drop in the ocean often fuels a fire; the release of steam further increases the temperature of the flame, turning its color from orange to gold.

The raging Kakkō clung to the surface of the sea and spread in all directions, as if the entire ocean were ablaze.

More than ten warships were engulfed by the flames in an instant, turning into burning torches and billowing black smoke within a few breaths.

The Whitebeard Pirates ' ship seemed to be sailing on Sea of Fire.

Looking at the flames around them, the pirates felt a renewed sense of hope rekindle in their hearts, which had been ashen.

The Whitebeard Pirates are not dead! We have a new leader!

The Red Fox, having caught up, furled its sails. The members of the Red Hair Pirates watched the Sea of Fire and the pirate ship sailing away into the Sea of Fire.

Red-Haired Shanks laughed heartily, "I've staked my future on the East Blue, on Luffy, but it seems Ace is quite resentful."

"However, he was probably drawn to Whitebeard and followed in Whitebeard's footsteps, effectively withdrawing from the race to become the Pirate King."

"And that guy Shazo, he suddenly went from hiding himself to being completely undisguised. Has he made all the preparations, or has he developed to the point where he has no choice but to rely on his strength?"

Red-Haired Shanks laughed, "The future is getting more and more interesting."

On the beach in Marineford, Red-Haired Shanks was gone, and Shazo was still holding up Koby, the Pink-Hair boy, his strong right hand pinching him until he was crying and snotting.

The water flowed down, but they did not die.

Suddenly, Garp spoke up, "Shazo, let go of Koby. Red-Haired Shanks has already left; there's no need to keep up the act."

Shazo smiled brightly, "Vice Admiral Garp, why would you think I'm acting?"

"A Navy Lieutenant, during wartime, in front of tens of thousands of sailors and pirates, stopped the navy from attacking the pirates, with the aim of protecting the pirates' lives."

"Vice Admiral Garp, what kind of behavior is this?"

Garp didn't answer; there was no way to answer that question.

Shazo didn't expect an answer. Instead, he lifted Koby high in the air and shouted, "This is betrayal!!"

"In the name of utmost good, they commit the most heinous betrayal!!"

"Traitor! Die!!"

As the word "death" was uttered, Shazo twisted Koby's neck with his right hand.

At the same time, he raised his left hand high, blocking a huge black fist.

Boom!!

The ground beneath Shazo's feet suddenly sank, forming a bowl-shaped crater, a result of his inability to fully absorb the attacker's force.

The quantity is the result of having to unleash its power onto the earth.

The attacker also suffered greatly. Under Shazo's recoil, three deep gashes were torn in his chest, and blood instantly stained his white military uniform.

Shazo sneered, "Vice Admiral Garp, I remember when Admiral Sakazuki attacked Ace, you weren't this resolute and decisive."

"Is it because my status is inferior to Admiral Sakazuki, which makes you less hesitant, or is it because this Pink-Hair traitor is more important to you than your grandson Ace?"

"Oh, no, your grandson Luffy was also attacked by Admiral Sakazuki back then, yet you remained completely unmoved, showing no concern whatsoever for your grandson's life."

"It seems that this crybaby, this traitor, is more important to you."

Garp clenched his fists, the veins on the back of his hands throbbing, clearly showing his shock and anger, but the black layer that represented his Haki had faded away.

"Don't talk nonsense! I only wanted to stop you from killing a marine. I'm the one I'm trying to save!"

Shazo shook his head and said, "I... don't... believe."

"But it doesn't matter, because I didn't kill the navy, I killed traitors who defected in the face of battle."

He raised his hand and waved it, saying, "Don't try to argue with me. I don't care what he says or thinks; I only care about what he does."

Sakazuki laughed loudly, "Although I still don't like Brigadier General Shazo, I think he's right!"

"Garp -senpai, no matter what Koby says, it doesn't change the fact that he's blocking the Navy to protect the pirates."

"Conduct is the sole criterion for confirming a crime!"

Sengoku also spoke up, "Garp, Shazo did the right thing."

"His only mistake was that a considerable amount of time had passed since Koby's betrayal, and he killed someone without my permission."

Sengoku looked at Shazo and said, "Therefore, I will reduce your military rank by one level as punishment. Are you willing to accept it?"

Shazo stood at attention and bowed, saying, "I accept!"

Sengoku nodded in satisfaction. "That's settled then."

"Naval officers and men, treat the wounded, and those who are not injured, clean up the battlefield."

"Yes!"

The naval personnel disbanded as ordered by the Fleet Admiral and went about their respective tasks.

The Fleet Admiral Sengoku also left; there were too many things to coordinate, and he had a lot to do next.

Admiral Borsalino, also known as Kizaru, left with Sengoku.

As a seasoned slacker, he had already exceeded the expected level of seriousness and responsibility today, and desperately needed a rest.

Vice Admiral Garp, Admiral Aokiji, and Akainu stayed behind, seemingly having something to say.

Garp, relying on his seniority, was the first to step up to Shazo and ask, "Why did you kill Koby?"

Shazo thought to himself, "Of course he just doesn't like him and wants to kill him."

In the Pirate World, the person Shazo most wants to kill is definitely Momonosuke, because— Momonosuke must die!!

But the second person he wanted to kill was Koby, whom he had just crushed to death with a "smack".

He was kidnapped, bullied, tortured, and driven by pirates, but was educated, trained, and trusted in the Navy. However, he stopped Admiral Sakazuki from killing pirates in order to protect their lives.

"Ungrateful wretch" is an understatement to describe him!

This bastard is a total hypocrite and a radical leftist!

Faced with pirates who committed countless atrocities, he tried his best to find the good qualities in these villains.

Faced with the navy maintaining order, he proposed perfect conditions that were impossible to achieve.

He deserves to die!

Of course, he couldn't say it directly, so Shazo replied, "As I just said, he's a traitor to the Navy, so I'm going to kill him."

Garp shook his head and said, "Shazo, I know you very well, and I know you wouldn't kill someone over something so trivial."

"That only shows you don't know me well enough," Shazo retorted directly. "My 77th Branch is extremely disciplined. Anyone who violates the rules will be severely punished by me."

"If violating discipline is treated like this, what about betrayal?"

The two stared at each other for a long time, and finally Garp closed his eyes, revealing a pained expression, and chased after Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

Aokiji Admiral over and sighed, "Shazo, you went too far by Koby."

Shazo picked at his ear with his little finger, indicating that he did not accept Kuzan's statement.

Akainu Admiral the last to approach. "You've impressed me today. I have to admit, you did a great job."

Shazo smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes, "Admiral Akainu, my Plain Justice and your Absolute Justice are different, but in the specific environment of the battlefield, it just so happens that our Justice are exactly the same."

Sakazuki nodded. "I understand, but I still have to say: very well done."

After saying that, he left.

Shazo noticed that the strongest Admiral was staggering, each step difficult, clearly indicating that his injuries had become so severe that they were difficult to control.

He then understood why Akainu had acted out of character and chosen to compromise when faced with Red-Haired Shanks' threat.

It turns out that Sakazuki had become so weak that he could barely stand.

Suddenly, Shazo thought of Blackbeard and wondered if the guy had Luck the burning of the Phoenix's purifying fire.

I'll go check it out whenever I think of it.

Blackbeard is gone, and along with him, "Fighting Champion" Jesus Burgess and "Devil Sheriff" have also disappeared.

Lafitte, Shiryu of the Rain.

The Ice Sculpture of "Death God" Doc Q and "Big Barrel" Bacchus Shot are still there, but they've been smashed.

Shazo smiled.

Blackbeard's departure was a good thing. It shows his immense strength and unparalleled luck, ensuring his survival in the New World.

The Blackbeard Pirates, weakened by their own actions, were now facing off against the Whitebeard Pirates, who had also been weakened by the Navy.

Blackbeard was clearly stronger than Ace, but the Whitebeard Pirates were clearly stronger than the Blackbeard Pirates.

With Ace as their new leader, the Whitebeard Pirates will no longer be a disorganized mess. The two equally matched pirate crews, each with their own advantages and irreconcilable differences, will surely stir up trouble and keep the New World in turmoil.

While they were fighting fiercely, Kaido's Beasts Pirates and Big Mom's Big Mom Pirates managed to refrain from getting involved in this Emperor of the Sea battle.

The Red Hair Pirates can use their reputation to hold off the Marines, but they can't use their reputation to hold off another pirate crew that is also Emperor of the Sea, let alone their strength.

If Red-Haired Shanks had the ability to take on two opponents at once, he would have already taken action against Kaido and Big Mom.

Whitebeard has been plagued by injuries for the past ten years or so, and his decline is visibly evident; he's completely out of sorts.

In short, the balance of power in the New World has been broken, and what follows is immense chaos.

Old kings will fall, and new kings will rise.

Amidst this chaos, the navy will undergo a transformation, and the current 77th Branch East Blue Branch will rapidly expand into a behemoth within the navy.

This is why Shazo, despite possessing invincible power, still chooses to stay within the Navy; he has already devoured...

Why abandon all the preparations the entire navy has made to become a pirate?

After all, the limits of pirates are limited.

Given the restless nature of pirates, the two-tiered pirate crew structure represents the limit of pirate organization, so there will never be a greater achievement than that of the Emperor of the Sea.

The so-called Pirate King is ultimately just a king.

The only forces truly capable of conquering the world are either navies or Revolutionary Army.

Judging from the Revolutionary Army's development over the past two years, Shazo is not optimistic about them, because he had seen a real Revolutionary Army and a real revolution in his previous life.

The Revolutionary Army established by Long was still at the level of "acting on behalf of Heaven" in Mount Liang; they were just resolute in their revolutionary attitude and did not want to be recruited by the government.

If it weren't for this attitude, Shazo would have done more than just wipe out the nobles in the East Blue; he would have definitely wiped out the Revolutionary Army as well.

For example, three years after Shazo had made his preparations and captured Tequila Wolf, he discovered that Barney Joe of the Revolutionary Army had been secretly preparing for an uprising among the slaves.

Shazo neither exposed Barney Joe nor paid him any attention, but continued his work of freeing slaves, leaving the Revolutionary Army in a state of distress: his work had been done by the navy, so was the mission accomplished or not?

The World Government did not value this so-called "Bridge Country," treating it merely as a dumping ground for its enslaved population, using an impossible task as a pretext to justify eliminating what they considered garbage.

Therefore, the World Government's control over this area is very weak, with virtually no surveillance whatsoever, and they failed to detect even such obvious activities as Barney Joe's.

To this day, Tequila Wolf has been under Shazo's control for three years without being discovered by anyone.

Because the official documents state that the Bridge Kingdom is still operating normally, ship after ship of slaves are still being sent there every month to become marines under Shazo's command.