Don't Want This Cruel World

Three days before the public execution.

Sergeant Major Jacques let out a long breath as he stepped out of the interrogation room.

The base commander seemed especially determined, his fierce gaze constantly trying to coax something out of him.

He wasn't sure whether his body language or facial expression had given anything away, but at least he hadn't said anything.

It should be fine, right?

"You're back, Lord Jacques."

Private Third Class Joel came over.

As Marines who had all taken part in the Human Auction House Incident, they had naturally formed a circle of their own within the base.

The other Marines were still watching.

Watching to see what would happen to them.

"It should be over soon, right?"

Jacques rubbed his head. Thinking of the major operation underway at Marineford, he wasn't sure what to make of it.

Even Rear Admiral Sicily, who had originally been prepared to pursue the matter aggressively, had been forced to ease up.

If necessary, their base, situated right next to Marineford, would also head to the battlefield.

"I can't believe we really got on the wrong side of that strongest man." He shook his head, still finding it hard to believe.

"By the way, where's Brey?"

Brey was the dark-skinned man who hadn't been able to hold back his tears in front of the fire at the auction house.

Jacques had thought of him because, while Sicily was taking roll, he noticed that the older man seemed not to have returned from the very beginning.

Had he deserted?

"I haven't seen him either. I heard he might've gone to Commoner Street?" Joel wasn't sure.

"Commoner Street? Things have seemed a little unsettled over there lately. Even that guy Diouf warned me about it several times."

As the time drew closer, the Marines at both Marineford and District 66 Base seemed to be under intense pressure.

They weren't even bothering with the Supernovas who had been arriving on the island over the past few days.

One thing worth mentioning was that the Straw Hat Pirates had been shouting about rescuing the pirate who was going to be publicly executed.

The CP Organization, which was monitoring them, thought the captain of that pirate crew wasn't very bright and couldn't possibly make it past the Gate of Justice.

Commoner Street.

Not far from where Allison had set up his stall.

A secret gathering was underway inside a Bubble Bicycle rental shop.

They wore coarse linen robes, but none of them had the oversized hoods supposedly required for secret gatherings.

Of course, it was also possible they simply didn't know any better.

"We don't want this cruel world!"

The person at the center shouted, raising a bloodstained knife high.

If anyone from the Marine Base had been there, they would have recognized him as the Marine who hadn't returned to base: Private Second Class Brey.

His cry stirred a strong sense of solidarity among the people gathered around him. They all raised their own knives and shouted in unison:

"We don't want this cruel world!"

"Am I remembering wrong, or were those not Major Arrow's exact words?!"

Swan, leaning against a corner, couldn't help frowning. This gathering of Major Arrow's followers didn't seem very reliable.

Especially Brey, who looked like a fanatic.

Even less reliable!

Still, they shared one thing: they both wanted to do something.

Since she had already decided to follow Lord Arrow's path, she couldn't possibly leave all the pressure on Lord Arrow.

Freeing the slaves—

What a magnificent ideal!

In Swan's imagination, Buggy practically glowed with golden light, with several halos floating behind him.

Fortunately, after Brey's bizarre initiation ceremony, he soon got down to business.

"The Slave Catchers are still running rampant!"

A somewhat simple-minded man spoke up.

"They're already preparing to hold another auction!"

"I heard it's because another batch of the Celestial Dragons' slaves died recently."

"We can't make much of a difference just by warning tourists anymore."

The others began discussing the matter all at once.

Even Allison joined in, his voice hoarse with age.

The Marines' denial of the news had certainly been a blow to them, but it had also made them realize that they weren't alone.

They could work together to fight for the great ideal Major Arrow had put forward!

"Then let's take the initiative!"

Brey slammed his right fist down, his eyes shining brightly.

He had found the great cause he could devote his life to!

Following Lord Arrow!

"Fight the Slave Catchers? We might not be able to take them on."

Someone said it bluntly.

Compared with the Slave Catchers, who made a living abducting people, they were completely outmatched.

"No."

"I mean we take the initiative and go after the nobles and wealthy merchants who buy slaves. They're much weaker!"

Brey thought his idea was perfectly sensible.

After all, compared with the Slave Catchers, who were like guerrillas, it would be much easier to target the scattered buyers.

The nobles?!

The people at the gathering visibly froze. Their long-held beliefs had taught them that they and the nobles were fundamentally different.

Now they were actually going to target the nobles. It was almost impossible to imagine.

Wouldn't that make them just like the evil Ge Ming Army the World Government talked about?

But once the thought had occurred to them, they couldn't push it away.

The last day before the execution.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

Sicily's eyes were bloodshot. He didn't care that Buggy was only temporarily suspended from duty. Grabbing him by the hair, he slammed his head against the interrogation table.

"What did you tell them to do?!"

"How dare they attack an official residence of the World Government!"

"That's a capital crime! You're inciting them to become pirates!"

Sicily roared as if he wanted to shatter the insolent man in front of him.

He even wondered if he'd be better off going to Marineford's plaza to prepare for battle. Otherwise, once the war ended, who knew how much of his skin he'd lose as a base commander who had not only failed to do his job, but had allowed such a terrible incident to happen in his jurisdiction?

"Heh... heh."

Buggy looked at him like a restless monkey in a zoo. "Can you believe it? I actually didn't do anything."

"It's madness. Madness is like gravity. All you need is a little push."

"Ha ha ha!"

Buggy's merry laughter made the veins in Sicily's forehead throb as if they were about to burst.

He felt that order itself began to collapse simply because the man before him was nearby.

The other man was like the starting point of chaos.

Beyond his worries about his own future, a large part of his panic and anger came from his fear of an unruly future.

That fear made his expression grow ever colder.

"Is this what you wanted?"

"It's no use!"

"Do you think they're really fighting over anything? No. They're just throwing their own lives away!"

"That includes you!" Sicily's gaze fixed on Buggy, and a hint of madness crept into it.

The kind of madness that came from being touched by madness.

"You'll be executed alongside that pirate. It's by order of the World Government."