If Zephyr's fury just now had been like an erupting volcano, then under Kizaru's relentless questions, his silence now was as frozen and deep as the sea.
A sense of helplessness, of pent-up frustration and anger with nowhere to vent, and of indescribable sorrow filled his heart.
Though he kept trying to banish the thought, Zephyr couldn't stop Kizaru's final question from resurfacing in his mind: Was he also an accomplice in the deaths of his wife and children, and his students?
Was he?
Perhaps he was!
Zephyr thought back over his decades in the Navy, during which he had prided himself on his righteous service. Under the banner of making compromises for the sake of justice, how many of the World Government's dark deeds had he ignored?
At that thought, Zephyr gave a faint, desolate smile. He looked at Kizaru, an aura of death surrounding him, as if he were on the verge of expiring.
"Perhaps you're right! When I turned a blind eye to the World Government's actions in the name of so-called justice, I had already made a mistake. Standing by and doing nothing while others commit violence is itself a form of violence."
"Teacher!"
Aokiji looked at Zephyr with concern. At the same time, he couldn't help recalling his own experiences and empathizing with him. Kizaru's words had stirred up a sense of guilt in him, too.
Looking at the two men sunk in despair, Kizaru brought the cigar in his hand to his lips and held it there. Then he clapped his hands together with a sharp crack, drawing them out of their self-reproach.
"My questions just now weren't meant to accuse you of anything. I wanted you to see that under the World Government's iron hand, even the Navy, which can claim to represent