The Grand Line.
A massive warship flew the Empire's flag.
The sea breeze whipped up white spray that battered its black steel hull.
Akainu Sakazuki stood at the front of the deck.
A thick cigar rested between his fingers, its tip glowing and dimming.
A Chunin wearing a standard-issue imperial vest approached Akainu with an intelligence scroll in hand.
"Lord Sakazuki."
"The latest battle report has arrived from the front."
"Lord A, governor of Lightning Province, has just destroyed the fortress at Marine Branch 77."
"Rear Admiral Karnes attempted to resist and was captured alive. The base's entire force has been defeated."
Akainu's fingers tightened sharply around his cigar.
Hot ash fluttered down and scattered in the sea breeze.
He felt no sorrow over his former colleague's crushing defeat.
Quite the opposite.
Fierce anger churned in his chest.
"That fool Karnes."
"He spent his days throwing his weight around these waters, squeezing the people dry."
"Yet when the time came to face reality, he fell back on self-righteous, blind loyalty!"
Akainu gritted his teeth and exhaled a thick ring of smoke.
He knew all too well how those outlying Marine bases operated.
They flew the banner of justice while forcing civilians to sell their own children to pay the Heavenly Tribute.
The World Government was rotten to its core.
The Celestial Dragons were a cancer sucking the lifeblood from this world.
In the past, he had tolerated that darkness for the sake of Absolute Justice.
He had believed that if he killed every pirate in the world, civilians would finally know true peace.
Until His Majesty Chiba stripped away his last pretense in the dungeons of the Orute Kingdom.
True justice had to be founded on protecting civilians' lives.
If they disregarded whether civilians lived or died, merely to preserve