New Justice

At last, the torrential rain passed, leaving only the fresh scent of damp earth and air that seemed washed clean.

The lights in the shelter gradually dimmed, and crying and tension faded into soft sobs and deep breaths.

Rock and Zephyr emerged from the jungle. When sunlight broke through the clouds and fell upon them, the Marines on the shore saw those two figures—

The next moment, deafening cheers swept across the entire beach.

"Rear Admiral Rock!!!"

"Vice Admiral Zephyr is back!!!"

"The Bloodsail Pirates have been wiped out!!!"

The soldiers were like people finally releasing breath they had held in for far too long. Some could not help raising their rifles high over their heads.

It was not excitement over slaughter, but joy that Justice had been delivered and relief that the innocent had been saved.

Zephyr froze slightly. He had never seen cheers so pure, so exhilarating.

In the past, whenever he chose to "spare pirates," the Marines had understood and respected him, but their faces had never carried such ease or relief as they did today.

At that moment, he could no longer deny the heavy thought that had appeared in his heart: tolerating evil truly rotted morale.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he murmured, "Rock... perhaps you were right."

Rock paused slightly, showing only a faint smile.

Zephyr drew a deep breath, stepped forward, and regained the reassuring authority he had always possessed.

"The Bloodsail Pirates have all been executed!"

"Split off a squad to clear the supplies from the beach. Distribute all of them to the villagers!"

"Yes!!!"

The Marines answered crisply, and the ranks quickly scattered. Everyone moved with a long-lost sense of ease.

It was as though not only the sky's gloom had dispersed, but also the burden within their hearts.

Rock watched Zephyr's back and smiled faintly.

"It won't change overnight..."

"But it is changing. That's a good thing."

He raised a hand and gave it a light wave.

The rolling thunderclouds in the sky dispersed in an instant, and the dark clouds faded away as though torn apart.

The rain had stopped.

Sunlight, carrying long-lost warmth, fell over the wounded island.

Hearing the Marines' calls, the villagers finally revealed genuine smiles.

The children ran out of the shelter and burst into tears at the sight of the blue sky.

The elderly trembled as they raised their heads, welcoming the sunlight as though welcoming new life.

The entire island seemed purified by thunder, then reborn beneath the sun.

And Zephyr stood amid the light, his back resolute and unyielding.

On his shoulders rested not only the weight of a Marine cape, but the weight of a true awakening of "Justice."

In a low voice, he softly spoke to the brightening sky.

"From today onward... my Justice will not change. It will remain No-Kill."

But his next words made Rock raise his eyes.

"Because life outweighs everything. Every soul is worth saving. That is the difference between Marines and pirates."

He slowly raised the hand that had once refused to kill, then clenched it tightly into a fist. "But when there are people behind me who need protection..."

"My goal will no longer be to reform devils."

He turned and walked toward the warship, his voice echoing across the entire shore with the sea breeze. "It will be to send devils back to hell."

"Before those words, 'I'm sorry,' can ever be spoken..."

"I will end every possibility that could make someone say 'I'm sorry.'"

Rock watched Zephyr's back, stretched long and firm beneath the sunlight—

That was newborn Justice.

That was the fire he had lit with his own hands.

The sea breeze, carrying the fresh scent of grass after rain, swept over the island, brushing past broken roofs and land where hope had been rekindled.

The soldiers' morale was soaring. The ships left behind by the Bloodsail Pirates were quickly dismantled, and the timber, food, medicine, and tools were all properly sorted.

"These things are all yours!"

"Use them without worry!!!"

The villagers wept uncontrollably. An old man tried to kneel and kowtow, only for the Marines to hurriedly stop him.

"Don't, don't do that! We're Marines! This is what we're supposed to do!!!"

The villagers gave them smiles mixed with gratitude and relief. Those once-desperate eyes finally lit up again.

Looking at the village that had only elderly people and children left, the Marines felt their hearts clench.

"These houses aren't fit to live in at all! One more heavy rain, and they'll collapse!"

"Come on, lift the support beams—one, two, three—!"

"I'll reinforce this part! We're short on nails here! Go get some new ones!"

"I'll fix the granary pillars!"

They were battle-hardened soldiers, yet they bustled about like skilled carpenters and masons.

Sweat dripped into the mud, but it brought life back to the village little by little.

Zephyr stood in the distance, silently watching the scene for a long time.

The sunlight after the rain fell over his face, and for the first time, his eyes were so gentle.

For the first time, he clearly felt that the purpose of the Marines was not merely to capture pirates...

It was also to make those who had lost hope believe in the world again.

That conviction, reforged amid thunder and blood, seemed hardened even further beneath the sun.

At that moment, Rock walked over from the shore with an entire string of sea fish he had stunned with electricity slung over his shoulder.

The children's eyes widened in utter amazement.

"Waaaah! Is that a mountain of fish?!"

"So... so many!!!"

"That Marine big brother is amazing!"

Even the youths who had once been filled with hatred toward the Marines could not help drawing closer.

Amid the work and laughter, their resentment quietly melted away.

One boy clutched a sea fish tightly, sincerity filling his eyes. "Marine big brother... thank you."

Rock rubbed their heads and merely smiled faintly, but that reassured the children more than any words could.

As the sun set, the warship raised its sails and left the harbor.

The villagers on the shore waved their hands and shouted with all their strength, "Thank you!!!"

Their voices crossed the sea breeze, carrying genuine joy that welled up from their hearts.

Zephyr stood at the stern, his gaze resting on the figures who continued waving.

He silently watched this scene, one he had never seen before, yet one that shook him deeply.

The wind stirred his cape and scattered the last trace of hesitation in his heart.

The hand that had always upheld "No-Kill" slowly clenched.

A voice deep within him could no longer be ignored: Marine Justice was not about standing by helplessly and waiting for evil to raise its blade again.

Zephyr let out a long breath, his gaze firm.

The next second, he turned and strode toward the depths of the cabin, his back no longer hesitant.

The next morning · On the warship's return journey

Dawn broke, and the golden sun slowly rose from the horizon, turning the entire sea into a glittering expanse.

The Marines had just finished their morning training and were gathered in a circle, enthusiastically discussing yesterday's events.

"I carried three whole crates of supplies yesterday!"

"Yeah right. I carried more than you!"

"Rear Admiral Rock's lightning strike was so cool that I couldn't sleep last night!"

"Ow, my back's still numb, hahaha!"

The entire warship brimmed with youth, strength, and long-lost high morale.

On the other side, Zephyr was still pushing himself through extreme training.

His muscles were carved like steel, his movements clean and sharp. Every punch he threw seemed capable of tearing the air apart.

Sweat ran down the grooves of his muscles. His whole body resembled a burning furnace, heat rising from him in waves.

Bzzzt—

Lightning suddenly flashed beside him.

Rock appeared in a form of lightning, his cape fluttering lightly as silver lightning patterns danced across his body.

Zephyr stopped moving, wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, and revealed a long-lost, passionate smile.

"Rock, you brat, remember to keep training too."

"Although your Thunder Body Tempering is indeed extraordinary, you can't neglect basic training either... a man can't be lazy—"

Before he could finish, Zephyr sensed the atmosphere beside him abruptly change.

Rock did not answer. He merely stood there, staring at the distant sea.

Lightning silently blossomed around him, and his fighting spirit erupted into the sky like a volcanic explosion!

Zephyr's heart jolted. He followed Rock's gaze.

The next instant, his pupils suddenly contracted.

On the distant horizon, an enormous warship was cutting through the waves toward them.

Its hull towered high, three thick masts piercing the sky as its sails snapped in the wind.

A pirate flag billowed in the gale, symbolizing a tyrannical force capable of sweeping across the seas.

At the bow stood a figure proudly above the wind and waves.

His body was as powerful as a Giant's, his skin seeming forged from steel. A green cardigan hung open, exposing a physique like an impregnable wall of bronze and iron.

A white pirate cape draped over his shoulders, flaring wildly in the wind. One hand gripped an enormous bisento, its cold blade seeming capable of cleaving the horizon itself.

Most eye-catching of all were his dazzling blond hair and the mark of one of the sea's strongest—

A massive crescent white mustache curving upward!

Zephyr's breath caught, and every hair on his body stood on end.

He spoke the name in a low voice. "Newgate..."

Lightning burst around Rock. Lightning Roar howled like a wild beast, and even the sea was forced backward by his overwhelming presence!

At the bow of that massive ship, the man slowly raised his head.

His gaze pierced through the wind and waves, through the distance, through heaven and earth, and fixed upon the Marine warship with the oppressive majesty of one who looked down upon all living things.

—A senior officer of the Rocks Pirates

—Hailed as a "monster among monsters,"

The future leader of the Four Emperors, the prototype of the world's strongest man · Edward Newgate!!!