Anyone there could lie through their teeth. The bearded man looked careless, but with a single sentence, he had turned everyone's attention on Loa.
Peace?
When had this world ever known peace? People could interpret that question differently, but everyone present understood what was at stake.
But was Loa an obstacle to peace?
Absolutely not!
He merely stood in the way of those who wanted more. He was an obstacle to the people who already held power.
Everyone had to pay for their actions, though. If this man wanted to test him, they would see whether he had enough up his sleeve!
Seeing Loa's posture, the bearded man seemed to grow even more excited. Rather than retreat, he strode out of the crowd. "Look at what you've done! A former Marine Vice Admiral deserted the Marines, killed a Shichibukai under the World Government, and seized the waters at the entrance to the New World. Do you still think you're an ally of Justice?!"
"Justice is always neutral. No faction can claim to represent it, and it has never had 'allies'—"
Loa suddenly withdrew his power, and the cloak billowing with Magic Power settled against his back. He regarded the bearded man with interest. "Since you want to talk to me about peace, who are you?"
Loa wasn't afraid to fight, and the bearded man was surely prepared to die here. But if Loa attacked, he would break the rules of the Tea Party and lose any grounds for cooperating with the people he had spoken to earlier.
The man's aim was obvious: he wanted to sacrifice his life to keep Loa out of these affairs. If that's your plan, I'm not going along with it!
"Me?" The bearded man froze, unable to understand why Loa, who had seemed on the