Garrison Captain Who Upheld Benevolence and Righteousness

The following morning, in an unknown stretch of sea on the Grand Line.

A three-masted sailing ship, completely shrouded in dense dark energy, floated silently through the air like a ghost, gliding steadily forward in defiance of all reason.

Inside the captain's cabin, Dawn sat in a specially made, oversized chair. His bare upper body was smooth and unscarred, and the injuries from his previous fierce battle had fully healed.

At that moment, he was devouring the mountain of food before him at a whirlwind pace. As he ate, his belly visibly swelled. By the time he swallowed the last steak, his abdomen had become round as a ball.

With a thought, he activated Life Return. His swollen belly instantly flattened as all the food was efficiently digested and absorbed, converted into pure energy reserves.

"Phew—" Dawn exhaled a warm, food-scented breath, a satisfied curve rising at the corner of his lips.

His battle with Joseph had consumed far more than expected. His energy reserves had once dropped to a dangerous level, leaving him wary throughout the return journey for fear of encountering a powerful enemy. Now that his energy had recovered by nearly half, he finally had the confidence to deal with most unexpected situations.

His gaze shifted to a corner of the cabin. There, a beautiful blonde young woman was bound in an extremely artistic yet exceptionally secure manner.

"How long are you planning to pretend to be asleep?"

Stussy's long lashes trembled as she opened her large, watery eyes, putting on a pitiful expression.

"How much longer are you going to keep me tied up like this? It's really uncomfortable..."

As she spoke, she deliberately twisted her body, making her graceful curves even more pronounced and alluring.

But Dawn remained unmoved.

"Don't waste your effort. I don't believe an elite trained at a CP training base wouldn't know Geppo. If I untie you now, what if you run away?"

Stussy solemnly promised him.

"I won't run away. Can't you trust me?"

Dawn still shook his head.

"Such promises mean nothing. Stay by my side, and when the time is right, I'll keep my promise and help you rescue Vegapunk."

A faint, almost imperceptible flicker passed through Stussy's eyes. She reined in her seductive manner and put on a resigned expression.

"Why? There were so many female agents on Yoshiwara Island. Why did you spare only me? And... how did you learn about Doctor Vegapunk and me?"

Dawn rose to his feet and began putting on the clothes hanging nearby, answering casually.

"Because none of them were as pretty as you. I like collecting beautiful women. Is that reason enough? As for why I know your secret... that is naturally my secret."

Caught off guard by such a blunt compliment about her looks, even Stussy, meticulous as she was, could not help blushing slightly.

She opened her mouth, wanting to ask more, but Dawn gave her no chance. Once dressed, he directly pushed open the door and left the captain's cabin.

Watching Dawn's tall back disappear beyond the door, Stussy's gaze became complicated and distant. She had originally joined CP and climbed step by step through talent and hard work, all so she could infiltrate the World Government's core and find an opportunity to rescue Doctor Vegapunk, who had been placed under house arrest.

For that, she had long prepared herself to sacrifice everything and fall into the mire of darkness.

Dawn's sudden appearance had destroyed Yoshiwara Island with overwhelming force and abducted her, throwing all her plans into disarray.

Her feelings toward him were exceedingly complicated. On one hand, he had taken her away from that vortex before she could completely sink into it, which left her with a trace of gratitude. On the other, the ruin of her plans had plunged her into deep confusion.

Unable to continue undercover for the sake of saving the doctor, and having lost her clear objective, what could she do in the future?

On the deck.

Dawn stood against the wind, his golden hair flying behind him. He gazed into the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly.

On the horizon ahead, the outline of an island emerged. Yet ominous smoke hung over it, and faint cries of battle drifted over on the wind.

Dawn's interest was piqued. He quietly guided the dark-shrouded ship closer, wanting to see whether he could profit from the chaos.

Blue Kingdom, royal city.

Before the towering city gates, the battle raged fiercely. The captain of the kingdom's garrison, Issho, stood at the gate with a military saber in hand, holding his ground.

His face was resolute and his gaze sharp. His moon-white kimono fluttered in the wind, giving him an extraordinary bearing.

Facing the enemy army surging in like a tide, he showed no fear. Every swing of his saber unleashed a fierce slash of sword energy, precisely cutting down swathes of enemy soldiers.

Yet the ones fighting alongside him were not the kingdom's regular soldiers, but a group of ragged slaves armed with crude weapons!

The real kingdom soldiers cowered behind the sturdy city gates, watching anxiously. From atop the walls came the lofty commands of the royal family and nobles, all telling the slaves to hold the line and use their lives to wear down the enemy's fighting strength.

In this country, only nobles were qualified to become soldiers. In the eyes of the nobles, slaves were nothing more than expendable supplies and cannon fodder.

"Fall back! Get back behind me!"

As Issho swung his saber to fend off the enemy, he shouted at the slaves around him. He carried benevolence and righteousness in his heart and could not bear to watch these innocents die.

But the slaves ignored his orders and continued charging forward numbly. In their deeply ingrained beliefs, the royal family's authority was supreme and the nobles' commands could not be defied, even if those commands sent them to their deaths.

Listening to the cold urging of the royals and nobles behind him, watching slaves fall around him like blades of grass, feeling warm blood splash across his face and body...

Something within Issho finally broke. The belief in "protection" that he had upheld seemed so laughable and feeble in the face of such naked trampling of life.

"Enough!!!"

A roar filled with pain and rage burst from Issho's throat. He abruptly withdrew his saber and abandoned resistance, allowing the ferocious enemy soldiers to rush past him and surge toward the city gates.

Some enemy soldiers, red-eyed from killing, wanted to slaughter the surviving slaves in passing to vent their anger. Issho immediately blocked them with his saber, cold killing intent locking onto those soldiers and forcing them not to act rashly.

The enemy commander seemed to understand something and immediately ordered his troops not to lay a hand on the slaves, but to attack the city gates with all their strength!

With Issho, their strongest barrier, gone, the kingdom soldiers who had lived in comfort for years and lacked real combat experience were simply unable to withstand the fierce enemy army. The city gates were quickly breached.

The enemy troops flooded into the city. Some attempted to take the opportunity to loot the civilians, but Issho stepped forward once more to stop them.

The enemy commander gave Issho a long look, then issued another order.

The army was only permitted to attack the royal family, nobles, and their soldiers. Civilians were not to be harassed.

This time, Issho sheathed his saber and stood by completely.

The result was beyond doubt. Having lost their greatest support, the rotten nobles alone were powerless against the wolfish enemy army. The royal family and nobles were swiftly purged.

The purpose of the war had been achieved—in the rules of this world, the complete destruction of the royal family meant the fall of the kingdom.

The enemy commander did not linger for battle. He decisively ordered a retreat, unwilling to remain and provoke a terrifying powerhouse like Issho, causing needless casualties.

When the flames of war died down, the surviving slaves and civilians who had escaped disaster gathered around Issho and thanked him profusely. Some even excitedly suggested that Issho, powerful and virtuous as he was, become the new king of this country. The surrounding crowd readily echoed the proposal.

However, Issho firmly refused. His face was filled with deep exhaustion and self-reproach.

"I am merely a war criminal who personally destroyed the country I swore to protect. How could I have the face to become its new king? Everyone... take care of yourselves."

He knew the rules of this world clearly. With the royal family destroyed, the Blue Kingdom existed in name only. He chose to exile himself and prepared to leave this place of sorrow.

In midair, Dawn stood on the deck of the dark-shrouded sailing ship and took in everything below. He let out a soft sigh.

"I never expected that the future Marine admiral who upheld 'benevolent justice' would become a 'war criminal' and leave his homeland in such a way... How tragic."

He had arrived when Issho gave up resisting. After recognizing him, Dawn had simply observed from the side, originally thinking he might take the chance to establish a connection with him, perhaps even try to recruit him.

But after witnessing everything Issho had done, Dawn understood that the possibility of recruiting him was vanishingly small. Even the current Issho held himself to standards that were far too moral.

Dawn knew he could not be like Issho, constantly worrying about civilians in the midst of battle. In his view, that was no different from exposing one's weakness to the enemy.

Dawn shook his head and no longer lingered. He guided the sailing ship quietly upward, merging it into the clouds and leaving this land that had just undergone a drastic upheaval.

Below, Issho, who was preparing to leave, seemed to sense something. He covertly raised his head and glanced toward where the ship had hovered moments ago, his brows knitting slightly before he continued making his final farewells to the grateful people.

To Be Continued