The New World, Dressrosa's harbor.
The group slowly disembarked. Soldiers stood ramrod straight on either side ahead of them, chests out, right hands raised in salute, eyes fixed forward.
"This country has become completely different under your rule!"
Walking behind River, Aokiji glanced around as he spoke, his expression complicated.
The bustle of the streets ahead and the density of the crowds were nothing like what he had seen before.
Over the past year, he had traveled from place to place, often hearing all sorts of rumors about Dressrosa. Only now was he seeing it for himself.
If nothing else, the soldiers welcoming them at the harbor were every bit as elite as the Marines.
Their uniforms were immaculate, their spirits high. Though their strange salute differed from the Marines', they radiated the bearing of elite troops.
The words emblazoned on the officers' capes, in particular, made his gaze sharpen.
They did not bear the Marines' "Justice," but simply "The people"!
The distinction naturally gave Aokiji much to ponder. It meant that the will of Dressrosa's army rested not on vague, hollow justice, but on something concrete and real.
The members of the Vinsmoke Family followed behind, their feelings equally complicated as they took in the scene.
"Father, will we be living here from now on?"
Ichiji spoke quietly.
"Yes."
Judge nodded, his expression solemn.
He knew perfectly well that by following River here, the Vinsmoke Family had hitched itself to Dressrosa's war chariot and could never get off again.
From now on, he too would work and strive for this great nation.
Yet Judge felt little reluctance. Both the extensive island-chain defense system he had seen in the nearby waters before arriving and the elite army troops before him now had left him deeply shaken.
"It seems completely different