The meaning of the word freedom was extraordinary, yet it differed for everyone. Some upheld freedom within order, some freedom within morality and etiquette, some freedom within humanity, while others followed only the freedom of their own hearts.
People like pirates basically ignored the laws of all nations, disregarded human morality and ethics as they pursued their desires and vented without restraint. That distorted form of freedom was not freedom in the true sense.
Drake's injuries healed quickly, thanks to his Zoan Fruit ability. His wounds had stopped bleeding, and the pain from the broken bones in his leg had lessened somewhat. There was less sweat on Drake's forehead, but the gloom on his face had only deepened.
"Freedom? You're actually talking to me about freedom?" Drake nearly lost control as he roared, "You're talking to me about freedom in times like these? Do you know what the so-called justice of the Marines is written with? Do you know how much cannon fire and blood pirates must pay for what they need? In such an unfair and dark world, you're talking to me about freedom? Tell me, where is the freedom of this country you just saved?"
Doflamingo had once turned Dressrosa into a kingdom like a paradise on earth, drawing countless people from the New World to Dressrosa to enjoy the charm of a nation with a subtropical climate. But only after Uchiha Hikaru overthrew Doflamingo's rule did the country's truest and darkest side emerge. That fabricated peace had been built atop countless corpses.
There was only a thin line between Dressrosa's paradise and hell. Doflamingo had merely used paradise to conceal hell.
Hikaru looked at Drake and said calmly, "You're right. On the Red Line and in every corner of these seas, decay and darkness have spread everywhere.