A cure for the root of the illness

"To cure an illness, you must treat its root. The Shichibukai are the Navy's grave illness!"

"Well said! Admiral, your views speak straight to my heart."

Issho drained his cup, his face brimming with delight.

"Do you know how to cure it, Issho?"

"I would be glad to hear the details."

Lofan turned the wine cup in his hand and said softly:

"Illness afflicts people. When someone falls ill, their energy stagnates, their thoughts grow muddled, and they struggle through their days in a daze.

When the Navy falls gravely ill, orders fail to get through and go unheeded, while the people suffer terribly and can hardly find justice."

Issho nodded silently at his words. In this day and age, true marines were rare, and true justice rarer still.

"The Navy's illness now is the Shichibukai, but unless we treat the root, who can say there won't be eight warlords or nine warlords in the future? These are merely symptoms."

"Do you mean you have a remedy for the root of the illness, Cloud Gull Admiral?"

Lofan chuckled:

"I do!"

"Since this illness stems from the Navy itself, we must naturally act from within, purge its corrupt culture, and build a force of Absolute Justice!"

"First, we severely punish the corrupt and set an example of zero tolerance for corruption. Then we teach the ideals of justice to the Navy's rank and file, foster an opposition to corruption, and put the development of just principles into practice."

"With this two-pronged approach, we will surely achieve unprecedented results."

Issho only understood part of it, but Lofan's determination was plain to see.

He asked, "What exactly do you intend to do, Admiral, and what does this have to do with seeking me out?"

"I recently took charge of the Navy Criminal Search Bureau, overhauled its system, and straightened out its rules and regulations. Only while handling a recent corruption case at a branch did I realize how badly we lacked capable people."

Lofan told Issho everything he planned to do, as well as what he had already done.

This was to tell him that he was not making grand, empty promises.

He truly was working hard to change the Navy, but he was short of people, so his reason for seeking Issho out was obvious.

"Having searched throughout the Grand Line, I believe someone as kindhearted and exceptionally capable as you, Issho, would certainly be willing to do something this beneficial for the people."

Issho fell silent again, his thoughts unknown.

Lofan did not rush him for an answer. Instead, he began telling a story about something he had experienced.

"While investigating corruption at a branch, I went to an island whose people lived entirely by fishing. They had lived and worked in peace, until one day pirates suddenly attacked."

"Such things are all too common at sea. I truly despise them as well."

"But do you know, Issho? Later, the Navy encircled those pirates to wipe them out, yet they continued committing atrocities on the island. Do you know why?"

"Could it be..."

Issho had already found the truth in Lofan's earlier words. It was another filthy affair too appalling to look upon.

"Yes. Marines were controlling the pirates to profit from them, and this was only one small incident among many. Even when my investigation reached the branch's rear admiral, it was still nothing more than the end of a thread."

"Damn them!"

Using authority and strength not to carry out justice, but to oppress the powerless-this was the way of the world.

"There is no end to the pirates we can hunt, and no end to these filthy people we can arrest. But we cannot stop arresting them. These people can, at most, bring disaster to one area, but if the Navy itself goes wrong, the harm it causes will far exceed that of pirates."

"Your words have truly broadened my horizons, Cloud Gull Admiral."

Issho turned in his seat and slowly bowed to Lofan in respect.

The man before him was merely a youth not yet twenty, yet all his thoughts and actions took the people of the world as their starting point.

An admiral like this deserved his bow.

Lofan reached out with both hands to help him up and asked again:

"Issho, I need you. The Navy needs you. Most importantly, these people who have suffered so much need you."

"Of course. Now, I certainly cannot shirk this duty!"

"Good! Good! With you, Issho, I am a tiger given wings. Together, we will surely uproot this Seven Warlords of the Sea system and make the Navy's justice resound across the sea!"

Issho smiled. He finally understood how he needed to change this rotten world.

The two talked with growing enthusiasm, drinking until they were pleasantly tipsy.

Just then, two graceful beauties entered the tavern, bowed slightly together in greeting, and spoke:

"Cloud Gull Admiral, His Majesty the King sent us to offer his greetings. His Majesty said that the Fortune Kingdom will cover all your expenses on the island, solely to thank you for your great feat of eliminating Kaido."

Lofan narrowed his eyes slightly. After a moment's thought, he grasped Heng Youcai's intentions.

"Please, there's no need to be so formal. I'll be leaving shortly. Please convey my apologies to the king. My naval duties keep me too busy to visit him."

"Understood. Then please make yourself comfortable, Cloud Gull Admiral. We will take our leave."

The two were about to leave when Lofan spoke:

"I hear His Majesty can control financial fortune. I'm quite curious about that, and I hope to visit him in person next time."

"Yes."

After answering, Duobao and Duocai immediately hurried back to the palace to report.

"Could you spare a little more time, Cloud Gull Admiral? Since I've decided to do this, I'd like to say goodbye to an old friend. I fear I won't have time to see him again."

Issho picked up his Cane Sword, his nimble movements looking nothing like those of a blind man.

"Of course. Then I'll return to the warship and wait. You should be able to find it, right, Issho?"

Lofan did not mind. Although he had been certain he could persuade Issho, he was still quite pleased to have actually gotten him to make up his mind.

"Why not come with me, Admiral? This old fellow is an interesting man, and I'm quite curious about the Navy Criminal Search Bureau. We can discuss it along the way."

"All right."

Though Issho had not yet enlisted, he had already taken the matter to heart, so Lofan walked back to the Woof Woof Royal Casino with him.

"This old friend of mine is called Ao San. We both love gambling, but he has rather grand ambitions when it comes to it."

After asking the casino staff to notify Ao San, the two went upstairs to a private room. Only then did Lofan learn that Ao San was the owner of this gambling house.

"An admiral?!"

Ao San had a completely bald head and a large, muscular build.

Although he seldom followed current affairs, the Justice Coat and the military insignia on Lofan's shoulders made his rank easy to identify.

Ao San hurriedly rose, his mind beginning to work.

He had some impression of the three admirals' faces, but he had certainly never seen this one.

Still, he had heard plenty about Kaido of the Beasts' defeat, and the name that came up most often was a new admiral codenamed Yun'ou.

He immediately seized on the key point. So young-it had to be him.

"To think the Cloud Gull Admiral would visit my humble little gambling house. Your presence truly honors us."

Ao San stepped forward to welcome the two into the private room, then personally fetched a pot of fine wine.

Someone who could run a gambling house and cheat for years without being caught was probably full of cunning down to the tips of his hair.

Thus, he figured out in an instant why Lofan had come with Issho.