In the clearing in the woods ahead, a tall figure had appeared and was now standing there.
He wore a white waistcoat and dark trousers, with a white overcoat embroidered with the word "Justice," and had a head of tousled black hair.
His face showed signs of fatigue, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and he exuded a faint chill that made the surrounding air temperature drop slightly.
The newly Marine Admiral, " Aokiji " Kuzan!
Kuzan's gaze first fell on the giant Saul, filled with shock, disappointment, and suppressed anger.
His gaze then swept over Roy, Tesoro, and Bullet, finally settling on Olvia and Robin, his expression becoming incredibly complex.
" Saul..."
Kuzan's voice was low, filled with suppressed anger and deep disappointment.
"It really was you... you really are here."
Tell me, why?
Why betray the Navy?
"You let a wanted criminal go free, and now you're hanging out with these... pirates?"
He pointed to Roy and the others.
" The Roy Pirates... Enies Lobby, Impel Down, and now Ohara!"
You've really stretched your reach far!
Saul, have you already joined them?!
Saul gently put down the scholar in his hand, stepped forward, stood in front of the crowd, and faced his former colleague and friend.
His enormous face was etched with pain and determination.
" Kuzan..."
"I have never betrayed the 'justice' in my heart."
"I let Olvia go because I couldn't stand what the World Government was doing!"
The scholars of Ohara are simply a group of researchers seeking historical truth!
They had no weapons, no army; they explored with only pens and minds!
What kind of crime is this that endangers the world?
Is it necessary to resort to a ' Buster Call, ' a method that exterminates everything?!
He pointed to the center of the island behind him, which was being engulfed by artillery fire.
"Look at this! Kuzan! This is exactly what the World Government and the Navy are doing!"
"Use artillery fire to obliterate knowledge and slaughter civilians!"
Is this the 'justice' you believe in?!
I didn't join the Roy Pirates, but I admire what they're doing right now—saving people, not killing them!
Kuzan's face grew even uglier under Saul's questioning; he clenched his fists, and the chill emanating from him intensified.
Saul's words touched upon some deep-seated contradictions he had been avoiding.
Just then, Roy spoke up, sounding somewhat impatient.
"Hey, you two, could you wait a bit before catching up and discussing the philosophy of life?"
Didn't you see the shelling behind them? It's almost burning over here!
Could you please make way so we can board the boat?
"You can talk about your 'justice' all you want after we leave."
Kuzan's cold gaze shifted to Roy.
"Walk?"
" Roy, do you think you can get away with this today?"
Involved in the Ohara Incident, intending to protect 'sinners' whom the World Government explicitly wanted to eliminate.
That alone gives me ample reason to arrest you all!
"Arrest?"
Bullet grinned maliciously, took a step forward, and a violent aura rose up.
"You? The newly appointed Admiral?"
Perfect timing! I've been wanting to test the limits of the navy's top-tier combat power for ages!
Tesoro chuckled softly, and golden arcs of electricity began to dance around him.
"Well, it seems like I can't leave without a fight."
Boss, let's finish this quickly?
Roy's hand slowly rested on the hilt of the sword at his waist, his eyes sharpening.
He really didn't want to fight a deadly battle with Marine Admiral here, especially with a group of burdens in tow.
But the other party clearly wasn't planning to let them pass easily.
The atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point; a battle was about to erupt!
However, at this tense moment, on the distant sea...
Suddenly, a series of even more frequent and intense explosions rang out!
The flames illuminated half the sky, and even from here, you could see the huge fireball and thick smoke rising from the sea!
That wasn't the sound of shelling Ohara, but... an explosion on the sea!
Everyone instinctively looked towards the sea.
In the direction of the Ohara docks, large and small boats carrying panicked civilians, which had just sailed a short distance from the shore, were visible.
It is currently under heavy artillery fire!
Ship after ship was hit, exploded, burned, and slowly sank into the icy sea!
Cries and pleas for help were drowned out by the explosion; wreckage and debris floated on the sea...
"That's... a civilian's boat?!" a young scholar screamed.
Kuzan's pupils suddenly contracted, and for the first time, an expression of disbelief and shock appeared on his face.
Of course he knew those were civilian boats!
The Buster Call ordered the destruction of Ohara, but as is customary, the Navy usually doesn't exterminate civilians who voluntarily flee.
Especially these evacuation ships that are clearly not combat vessels!
"Why... why fire on civilian ships?!" Kuzan's voice trembled slightly.
Roy's Observation Haki clearly detected the cold, resolute aura emanating from the flagship—
Akainu Sakazuki, immediately understood what was going on.
Roy gave a mocking sneer and said sarcastically without any mercy,
"Why? Isn't it obvious, Admiral Aokiji?"
Because your Navy's new Admiral, Akainu Sakazuki 'Akainu', upholds absolute 'justice'!
To prevent any scholars from Ohara from escaping among the civilians, it was better to exterminate the civilians as well, rather than let one guilty person go free!
Wow, that's really efficient and clean. As expected of the Marine Headquarters ' top combat force, their execution of orders is truly thorough!
"Shut up!"
Kuzan turned his head sharply and glared at Roy, but the wavering and shock deep in his eyes could not be concealed.
Roy's words were like a sharp knife, dissecting the bloody reality.
It also struck a nerve with the very contradiction he had been trying to avoid.
Saul roared in anger.
" Kuzan! Look at this! This is the Navy you serve now! They don't even spare innocent civilians! Do you still uphold this kind of 'justice'?!"
The sight of ships burning and sinking on the sea, the questioning from fellow countrymen (even traitors) and strange pirates, and the deep-seated wavering of one's definition of "justice."
Like three waves crashing against Kuzan's conviction.
The already heavy chill emanating from him now began to fluctuate violently and uncontrollably.
The air crackled softly, and a thin layer of frost began to form on the ground.
"Ah la la la la..."
Kuzan let out a low, suppressed laugh, but the laugh was filled with anger, confusion, and pain.
"This is really... infuriating!!"
boom!
A terrifying chill erupted from Kuzan's body like a volcanic eruption!
Centered on him, the ground, trees, and rocks within a radius of tens of meters were instantly covered with a thick layer of solid ice, and the ice layer was still spreading rapidly outwards!
Moisture in the air condenses into ice crystals, causing the temperature to plummet!