Two hours later, Figo greeted Doug’s warship as scheduled on Impel Down’s Level 0 platform.
The seven years hadn’t left many marks on Figo’s face, but they had not been as kind for Doug, now 78 years old.
His hair had turned completely white, and his once upright posture was slightly bent. However, this shouldn’t be the case for a strong practitioner of physical techniques unless he was sick or near the end of his life. Figo could tell that the weight of worries had worn him down.
“Teacher Doug!” The one rushing to support him wasn’t Figo but the excited Kimchi.
Four years older than Figo, Kimchi was from an earlier batch of elite recruits and also one of Doug’s students.
The old man, held by Kimchi, showed a hint of confusion in his eyes. He relaxed only after seeing Figo, who bowed his head in greeting.
“I thought after seven years I might not remember what you looked like, Figo,” Doug said. He then patted Kimchi’s arm and asked, “Why, do I look like I need someone to help me walk?”
“Ah, no, teacher,” Kimchi quickly released his grip. “I’m just… too excited. I haven’t seen you in nearly twenty years.”
“Twenty years?” Doug took a closer look at Kimchi and suddenly remembered. “Oh, I remember you now. You’re… Kin Gong!”
“…Teacher, it’s Kimchi.”
“Ah, sorry, sorry.” The old man apologized readily and laughed heartily. “I remember you. You were one of the best in your batch, especially good at Tekkai, right, little Kin?”
Kimchi became even more excited. Fourteen years ago, it was with Tekkai that he faced Figo’s sword.
“Little Kin?” Figo suddenly said, “Teacher Doug, do you still remember Mia’s full name?”
“Mia’s full name?!” Doug immediately stepped back, clearly startled and afraid he wouldn’t remember and that Figo would tell Mia. After a few seconds of thought, he glared at Figo, “I just have a bad memory, not a bad brain!”
Figo laughed heartily.
Doug also laughed, but soon restrained his laughter, shaking his head. “No need to deliberately cheer up this old man. I’m not that fragile yet. Let’s take care of business first, Figo, little Kin.”
“Alright.” Figo and Kimchi escorted Doug into Impel Down and guided him to the interrogation room on the first level.
On the way, Figo asked, “Teacher, is it confirmed that the Revolutionary Army’s Saint with a bounty of 1.2 billion is Gerald’s sister, Sapphire from the story we heard years ago? How did she surpass the bounty limits of the sea in just a few years?”
“I’ve corrected you many times before. Although she was a little girl in the story, she is actually the same age as you, 35 this year.” Doug shook his head. “She’s a top talent in the world, just like you. No, purely in terms of talent, she might be even stronger than you.”
“If she had joined the navy when she was young, she would have undoubtedly become an admiral.” Doug said regretfully, “But perhaps she wouldn’t have grown to her current level without going through those hardships.
“Several times she escaped ambushes, the World Government has confirmed that her Observation Haki can foresee the future to an extremely rare degree. She also acquired the Logia-type Snow-Snow Fruit, and her abilities have awakened, allowing her to influence the weather on a large scale and fly with wings, making her very difficult to capture.
“Of course, in terms of personal strength, she probably still falls short of the original two sea emperors—the Hellish Man with a bounty of 965 million and the Gluttonous King with a bounty of 999 million. But considering her threat and potential, plus the suspicion that she was behind the murder of Saint Casselia seven years ago, her bounty was exceptionally set at 1.2 billion.”
Figo’s expression stiffened for a moment, leading Doug into the interrogation room. “Teacher, can I listen in?”
Doug nodded. “Of course, you’re the warden of Impel Down, a position higher than mine. This is your territory. But… little Kin will have to stay out. There are some things better left unknown.”
Kimchi was left feeling aggrieved outside.
Inside the interrogation room, Gerald, who had been extremely tense since being brought in, clenched his fists tightly upon seeing Figo accompany an elderly admiral inside, his sense of foreboding deepening.
Doug examined him a few times, then sat down in a chair. “You look fatter than your wanted poster, living quite well?”
“Three meals a day, plenty of food and meat,” Figo said.
“Is that so?” Doug said. “Nothing to worry about, nothing to take care of, eating well, sleeping soundly. This guy is quite lucky, living much more comfortably than that girl, Sapphire.”
Clang! In an instant, Gerald stretched the chains binding him to their limit, his eyes bloodshot as a terrifying Conqueror’s Haki emanated from him, and he roared.
“What happened to Sapphire?!”
Doug didn’t even frown. “So, you have the potential of a king? Don’t bite. Sapphire is fine, at least for now, she is.”
As Doug recounted the events, the ferocity in Gerald’s eyes gradually faded, and he slowly sat back down, feeling as if the world had become unreal.
The little girl he once had to care for had unknowingly surpassed all his achievements, becoming someone the World Government had to take seriously and be wary of? The highest bounty?
And…
“That damn celestial dragon is dead? When?” Gerald asked hoarsely.
“The night you were captured, while returning by sea, he was ambushed and killed, the entire ship sinking. The perpetrator is unknown.” Doug replied.
Gerald paused, shaking his head. “It wasn’t Sapphire. She hadn’t eaten the Snow-Snow Fruit at that time.”
“That’s no longer important. Gerald, the World Government has proposed using your public execution to lure the witch into a trap. Do you think Sapphire will come to save you?” Doug asked.
Leaning against the wall, Figo shifted his position.
Gerald once again stretched the chains to their limit, gritting his teeth as he approached Doug, squeezing out a crazed and mocking smile. “Ha, so this is the righteous navy? Are you navy or dogs of the World Government? Using such despicable tactics against her?!”
Bang!!
Suddenly, Doug punched! His fist, as big as a sandbag, slammed into Gerald’s face, spraying blood and sending Gerald crashing into the wall!
“Fool! Are you seeking our navy’s help with such childish tactics now? Why should we help you, a pirate?
“You think you love Sapphire? What else have you done for her besides adopting her and saving her life? Sold her to slavers? Got caught and dragged her down? Face reality, Laughing Gerald, you’re an absolute fool!
“If you weren’t foolish, when you attacked the celestial dragon, you would have been more thorough! You would have been more careful! You wouldn’t have arrogantly hidden it from Sapphire! Maybe you would have succeeded, and none of this would have happened!”
Doug’s chest heaved as if his anger was burning, and he panted heavily. It wasn’t pure anger but rather frustration and disappointment.
His words were somewhat unsuitable for his position. Figo had never seen Admiral Doug show such fierceness and anger before. It seemed unfounded and sudden but managed to scold Gerald, who was bleeding and crumpled on the ground.
The interrogation room fell silent for a long time.
Gerald finally spoke softly, “Please, kill me… I can see you’re different, you’re good people… Kill me, or help… give me the means to commit suicide.”
Doug sat back down. “I wouldn’t dare! I’m not a good person; I’m a coward.”
Gerald looked up at him.
“I’m a coward,” Doug repeated. “Seven years ago, after hearing your story, I mobilized a warship in the afternoon, intending to kill that celestial dragon who stained justice, but ultimately, I didn’t have the courage and chose to endure.
“I’ve endured all my life!
“Whenever I felt impulsive, I would tell myself: Doug, you’re a marine. You bear the responsibility of justice. You’ve trained thousands of marine recruits. Your actions set an example for them!
“You can’t act recklessly. You developed the six techniques. You’re over seventy. You can’t leave a blemish on your record. Your name is meant to be engraved in marine history!
“The navy’s role is to maintain the World Government’s rule. Where there is light, there is darkness. That’s true everywhere. You must believe this!”
He laughed, his back bending even more. “The Cheer-Cheer Fruit is really great. Since receiving the order to capture Sapphire, I’ve been encouraging myself every morning: Although she’s not a pirate, although she saved many people, many slaves, she might cause greater harm than the great pirates.
“If left unchecked, the Revolutionary Army will grow more rampant. It will attract schemers and ambitious people, or maybe they already exist, causing chaos that will engulf the world and harm the innocent!
“So this time, I still have to choose to be a coward… follow the World Government’s plan, and you’ll be taken away… for public execution.”
Gerald didn’t roar or speak again.
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