The sudden voice startled Lieutenant Bill.
Seeing who had arrived, he immediately stood at attention and saluted.
“Admiral Aokiji!”
“Yes, continue with your work. I need to talk to Rosha.”
Kuzan smiled at him and then turned to Rosha, who was dazed, waving a liquor bottle.
“Rosha, want to have a drink? I brought some good stuff.”
Watching the tall, silver-haired youth follow Aokiji away, Bill sighed.
“Ensign Rosha is really pushing himself too hard. Despite his severe injuries, he went out to hunt pirates without much rest. I hope he can move past whatever is troubling him. Pirates will never be fully eradicated, and overworking himself will only harm his health.”
“Someone! Bring the bounty posters and sort out the heads of the pirates with bounties. The rest, chain them up and throw them onto Paya Island!”
Paya Island, an uninhabited island near Senrock Island, was used to dispose of pirate corpses and was known as the North Blue Pirates’ Graveyard. It was one of the reasons why Base 177 could stand firm in the Prince’s Kingdom without being challenged by pirates.
The jagged coastline and the salty sea breeze created ripples on the water.
As dusk approached, the setting sun painted the sky golden.
A bottle of liquor was tossed over by Kuzan, and Rosha silently caught it.
The two sat facing each other on the rocks by the sea in the setting sun.
Kuzan smiled and reached into his cracked chest, pulling out another bottle of liquor.
The bottle was still emitting white frost.
“Chilled, try it. This is a good drink for real men, brought from Marineford.”
Kuzan removed the cork and extended the bottle towards Rosha, clinking it.
Rosha looked at the bottle, “So it’s Sherry wine?”
Kuzan paused in his drinking motion, surprised, “You know Sherry wine?”
“I’ve heard of it. There’s a fruit wine in Senrock Town called Sally.”
Rosha removed the cork and took a swig.
As soon as he took a big gulp, he choked on the hot liquor, coughing heavily. His youthful face quickly flushed red.
“This wine…is strong.”
Rosha frowned, looking at the bottle.
Just one gulp made his throat feel like it was on fire.
The liquor burned in his stomach as well.
The alcohol’s rapid effect made him feel lightheaded almost immediately.
“Do they sell Sally fruit wine here? It’s made by the same producer as Sherry wine.”
Kuzan was just expressing his surprise when he saw Rosha’s miserable state and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hmm? You can’t handle your liquor, Rosha? That’s no good. Liquor is a good thing. As a promising talent in the Navy, you’ll need it for social events and gatherings. Not being able to drink would be a disadvantage.”
Rosha smiled bitterly, taking another small sip of the Sherry wine, but it still burned his throat.
He, indeed couldn’t handle liquor.
Especially such strong spirits.
The Sally wine in Senrock Town was more like apple cider.
In his past life, he had lived to fifteen without finishing junior high.
Back then, having an alcoholic father who would drink away his sorrows and then beat him made him detest alcohol.
Now, he just wanted to use alcohol to release some of the pent-up emotions within him.
Seeing Rosha take several gulps of Sherry wine, his face turning red, Kuzan smiled.
“Feeling better?”
Rosha put down the bottle, a look of apology on his face.
“Yes, much better. Thank you, Uncle Kuzan. Sorry to take up your valuable time and make you counsel a small soldier like me.”
“It’s not a waste.” Kuzan waved his hand. “I just don’t want to see a talented young man lose himself in killing. How about a chat?”
Rosha sighed, taking another sip of wine.
“It’s just frustrating… Ilya, driven by a question, could wantonly trample and slaughter tens of thousands of lives.”
“Mig Jones killed hundreds of innocent civilians for power.”
“And those pirates, born in the North Blue, showed no gratitude to their homeland, instead slaughtering and plundering.”
He looked at Kuzan.
“Do you know? I used to think of pirates as those who pursued dreams, sought freedom, and went on grand adventures with their companions. Though I knew it was naive, and there were many bad pirates, I couldn’t help but fantasize.”
“But the experiences in the Prince’s Kingdom and Red Leaf Village showed me that pirates shouldn’t exist on the sea. Regardless of Roger’s purpose in starting the Great Pirate Era, as the Navy, we must end it!”
“This world must not be saved by pirates. Otherwise, the future will be ten, a hundred times worse than the current pirate era.”
As Rosha spoke, a look of determination spread across his face, one that even made Kuzan feel a chill.
The aura emitted by this youth reminded Kuzan of some of the most outstanding individuals.
“But Prince Ilya is not a pirate.” Kuzan shook his head slightly after taking a sip of wine.
Rosha remained silent for a while before nodding, “Yes, he’s a noble, a ruler, an exploiter. Such people’s actions can affect thousands of ordinary people. In a way, they’re more frightening than pirates. But… pirates, who thrive in chaos, become the best weapon for these exploiters.”
Kuzan was silent for a long time before seriously looking at Rosha, “So, are you planning to kill all the pirates? Like Sakazuki who saved you?”
Rosha was stunned.
He didn’t expect Kuzan to know even this.
“From seven days ago, you followed Jennifer in hunting pirates in the waters near the Prince’s Kingdom.”
“In those seven days, you killed over two thousand pirates, adding over two thousand heads to Paya Island…”
At this point, Kuzan’s gaze at Rosha became more complicated.
Rosha’s methods of killing pirates were extremely ruthless.
After obtaining the Mythical Zoan fruit, those pirates with bounties of millions or tens of millions were no match for him.
Anyone Rosha caught was violently crushed and then beheaded on the spot.
Although these were pirates who had slaughtered many civilians and deserved to go to hell, Rosha’s approach was too extreme.
Other than the warriors from Base 177 who had witnessed the horrors of the castle, the rest of the public and soldiers from the base now held Rosha in a mix of deep respect and fear.
Respect, admiration, and fear.
Much like how Marine Headquarters soldiers viewed Akainu.
Kuzan always believed Akainu’s sense of justice was too extreme.
That man carried too much and could no longer turn back.
Kuzan even felt that if sacrificing two or three percent of the world’s population could achieve his justice, Akainu would do it without hesitation, even if it meant destroying himself.
One Akainu was enough for Marine Headquarters; there shouldn’t be another.
Seeing Rosha fall silent, Kuzan sighed inwardly, knowing that with this youth’s temperament, simply reasoning with him wouldn’t easily resolve his inner conflict.
“Uncle Kuzan, don’t worry. My path will be different from Uncle Sakazuki’s.”
Rosha’s next words brought Kuzan some comfort.
But he immediately heard Rosha’s next sentence.
“In the future, when I encounter pirates, I’ll give them two choices.”
Rosha seriously held up two fingers.
“One, for those without a criminal record, they can either join the Navy on the spot or disband immediately and go home.”
“Two, for those guilty, depending on the severity of their crimes, they will be dealt with accordingly. Those not deserving death will be sent to Enies Lobby for trial, and the unforgivable will be executed on the spot and sent to reincarnate, hopefully as better people in their next lives.”
Seeing the earnest expression on the youth’s face, Kuzan’s cheek twitched.
“Ara ara, quite a… choice.”
“By the way, Uncle Kuzan, can I ask you for a favor?”
“What is it?”
“It’s about inviting some capable individuals to join the Navy. I’d like you to help persuade them when you have time. You know them too…”
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