Suddenly, a voice was heard, causing Lieutenant Bill to jump in fright.
When he saw the person behind him, he immediately stood upright and saluted with great respect.
"Admiral Kuzan!"
"Yes. Continue with your work, I'm going to have a word with Rorschach."
Kuzan smiled at him, then looked at Rorschach, who was sitting there, and raised a bottle of wine in his hand.
"Rorschach, care to go have a drink? I've brought some good wine."
As Lieutenant Bill watched the tall, silver-haired young man who followed Kuzan out, he sighed and said, "Lieutenant Rorschach works so hard. Despite his severe injuries, he didn't take much of a break and went out to sea to help eradicate pirates. I don't know what's on his mind, but I hope he can get over it soon. You can't eliminate all the pirates, and if he destroys his body, it won't be worth it."
Then Bill ordered, "Bring me the bounty lists, select the heads of high-bounty pirates, and chain the others. We'll throw them all on Paya Island at the right time!"
Paya Island, a desolate isle near Qian Yan Island, is specifically used for disposing of pirate corpses. Known as the Northern Sea Pirates' Graveyard, it's one of the reasons the 177th Marine Branch maintains its position in the Principality of Prince; no pirate dares to approach it.
On the rocky shore filled with sharp stones, the salty sea breeze blew, creating ripples in the water.
As sunset approached, the remaining sun on the horizon tinted the sky with a golden hue.
Kuzan threw a bottle of wine to Rorschach, who silently caught it.
The two sat on the rocks overlooking the sea under the setting sun.
Kuzan reached into his tattered jacket and pulled out another bottle of wine.
The bottle emitted a cold white mist.
"This one's chilled, give it a try. It's a great wine that brave men should taste. I brought it from Marineford."
Kuzan popped the cork from the bottle and offered it to Rorschach to clink against his.
Rorschach looked at the bottle and said, "Yeah, it's sherry wine, right?"
Kuzan paused for a moment, looking at him in surprise. "You know sherry wine?"
"I've heard of it. In Qian Yan Town, there's a fruit drink called Sally."
Rorschach uncorked the bottle and took a drink.
As soon as he took a big gulp, he started coughing heavily from the strong heat of the wine, and his youthful face turned slightly red.
"This wine... is really strong."
Rorschach frowned as he looked at the bottle in his hand.
Once he drank it, it felt as if his throat was on fire.
When the wine entered his stomach, it was as if a fire had ignited inside him.
The alcohol quickly spread through his body, and as soon as he drank it, he began to feel its effects.
Noticing how Rorschach was drinking the wine, Kuzan laughed and said, "Have you never drunk alcohol before? That can't be; alcohol is something great. As a prominent member of the Navy, you'll have a lot of social events and celebrations that can't be avoided. If you don't learn how to drink, you'll be at a disadvantage."
Rorschach smiled bitterly and took another small sip of the sherry, still feeling the wine's heat.
He wasn't used to drinking alcohol, especially strong wine.
In Qian Yan Town, "Sally" was just a simple fruit drink similar to apple cider.
In his previous life, he was only fifteen years old and hadn't finished high school.
At that time, he had a father who was an alcoholic, so he hated alcohol since he was a child.
Because his father would lose money and then drink, and after drinking, he would beat him.
But now, he wanted to use alcohol to calm his pent-up emotions.
After seeing Rorschach drink several sips of the sherry and his face turn completely red, a smile appeared on Kuzan's face.
"Feeling better now?"
Rorschach put down the bottle and said with an apologetic smile.
"Yes, I feel better. Thank you, Kuzan. I'm sorry for wasting your precious time and making you come to advise this small soldier from the marine branch."
"It's not a waste of time," Kuzan replied with a smile. "I just don't want to see a promising young man lose himself in killing. Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?"
Rorschach smiled bitterly, sighed, and took another swig of the wine.
"I'm just feeling troubled... Elijah, due to some inner doubt, was able to mercilessly kill tens of thousands of people."
"Meg Jones, for the sake of power, could easily kill hundreds of innocent people."
"These pirates, who hail from the North Sea, show no gratitude to their homeland, killing and looting without mercy."
He looked at Kuzan and said, "You know, I used to think that pirates were dreamers, seeking ultimate freedom, adventuring the seas with their companions, seeing different sights. Even though I knew there were many bad people among them, I couldn't stop dreaming about that."
"But what I witnessed in the Principality of Prince and Hong Yi Village made me realize that pirates as a force should not exist on the seas. No matter what Pirate King Roger's intentions were in launching this Great Pirate Era, we as marines must put an end to it!"
"This world cannot be saved by pirates. If it were to happen, the future of the world would be ten, a hundred times worse than this Great Pirate Era."
As Rorschach spoke, a fierce expression began to appear on him, causing Kuzan to feel a chill.
The aura that this young man emitted resembled some of the most distinctive individuals.
"But Prince Elijah isn't a pirate," Kuzan said after taking a sip of wine and gently shaking his head.
Rorschach fell silent for a while before slightly shaking his head. "Yes, he's a noble, a ruler, and an exploiter. Every word and action of these people can affect thousands of ordinary people they govern. In a certain sense, they are more dangerous than pirates. But... pirates who love chaos become the best weapon in the hands of these exploiters."
Kuzan remained silent for a long time before looking seriously at Rorschach and saying, "So, do you plan to kill all the pirates? Just like Sakazuki, who saved you?"
Rorschach was shocked.
He didn't expect Kuzan to know even this.
"Seven days ago, you followed Jennifer in hunting pirates in the waters surrounding the Principality of Prince."
"During that time, you killed over two thousand pirates, filling Paya Island with over two thousand new pirate heads."
When he said that, Kuzan's gaze towards Rorschach changed, becoming more complex.
Rorschach's way of killing pirates was extremely ruthless.
After acquiring the Mythical Zoan Fruit, pirates with bounties ranging from a few million to tens of millions could no longer face him.
Any pirate Rorschach managed to chase down was brutally crushed, and then their head was immediately cut off.
Although all these individuals had committed heinous crimes and indeed deserved punishment, Rorschach's methods were excessively brutal.
As a result, not only the 177th Marine Branch but also the soldiers who witnessed the massacre in the royal city, now felt a mix of respect and fear towards Rorschach.
Reverence, mixed with fear.
Just like how the marines at the headquarters view Sakazuki (Akainu).
Kuzan always believed that the concept of justice that Akainu adhered to was too extreme.
The man carried too many burdens and could no longer turn back.
Kuzan believed that if sacrificing a third or even half of the world's population could achieve the justice Akainu believed in, he wouldn't hesitate to do it.
Even if it meant destroying himself first.
Having one person like Akainu at the Navy headquarters was enough; there shouldn't be another.
When he saw Rorschach fall silent, Kuzan sighed inwardly, realizing that it wouldn't be easy to resolve this young man's psychological dilemmas through mere words.
"Kuzan-san, don't worry, I won't walk the same path as Sakazuki-san."
The next words Rorschach spoke brought some comfort to Kuzan.
But then he heard Rorschach's next sentence:
"From now on, when I encounter pirates, I'll give them two choices."
Rorschach seriously raised two fingers.
"First: If they have no criminal record, they can either join the Navy on the spot or disband and return home to live peacefully."
"Second: For those who have committed crimes, they will be dealt with according to the severity of their crimes; those who don't deserve death will be sent to Justice Island for trial, while those who are unforgivable will be dealt with on the spot, sent to be reborn, hopefully to become better people in their next life."
When Kuzan saw this young man's serious demeanor, his facial muscles began to twitch.
"Ah, what a... good choice."
"By the way, Kuzan-san, can I ask you for a favor?"
"What is it?"
"The thing is, there are a few good guys, and I want to invite them to join the Navy. I was hoping you could help persuade them. You know these people..."
(End of Chapter)
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