"Conqueror's Haki!"
Fujitora, sitting on the ground, smiled in surprise.
"Yeah! Surprised?" Kaizen admitted confidently with one hand on his hip.
"You're not like those despicable pirates!" Fujitora said suddenly, his voice apologetic.
"Tch! No matter which group of pirates you're talking about, I can confidently tell you I'm not one, because I'm not a pirate at all!"
These daily misunderstandings almost broke Kaizen.
"I see. Since I'm so ridiculous, then please kill me!"
Fujitora said, grabbing his sword and throwing it at Kaizen. The blade stabbed into the ground just a few centimeters away.
"What are you doing? Is this how you apologize? Die to apologize? You've made so many mistakes in your long life; how many lives do you have to use to make amends?"
Kaizen yelled at him seriously.
Fujitora was shocked. He didn't expect that someone he just met could speak so profoundly, making him feel even more ashamed.
"I made a mistake. I don't know what kind of expert you are. Please tell me, so I can pay my respects."
Fujitora lowered his head sincerely.
"Expert? Hahahahaha! I'm just a member of the secular world. How can I be an expert?"
Kaizen said while sitting cross-legged opposite him.
"Okay, it really doesn't matter who I am. I want to know why you are sitting here and what happened to this island. From your words, I sense something bad. Tell me if you want."
Kaizen stared at the blind Fujitora closely, eager to glean information from his face.
"Why!"
Fujitora sighed heavily and began his story.
He is a swordsman, always has been. He doesn't know when he became like this. In this ruthless sea, his sword became his only friend.
He believed the sword in his arms had feelings. Every time he slashed or waved, the sword was speaking to him.
Goodwill is the essence of swordsmanship. Killing the target is the most pungent mockery of the swordsman. This has always been his code of conduct.
Impress the world with gentle sword skills, stare at the world's last darkness with dark eyes, pluck out seeds of light, and sow them on the earth.
The sword doesn't only bring killing; it can also bring bright hope.
This is his ideal: to cut off things that do nothing and cut off desires.
In this way, he walked through this lonely sea with a belief no one could understand.
Not long ago, he encountered a group of pirates who were burning, killing, and looting. He acted quickly; it was not troublesome.
Those pirates feared his power and knelt down, begging for mercy. He was kind enough to let them go.
But a few days later, when he arrived on this island, he saw the scene he least wanted to see.
A town destroyed by pirates appeared before him, with dead people on the ground, mocking the despicable human heart.
The cause was the group of pirates he had let go.
When he realized this, he felt inexplicable fear, and his spiritual world collapsed, unable to support his fragile soul.
He buried those people one by one, his heart breaking bit by bit.
Finally, he sat at the end of the street and destroyed his eyes, hoping to cut off the images of the dead.
However, even without light, those painful images remained clear in his mind.
He sat there motionless, without eating or drinking, waiting for death.
It was the only confession he could make.
Until Kaizen's appearance broke everything for him.
"That's it."
After Fujitora finished speaking, Kaizen said in a low voice, feeling deeply about the matter.
"It seems there is something wrong with my ideals. I've always been on the wrong path, so there's no need to continue."
Fujitora said desperately, his voice barely a whisper, extremely humble.
"It's not over yet! You're only halfway through your journey. There's still a long way to go. Don't doubt your choices just because you can't see the end!"
Kaizen punched the ground and said loudly.
You must know that Fujitora's actions will play a vital role in the future of the world. Where Marine justice and evil should go will be shaped by this man.
In summary, he is an indispensable part of the fight for justice.
"I've seen so much evil in the world, so much that it numbs. I can't cut it all with just my sword."
Fujitora said with difficulty, frowning in pain and weakness.
"The answer lies in the future. The seeds of light have already sprouted, waiting to bloom and bear fruit. It would be ridiculous to give up now!"
Kaizen stood up, filled with an invisible force, trying to persuade this man who was disheartened by life.
It's like a sense of mission. Maybe this is why he traveled here.
"Really?" Fujitora raised his head, his expression changing to surprise, confusion, then expectation and yearning.
"If you don't believe it, how about we take a gamble?" Kaizen said confidently.
Fujitora, a lonely swordsman whose only hobby is gambling, was intrigued by Kaizen's words.
"How to bet?"
"Bet on the next direction of this era. Since you're disappointed with this era, right?"
Kaizen stared at him openly.
Fujitora didn't reply, which Kaizen took as agreement.
"Then I tell you, all answers are hidden in the future. The key to liberating this era is in the hands of the next generation. I have full confidence in this era."
As someone who knows the future, Kaizen spoke confidently, each word strong and undeniable.
Listening to Kaizen, Fujitora felt a ray of light through his dark eyes. Though fleeting, it was worth believing in.
"I'll bet with you!" He agreed readily.
"Hahahaha! It would be great if there was sake now." Kaizen laughed.
"I know a place with sake," Fujitora suddenly said.
"You said it, so you must take me there." Kaizen's eyes shone, looking forward to the sake.
At the end of the town, in a lonely open space, there was a cellar filled with dusty sake.
"Kampai!"
Kaizen and Fujitora unceremoniously took out the sake and drank together.