The Hawk Faction's methods may be extreme, but it is precisely their unwavering stance, their determination to fight pirates to the death, and their willingness to spill their last drop of blood that have suppressed piracy's rampant arrogance.
This has prevented the unnecessary sacrifice of more civilians from the allied nations.
To sacrifice a few for the survival of many—it is difficult to judge such actions in terms of right or wrong.
But if the Marine officers of the Hawk Faction were to form relationships with pirates like their Dove Faction counterparts, showing leniency and sentimentality, then the civilians would have no hope left at all.
Just because the protagonist's crew hasn't plundered and massacred along the way doesn't make them good people.
Take, for instance, Luffy freeing the criminals from Impel Down—the carnage those criminals caused after their escape is beyond calculation.
Pirates do not engage in productive work; their only source of income is looting. Once those criminals left Impel Down, they spread chaos everywhere, committing atrocities without restraint.
In the end, it was only through the Marine's World Military Draft that the situation was barely brought under control.
During this period, how many innocent civilians were sacrificed?
The number far surpasses any single pirate crew's slaughter.
As for the Marine's involvement in sealing off God Valley to assist the Celestial Dragons, one must first understand that the Marines serve the World Government.
They exist to protect the people of the allied nations—only allied nations fall under the Marine's protection.
The Marines uphold this duty at all times, which is why they are revered by the people of the allied nations and hold the title of justice.
Non-allied nations, however, are not members of the World Government, and therefore, they do not receive Marine protection.
The country where God Valley was located was a non-allied nation—outside of Marine jurisdiction.
In fact, most non-allied nations are outright enemies of the World Government, so how could they demand the Marines to protect them?
The greatest flaw of the Marines is that they are a subordinate organization of the World Government, bound to obey the orders of the Five Elders, often forcing them into actions that go against their own conscience.
This is a structural issue of the World Government itself. The government was established by the Celestial Dragons and remains under their control.
As the World Government's armed force, the Marines often have no choice but to follow the commands of the Celestial Dragons.
After the Paramount War, when Akainu assumed the position of Fleet Admiral, he realized this problem. A firm believer in Absolute Justice, Akainu sought to free the Marines from the Celestial Dragons' control.
To speak bluntly, from the moment Akainu formed the Sword Unit and gathered the strongest young Marine officers into it, he had already abandoned his loyalty to the Celestial Dragons.
His loyalty lay solely with the Marines and his unwavering sense of justice.
As the last remaining facade of the World Government, Saint Romantis would never allow such a situation to unfold. The government's armed force must never slip out of its control.
Without the Marines as a shield, the World Government would have nothing left.
The allied nations, bled dry by the Celestial Tribute, and the covert and unscrupulous CP agencies—none of them were fit to be showcased.
The unethical scientific organizations conducting forbidden experiments and the Pirate Warlords who ruled their own territories were equally unworthy of attention.
Romantis had his own plans for the Marines, but the time had not yet come. The Fleet Admiral, renowned as a strategist, would not allow a Celestial Dragon like him to interfere so easily.
Next, there was the Cipher Pol. As the shield of the Celestial Dragons, their loyalty was not in question.
However, being a spy network, CP had limited influence. In the face of world-changing events, they were powerless to shift the global landscape.
As for the Science Defense Force, the ultimate control of this technologically advanced force remained unclear.
Romantis had no doubt that with a traitor as dangerous as Vegapunk in the picture, all scientific advancements would eventually end up benefiting the enemy.
As for the Warlords of the Sea? In his eyes they were nothing more than a terrible miscalculation.
..........
"Azor, you dared to execute a noble. St. Romantis has personally sent me to deal with you."
Before the Minister of War, Azor could even plead his case, Baruch's response was absolute.
"What do you mean? Was this not sanctioned by St. Romantis himself?"
Azor stared at Baruch in disbelief. He had even offered seven billion Berries worth of treasure to the Celestial Dragon—yet he wasn't even granted an audience with them?
[AN: Seventy billion was a typo, it's seven]
"Azor, let me remind you one last time—St. Romantis only permitted you to nominate a new king. Nowhere was it stated that you could execute nobles.
And yet, you dare slander the great Celestial Dragon? It seems I cannot let you leave here alive."
"My lord, please report to St. Romantis that the nobles of Heim Kingdom have unanimously chosen me as the new king. Fort refused to accept this, forcing my hand. If you don't believe me, ask them yourself!"
Azor swept his gaze across the gathered nobles.
"Yes, my lord! We have all chosen King Azor as our rightful ruler!"
His loyal followers quickly echoed his words, while the rest of the nobles, wary of Azor's menacing gaze, remained silent.
"Hmph. It's too late. The nobles of Heim Kingdom have already unanimously chosen Princess Audrey as their new ruler."
Azor's face twisted in shock. Princess Audrey? Hadn't she been abandoned from the very start?
Had the Celestial Dragons allowed her to inherit the throne from the beginning, neither he nor Fort would have coveted the crown, let alone waged war over it.
But now they were telling him that Princess Audrey had been named the new queen? How was he supposed to accept this? This was beyond unfair!
"So that's how it is… This was all a trap from the beginning. How ironic."
Azor let out a bitter laugh. To think that even the so-called world nobles would go back on their word.
With six-tenths of Heim Kingdom's nobles present, if the Celestial Dragons had truly intended for them to choose a new ruler, they would have at least received some notice beforehand.
"Insolence! How dare you question St. Romantis!"
*WHOOSH!*
Before Azor could react, Baruch disappeared in an instant, using Shave.
Azor instinctively reached for his sword, but before he could draw it, Baruch's Shigan pierced through his heart.
Blood dripped from Azor's chest.
"H-How… are you this fast?"
He could hardly believe what had just happened. In the North Blue, he had never encountered such a powerful opponent before.
"I am St. Romantis' strongest shield."
Baruch turned to the remaining nobles and soldiers.
"Azor committed the grave crime of executing a noble. By the will of St. Romantis, I have carried out his execution. Do you all understand?"
"M-My lord, Azor deserved death! We were merely following his orders—please spare us!"
For nobles, switching allegiances was second nature. Aside from a few die-hard loyalists, the rest quickly surrendered.
"Return to your homes and await Queen Audrey's orders. From now on, she is the rightful ruler of Heim Kingdom."
"Yes, my lord!"
As the nobles and soldiers dispersed, Baruch gave the order to seize the seven billion Berries that Azor and Fort had amassed, ensuring every last coin was taken back.
_______________________
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