Chapter 216 - Chapter 218

On an undisclosed island in the New World there stood a facility. It was huge in size and guarded by hundreds of soldiers with stoic expressions. The island was under the control of this organization. And, they were, of course, The Gotei. The group that was responsible for the destruction of Marine HQ. The inside of the facility was even bigger than the outside, something that was only possible if you had magic, which The Gotei had. The inside of the facility was the size of the entire island, which was about ten times the size of the structure as seen from the outside.

Inside the command centre of the facility, Amell and a few others sat and discussed the aftermath of the war and also the future to come. Inside the room was Byakuya, Shiryu, Bradley and the rest of the commanders. Also, a few high ranked officers sat in on this meeting. For them, the pressure of just being near this many commanders took a toll on their mental health.

"Lord Amell, I believe that after sorting out the survivors, our next logical move is to move against Big Mom. Whitebeard has proven to not be an obstacle for us. Every meeting that we have tried to arrange, she has ignored." Shiryu spoke with his clipboard in hand.

"I agree! Big mom is reckless, very impulsive, loyal to no one, not even her own children. She would eat her firstborn if it meant keeping her power. Killing her and her twisted family is what I would suggest." Byakuya's words held incredible weight inside the Gotei since he was an heir to the throne. So far, Byakuya is the only one that explicitly said he would not decline if he was offered it. Naruto and Gildarts, both wanted nothing to do with the throne, and the same was true for Bradley who had nominated his spot to Byakuya. They didn't wanna be tied down and have control of such a cumbersome entity.

"I believe my son and Shiryu is speaking sense. She is far too reckless to be left alive. Or if you, Lord Father, want her alive, we should heavily restrict her movement." Bradley's words also held weight. When two of Amell's children had spoken, not much else needed to be said from others.

"I agree as well. Their era is over. Pirates on this sea will never disappear, but one pirate can't rule forever. The seat of the four emperors must be passed on to the next generation." Amell's words laid invisible pressure upon the souls of the individuals inside this room. His demeanour had changed entirely after the massacre. Until this war with the World Government was over he refused to go home to Sylvia, for during this war he couldn't wear the outfit of the good husband. Right now, The Gotei needed the cold-hearted emperor and that was someone he didn't want her or the twins to meet.

"Grandfather, I ask that you let me go. I will make swift work of everyone there." Byakuya said and bowed his head in servitude.

"Hm, take your fellow commanders. You will all go! No mercy to the Big Mom pirates. No survivors. But, most importantly. You will not kill any innocent bystanders. The Gotei does not kill civilians."

"Yes, Grandfather!" Byakuya said and performed a bow, as did the others.

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In the long stretching halls of the facility, Amell was walking with Shiryu in tow. They were on their way to a very special room. A place where the housed some very special people. They arrived at a pair of massive steel doors. Maybe fifty times larger than Amell, so high that it would fit an airplane going through it.

"Lord Amell, to what do we owe the pleasure?" A guard outside the door bowed his head.

"Open the door, I'm going in!"

"Are you sure, My Lord? They have been banging against that door nonstop for the last four days. I'm quite sure that they will attack sight."

"You don't question the emperor!" Shiryu glared at the guard. "Now open the door!"

The guard nodded nervously then ran into a little room beside the door where the controls were. A few seconds later, the massive doors started opening slowly. As the crack in the door got wider, the room became visible to Amell, and the people inside could also see Amell and Shiryu standing there.

A voice from the inside drifted out, "Look who it is! Our captor, hahaha!" Monkey D Garp sat on the ground in the middle of the room with his usual calm smile.

"You're no prisoner here! You can leave any time you want!" Amell shrugged his shoulders and continued walking inside. "You just have to get past those doors."

This room was huge. It currently housed thousands upon thousands of people, young, old and everything in between.

"YOU MONSTER!" A young marine rushed at Amell. No fear or hesitation, he was attacking out of anger and grief. Amell tapped his foot lightly on the ground and the boy was rooted by the steel floor.

"Garp, control your men." Shiryu said angerly.

"Can you blame him? The boy hasn't seen war before. This is all new to him," Tsuru, another veteran marine said stoically. Everyone inside the room was observing in silence.

"What's your name, boy?" Amell walked up to the marine rooted in the ground. "You should also try and calm down, being angry won't make things better."

"You monster!" The boy was visibly struggling to keep his emotions in check. He had tears streaming down his face, and a splitting headache.

"No choice," Amell placed a finger on the boy's forehead. "I see, Coby. You have barely fought one battle. I see why this is hard for you." Amell transferred some energy inside the boy and his emotions calmed down and he could finally breathe calmly again.

"H-How do you know my name?"

"I am more than I look!" Amell flicked Coby's head and the boy was thrown back threw the air to his seat.

Amell looked around at everyone present. "Many of you wonder why I have taken you here. Some of you already know." He locked eyes with Garp.

"You want us to join you," Garp said casually. The marines around him all looked over in shock. Never had they thought that would be the reason?

"Yes, correct!" Amell increased his presence a little bit.

"I won't explain what my ultimate goal is. But, know that I am going after the World Government next. You should also not fear to decline. If you decline my offer, you will walk out of this base a free man, we will not pursue you, nor will we care about what you choose to do with your life. But, one thing is for certain. The Marines are no more!"

"I decline! I've got no reason to fight anymore. My war is over." Garp said immediately. Tsuru coughed and continued, "Me as well. Guess I'm retiring now." After those two, a chain reaction started and every single former marine in the room declined.

"Expected as much." Shiryu said calmly. He was quite pleased since he didn't like marines that much.

"I accept!" The preteen voice of Coby echoed inside the walls. The boy received hateful, and disgusted looks from the people closest to him.

"I'll join on three conditions." He continued.

"Speak then, boy." Amell was smiling.

"First condition, no more Warlords. The second condition, the well-being of the world's population comes first. Third, owning or producing slaves becomes illegal. If you can fulfil these three, I'll join the Gotei."

"You shall see that one of them is already taken care of. The warlord system is already in shambles and they have fallen under my rule. As for the other two. When the World Government falls, I promise you boy, that I will do my utmost to hold up righteousness and justice without falling victim to slavery as the marines did."

"Now, can I ask you a question, young Coby?" Amell looked curiously at the boy. "Why do you join me?"

"If the world is gonna change, I want my chance to do my part in that change with as little killing as possible. I believe your way might be that way. But, if that is to be wrong I will turn my blade on you without hesitation."

"This is what fighting is all about. Don't let go of that resolution. If I stray from the path I have laid out in front of me, I will need that blade of yours to point me in the right direction ones again." Amell saw the boy's mentality grow ten times in just a few seconds. Was it the effect of the war, or was this just who Coby was? He did not know.

"I suppose I'll join you as well," A voice of pure laziness drifted past Amell's ears. In the distance, Aokiji, or now, Kuzan since his Admiral status was nulled. He laid down on his side with one eye closed. "Not too good on my own, and if you're going after the World Nobles, I'll gladly join." Slight killing intent rose around him.

"Kuzan, I believe Cal will be quite happy to hear that. Also, you should visit her in the medical wing. She is still unconscious from protecting you."

"I see, so she's alive." Kuzan turned around and closed his eyes, "I'm glad." He said quietly as a smile crept onto his face.

"I-I'll join as well! Where Coby goes, I'll follow!" A man with long blonde hair stood up. He tried to look brave but his legs were shaking so he came off as only cowardly.

Amell's eyes lit up for a millisecond and with a smile, he said, "Helmeppo. I know what Kuzan and Coby can achieve. But, why would I need you?"

"Y-You might not need me! But, Coby does! Where he goes, I'll follow, we are a team!" Coby lost his cold exterior and a warm smile grew forth on his face. Helmeppo was someone he treasured as a friend, so this declaration meant a lot to him.

"I understand, young man. I accept. Kuzan, Coby and Helmeppo. Welcome to The Gotei. You are no pirate nor marine any longer. Now, you are soldiers serving under the strongest empire in history!" Amell's voice rang out and he snapped his fingers and the thousand upon thousands of marines inside the room disappeared. Only a few remained behind.

"Empire? You aren't pirates?" Coby asked, somewhat shocked at the power of Amell's teleportation.

"No! Pirates were the cover we took up sixteen years ago when I declared myself emperor. Pirate emperor was simply the fastest way to gain notoriety. There was nothing more to it. If you didn't notice. The Gotei has never killed a civilian unless they were casualty in war. We have strict morals and rules, unlike most pirates. You will see that The Gotei is not that different from the marines. The only major difference is how powerful we are in comparison."

"What's your goal now?" Tsuru and Garp had not been teleported away. Now with everyone gone, she could ask some questions that he wouldn't ask with everyone else here.

"My commanders are going after Big Mom as we speak. Her corruption will soon be no more. And, the same is true for the World Government."

"Big Mom? Isn't that a large undertaking? Are they gonna be fine?" Coby wasn't worried about their health, it was more in the line that he didn't believe in their power.

"I haven't quite been honest with you throughout the years," Amell said with a smile.

"You don't say," Tsuru had on her stoic expression.

"My commanders have never used their full power when fighting you. Even you, Kuzan. Cal can kill you pretty easily if she wants to do so." All he got from Kuzan was a cough and a quiet, "damn,"

"Big Mom won't be a problem. The civilians will be taken care of by the Gotei. We will make sure they have homes and food, but beyond that, they are on their own." Amell looked at Coby. "See, we aren't so evil as you think. War is war, I don't like it, but people die in war and there's no escaping that."

"So, why did you save us? I've been thinking about that since I got here."

"Just because people are your enemies doesn't make them evil. The marines I saved during the war were the truly good ones I believe were worth saving. It took a lot out of me to pull all of you out of that blast. I saved the ones I believed would help the world move towards a better future. No matter if they are part of The Gotei or not."

Coby stood in silence and just nodded. Amell looked at Garp and Tsuru and flicked something to them.

"What's this?" Tsuru looked at the little piece in her hand.

"Something I started for fun," Amell smiled, "It's a group called the White Lotus. If you're interested in finding out more, keep it, if not. Well, throw it away." Amell saw both of them put the piece in their pocket. Garp sighed out, "You got something to eat?"

"Follow me," Amell said and started walking with them in tow.

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End