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•———•———•
Chapter's Events:
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"If you mean to resign as Fleet Admiral... then I ask that you do it the right way, Sengoku," said Kong, his eyes narrowing.
"... Yes, I accept your proposal. That doesn't sound like a bad way to spend the rest of my years..." Sengoku nodded, agreeing to Kong's offer.
"... So, the two men who have led the marines from the front lines since Roger's era will now step down from active duty... This is indeed significant news," Kong added.
"There are still many pirates out there worthy of being called 'legendary,' especially those who escaped from Level Six of Impel Down," Kong remarked, to which Sengoku replied:
"The greatest among them was Whitebeard, and now this pirate age is on the verge of rebirth... Is this really a time to have old men running the Marines?"
"Justice is a system of values... It cannot bridge the gap between generations," Sengoku continued to justify his decision to retire, then finally suggested his successor.
"More importantly, Kong-san... For my replacement as Fleet Admiral, I would like to nominate Aokiji."
•———•———•
Sakazuki's expression soured after reading that particular passage.
He glanced deeply at Sengoku's back, who was speaking over the Den Den Mushi at the moment. His thoughts seemed to be running deep.
Kuzan noticed Sakazuki's gaze filled with a mixture of dissatisfaction, frustration, and a hint of hatred toward Sengoku's back.
"..." Kuzan understood what was going on—after all, the Fleet Admiral had nominated him as his successor. This meant Sengoku saw Aokiji as superior to both Akainu and Kizaru.
Kuzan quickly spoke up, "It seems Sengoku-san prefers moderate justice over extreme or lazy justice... I bet he chose his successor wisely."
Borsalino laughed in response to Kuzan's words, "Good thing Sengoku-san didn't nominate my counterpart. I'd be more than happy to stay away from political conflicts."
"You mean he prefers soft justice? He's soft by nature," Sakazuki commented dryly, adding nothing further as he focused on the manga pages, reading with an indifferent expression. ř
Hearing that, Sengoku felt a slight sting of insult, but he didn't want to address the issue. After all, he hadn't thought that his counterpart had a favorite among the three admirals.
'Maybe because Kuzan was Garp's student?' Sengoku wondered why his counterpart favored Aokiji more than the others.
'Or perhaps, as he himself said, his moderate justice was good enough for me?'
Sengoku kept his thoughts hidden before smiling and saying, "My counterpart's choices have nothing to do with me. His world is different from mine. We may share the same mentality, but we don't live in the same world or circumstances."
"In the future, my choices for retirement may differ this time... if there's even a future at all, and it isn't destroyed by the conflict between the hunters and the government."
As he said this, he glanced at Sakazuki's empty arm and Kizaru's hand, which had been replaced with a metal prosthetic.
He also looked at Aokiji, who remained unharmed, despite having also participated in the cold war against the hunters and invading the central prison alongside the other admirals. He had even been involved in the assassination of the top hunter on the legendary list in the past, but every time, he came out unscathed.
'Perhaps his stance towards Robin in the manga helped him find an exit with Rob...' Sengoku thought internally about why Aokiji hadn't suffered any permanent injuries, unlike the others who weren't as fortunate.
'Sometimes, moderate justice might be much better for living a stable life.'
Sengoku looked at Sakazuki and smiled, adding, "Don't be too extreme in your judgments of different realities. What is here may not be the same as what is there."
"Even though the reality in the manga seems to control our real-world situation in some way, we might as well admit it's influencing us unconsciously."
...
East Blue, on the final island of the Polestar Islands, Loguetown:
Inside an art store, a young boy with light green hair stared at the manga pages with a strange expression on his face.
Standing at the front of the ship, Newgate struck the ship with his Naginata, and the power of his earthquake ability formed a strange circle on the blade of his weapon.
Without hesitation, Newgate struck with unimaginable force, ripping apart the tornadoes surrounding his ship with his devastating quake, stronger than the hundreds of surrounding storms.
Moments later, the turbulent weather began to calm, and the tornadoes weakened one by one, losing their momentum.
After witnessing this scene, Newgate returned to his spot and reopened his One Piece manga. "Gurarara! This boy, Straw Hat, is braver than I was in my youth."
"But Oyaji, don't forget Rayleigh is with him, so his courage didn't come out of nowhere," Marco reminded.
"Even if Rayleigh wasn't with him, I believe he would've come alone to send his message to his friends. This boy knows no fear."
Whitebeard smiled, then added:
"Unlike a certain coward who thinks he can hide from me forever, Gurarara!"
Clearly, Whitebeard was referring to Teach in that last line.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 817: 3D No, 2Y Yes. (Part 1)
Chapter 818: 3D No, 2Y Yes. (Part 2)
Chapter 819: The Turbulent New World.
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