Chapter 52: A New Home, Set Sail, and Justice

"This villa isn't bad; it looks good!"

Luo Ning looked at the four-story villa in front of him. Magellan had already had the villa repaired during the time he went out. Since there were no rooms left in Impel Down, some houses were demolished to build the villa.

The technology tree of the One Piece World is a bit crooked, but at least the aesthetics are acceptable.

"I always feel that such a house here is out of place with other places"

Nami complained behind Luo Ning. The surrounding buildings were all of the more serious kind, and suddenly such a house popped up, it felt really weird.

It's like a pool of white suddenly appearing in the blackness.

"Why do you care so much?"

Luo Ning didn't care about the style of the painting and went straight in. There are not many decorations in the villa, after all, this is Impel Down, even if they let them do it, it wouldn't be very good.

After Luo Ning leaves, he will either find someone else to fix the problem or wait until he has amassed more freedom to perfect his fantasist abilities. There's no need to conjure extraordinary things, just the ordinary will do.

Fortunately, food is no longer a concern for Luo Ning. He can easily imagine food, drinks, and the like. Of course, he is limited to ordinary fare; no dragon liver or phoenix gallbladders for him.

Nami followed Luo Ning to learn about Impel Down, while Arlong was given special treatment. These floors would be his to enjoy; he too was a very special prisoner.

"Impel Down is terrifying!"

After learning about the conditions at Impel Down, Nami felt unwell. The thought of those punishments filled her with dread. As for Arlong, she showed him no mercy.

Arlong deserved to die, but she couldn't be the one to do it. However, upon learning about Impel Down, she realized that sometimes, living can be a worse fate than death.

Luo Ning remained in Impel Down for a while. During this time, news spread throughout the seas that Golden Lion had been captured again.

Golden Lion was once a legend, so his recapture naturally caused a stir, but it was just that, a stir. After the initial commotion, things calmed down again. Luo Ning stayed in Impel Down for a while longer, but eventually boredom set in. After all, there wasn't much to do there all day.

***

So Luo Ning set sail once more, on the same warship as before. Sengoku and the others watched him go with a bead of sweat forming on their brows. If only Luo Ning could capture big pirates like Golden Lion every time he went out to sea, they thought.

However, their current concern is Luo Ning's potential trip to Sabaody Archipelago, a frequent haunt of the Celestial Dragons. Luo Ning had previously threatened to arrest the Celestial Dragons, and this worries Sengoku.

The Celestial Dragons are beyond control, so Sengoku can only fret.

He now deeply envies Garp. While the cleansing of East Blue appears more successful than in other sea areas, Garp deserves little credit. Upon arriving in East Blue, Garp dumped the responsibility on Smoker and then headed home to visit his grandson.

Sengoku desperately covets Garp's carefree lifestyle, but the weight on his own shoulders is too heavy. He is left with no choice but to instruct the jailers to keep a close eye on Luo Ning to prevent any incidents. Since the jailers now have direct communication access to Sengoku, he will receive firsthand information.

"Don't be so stressed," Tsuru consoled Sengoku, who was visibly troubled. "At least we have a lead, even if it feels a little underhanded. After all, such tactics are hardly new to us"

Sengoku's face darkened upon hearing Tsuru mention their "lead." Why? Because the "lead" she referred to was Nami, who was by Luo Ning's side.

This was their only current lead, and while it felt undeniably manipulative, wasn't this par for the course? They had employed similar tactics countless times before.

Sengoku, burdened by his position, has issued many morally dubious orders. He feels trapped, knowing the World Government would simply bypass him and enact their will directly. He reasons it's better for him to maintain some semblance of control.

The higher he climbed the ranks, the more these truths became apparent. He carried the weight of every unsavory order on his conscience. Sometimes, Sengoku couldn't help but scoff at the concept of "justice" within the Marines.

"An inevitable clash looms between us and Luo Ning," Crane stated pragmatically. "While our approach may be underhanded, it's preferable to sacrificing our own people."

Loyalty to the Marines was her sole concern, a form of justice defined by maintaining their position of power. The morality of their methods held no weight for her, etched as they were on her weathered face.

"True," Sengoku conceded with a sigh. "This is our only lead at the moment. Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

He shook his head and turned his attention to other pressing matters. Dwelling solely on Luo Ning's activities wouldn't serve their purposes.