Burned by the Black Sun

There is no meaning or value in the justice spoken by the weak. That was the truth of the world I came to understand at a young age.

I was born and raised on a small island in the Grand Line. I had a respectable father, a kind mother, and good friends, and I lived happily day by day.

On that island, there was a small Marine base, and I often saw marines in the town.

In my childhood, I held admiration for the marines. I found their declaration to protect this island's people in the name of justice to be reassuring and believed that their upheld sense of justice was precious and wonderful.

I even told my parents that when I grew up, I wanted to become a marine. How nostalgic that day was.

But, my happiness and the vague future I imagined were... unexpectedly shattered.

One day, pirates attacked the island. Of course, their purpose was plundering. Laughing at first that even though it was a small island with a Marine base, they were still attacking, the townspeople's laughter soon turned into screams.

The reason was ridiculously simple. The attacking pirates were much stronger than the marines stationed on this island. That's all there was to it.

The town turned into a sea of flames in an instant, and almost all the residents, including my parents, were killed. Thanks to my mother's quick wit, she hid me in a small storage shed under the floor, allowing me to survive.

I wonder how long I cowered and trembled in that dark storage shed? The pirates were no fools. They understood that if they kept causing a commotion, the reinforcements from the Marines would come. So, after causing a certain amount of destruction and finishing their plunder, they quickly withdrew.

When the sounds faded away, and I finally came out of the storage shed, the first thing I saw was the lifeless bodies of my murdered parents. The next was the bodies of my close friends and acquaintances... And aimlessly wandering around, the last thing I saw was the body of the marine who had said to a young me, "I will protect the people of this island."

...In the end, that's how it is. No matter how grandiose the words, they are meaningless if there is no power behind them.

The justice spoken by the weak is nothing but worthless, trampled upon by the strong... Those without power have no right to speak of justice.

Without wiping away the tears flowing incessantly, young me continued to witness what could only be described as hellish scenes.

***

Afterward, I was taken in as an orphan by the World Government's facility. It was a kind of training institute where I could receive various educations.

I actively pursued combat training by my own choice. Fortunately, I had talent, and I was somewhat expected to succeed. After a few years, I was invited to a place where even more advanced combat training could be received... an island that nurtures future top-level agents.

At that time, I had great ambitions in my heart. There is no value in the justice spoken by the weak... so I thought, I would become someone who can make a difference.

To become the embodiment of true absolute justice, to be an existence with overwhelming power... that was my ambition.

However, reality was relentlessly cruel to me. It's true that I had talent. There was no doubt about it... I might have even been called a genius... if it wasn't for the fact that it was the training institution of the World Government, the world's largest organization.

At first, things were going smoothly. I managed to keep up with the significantly more severe training, and I showed signs of gradually mastering the techniques known as the Six Styles.

I thought I would become someone worthy of being called a superhuman when I mastered the Six Styles... But after coming to this island called Guanhao, I couldn't help but understand.

The difference between 'the truly chosen ones'...

Yes, I eventually noticed. There were people who progressed at a different pace from us.

While I took one step forward, they took two or three. By the time I took five steps, the gap had become unmistakably wide. Those who could become superhumans, the chosen talents... all of it weighed heavily on my shoulders.

I didn't want to admit it. I didn't want to acknowledge that I couldn't reach their level, that my talent was just mediocre at best...

But that tiny bit of pride was shattered by a true genius. Rob Lucci, who was hailed as an unparalleled genius... he was undoubtedly in a league of his own among the chosen ones.

The moment I understood that I could never beat him, my heart broke.

There is no value or meaning in justice spoken by the weak... and I was on the side that had no right to speak of justice.

In the end, even after mastering the Rokushiki, I was cast aside through the selection process and assigned to Cipher Pol 5. I think it was inevitable. New candidates come every year. There's no point in continuously training someone with only mediocre talent.

After being assigned, when I officially became a member of CP5, my once grand ambitions and enthusiasm had burnt out, leaving only a faint trace.

As a CP5 agent, my days were going relatively well. Being a Rokushiki user had its advantages, and I was highly valued within CP5.

The only person who surpassed me in combat ability was my senior, who was a Rokushiki user of the fourth style. Well, I personally didn't like this senior very much; they had a high self-esteem and always seemed to revel in their superiority...

Anyway, I was living my daily life moderately, and then one day, I was given a certain instruction from the chief. In summary, it was to join a squad consisting of connections-based recruits and complete the missions.

In short, I was supposed to help those with connections make achievements. I could tell that the chief was getting quite old and retirement was being rumored, so it was clear that this person was a candidate for the next chief.

My senior seemed to openly harbor disgust at the part about connections-based recruits, but personally, I didn't feel that strongly about it.

After all, that's how the world works. There are countless individuals in both the World Government and the Marines whose higher positions are guaranteed through connections. I didn't think it would have a significant impact on my daily life.

And so, the new squad leader named Spandam turned out to be more diligent in training than I had imagined, and I could sense that his core strength was quite solid.

I couldn't feel any imposing presence of a fighter, so perhaps he was involved in sports or something. At least, he seemed much more agile than I had initially thought.

Given that he had diligently trained his own physique to such an extent, he must be someone who works hard, and my personal impression of him was favorable.

***

It was supposed to be a simple mission. A pirate sweep operation under the command of a rookie captain. The scale of the pirates was small, and it should have been a level of destruction that I could handle alone.

Yes, it was supposed to be a mission with a strong aspect of making achievements for connections-based recruits.

Initially, everything went as planned. The pirates' whereabouts were easily found, and the battles progressed smoothly. The only miscalculation was the strength of the pirate captain.

"Hahaha! What's wrong, you dogs of the government! Is this all you've got!!"

As my senior, who suffered heavy damage, fell, the pirate captain smiled as if he was confident of victory. I too couldn't muster the strength in my legs and knelt down, breathing heavily.

This captain was different, far beyond the level of other pirates. To possess such power, with a crew of only a few hundred pirates, was beyond my expectations.

Especially, the power to turn hands and bodies black... I believe it must be the ability of a Devil Fruit, and it was extremely troublesome. When he entered that state, both my senior's finger pistol and my storm kick had no effect at all.

Honestly, I had run out of options... I had no means to break through that ironclad defense, and the captain's swing of the sword seemed to move in slow motion.

...Ah, nothing has changed since before. I am weak, and I can do nothing but be trampled upon by injustice.

Since the time the pirates burned down the town when I was a child... ultimately, nothing has changed, has it?

As my heart was engulfed in despair, a merciless blade of death was about to strike me.

However, that blade never reached me. As if a finger had been thrust into the trajectory of the blade... the sword the man was swinging shattered like glass with ease.

"What!?"

Amid the man's astonished voice, my captain stood before me. Wrapped in a black suit, his back appeared much larger than when I first saw him, or at least that's how it felt.

"Captain?"

"...Step back. I'll handle this."

My muttered words were met with a calm voice, and then the atmosphere changed.

It was as if the entire air had turned to lead, making it difficult to even breathe without consciously doing so. An enormous pressure, as if my whole body would be crushed, engulfed me.

I could quickly understand who was producing this pressure.

More firmly trained than I thought? No, this is on a different level.

I don't feel any intimidating aura of a fighter? No, he's just suppressing it.

In an instant, I understood. Not just me, even the pale-faced pirate, his body, instincts, and soul all immediately grasped it.

In this very place, the only one who could be called a strong person was our captain. Both the man and I were nothing more than weaklings who could be crushed like insects if the captain wished it.

Just standing there, he seemed like an incarnation of overwhelming power, separated from the rest. That was our captain standing before us.

The captain, who only slightly released his suppressed presence, spoke in a calm voice.

"Enforcing the darkness' justice.."

In an instant, my whole body shivered. An impact as if struck by a lightning bolt coursed through my body.

If there is no value or meaning in justice spoken by the weak... then how much value and meaning does justice spoken by an 'overwhelmingly strong person' have?

I don't know. But I understood. The ideal I dreamed of was right before my eyes... an embodiment of absolute justice that crushes all injustice and irrationality.

My face was hot, my chest pounded, and tears flowed from my eyes. The back of the captain standing at the peak I couldn't reach was incredibly powerful and dazzling.

And before my eyes, the captain executed the justice of darkness.

The pirate crossed his arms and stained his hands black. That was the power that my senior and I couldn't handle. In response, the captain raised his index finger...

"Finger Pistol."

With just one word, it was all over.

The crossed arms, the man's body, and the mast of the ship behind him... all of them had holes the size of a coin. It was like the space the captain pointed at had been cut away, a sight that appeared as if the ship's structure had been shattered.

Is this the Finger Pistol? How, how amazing... how overwhelming...

My heart was pounding so loud it was deafening. At the same time, a faint bit of reason that remained in my mind was appealing to me, "You must not look any further"...

The light of someone too powerful would blind my eyes – I knew that. For me, the captain's light was far too strong. If I continued to look at him, I would go mad.

Because I knew that, I forcibly banished the faint remnants of reason within me and continued to stare at the captain's back.

As my gaze met his, the captain turned around slowly and said:

"The mission is complete. Only the captain's body needs to remain, sink the rest of the ship and return."

"Y-Yes."

Feeling the intense beating of my heart, my heart was filled with strong determination and desire. I wanted to become strong, I wanted to be by the side of the embodiment of absolute justice I yearned for.

For that, I wouldn't mind sacrificing anything... for me, the captain alone is the embodiment of absolute justice.

That day, my heart... was burned by the black sun that shone so brightly it could blot out the midday sky – willingly, madness took hold of me.