Chapter 162: Justice (2)

When Sakazuki first met Smoker a long time ago, he actually took a liking to the white-haired fellow.

"What I'm afraid of isn't the death itself, but rather, the meaningless one."

Sakazuki resonated with this statement. And he believed that someone like Smoker would understand what it means to uphold the ideal of Absolute Justice.

However, he quickly learned, of how wrong he was.

"...In the end,"

Sakazuki whispered as he looked at the red dragon, one so huge that its shadow covered a large portion of the sea.

"What is justice?"

If doing it, do it thoroughly. Even if it were to have some of the innocent ones get caught in the crossfire, ensure that all the evils are eradicated.

Throughout his career in Marine, this was the ideal that Sakazuki took to heart. However, this is the present which such an ideal led him to... the present filled with dystopia, with those civilians having risen in the name of the Revolutionary Army to fight against the World Government—the rulers whom Sakazuki used to believe as righteous.

"We were the victims of injustice. Our homelands were invaded and pillaged. It was because we wanted justice unto this world, because we don't want anyone else to suffer as we did... that we joined the Marine."

Sakazuki eyed Borsalino, who seemed to be reminiscing over the past.

"Were we doing it wrong?"

"Yes, we were."

That's what Borsalino said back then in Marineford, after Sakazuki was defeated by Smoker.

"Think about the system, Sakazuki. In the first place... why were the pirates thriving? Even if we were to account for Gol D. Roger's speech before his death, for people to resort to becoming pirates for the sake of freedom... just how much were they suffering for them to prefer becoming the wanted criminals over normal lives? How low has the standard of living, the word 'normal', gone down?"

"But I..."

"...Admit it. We are nothing but a mindless dog and a monkey of the Celestial Dragons."

Sakazuki's fists tightened.

"The World Government wished for the 'balance' of the world to be prolonged. I've long realized... that the so-called balance is simply the monopoly of all the world's power by them, where the civilians are left starving and powerless—such that they won't be able to rebel.

When the Marine became too strong, the World Government fabricated their 'slaves' as pirates and eliminated our future generation. When the Marine weakened, they implanted their Cipher Pol agents into our ranks.

They deemed that whoever isn't a part of the World Government doesn't have the human right. Don't you get it, Sakazuki? To them, justice means strength. Because they are the strongest in the world, they are the justice. In that sense,"

The rage rushed into Sakazuki as he continued recalling Borsalino's words,

"I guess that they technically are the absolute justice."

"The life which I believed it to be righteous... it was nothing but a delusion, from the very start."

"The blind animals who willingly lick the feet of the Five Elders, while neglecting their own families to their deaths and sufferings. That's who we are, Sakazuki."

"With these hands of mine, I killed thousands of innocents. And yet, my attempt to be thorough failed. I have... committed a genocide."

"However, Sakazuki, though I already lost mine, you still have something left to protect."

His fists loosened. His eyes, looking at the red dragon who was now gathering up another beam once more, seemed dull.

"...Nothing is absolute, huh."

Smoker, whose breathing had calmed down, stared at Sakazuki in surprise.

"Perfection... it was impossible to achieve from the very start. It was because I aimed for the such, that I ended up losing everything..."

'...Hibari.'

Sakazuki closed his eyes, before opening them back up. The light entered within the dull eyes, and he asked,

"What do you need us to do, Smoker."

"..."

Smoker gazed at his hand.

"Ten minutes."

He attempted to pull out his Devil Fruit ability but wasn't able to. Utilizing the power of aether to the core—it had quite a drawback.

"I need ten minutes to recover. After that,"

His eyes, full of determination, seemed to be gleaming brilliantly in Sakazuki's view.

"That monster will be taken down."

The red dragon blasted its energy beam toward the three of them.

"Then ten minutes it is."

From Sakazuki's right arm, the magma burst into existence and bubbled dangerously. Then, he proceeded to punch said arm toward the incoming ray of destruction,

"Great Eruption!!"

The magma met the energy beam. The latter, with an incredible destructiveness, effortlessly cut through the magma.

However, its speed has notably slowed down, granting Borsalino enough time to move them to a different location.

"Yasakani—"

Smoker found himself lying on one section of Red Line, one that had crumbled down so much that its height was just a few kilometers above the sea.

Borsalino, with his arms crossed, was behind the dragon.

Sakazuki, on the other hand, floated in front of the dragon with a huge mass of magma draped around his right fist.

"—Sacred Jewel!"

"Hound Blaze!!!"

From both sides of the dragon, the countless particless of yellow light and dense and hot magma, morphed into a form that resembled a hound with its fangs open, were fired.

BOOOM!

The explosion arose, and Sakazuki and Borsalino quickly backed away to create a distance.

Through the smoke, the dragon's slitted eyes flashed dangerously. It roared and pushed all the smoke away from it.

It raised its claw and slammed it down on Sakazuki with a monstrous strength. Sakazuki raised his guard to block it,

"Tch—!"

and gritted his teeth upon feeling the immense strength behind the blow. He was blasted downward, but managed to regain his balance and with the use of Geppo, prevent himself from falling into the water.

Borsalino, on the other hand, morphed into the light and quickly escaped the muscular tail that was flying toward him.

From one swing of the tail, the wind screeched, swirling into a storm.

Borsalino appeared right above the dragon, holding a sword made out of light.

"Ama no Murakumo, Swords of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven."

Sakazuki, at the same time, fired a numerous load of magma clusters toward the dragon,

"Meteor Volcano!!!"

Borsalino flew down, aiming to stab the eye of the dragon. The magma clusters flew toward the dragon's body.

The dragon narrowed its eyes.

Then, suddenly, the crimson-red aura spread throughout the area centering the dragon.

The light sword suddenly left Borsalino's control and escaping his grip, pointed its tip back at him.

The magma clusters suddenly changed their direction of flight and started to fly downward, straight to where Sakazuki stood.

Sakazuki reached his both hands out.

The incoming blasts of magma splattered as his Armament Haki: Emission prevented their advance.

Borsalino, on the other hand, moved at light's speed to dodge the light sword under the dragon's control.

However, such was the future that the dragon saw. The moment Borsalino appeared at a distance back, the air surrounding Borsalino suddenly gushed out of the space, locking in the black-hole-like vacuum.

Borsalino's eyes widened as his movement, for a brief moment, was halted.

And within this brief moment, the dragon blasted the beam straight at him, one that burned and penetrated through Borsalino's chest.

Borsalino's eyes widened in bloodshot upon the impact. He helplessly fell from the sky as the blood squirted out of the grievous wound on his chest.

"..."

Nevertheless, Borsalino gritted his teeth, uncaring of the fact that the blood was tricking out of his mouth as he did so.

"Borsalino...!"

Sakazuki tightened his fist that was encased by the bubbling magma. found right behind the dragon, with his magma-bubbling hand about to reach the dragon.

"FOCUS, SAKAZUKI!!"

Borsalino held his hand toward his wound.

An intense ray of light was shone from his hand and inflicted a painful burn on the wound, forcibly stopping the bleeding.

Grimacing with his eyes shadowed by his cap, Sakazuki blasted his magma-imbued fist at the dragon, which was blocked by a wing—one that was encased with Haki.

"You fuckard...!!!"

Sakazuki growled, before the dragon twisted its body and knocked Sakazuki off of it.

The sea below Sakazuki suddenly erupted, aiming to engulf him. Sakazuki immediately blasted a magma toward the rising blast of water in response.

The steam arose as the hot magma met the cool water. In this state,

"Sacred Yata Mirror!!"

Borsalino shone a ray of light between his hands. It spread throughout the area as it was knocked against the steam particles and shone the space in yellow.

Borsalino's form flashed in bright light before he appeared all around the dragon—no, it was just that he travelled at a speed so fast that it appeared as if there were multiples of him.

"Yasakani Ssacred Jewel!!"

The light particles were blasted at the dragon from all directions.

At the same time, Sakazuki placed a thick layer of magma above his arm, and thrust it at the dragon in a shape of a claw,

"Hell Hound!!!"

In an instant, the dragon found itself surrounded by the lethal attacks of light and magma. Gazing at the approaching attacks with its slitted eyes,

it then roared.

The roar, containing the might of Conqueror's Haki, generated a gust so ferocious that it managed to repel all the light and magma. From such a force, those elements exploded mid-sky, and the steam was overtaken by the smoke generated off of them.

From the impact of the explosions, both Sakazuki and Borsalino were knocked off the sky and crashed into the Red Line.

"..."

Sakazuki wrinkled up his face.

"Huff... huff..."

Borsalino was breathing heavily as he frowned from the pain of the wound on his chest.

Smoker slowly forced his shaky body up by pushing himself against the ground with his hands. He wobbled but managed to maintain his balance.

His eyes swirled back and forth between crimson and hazel. His form shifted back and forth between the gaseous form of 'Arcane Drive' and his normal form. The wisps of smoke were rising from parts of his body, but at a weak extent.

The dragon roared yet again. Opening its crimson wings wide, it flew up high into the sky, as if preparing to finish off the three of them at once.

The crimson colour that was laid all across the surroundings was becoming clearer as seconds ticked.

The storm, flying debres of Red Line, remnants of the energy beams, concentrated blasts of water—everything ceased.

The area fell silent, and the three of them knew that it was the calm before the storm—storm greater than any other.

"...Smoker."

Then, Sakazuki spoke dully.

"...Though I have been your enemy for years... I know that you are the one whom I can trust."

Smoker looked at Sakazuki, and in his eyes, Sakazuki... seemed to have prepared himself for his death.

"You see... even I, someone like me, have a daughter. And she is named Hibari. Will you..."

Sakazuki paused.

The entire world around them was now nothing but red—be it the sky, cloud, water—everything.

And ironically, the Red Line which they stood on now appeared black.

the silhouette of the dragon was seen at the sky, beyond the steam, smoke, and cloud.

The light was getting more and more intense.

The crimson sky swirled in a vortex. It seemed that the space was getting distorted from the pulling force that lied in the middle.

"Will you..."

Sakazuki whispered,

"...teach her what the true justice is? So that she won't end up... like I have?"

"...Justice, you say."

Smoker knew full well what Sakazuki was asking for.

He stared back at Sakazuki with light in his eyes. Smoker's eyes, brimming with willpower, seemed to be promising,

"...I will."

Sakazuki closed his eyes to hide the swirling emotion in him.

"Nothing is perfect. Nothing is absolute. And it is thanks to our limits, our weaknesses, that we advance and strive to be better."

And Borsalino, standing back up, stated.

"This world needs peace. And that peace doesn't have to be perfect. There will be some degree of freedom, some degree of restraints, and some degree of chaos as well. In order to keep them in harmony...

...this world requires justice."

Smoker turned to look at Borsalino, who stared back at him in certitude.

"This world needs Marine."

Sakazuki took a few steps forward and stopped ahead of Smoker and Borsalino. His eyes, staring up at the sky that was getting brighter and brighter in red, trembled slightly.

Borsalino whispered,

"...And Marine needs you, Smoker."

Sakazuki stated,

"Become the Fleet Admiral."

Then, the destructive, crimson ray of death—one so wide that it covered up the entire Red Line which the three of them stood on top of—was blasted down on them.

Filled with determination, Sakazuki jumped. Borsalino, grabbing Smoker by the back of his tattered shirt, jumped after Sakazuki.

"GRAHHHHHH!!!!!"

Sakazuki let out a war cry as he covered up his entire body with Armament Haki: Emission and the thickest magma that he could generate.

The ray of death struck right onto Sakazuki. From the boundless energy contained within it, Sakazuki's armour of magma has disintegrated into nothing in an instant.

However, his Haki persisted. Clenching his fists as tightly as he could, Sakazuki tanked the blast, such that Borsalino and Smoker beneath him didn't receive the damage out of it.

"Sakazuki...!"

Smoker whispered in an amazement.

Sakazuki's skins were ripped apart from his body. The muscles, bones, organs, everything were being disintegrated, with him no longer being able to hold on.

Sakazuki's justice coat fluttered before it left him.

In this state, Sakazuki mustered up one more round of magma through his hands that wre reduced into nothing but the bones, which opened a split-second gap through this destructive ray.

Sakazuki then shouted for one final time,

"GO—"

and was disintegrated into nothing.

"...!"

"Tch...!!!"

Borsalino shot forth through the gap Sakazuki made for them, with his hold on Smoker tight.

The justice coat from Sakazuki, as they flew, landed right on Smoker's shoulders.

Borsalino's body too began to melt as he flew at the light's speed, protecting Smoker from the impacts of the ray all around.

"We will leave..."

And at the final moment, Borsalino threw Smoker above, above the dragon and out of its destructive ray,

"...the rest to you, Smoker."

Borsalino fell into said ray, following Sakazuki's footstep.

"..."

Nothing but the explosive noise of the destructive ray now existed. Sakazuki and Borsalino were no more.

Smoker was now flying above the dragon's head with the justice coat draped around him. His eyes were shadowed by his bangs.

"...Thank you, you two."

Flying below the sun and above the cloud, Smoker's right fist tightened. His eyes blazed into the white fire. His body emitted the glittering, mystical gas that seemed akin to that of a stardust.

"At this moment, no matter the past... I have nothing but gratitude for the two of you."

The justice coat, encased by the bright white aether, shone brighter than ever.

Then, his entire body crackled in vigorous black lightning, indicating the manifestation of Conqueror's Haki: Infusion.

Smoker flew straight at the dragon, one which was caught off guard and wasn't able to prepare for a defense.

The aether on his right fist shone brighter than it ever has. In a pure, unbridled form, it accelerated and distorted the entire space around it.

The space itself, unable to handle the interception of a 'parallel world' through the gap, was shattering apart centering Smoker's fist.

And this fist landed straight on the dragon,

Zenith: Supernova.

A white void was drilled onto the dragon's chest. Through the distortion of the space, its entire being was being shredded into nothing.

As if being pulled toward said void, the dragon's body became disfigured and smaller.

It roared and resisted this frightening phenomenon,

KIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

but to no avail.

It thrashed its body as hard as it could. However, its gigantic and sharp-looking wings, muscular arms, legs and tail, and slitted eyes that contained rage and hatred—one by one, they were ground into nothing as the void consumed them.

KIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

It cried, as if not wanting to disappear, to cease existing, from this world. It seemed to pleading, that its time has not come yet.

However, its fate has already been sealed.

Its cry, its roar, it diminished as slowly but surely, the dragon lost its strength.

And at last...

the dragon was gone.

The sky was no longer crimson.

"The victory..."

Smoker, now alone in the peak of the world, whispered as he gazed into the horizon.

"Is… ours…"

His vision blurred as the adrenaline left him. Eventually, his eyes glossed out. The aether all around his body died down.

And he began free-falling, having left the realm of consciousness.

Simultaneously, the bright explosion of aether occurred, creating a dome of energy up high in the sky.

The entire space quaked. The nigh-broken Red Line completely crumbled down, and the sea from the New World began to gush into Paradise, and vice versa.

The sea swirled. A large whirlpool was formed. And Smoker,

SPLASH!

fell straight into the sea.

There was the rain—one that happened due to the immense pressure it received from Smoker's aether. Plopping onto the sea, it seemed to represent the end of the battle.

Then, something miraculous happened.

Smoker began to resurface, still unconscious. He was on top of a creature—a Sea King.

One by one, Sea Kings began to appear all around him. They, amounting up to thousands, swam altogether in a free manner, as if celebrating the arrival of the new era.

The whales and smaller fish—all the sea creatures surfaced one by one, ever so lively.

They, as if escorting Smoker, slowly swam, to who-knows-where.

__________

Within the Fish Man island, Neptune tilted his head as he looked at his enormous daughter, who was asleep.

"What are you dreaming, my little princess?"

Shirahoshi was smiling widely as she slept, making Neptune curious.