Chapter 53

Bam!

Robin sighed as she saw the blonde man, Rosinante, falling for the nth time.

"It's as if you live in a world entirely different from mine, Master Chief Petty Officer Rosie." Robin deadpanned, "The world without friction, that is."

Rosinante, scratching his head as he sat up, said, "Don't mind me. Happens from time to time."

Without Robin willing to take the conversation further, the silence returned to the ship.

'...A 10-year-old girl, was she?' And now, Rosinante watched solemnly as Robin grabbed the binocular and climbed up to the crow's nest, '...Tch, isn't that damn too much? A kid should be playing and laughing around, instead of acting like an adult here.'

He took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up with a lighter of his possession. Taking a puff out of it, Rosinante thought, 'And as I expected, Celestial Dragons... my lineage is evil—'

"...And now you've set yourself aflame."

"—GAHHH!!!!"

Rosinante let out a shocked cry upon hearing Robin's remark. His attire was burning in hot fire, and he, unable to bear the sudden heat, jumped to the ground and began rolling in a comedic manner.

Robin shook her head, before bringing the binocular to her eyes. And subsequently, as Rosinante finally extinguished the fire, she informed, "...Ensign Aramaki and the rest seem to be returning, along with the civilians as ordered."

Rosinante, lying on the ground with smokes rising from his body, couldn't bother himself to remark. Robin, ignoring Rosinante's state, muttered, "The civilians behind them are quite numerous, but within the expectations. Now, the question is... why is Ensign Aramaki being carried by others?"

__________

Desolate. Such was the word that appeared in my mind, as I traveled across the empty street. Though the buildings stood and the bright sunlight illuminated the aesthetic scenery from high up, there existed this sense of hollowness within this kingdom.

'This world surely is vast,' I couldn't help but think, 'There are countless islands, and the World Government isn't omniscient. They deemed that rather than taking over control over trillions of people, setting up the rulers above them and grouping them together under the name of 'World Government' is more efficient.'

And currently, here I was, inside the castle filled with luxury in contrast to the kingdom as a whole.

"Lulul~ welcome to my kingdom, dear marine." In front of me, at some levels above, there lied a huge throne. On top of the throne sat an obese man wearing an exquisitely designed crown—king Barnon, the ruler of the Lulusia kingdom.

However, Barnon wasn't what gained my attention. Rather, my attention was on the numerous women with collars around their necks; they were kneeling in 2 rows, filled with despair and expectation that nothing will change.

"Ah, I see that you've taken an interest in my slaves, lulul! They are of the finest grades, attained from the infamous Human Auction shop in Sabaody Archipelago! A plebeian like you will never have enough to enjoy something like this, lululululululul! Are you jealous?"

Barnon laughed boisterously as he raised up the left side of his hip and let out a loud fart. Then, he snatched a bottle of liquor that lied nearby him and said, "Meh, but let's get down to the business. You see, I've heard a good deal about you. People call you 'White Hunter,' eh? Pretty cool title, I'm not gonna lie! But do you know what title I go by? It's much cooler than you!"

Not bothering to reply, I stood silently with my hands placed in my pockets. Barnon, after a moment of pause, said,

"It's 'White Sprayer,' lulululu!!!"

"""HAHAHAHAHA!!!""" As if trying to please the king, all the royal guards and slaves laughed in an exaggerated manner. In contrast, my lips didn't move a single millimeter.

"Anyway, the previous marines were freaking weak! That... that... uh, Comil was he? That dude kept sending me defects, for fuck's sake! I really hope that you're different!" Barnon took a gulp from the liquor before continuing, "Cipher... Cipher polo? Those dudes came over recently, so work with them to kill off every single leech out of my kingdom, you got that?"

I didn't respond, but stood still. Barnon, upon waiting for a few seconds, raised his eyebrow from my lack of response. Then,

"...Oh, my bad. What did you say again?" I, having woken up from my daze, asked, "I followed until 'welcome to my kingdom' part, but lost my concentration after—"

"W-wha..." Barnon, growing a tickmark on his forehead, barked, "THAT'S RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING!!!" before aggressively throwing the bottle at me.

I casually took a hold of the flying bottle and took a whiff of it,

"Thank you, but no thank you. I shouldn't be drinking during work."

before throwing it back at the king. The king, not managing to catch it as I did, had the bottle smash into his face. The smashed bottle then shattered into numerous shards, and from the impact alone, the king fainted with a bleeding nose.

"""AHHHH, KING BARNON!!!!""" The royal guards who stood at the edges of the room had their jaws dropped and eyes popped out. The female slaves too turned their faces and looked at me in disbelief. I, rubbing the back of my head, stated casually,

"That wasn't my fault. King could've caught that."

"""THAT'S DEFINITELY YOUR FAULT!!!!!"""

Shrugging, I turned around and began to walk out, "I'm done reporting my arrival. Will get going now."

'The previous Marine divisions were wiped out by the Revolutionary Army... Revolutionary Army began their revolt based on the king's corruption and tyranny, and the World Government began to recognize the rebellion. Coupled with Doflamingo's involvement... there surely is a lot going on here.'

Exiting through the huge gate, I was met with the sight of one huge fellow, holding onto a greatsword. He was wearing shiny golden armour, and right from the go, I recognized him,

'...Warmog the "Big Force."'

Wanted dead or alive for 50 million Beli. Unlike his bulky outward appearance, he was an expensive hitman who worked in the underworld. And the bounty of 50 million... it was given to him after the well-known clash against Aramaki a year ago, the clash that also brought Aramaki to fame as the 'Mad Bull.'

"Why, aren't you that Commodore Smoker, the talk of the world?" Warmog, leaning down on me, chuckled in amusement. Then, he held his huge hand out to me, "I'm general Warmog, the protector of this kingdom. I really do look forward to working with you, friend."

However, I didn't accept the man's hand. Ignoring his presence, I instead resumed walking. Then, Warmog spoke once more,

"Oh, and by the way, do make sure to keep the leash on your bull tight, yohyohyoh! It seemed a little loose this time around, you know—"

Warmog stopped his words. I, turning my head slightly, was gazing at him coldly. And there it was—the rising surge of Haki—which rendered Warmog petrified on his spot with a subconscious fear within him.

"..." Finding it worthless to even speak one word, I turned and resumed my way, leaving Warmog by himself.

__________

Nearby the shore where one marine ship was docked, many people were found. Most of them were civilians who were gobbling up a certain portion of food that was freshly cooked by the cooks of the 31st division. For the first time in a long while, they were laughing and letting out tears of joy, as they filled their stomachs full.

"How much did we use?" Rosinante, standing next to Robin, whispered to her. Robin, adjusting her fashions glasses, looked down at the paper in her hands and replied,

"All. But it's fine, Commodore Smoker said, we can rip off from the kingdom." Robin raised her head up, "And speaking of the devil, here he is."

"Commodore Smoker!" The marines, recognizing their commander, saluted strictly. Smoker, walking through them impassively, inspected the civilian-filled scenery around him. Currently, the sun was setting by, and through the orange light that illuminated the gradually darkening surrounding, Smoker's eyes landed on the green-haired subordinate, Aramaki.

"Ey, Commodore Smoker." Aramaki waved his hand with a tired grin on his face, "Mission accomplished, rahahaha!"

Smoker, leaning down to inspect Aramaki's injured state with narrow eyes, asked, "...What happened?"

Aramaki, sighing with the grin still intact on his face, explained, "The executives of the rebellion made their appearance. One looked like a huge bear, while the other one was big-headed. They briefly clashed with general 'Warmog,' before fleeing. Heh, my words are getting long, isn't it?"

He nodded his head at one boy who was eating on his side, "I didn't intervene in the fight between the royal force and rebellion. After the fight was over, when this boy accidentally stumbled upon their way, those so-called royal guards were about to kill him... I had to intervene."

I found myself grinning as I heard Aramaki's explanation. Standing back up, I patted the injured man's shoulder, "Well done. Take some rest."

Moving away from him, I walked to Rosinante and Robin—both who were concealing their true identities.

""Commodore Smoker!"" Rosinante and Robin both saluted upon my arrival. Upon my nod, Robin dropped her strict act and casually handed me the paper.

"The words of civilians all match. All previously arrived marines were killed by the rebellion, as we expected. And these people consider themselves as strays, with them despising the king for his tyranny, as well as the rebellion for their cruel deeds of murdering marines." Robin stated in a monotone, "But there was an error in our information as well. In contrast to what the king said, the marines were all captured alive, and executed yesterday instead of weeks ago."

"...Murdering marines, huh." I, returning the paper back to Robin, raised my head up and gazed at the night sky, full of bright stars.

<Investigate as to who took the lives of my men, and punish them.> Comil said. And according to that order, my target should be the Revolutionary Army. However,

<I want you to hear the pleas of those civilians. Open your eyes, and see for yourself—of what it truly means to be righteous.>

such were the words spoken by Dragon.

'Righteous, you said, Dragon.'

Righteous, the ideal to which I adhered by. I acted according to what my mind told me was right or wrong, but I knew that in the end, there is no such thing as 'absolute righteousness.'

'Then... what exactly does it means to be right here? To listen to the pleas of civilians as you say and kill you? But... I feel that something is missing here.'

It was as if Dragon himself wasn't aware of his current reputation. By telling me to listen to pleas of civilians, he probably meant to persuade me not to oppose him. Back then, I could tell that he was being genuine.

'Executed yesterday... who benefits from killing the marines?'

Then, ten individuals, all wearing black suits, appeared within my sight. They, walking with silent steps, were approaching my division and me. And from first glance, I recognized,

'...Cipher Pol.'

The ones who publicly gain the justification to attack the Revolutionary Army. Until previously, Revolutionary Army was in the righteous with their goal to overthrow the corrupt king's rule. And now, they were instead portrayed as lawless murderers, and the World Government was in the right.

They, stopping in front of me, bowed elegantly, "Commodore Smoker."

I watched them with sharpened eyes. And I was quite certain,

'...That there are spies in the Revolutionary Army.'