Sakazuki began speaking calmly.
"Justice is a broad term. It depends on how you see it. If it's just doing good deeds, saving a few people, rescuing a country, or liberating an island, then this world is full of 'justice.'
"There is 'justice' among pirates. There is 'justice' within the World Government. The Revolutionary Army has its own 'justice.' Even among those foolish Celestial Dragons, there are a few who believe in 'justice.' So it all depends on how you define it.
"But in the end, things like that are just excuses people use to justify doing whatever they want."
Robin frowned slightly. That was true…
If judged individually, then there were no absolute villains in this world.
Sakazuki continued, "Take the 'justice' within the Marines as an example. Many people put a label on their own 'justice' and act however they please.
"Among them, those who play games of chasing pirates can become 'heroes.'
"Those who secretly communicate with the enemy for personal reasons, causing countless Marine soldiers to die, can become 'Fleet Admirals.'
"And those who possess great power, yet believe they have seen the darkness of the world and waste their time in laziness while consuming Marine resources, can become 'Admirals.'
"They have saved people, and they have harmed people. The current laws cannot define such behavior, so in the end, it all gets categorized as 'justice.' As long as they attach a label to their 'justice,' everything they do becomes justified. No one can refute it.
"No matter what they do, there will always be people who use those labels to defend them and make it seem reasonable.
"Even the people I have killed… if their bodies were gathered together, they could fill dozens of islands. Yet I still represent the 'justice' of this world. Even the Marines, which stands for 'justice,' is like this. Do you think everything in this world is reasonable?"
Robin opened her mouth, her mind blank.
"…It's not."
She had not expected this at all. Not only did Sakazuki not reject her question, he explained it in detail, even pointing out the flaws within the Marines… and himself.
Sakazuki let out a faint chuckle. "So in truth, this world has no such thing as 'justice.' Everything is just an excuse used by those at the top to justify their actions.
"But… this world does have something called 'greater purpose.' That is much simpler. Just six words… for the sake of the world.
"After the World Military Draft began, countless young people enlisted. Most of them have no exceptional talent or luck, and in times like these, the most likely outcome for them is death on the battlefield… yet they still came.
"Are they foolish? They are. But why would they be so foolish?
"Because they don't want their descendants to live in fear. Because they don't want their families to experience destruction and loss.
"For the past eight hundred years, the people of this world have never seen hope. But I came. I gave them hope, and they chose to believe in me.
"They charged into the New World without hesitation, choosing to cut off their own futures so that the people they love might have a chance to live under the sunlight.
"They are not doing it for themselves. They are doing it for the world, for that 'greater purpose.'"
Sakazuki leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, and spoke quietly. "And everything I do… is also for that 'greater purpose.' The 'justice' I carry is nothing more than a method. After all, I have never been a good man.
"This plan was derived after countless simulations. It is the most optimal solution. Where the Marines can reach, we have already sent people to evacuate civilians from those islands. Those who accepted were taken to the Grand Line. Those who refused were not forced.
"Right now, countless soldiers are dying every day for the sake of this world. So those stubborn civilians… and those places we cannot reach… why shouldn't they die?
"For the future of this world, for its 'greater purpose'… they can only be asked to go along with those pirates… and die.
"Their deaths have no real meaning. They were simply obstacles in the 'greater purpose' of saving the world, and were removed along the way.
"In the history books of later generations, they'll only be mentioned in a few brief lines. Because they are insignificant… just like Ohara.
"Your existence at least leaves a trace of Ohara in this world. If you had died back then, no one would remember you… or that place. In just a few decades, the name 'Ohara' would disappear into the flow of history, just like those islands erased by the World Government."
Robin sat on the sofa with her eyes tightly shut, cold sweat running down her forehead.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes, rushed out, and braced herself against the fortress railing, breathing heavily.
Sakazuki's words echoed in her ears like a curse, shattering everything she once believed. Part of her felt he was right. Another part of her past, filled with pain, told her this was nothing but manipulation.
* * *
Inside the office.
Sakazuki shook his head and paid Robin no further attention, simply continuing to review the latest reports.
Carlo sighed helplessly. He picked up a glass of water and walked out.
Coming up beside Robin, still struggling to calm down, he handed it over. "Drink."
She took it with one hand and gulped it down, not caring about appearances. After finishing, she set the glass on the railing and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you."
Carlo chuckled. "You're welcome."
Robin leaned on the railing, staring blankly at the sea ahead. Carlo stood beside her, also looking into the distance.
"It's persuasive, isn't it?"
She stayed silent for a long time, then let out a soft sigh.
"…It is."
He smiled faintly. "But it's the truth."
Robin gave a bitter smile. "Did the people of Ohara… really die for nothing?"
Sakazuki's judgment of Ohara had nearly shattered her beliefs. The work that had taken them centuries… reduced to just one word, "insignificant." She could not accept it.
Carlo sighed. He did not want to hurt her, but she needed to face reality.
"Do you think it had meaning?"
After a pause, he changed the way he asked. "In the history recorded by Ohara, there should be many islands erased by the World Government, right?"
Robin nodded. That was true. Ohara had documented much of the world's history, including many erased events.
Carlo went on, "During that research… did Ohara ever stop, even for a minute, for those islands? How big they were, how many people died, when they vanished?
"Why not? Because they were insignificant.
"Ohara only wanted to pursue the so-called truth. They didn't care how many islands were erased, because those islands had nothing to do with them. In their eyes, they were 'insignificant.'
"What they wanted was the truth hidden by the World Government. Those things didn't matter, so why care about them? They couldn't bring them back anyway.
"What, were they going to denounce the World Government for them? That would've been incredibly foolish."
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