Unclear Justice fluttered in the wind as the towering figure ambled away, his broad back shrinking into the distance.
Darren watched Borsalino vanish at the end of the street, his expression calm. He didn't speak for a long time.
"Kizaru is a strange one," Stussy murmured beside him. "Impossible to read."
"According to the Government's internal files, his loyalty to the World Government is exceptionally high—higher even than Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha."
"And yet his mission completion rate is the lowest among those 'monsters' at Marine Headquarters."
She frowned slightly, lowering her voice.
"And I always feel like… he's known for a long time that I'm working for Dr. Vegapunk, that my position in CP0 is just a cover to infiltrate and steal information for him."
"But he acts like nothing's wrong. He's never confronted me. Never reported anything to the higher-ups."
A faint smile formed at the corner of Darren's mouth.
"That's Borsalino for you."
"And honestly, you're not the only one who can't figure out that yellow-skinned monkey. Even I—his former colleague, his comrade in arms—still can't see through him."
Stussy pursed her lips, a touch of stubbornness creeping into her voice. "He's just leaning on the Glint-Glint Fruit."
Darren chuckled and shook his head. "The Glint-Glint Fruit is powerful, sure. But that's not the real reason."
"Borsalino's real strength is his wavering stance. His Unclear Justice keeps him permanently in the gray."
"Because you can't pin down his bottom line, you can't build a strategy around him. He adjusts to any situation without effort."
"He watches everyone like an outsider looking in."
Stussy's gaze drifted to Darren's profile, curiosity flickering in her eyes. She hadn't expected Darren—of all people—to speak of Borsalino with this kind of respect. Darren had never spared even Sengoku much courtesy.
"But isn't 'unclear' just a prettier way of saying he's given up? Doing the bare minimum?" she asked, genuinely puzzled. Along the way, she'd picked up plenty of Darren's strange modern phrases.
"No. There's a difference," Darren said, his smile turning wry. "To be honest, I admire the way he lives."
"Most people in this world drift wherever the current pushes them. Borsalino doesn't. He knows exactly what kind of life he wants, and what he's willing to do to keep it."
"He's lazy, not incompetent."
"His Unclear Justice is basically: this is fine, that is fine too."
"But what's 'fine' and what isn't isn't decided by rules, or ideals, or public opinion. It's decided by Borsalino."
"If he thinks this is acceptable, he does it. If he thinks that is acceptable, he does that. Nothing outside of him can force his hand."
Stussy listened, slowly nodding as if she almost understood. Then something seemed to click, and she asked softly:
"Then how is that different from your Personal Justice?"
Darren paused, then smiled with quiet certainty.
"The difference is… in a way, he has fewer bottom lines than I do."
"That's why he can keep tolerating what the World Government really is. What the Gorosei really are."
Darren shook his head and exhaled once.
"We should go."
"If the Monitoring Den Den Mushi stays blocked too long, Borsalino won't be able to spin it with a couple of lines."
---
Egghead.
Borsalino had barely stepped back into the Research Institute when the Military Den Den Mushi in his pocket began to buzz.
Purupuru… Purupuru…
A wry smile tugged at his lips. He took it out and answered with deliberate slowness.
"Moshi moshi? Borsalino speaking."
A rasping voice—ancient and cold—crackled through the receiver.
"Borsalino. Has something happened on Egghead?"
"The signal from the Monitoring Den Den Mushi was cut off for five full minutes."
Borsalino scratched his head, wearing a mask of mild concern. "Saint Saturn, Excellency—here's what happened…"
"Earlier, one of Dr. Vegapunk's experiments malfunctioned. The equipment exploded, and the shockwave caused the institute's electronic devices to malfunction temporarily."
"Thanks to the repair robots' urgent work, most systems have been restored… If you're listening through the Monitoring Den Den Mushi, you should be able to hear the repairs too, Excellency."
On the other end—
Holy Land Mary Geoise, Pangaea Castle, Authority Hall.
Saint Saturn listened through his monitoring earpiece, his expression dark. He fell into silence.
Sure enough, the frantic clatter of robots and tools filtered through.
After a few seconds, Saint Saturn spoke again, voice even colder.
"Activate the Visual Den Den Mushi feed."
"No problem at all~" Borsalino replied with a bright, easy smile. He switched it on.
A projection soon appeared on the pristine white wall of the Authority Hall, revealing the Research Institute in chaos.
Modified beasts hauled supplies. Robots wielded drills and welding torches, swarming damaged instruments. Black smoke curled from scorched machinery. Shards of glass glittered across the floor.
The suspicion in Saint Saturn's eyes faded almost entirely.
As the Warrior God of Science and Defense—and a scientist himself—he could tell at a glance: this was the mess of an accident, a small-scale experiment gone wrong.
If there had been an invasion, if there had been combat, the destruction would have been far worse.
"Where is Vegapunk?" Saint Saturn asked after a pause.
Borsalino's smile didn't change. "Dr. Vegapunk is still in his laboratory. He says his latest experiment has reached a critical phase, and he's likely buried in his work right now. Would you like me to have him contact you?"
Saint Saturn hesitated, then dismissed it.
"No. That experiment is of paramount importance. Tell Vegapunk to accelerate his research."
His voice sank, heavy with certainty—almost reverent.
"Tell him the day his research succeeds will be the day we end war on this world forever."
"His work will usher in an era of eternal peace across the seas."
To be continued...