The night before my departure, Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan organized a farewell party. We gathered at Sakazuki's house.
"Excuse me, I'm coming in."
"Ah, Master Krieg! We're just finishing the preparations. Please wait here."
It was Stella who greeted me. I'd found her being sold at a Human Shop back when I visited the Sabaody Archipelago.
After agonizing over it, I'd "liberated" her under the cover of night. Keeping her hidden was risky, and I had no base of my own, so I consulted Sakazuki.
He figured that inside Marineford was the safest place from prying eyes. Now, she lives here as a live-in housekeeper, also assisting Sakura-san, who uses a wheelchair.
"Here, I brought some sweets. Please share them with Sakura-san." I handed her the bag and was shown into the main room.
"Oh, you're early."
Sakazuki—who, despite being my peer, was promoted to Vice Admiral just the other day—raised a sake cup in greeting.
"Yeah. Where are Borsalino and Kuzan?"
"Kuzan's running late. I sent Borsalino to fetch him. More importantly, is it true you got your hands on a Devil Fruit?"
Word travels fast. "Yeah. It's a Zoan, though. Not a Logia like you monsters."
"Hmph. Fruits vary wildly in quality. You didn't eat it yourself?"
"Nope. Meet Kafu!"
I extended my arm, and the eagle swept down to perch on my wrist. "He's a weapon that ate the Bird-Bird Fruit."
"A weapon that ate a fruit? I don't quite get it. So it's a bird with the properties of a gun?"
"Uh, yeah, that's one way to look at it."
"Heeeee so that's the rumored 'Abyssal Weapon,' is it?"
"Senpai, you really have the strangest ideas. Giving a Devil Fruit to an object?"
Two voices chimed in. Borsalino and Kuzan had arrived—both of them also recently promoted to Vice Admiral.
"Personally, the cost-performance ratio seems off," I joked.
"What happens if you mix in a Paramecia?" Sakazuki asked.
"Hard to say without trying, but it would probably become a weapon with that specific trait."
"Might be the same for a Logia~," Borsalino mused.
"Is it even safe for non-Zoans, Senpai?" Kuzan asked.
"I can't say for sure. This time it worked by chance; there's no guarantee it'll work again."
"What if you fed it two? Would it explode?" Sakazuki wondered.
"I've heard humans explode if they eat two," Kuzan added.
"One is risky enough as it is~..."
We moved to the dining room as Stella announced that dinner was ready. After a meal of excellent food and idle chatter, we settled back with glasses in hand to discuss the current state of the world.
And then, I dropped the bomb.
"By the way... just how much can we actually trust the World Government?"
Silence.
"Krieg, we're among friends, but don't go saying that elsewhere," Sakazuki warned, his eyes narrowing.
"Well they certainly have their untrustworthy moments," Borsalino added airily.
"Suddenly getting serious? That's not like you, Senpai. Do you have a fever?" Kuzan teased.
"Shut up, Kuzan. I did some digging..."
I pulled a stack of documents from my coat and spread them across the table. "The deeper I look, the worse it gets. Bounties issued because of political pressure from above, or bounties erased for the same reason. There's a lot of fishy business going on."
The three men picked up the papers, their faces darkening as they read.
"I'm aware of some of this," Sakazuki growled. "But if a person is labeled a criminal by the law, we must apprehend them."
"But if that 'crime' was fabricated, then the person hasn't actually committed an offense," Kuzan countered. "That's a problem."
"Do you have a point to make, Krieg? As it stands, I'm inclined to agree with Sakazuki," Borsalino noted.
"Alright, let's look at some examples," I said.
"First: 'Great Pirate' Woonan. He flies a pirate flag but has no bounty. He defeats vicious pirates and takes their gold, but he returns other valuables to their owners or gives them to the poor. Should we arrest him?"
"Arrest him," Sakazuki said instantly. "If he eliminates the 'vicious' pirates, who's to say he won't turn his sights on civilians next?"
"I'd leave him be," Kuzan shrugged. "As long as he isn't breaking the law, he's just weakening the competition."
"I agree with Kuzan. No bounty, no citizen complaints, no branch reports? Leave him alone."
"Next: Zenigami the Moneylender. He lends to pirates, acting as their primary source of funding. But he has no bounty. Arrest him?"
"Arrest," Sakazuki barked. "He's an accessory to every crime those pirates commit."
"Maybe a formal warning first?" Kuzan suggested.
"Needs investigation. Depends on the type of pirates he's lending to. If they're 'Peace Main' types, who cares?"
"Then how about 'Raging Bull' Wetton? He was a pirate who looted countless civilians. He had a bounty, but decades ago, it was retracted after he made 'under-the-table donations' to Government officials. Now he's the Mayor of Luluca. Arrest him?"
"Arrest him," Sakazuki said, his voice dropping an octave. "A piece of trash who loots civilians doesn't just 'become decent.'"
"The fact that he's the Mayor and the bounty was legally retracted makes it tricky," Kuzan sighed.
"Internal investigation to find new evidence, then re-issue the bounty and arrest him~," Borsalino concluded.
"Last one: 'Whitebeard' Edward Newgate. He has a massive bounty. However, he funds himself through 'protection fees' from his territories, and his presence actually maintains order in those regions. Arrest him?"
"Arrest. No question. He has a bounty; there's nothing else to discuss," Sakazuki stated.
"Ignore him," Kuzan said. "He keeps the peace. Until we have a better alternative to maintain that order, arresting him would just cause chaos."
"I'm with Kuzan on that. Rushing in would only lead to a mess."
"What?! Pirates must be arrested!" Sakazuki slammed his fist on the table.
"Calm down, Sakazuki. I'm bringing this up because I want to discuss a strategy for these 'gray areas.' Just listen to me."
For the second stage of my plan, I began to explain my real vision.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: [email protected]/Master_Studios677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 60 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.