Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 288 Simple Standards and Methods for Judging and Enforcing Justice

After obtaining the information and the list, Xia Zuo confirmed that this was the Gray Zone fire from the main storyline flashback.

However, unlike what I remember, the order to set the fire was not given by the king, and so far no royal guards have been involved in the arson.

Xia Zuo found it slightly strange, but he didn't care.

The Goa Kingdom is a member state of the World Government, and eliminating the Goa King would cause a lot of trouble. It's good that the King didn't participate in the arson.

However, after receiving the investigation report, Xia Zuo did not immediately carry out the killing.

The next day, he led the East China Sea Special Mobile Fleet away from the Kingdom of Goa to continue the East China Sea patrol mission of the 77th Branch.

The nobles of the Kingdom of Goa were overjoyed, while the king was greatly astonished.

But they quickly thought of the Celestial Dragons who were about to arrive, and the immense power that protected them, and immediately felt that they had grasped Xia Zuo's weakness.

His Majesty the King even felt that in exchange for this intelligence, the loss of not actively participating this time was insignificant.

All the nobles became even more excited and put in their utmost effort to curry favor with the Celestial Dragons.

When the East China Sea Special Mobile Fleet completed its patrol and returned to the Goa Kingdom, Xia Zuo still did not make a move. He simply picked up Captain Red, who had stayed in the Goa Kingdom last time, and then quickly left.

In six days, Captain Reed delivered a more rigorous investigation report, with a longer and more detailed list attached.

This time, Captain Reid did not leave immediately, but instead asked, "Brigadier General Shazo, are you really going to punish the nobles of the Kingdom of Goa?"

Xia Zuo nodded: "Of course, they surrounded the uncertain terminal of the gray area, drove the so-called 'lowly' people into the garbage dump, and then set fire to so many people, killing them all. Shouldn't they be punished?"

Captain Reed said, "That's certainly true, but... but they are nobles."

Xia Zuo sneered: "Whether or not one should be punished has nothing to do with being a nobleman."

"Red, do you know what my principles of justice are?"

Captain Reed replied solemnly, "Your Excellency, your concept of justice is simple justice."

Xia Zuo continued, "Then do you know what 'simple justice' is?"

Captain Reed shook his head; he truly didn't know.

Not only did Captain Reed not know, but Lieutenant Commander Faye, the ship's captain, and Major Borg, the Marine Corps commander, also didn't know.

After all, Xia Zuo had never given a specific explanation.

But now that he had enough confidence, he took the opportunity to say to all the officers on the warship, "So-called simple justice is the pursuit of the simplest justice."

"The judgment of justice is simple: if it has already caused or is certain to cause loss of life and property to civilians, it is unjust; preventing loss is justice; punishing the culprits who cause loss is justice."

"Simple justice focuses only on definite facts and the inevitable results, without considering uncertain inferences such as possibilities or possibilities."

Major Borg asked, "Lord Shazo, what is the result of the edge pointing?"

Xia Zuo replied, "An example will make it clear: when a pirate raises his sword to strike someone, the result is that the person will be injured or killed."

"You don't need to wait until someone is killed by pirates to know that it's unjust for pirates to kill people, and it's just to stop them."

The naval officers nodded in agreement, but at the same time felt that this was too simple and that it was necessary to explain it in such a serious manner.

Xia Zuo noticed their indifference and emphasized, "I'm not emphasizing this because I think you'll make a mistake. I believe that as long as you have eyes and a heart, you won't make a mistake on something so simple."

"My concern is that you make judgments out of self-confidence, especially by speculating about the distant future as a standard for judging justice."

"In any case, the possibility of reducing loss of life and property in the future does not prove that killing and arson today are just."

""

"Because regardless of whether someone is killed or not, there is only one future, and it is impossible to prove whether the loss is greater or less through comparison."

"Inferences that cannot be proven to be right or wrong are sophistry."

The officers all understood. It was the first time they had ever felt that judging whether something was just was so simple, and they all nodded excitedly.

Then someone said, "By the standard of 'basic justice,' all the nobles of the Goa Kingdom should receive just punishment!"

"Your judgment is absolutely correct."

But one simple-minded fool still asked, "Commodore, we've already passed through the Kingdom of Goa twice. Why don't we punish those damned nobles immediately?"

Xia Zuo kept this simpleton in mind and put him on a blacklist, deciding to keep a close eye on him and not promote him casually.

They have absolutely no tact.

He told his subordinates, "Simple justice" is about simplifying judgment standards, getting straight to the heart of the matter, and avoiding conjecture as much as possible. It's not about being mindless!

"On the contrary, what my concept of justice needs most is a mind, not only to make rational judgments about whether something is just, but also to make judgments that enable the execution of justice."

"After determining that something needs to be stopped or someone needs to be punished, the next step is to determine whether justice can be served."

"First, you have to consider whether you have the ability to do it; if not, you should naturally give up."

Major Borg said with dissatisfaction, "Brigadier General, how can you give up?"

Xia Zuo looked him up and down several times, then suddenly laughed and teased, "Oh, Major Borg is quite confident."

"Hey, we've already said it, the nobles of the Goa Kingdom deserve to die, and you agreed with that."

He picked up the last list in the report and pretended to hand it to Borg: "Take this list and go kill them all."

Major Borg was speechless. Only when he was in his own shoes and thought about it from his own perspective did he realize how unreliable his words had been.

So it turns out he wanted Brigadier General Xia Zuo to do it, instead of doing it himself.

Major Borg blushed immediately and apologized sheepishly, "I'm sorry, Lord Shazo, I was wrong."

At such close range, Xia Zuo knew exactly what the Major was thinking, so he glared at him fiercely: "You're just being self-righteous. You clearly can't do it yourself, but you use my strength as a reference and make the judgment that you can kill all the nobles of the Goa Kingdom."

"Think before you speak next time, or I'll transfer you to Wano Country in the New World to capture Kaido."

Major Borg's neck was completely red, and his head almost drooped into his chest.

Xia Zuo continued, "If one's strength is sufficient, the next step is to assess whether the timing is appropriate."

"For example, today I received a detailed investigation report, and I have the power to punish these criminals, but I cannot do so."

"Because the Celestial Dragons are coming soon; they will definitely come to the Goa Kingdom."

"If I were to kill half of the nobles of the Goa Kingdom at this time, it would be like slapping the Celestial Dragons in the face, as well as the World Government and the Navy."

"So, are my actions truly just?"

Shazo's question was extremely complicated. Not only could young people like Captain Reid and Major Borg not understand it, but even middle-aged people like Lieutenant Colonel Faye couldn't figure it out at all.

The captain couldn't help but sigh, "Justice is so complicated."

Xia Zuo laughed heartily: "That's more like it! Justice is the most difficult, complex, and fragile luxury. How can justice be achieved without rigorous investigation, careful consideration, and comprehensive judgment?"

"If justice were so easy to achieve, why has it taken 800 years to attain it? And why should our navy carry such a heavy burden on our shoulders?"

Captain Reed was having a headache from thinking so hard that he took a deep breath and gave up on the complicated thought process.

He decided to follow Brigadier General Xia Zuo from now on, doing whatever he was told to do, so he wouldn't have to worry about anything.

Major Borg also found it difficult, but he still had the will to succeed and didn't want to give up so quickly.

Lieutenant Colonel Faye strongly agreed with Brigadier General Xia Zuo's ideas, and his rich experience made him absolutely agree with the methods proposed by the Brigadier General. He has decided to think and judge according to this standard from now on.

Xia Zuo received the voices of three officers from the [Heart Network] and realized that his first comprehensive explanation of his ideals of justice had successfully attracted three subordinates, turning them into his loyal followers.

He was very satisfied with the result, and felt even more confident in transforming the navy for his own use in the future.

However, he also reflected on his speech. It was normal that Borg and Reid did not understand the reasoning, but his explanation caused them confusion, which was his mistake.

Not every young sailor can be like Reed, who, when he can't figure something out, simply gives up thinking and wholeheartedly follows Shazor.

There are many more young people like his former adjutant, Borg, who don't understand or can't comprehend, yet still want to keep thinking.

If he suffers from thinking about this problem for a long time, it will cause him to feel fear, and he may even turn around and abandon his own sense of justice.

This is an unnecessary loss.

We still need to improve our speaking skills, learn to stir emotions, and master the techniques to evoke emotional resonance so that even if young people don't understand, they won't feel bothered by the excitement and enthusiasm.

Using his powerful brain, Xia Zuo deduced how to enhance the effect of his speech, and gradually a grand vision emerged in his mind.

Wait, why does this feel so familiar?

This isn't how instructors operate; this is hope Hai's speaking style!

【————】

[Fine, whatever. It's still better than the Celestial Dragons and feudal nobles, a million times better!]

Back at Branch 77, Xia Zuo began to seriously read Reid's report.

He quickly discerned from the lines of the report the resistance of the people in the gray area against the arsonist atrocities committed by the nobles of the Kingdom of Goa.

It even contains snippets of information from Luffy's three brothers.

-

Luffy's ability to lengthen his arms, in particular, left a deep impression on many of the respondents.

On the first day the fire started, the sudden downpour and strong winds revealed traces of a dragon to him.

This surprised Xia Zuo greatly. At that time, the edge of his [Mind Network] perception was still some distance away from the Goa Kingdom, but the acceptable distance was not far.

There is a significant possibility that the dragon was once shrouded in the "Mind Network," yet he was completely unaware of it.

It's unclear whether this former vice admiral was lucky enough to avoid his "Mind Network," or whether his abilities were so special that he couldn't be detected by the "Mind Network."

Xia Zuo muttered to himself, "I'll have to find an opportunity to verify this later."

"If we really can't find the dragon, I have to solve this problem, otherwise it will be a huge hidden danger."

Thanks to Xia Zuo's previous efforts and his current silence, the Celestial Dragons' visit to the East Blue went very smoothly.

The Celestial Dragons felt quite satisfied with the welcome and flattery from the common people and nobles, and in their good mood, they committed far fewer sins.

However, the Celestial Dragons remained incorrigible, causing many people who had misunderstood the World Nobles to realize the truth, and some even began to accept the Revolutionary Army's propaganda.

Sometimes, the greatest propagandists of a revolution are actually on the side of the revolutionized party.

The East Blue Navy, led by the 77th Branch, was on high alert for the possible evil deeds of the Celestial Dragons. Finally, a month later, they managed to send the World Nobles away without any major incidents.

All the naval personnel breathed a sigh of relief and began to resume their normal routines.

Xia Zuo immediately launched his punitive action. Because of the delay of a whole month, he couldn't even wait for the sea trials of the seventh-generation high-speed warship. He took off alone and flew towards the Goa Kingdom.

At this moment, a grand banquet is being held in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Goa.

Because the Celestial Dragons who came were not just Saint Charmaco, but a team of several Celestial Dragons, the Goa nobles' flattery and devotion earned them the approval of several Celestial Dragons.

In particular, the measure of separating nobles and commoners with high walls won unanimous praise from the Celestial Dragons.

Therefore, the World Government official who served the Celestial Dragons stated that next year's share of Celestial Gold could be reduced by half as a reward for the Goa Kingdom.

Although the Celestial Dragons and the World Government reduced or exempted taxes, the Goa Kingdom still had to collect the original amount, which would become an unexpected source of income for the king and nobles.

This is an enormous fortune; the total cost of welcoming the Celestial Dragons was less than half of this amount.

The nobles and the king were naturally overjoyed.

Therefore, the atmosphere at the banquet was very joyful. Even Otruuk III, who had lost his son, forgot about Sabo and happily calculated how much he could get this time.

Besides money, the land outside the city walls was also a great fortune.

Just as all the nobles were overjoyed and the banquet reached its climax, a huge window in the wall was shattered by a meteor.

Amid the exclamations of the nobles, a meteor fell in the center of the hall, revealing the figure of Brigadier General Xia Zuo.

His cold gaze locked onto the nobles present, and his chilling, undisguised murderous aura silenced everyone.

Many noble ladies fainted to the ground after he glanced at them.

The wise king's heart pounded wildly. His previous slight regret vanished, replaced by lingering fear and a sense of relief.

He mustered his courage and asked, "Commander-General Shazo, what brings you to the Kingdom of Goa?"

Xia Zuo glanced at him, casually took out a list, and said, "I'll punish the criminals."

"The criminal who set fire to a large number of poor people."

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