Pirates: Building High Walls Starting from the East Blue.

Chapter 82 Justice

"Kuzan, that kid sent you something too? Garp said you'd met him, I was wondering what was going on! Why would you go see that kid if there wasn't anything wrong? Now it seems it's true!"

"We've only met a few times, Professor Zephyr." Kuzan picked up the package sent to him with a puzzled look, cautiously glancing inside. Finding nothing suspicious, he breathed a sigh of relief and resumed his languid demeanor. Looking at the one-armed, burly, purple-haired man in front of him, he said leisurely, "We're not very close!"

"Don't you know him well? This kid... after being demoted, he hasn't achieved anything in all this time. He's just been staying in the East China Sea confronting some so-called East China Sea overlord. He hasn't learned anything, but he's become more and more proficient at these things. I'll have to give him a good scolding next time I see him."

Zephyr sighed, then looked at Kuzan, who was curiously examining the orange wine, and said cheerfully, "This is orange wine, a specialty of the East Blue. It tastes pretty good. A few years ago, that kid kept hoping I could help him get the Navy's purchasing department to buy it, saying his side was too poor and he hoped to make some money!"

"..."

That guy is poor?

No one in the entire East China Sea branch was richer than him, and even in the Grand Line, few branches could compare to him.

Kuzan raised an eyelid, but didn't say anything more.

He had drunk this orange wine when he was in Red Romance, and it tasted really good. He never expected that... even though he had returned to Marine Headquarters, that cunning kid would still send it to him?

What exactly do they want to do?

"It's a pity that I mentioned it to the Navy Headquarters, but it failed. However, that kid still sends it every year. He's quite thoughtful." Zephyr sighed and looked at the orange wine in his hand.

He had high hopes for Xia Che, believing that he would definitely have a chance to become an admiral in the Navy Headquarters in the future.

Unexpectedly, so many things happened, and in the end, this kid was demoted and stayed in Donghai for so long.

In recent years, he had heard many people say that the former genius had fallen from grace and lost his willpower, but as a teacher, Zefa had always believed in that child.

He may be feeling down now, but I believe he will regain his confidence in the future.

I just don't know how much longer it will take.

Looking up at Kuzan, he asked, "Since you've seen that kid too, Kuzan, what do you think of him now? Has he given up on his training? Has he really fallen from grace?"

"That kid..." Upon hearing Zephyr's words, Kuzan understood why Zephyr had come to find him, and he couldn't help but recall the duel at sea that day.

I have to say...

That kid's swordsmanship definitely lives up to his reputation as a genius!

However, that kid didn't seem to have any goodwill towards the World Government and the Marine Headquarters, and he had been hiding in the East Blue, deceiving everyone.

"I'm doing pretty well. As for the rest..." Kuzan pursed his lips, stretched, and said, "It's just so-so!"

"So-so?"

Just as Zephyr was frowning upon hearing Kuzan's words.

A female navy woman with long, flowing, wavy, sea-blue hair, wearing a purple vest and black shorts, suddenly asked, "What about his swordsmanship?"

With a tense tone, she asked, "Have they already given up?"

"This is Ain, a student in the same class as Xia Che. She was also quite talented. Back in the training camp, she was Xia Che's opponent, but unfortunately, she never won. Even after Xia Che graduated early, she didn't give up and always wanted to fight Xia Che again."

Hearing his student Ain's words, Zephyr seemed to remember something, and sighed again, a trace of sadness appearing in his eyes, "Of the children from Xia Che's generation, only a few are left. It's all my fault. If only I had..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

"..."

Ain and Kuzan both fell silent, knowing about the tragedy that had occurred two years prior.

Especially since Ain had personally experienced it, they knew that this matter had always been a thorn in Teacher Zephyr's side.

Ain's mouth hung open. "Teacher Zephyr..."

But she didn't know how to comfort her teacher.

"Kendo?" Kuzan... didn't say a single word of comfort to his teacher, Zephyr.

He was quite clear about his teacher's personality.

At this point, offering any words of comfort is useless.

Some time ago, the old man from Sengoku was preparing to apply to the World Government, hoping that the World Government's scientists could find a way to help repair Zephyr's severed arm, and the World Government had already agreed.

only.

With Vegapunk's sudden disappearance, this matter had to be put on hold for the time being.

Looking at the nervous Ain in front of him, Kuzan had heard of this young female marine under Zephyr's command.

A powerful user and a female swordswoman!

But he hadn't heard that the class in which the tragedy occurred was the same one as Dand Shacher's class.

This is quite unexpected.

Kuzan stroked his chin, his lips pursed as if deep in thought. Noticing Ain's tense expression, he seemed to realize something interesting, his eyes narrowing slightly as he said, "Completely rotten! That kid's strength has been rotten for ages! Just like the Marine Headquarters said, that kid has fallen from grace. His strength hasn't improved at all. I've even heard from others that he's been secretly playing around with female pirates at the base for the past few years, and he's long since given up on swordsmanship!"

Looking at Ain again, he said leisurely, "You will definitely win. Don't hold back then, remember to beat him up!"

however.

As soon as he said that...

unexpected.

"Impossible!" Ain wasn't happy at all; instead, she glared angrily at Kuzan. "General Kuzan, you're definitely lying to me. Shache would never give up his swordsmanship, and besides, playing with women..."

His cheeks were flushed, as if he had something difficult to say, "Pirate! He will never fall so easily! I will defeat him myself!"

"Alright, Kuzan, stop teasing Ain. I believe that kid won't just fall into such a state." Zeff shook his head, then, with a determined tone, raised his only arm, forming a fist. "If he really does stoop to messing with female pirates, I'll use this hand to personally wake him up!"

"Really? If you're going to beat him up, remember to call me along!"

Why do I get the feeling you're gloating? Like you can't wait to see me beat him up?

"Ahaha~, I'm really tired! If there's nothing else, I'll go and rest now, Professor Zephyr."

"Wait a minute, Kuzan, there's another question I wanted to ask you this time..." Zeff stopped Kuzan, who was about to go back to slack off, and said in a serious tone, "Do you think that kid... still carries the burden of justice?"

"Bearing justice?" Hearing Zephyr's words and seeing Zephyr staring intently at him, Kuzan fell silent. He thought of that cunning kid, then of the Konomiya Islands. After a moment of silence, he lazily stretched, yawned, and said slowly, "I don't know either, but that guy... probably has his own sense of justice!"

"Justice of one's own? That's enough." Hearing Kuzan's words, Zephyr, who had been staring intently at him, also smiled.

He does not force his students to carry out his own sense of justice.

After all these years, he also understands that the justice of the World Government and the Sengoku period is not truly absolute justice.

Although he has been through so much and his mindset has changed somewhat, he still hopes that his students can uphold their sense of justice.

Even if your sense of justice differs from the Navy's, just don't end up like him, confused about your own sense of justice.

"I understand. I can't wait to see how that kid's sense of justice works!" Zefa said with a smile, then sighed and said, "I heard that kid is currently being driven crazy by some East Sea overlord. If all else fails, I, as his teacher, will have to go and help him personally and capture that East Sea overlord."

"...That's really interesting! If you go, remember to call me, maybe I can help you!" Kuzan lazily raised his fist, then yawned. "I'm so tired, I'm going to rest now! Teacher Zephyr~"

Having said that, feeling that there was nothing more for him to do, Kuzan slowly turned around and walked towards his office.

Only Zeff remained, a faint smile on his face. After Kuzan left, Zeff shook his head and chuckled helplessly, "Looks like that brat's been hiding a lot from me!"

"Professor Zephyr." Hearing Professor Zephyr's words, Ain looked somewhat surprised. "You mean...?"

"I don't know exactly what it is, but don't worry, it definitely won't be playing with female pirates!"

"Teacher Zephyr!"

"Alright, alright! Stop teasing me, Ain. Actually, you can go to the East Sea to find him too, don't worry about me!" Zephyr chuckled and shook his head. "Teacher isn't that fragile!"

"I...no need! We'll meet again then, and I'll see for myself whether he's truly fallen from grace!"

"Really? Then let's go see him together. If that kid really's gone astray, the teacher will beat him up too! Hahaha~, maybe his secret will surprise us!"

Hearing Kuzan say that he had his own sense of justice, Zephyr breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the gift Shach had sent, he said leisurely, "That kid sends one every year, but what good is it to send it to a useless old man like me?"

As he spoke, he seemed to have discovered something, and suddenly became cheerful again.

"Hey, there's even a gift for you this time, Ain. It's cosmetics. Looks like that kid hasn't forgotten you!"

"Zeff! I don't use this kind of thing."

"Oh? You don't want it? Then let's leave it for the teacher! The teacher is getting on in years and should take care of herself!"

"Teacher Zephyr!"

……

Just as Ain and Teacher Zefa were looking at their gifts.

the other side.

Back in his office, Kuzan leisurely flipped through his gifts.

Orange liqueur, orange marmalade, canned oranges, and a small box of dried oranges—are these new products from the Konomiya Islands?

Yogurt with freeze-dried oranges?

I tried it, and it was pretty good. It was sweet and sour with a milky aroma.

Kuzan nodded in satisfaction, popping food into his mouth while leisurely gazing at the calm sea outside the window, muttering to himself, "What exactly is your justice, Dand Shacher?"

……

"Justice?" Shache frowned, looking at Robin before him. "Isn't justice what we, the Navy, uphold? Tell those nobles of the member states that our 16th Branch is coming immediately! We guarantee to recover the wealth stolen by the pirates! We'll protect the peace of the East Blue! We'll definitely capture all those despicable pirates!"

That's about enough, it's time to close the net.

After Moke's two mishaps, it's estimated that the pirates in the East Blue region won't be able to recover anytime soon.

(End of this chapter)