Naruto: In Konoha Village, I awakened Wood Release at the start.

islands.

Akainu was stunned.

In his mind, rulers were always high above and domineering.

Wherever the Celestial Dragons go, commoners must kneel; the slightest mistake will lead to their death.

Even though he was the admiral, the highest-ranking officer in the navy, ordinary people only felt awe and deep fear towards him.

"Uncle."

You're blocking my way.

Sudden.

A childish voice rang out at my feet.

Akainu looked down and saw a little boy carrying a large bag of red apples.

The boy was smiling sweetly.

But when he saw clearly the navy coat with the word "Justice" printed on Akainu's clothes.

The smile froze on the childish face.

pat.

The paper bag in her arms fell to the ground, and bright red apples rolled all over the floor.

"Navy...Navy!"

The little boy screamed in terror.

He stumbled backward and fell hard onto the dirty ground.

That scream was like a drop of cold water falling into boiling oil.

The once bustling and vibrant streets instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

All eyes were drawn to Akainu's towering figure.

There was no respect, no expectation in those gazes.

There was only undisguised disgust, vigilance, and a deep-seated fear.

"They're lackeys of the World Government..."

Suppressed, vicious whispers emanated from the crowd.

"What are they doing here again? Didn't the Empire already drive them out?"

"Pull the child back quickly! Don't let him go near that ruthless killer!"

A woman boldly broke out of the crowd.

She scooped up the little boy from the ground and retreated into the depths of the crowd as if avoiding a plague.

Akainu was struck dumb, frozen in place, unable to move.

His absolute justice, which he was so proud of, was seen by these ordinary people as equivalent to plague and disaster.

"us……"

"It's to protect your safety."

Akainu's lips moved.

But the voice he uttered sounded weak and powerless, even to himself.

"Protect?"

"Where were you navy personnel when the Heavenly Gold forced us to sell our children?"

"Where were you guys, cloaked in the mantle of justice, when the pirates were massacring and looting the village?"

A burly blacksmith, known for his boldness, spat fiercely on the ground.

He picked up the heavy iron hammer by the door, his eyes wide with anger.

"Only the Empire has given us a real way to survive!"

"Get off our island!"

"World Government lackeys are not welcome here!"

"Get out!"

"Get out!"

The clamor grew louder and louder, converging into an unstoppable torrent.

Akainu gritted his teeth, tasting the strong metallic flavor of blood in his mouth.

He was not angered, nor did he activate the Magma Fruit's power to punish the civilians who had offended him.

but.

The pain of having one's faith shattered in front of others is a hundred times more deadly than any physical attack.

Chiba's words in the palace echoed wildly in his mind like a curse.

True justice should be based on protecting ordinary people.

If civilians cannot be protected, and the mission is prioritized over their safety, then civilians should be disregarded.

That so-called justice is actually a greater evil.

Akainu turned around abruptly and staggered out of the angry crowd.

His prized navy coat now felt incredibly heavy, making it hard for him to breathe.

He dedicated his entire life to fighting to eliminate pirates, even going so far as to launch the Buster Call to destroy Ohara.

He firmly believed that sacrificing a small number of people to ensure the peace of the sea was worthwhile.

but.

When he saw these commoners who had been given a new life under the empire's rule.

He then realized that the world government he had once served didn't care about these insignificant lives at all.

The World Government only cares about the privileges of the Celestial Dragons and the rule of Mary Geoise.

……

In the dark and damp alley.

A navy coat printed with the word "righteousness" was casually tossed into the trash can.

Aokiji, dressed in a simple white shirt and black trousers, walked out with his hands in his pockets.

He has already traveled to two very different islands.

Those scenes of ordinary people living in peace and contentment became weapons that destroyed his psychological defenses.

Now, he has arrived at the third island.

This is a corrupt island that was once controlled by gangsters.

But now,

The port was filled with merchant ships fully loaded with cargo.

The common people coming and going walked hurriedly but looked relaxed.

Aokiji found an open-air tavern and sat down at a wooden table in the most secluded corner.

"Boss."

"Give me the strongest rum."

The bartender quickly brought over a glass of cheap but strong liquor.

Aokiji picked up his wine glass and his gaze fell on a one-eyed old man at the next table.

The old man, missing an arm and covered in hideous scars, was happily puffing on his cheap pipe.

"Old man."

"This island looks lively; business must be good, right?"

Aokiji casually struck up a conversation.

The one-eyed old man exhaled a thick white smoke ring and used his remaining eye to examine Aokiji.

"A stranger here, perhaps?"

"If it were half a month ago, a complete stranger like you would have been stripped naked on the street long ago, leaving you with nothing but your underwear."

The old man chuckled dryly twice and tapped the mottled tabletop hard with his pipe.

"Back then."

"The town mayor is colluding with the largest pirate crew in this sea area."

"We commoners are just pigs in a pen."

"If you can't pay the exorbitant protection fees, you'll be forced to work in dark, scorching mines, or you'll be forced to reclaim land from the sea."

Aokiji's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the wine glass, his knuckles turning white.

"Doesn't the naval division care?"

"They're getting military funding, they should at least do something about it."

The old man seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, laughing so hard he coughed repeatedly and almost couldn't breathe.

"navy?"

"There was a warship docked there earlier."

"Those bigwigs accepted two heavy chests of gold from the mayor and turned around and left without even disembarking from the boat."

The old man's eyes were full of undisguised mockery.

"What do they call that again?"

"Oh right, the Navy has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the member states of the World Government."

Aokiji felt a chill run through his body, as if he had fallen into a bottomless ice cave.

He had heard these high-sounding, disgusting excuses far too often at Naval Headquarters.

In order to maintain the World Government's ruling structure, the Navy has no choice but to turn a blind eye to many evils.

"And now?"

"Who cleaned up this mess?"

Although Aokiji had guessed the answer, he still couldn't help but ask.

The old man straightened his hunched back, and an astonishing light burst forth from his single eye.

"It's the Empire!"

"They're those ninjas who can breathe fire and water..."

"They only needed one night to hang the mayor and the pirates on the streetlights in the square!"

"They don't accept the heavenly gold that drives people to their deaths, and they even give us high-yield grain seeds."

"I've lived for over sixty years, and this is the first time I've dared to sleep soundly with the door wide open in the middle of the night."

"..."

Aokiji fell completely silent.

The amber-colored rum in the glass reflected his bewildered face.

He has always upheld a lazy sense of justice.

He disapproved of the navy's practices but was powerless to change anything.

The Buster Call of Ohara was a nightmare that haunted him for the rest of his life.

At that time.

He could only numb himself with alcohol.

He told himself that this was the heavy price that had to be paid to maintain world peace.

But now.

The empire delivered a resounding slap in the face with its actions.

True peace does not need to be established by massacring civilians.

The emperor of that empire was so domineering that it was suffocating.

But the order he established sheltered all the weak.

Aokiji tilted his head back and drank the strong liquor in the glass in one gulp.

The fiery liquid flowed down my throat and into my stomach, dispelling the chill that had accumulated in my body for years.

"After being lazy for so many years, your bones must be rusting."

Aokiji stood up and dropped two rather large coins on the table.

He decided not to remain lost any longer.

Since the world government cannot provide true justice, let's find someone who can to take charge.

Even if that man is a tyrannical dictator.

As long as ordinary people can live like human beings, that's enough.

Saulo, perhaps what you risked your life to protect back then is finally about to blossom and bear fruit in this new era.