One Piece: Blue Scale Admiral

"Hehe, I can't believe what I'm seeing. I need to find the answer!"

Ilya suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot.

"One of the small countries, I remember, was called the Kingdom of Cornis."

"It was a very small country, not even worthy of the title of a kingdom, with a population of less than 10,000."

"I broke into the palace, which looked just like an ordinary manor, and arrested all the new rulers of the Kingdom of Cornis and interrogated them."

Ilya laughed. "Hahaha, I have the answer. Those rulers themselves came from the common people who had been oppressed. They were the more visionary and cultured representatives among those common people, so after we left, we handed over the Kingdom of Cornis to them."

"Who would have thought that less than five years after we left, no, even three years, they would consider themselves the rulers of the Kingdom of Cornis!"

"Furthermore, because of the previous rebellion in the Kingdom of Cornis, they have become even more ruthless in their treatment of the common people who were once in the same social class."

“I couldn’t believe my ears. I thought I was doing something sacred, saving people from suffering.”

"But unexpectedly, this was not a rescue, but rather a push into an even darker abyss."

Ilya lowered his head, his shoulders shrugging.

From soft chuckles to loud laughter.

She was laughing while tears streamed down her face.

"I left that place, before I left..."

"I slaughtered all ten thousand citizens of that country of Cornis!"

"From top to bottom, from the elderly to children, from men to women, leave no one behind!"

Ilya stared at Rorschach and said, slowly and deliberately, "Then, I had the idea of ​​finding the essence of all this, the answer."

"Only by understanding the nature of the world can we find the right solution and prevent things like the one in Cornish from happening again."

"If we don't understand the true nature of the world, then no matter how hard Mr. Dragon or Roger and the like try to change it, the world will ultimately return to its current dilapidated state!"

Rorschach!

Ilya's voice rose.

"I really admire what you said."

"About courage and faith, about kindness and conscience."

"You're absolutely right, it's the right path!"

"Mr. Dragon and his group also followed a similar path, which is why they were able to risk their lives to do those dangerous things that went against the world."

"However, if you don't find a way to deal with the nature of the world, then everything you do will eventually come back to square one!"

"That is destiny and power!"

“If you control them, you may become the new rulers of the world.”

"Destroy them, and the world will head towards an unknowable future."

"This is a choice that must be made; you have no third option."

After Ilya finished speaking emotionally, his aura suddenly weakened rapidly, like a candle flickering in the wind.

It was as if my mind had collapsed in an instant, and I lost the will to live.

His once delicate and handsome face became gaunt and emaciated.

A pair of numb, lifeless eyes looked at Rorschach through the fence.

“Rorschach, if you have the chance, please tell Mr. Dragon the answer I have. You are the first person besides Mr. Dragon whom I admire.”

"Courage, perhaps, I will never truly possess it in my entire life..."

Chapter 70 Rewards

Luo Xia strolled casually through the streets of Qianyan Town.

His conversation with Prince Ilya in the branch prison had deeply moved him.

In his eyes, Ilya was a completely wicked madman.

He was once a hero who personally saved several small countries and more than 100,000 civilians.

Ilya's final, resounding words made Rorschach realize that the world was not without wise men.

It's not that no one sees the true state of the world.

It's not about whether you're willing to change.

As Ilya said, it is a choice to go along with the crowd and continue to act as an accomplice of the world government.

Or perhaps they will stir up the sea, causing even greater chaos, and seize the opportunity to usher in a new era.

Or perhaps they should bravely stand up, state their position, and stand on the opposite side of the entire world.

"Accomplice, are you talking about the Navy? They really don't show any mercy at all."

Looking at the still bustling town, unaffected by the kingdom's great calamity, and at the barbecue stall set up on the street corner not far ahead.

Luo Xia slowly shook his head.

The cost of directly burning the world is far too high, far too high.

The world does need to change, but we can't make choices for everyone in the world so hastily.

In a world where individual power is rampant, to guide the world toward a better future, one must at least possess top-tier strength.

With the Revolutionary Army's current size, let alone overthrowing the World Government.

They even struggle to defeat a Yonko (Four Emperors) team.

After speaking with his brother Gross, Ilya died in his cell in Branch 177.

At the same time, he kept his promise and revealed the location where the huge fortune was buried.

That was a place that absolutely no one would have thought of.

That place was less than a hundred miles away from Qianyan Island, where their 177th branch was located.

That's right, Ilya hid that enormous fortune on the pirate graveyard, Paya Island.

A place you would never have imagined, no matter how hard you try.

Because the amount of money involved was too large, Kuzan personally traveled to Paya Island by warship.

Before leaving, Kuzan told Rorschach to prepare for his journey to Marine Headquarters.

If nothing unexpected happens, he will lead the Sharp Blade unit back to Marineford in a couple of days.

Rorschach will also be traveling with them.

Kuzan was worried about this potential naval asset and decided to keep him in the North Sea.

Rorschach killed Gladius, a high-ranking officer under Doflamingo.

This directly led to the death of Trebol, the highest-ranking official in the Don Quixote family.

The deaths of these two men were tantamount to forging an irreconcilable blood feud with Doflamingo, who regarded his subordinates as family.

If Rorschach stays in the North Sea, he will definitely face the revenge of the Don Quixote family.

This time, he will go to the Navy Headquarters to participate in this year's recruit training.

The training for each new recruit at headquarters begins in the spring of each year.

It's already July, and Rorschach has essentially joined midway through the training program, joining a group of elite naval soldiers from all over the world who have already trained for six months to participate in intensive training.

It is worth mentioning that Princegros's application to join the Navy was finally approved by Kuzan after he tearfully begged on his knees.

Now, without its king, where will the Kingdom of Prince ultimately go? That's something the World Government and Sengoku need to consider.

Furthermore, in recognition of Prince Gross's valiant performance in the royal city, he was exceptionally conscripted and directly became a private first class in the headquarters. He will depart with Rorschach in a few days to undergo basic training in Marineford.

As he was walking, a shout came from afar, interrupting Luo Xia's thoughts.

"Hey! Rorschach! Over here!"

Rorschach looked up and saw Drake, carrying a bunch of things, standing at the entrance of an old tavern, shouting in their direction.

Before he even got close, he immediately noticed Drake's bright red face.

"You rascal, instead of helping Lieutenant Colonel Jennifer with the Kingdom incident, you've come here drinking. No wonder I haven't seen you all day."

"How dare you speak to your superior like that? Have you no manners? Come on, you're going to have to drink three cups of wine as punishment."

Drake, reeking of alcohol, grinned and grabbed Rorschach's arm, dragging him into the small tavern.

There weren't many tables in the tavern, and very few customers.

After all, people who have time to drink heavily in broad daylight are either pirates who don't need to work or wealthy people who don't lack money.

Right now, in a corner of this tavern, are sitting both of these types of people.

Luo sat inside, stuffing a snow-white rice ball into his mouth, his cheeks bulging.

Hawkins, as always, sat there quietly playing cards.

Peacock's charming and mature face rested against Bepo's fluffy head, turning the polar bear's fur red. The bear's expression was as if he were drunk, letting Peacock hold him.

Luo's two henchmen, Pekin and Xiaqi, looked on with envy, tears streaming down their faces, and huddled in a corner drawing circles.

"Look who I've brought!"

Drake piled the large pile of things he was carrying onto the large table in front of everyone.

Those were a bunch of snacks he bought on the street.

Everyone looked up, and Luo Xia greeted them one by one with a smile.

Hawkins nodded at him. Luo, chewing on a rice ball, saw that it was Luo Xia and immediately tilted his head to the other side, letting out a cold snort, his expression quite displeased.

Luo Xia knew perfectly well why he was upset, so he chuckled dryly and was about to sit down and explain things to Luo.

Unexpectedly, just as he sat down, the peacock holding Bepo suddenly pushed away the white bear it was holding, leaned over, and put its flushed face directly on Rorschach's shoulder, startling him so much that he froze.

He was much taller than the peacock; even when he sat down, the peacock had to stand up to barely reach his shoulder.

Feeling the softness of the skin on his right arm and smelling the alcohol on his ear, Luo Xia's face instantly turned red.