One Piece: Blue Scale Admiral

"Am I hearing things, or is the Fleet Admiral in front of me an imposter? How dare you call the Celestial Dragons trash? Have you been possessed by Garp?"

"What? That bastard Garp can say what he wants, but I can't? Do you really think my title of righteous ruler is just for show?"

Zhan Guo gulped down half a bottle of ale, stretched comfortably, and squinted at the vast sea ahead.

"Kid, I know you have a lot of complaints about some of the World Government's practices."

But I hope you won't take out your resentment on the navy, or get angry at yourself, and don't lose sight of your original principles because of some bad things.

Many things are actually well understood in their root causes, but whether they can be changed, how to change them, whether the losses that may occur during the change process can be tolerated, and whether things will get worse after the change—these are all questions that need to be considered.

Sengoku's calm voice, tinged with a touch of melancholy, made Rorschach feel as if he were seeing this old man standing at the pinnacle of the navy in a new light.

"You brat, don't look at me like that. I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. What kind of people haven't I seen? What kind of things haven't I experienced? Do you think I need to bother guessing your petty thoughts?"

Sengoku glanced at Luo Xia sideways.

"You have quite the taste, old man."

Rorschach's reply nearly made Sengoku choke on his beer.

He barely managed to refrain from delivering a powerful blow to Rorschach's head, and angrily reached out to grab all the remaining bottles of ale from the ice bucket next to Rorschach, leaving none for him.

Seeing Luo Xia's pained expression, Sengoku finally opened another bottle for himself with satisfaction.

He sipped his chilled ale slowly, speaking in an aged and calm tone that touched Rorschach's heart.

"I imagine that old guy Zefa must have told you some stories about his youthful passion."

He, Garp, Tsuru, and I joined the Navy in the same batch.

In those days, the seas were truly chaotic.

At that time, Roger, who is now known as the Pirate King, was just a greenhorn who had just set sail.

Newgate, known as the world's strongest man, is still working as a henchman for a lousy pirate who loves to hunt for treasure everywhere.

Only a despicable guy like Xebec could be called the Pirate Emperor standing at the pinnacle of the New World.

"At that time, the New World was in chaos, Paradise was engulfed in war, and people all over the world were suffering. The World Government... was still busy perpetuating the bad habits of hundreds of years every few years, using bloody methods to stimulate the bloodline of the Creator's descendants, and in this way to demonstrate the Creator's majesty."

"Garp and I became Marines in that chaotic and numb era."

"At that time, Zefa was the weakest and least talented, but he had the strongest willpower and trained the hardest. He always rushed to the front in every battle and suffered the most serious injuries, but he never complained. He was full of passion and wanted to uphold justice and protect the weak."

Garp is carefree and only cares about fighting. He enjoys battle and is a battle maniac who grows stronger and fiercer with each fight. He has the strongest talent among us, but he doesn't put in much effort in the tedious training; he only grows rapidly in battle. He's always laughing and joking and hates those tedious official duties.

Xiaohe was very competitive and believed that although she was a woman, she was no less capable than a man. Therefore, her diligence in training was second only to Zephyr, which made her the leader of all the female soldiers in the Navy for a time, and she was quite formidable.

Sengoku's eyes were filled with memories of the past. When he talked about the interesting things that happened during his time as a recruit, his whole demeanor changed from that of a stern naval admiral to that of an approachable and gentle old man.

Rorschach did not interrupt him during his narration, but listened silently.

"And I..."

Sengoku looked at his hands, which were still large but now full of wrinkles and whose muscles were no longer as full as they used to be.

"My dream when I joined the navy was to become a naval admiral, or even a marshal, or a commander-in-chief, who would lead thousands of troops!"

He wore a flamboyant smile that Luo Xia had never seen before, and his voice carried an unprecedented boldness.

"A very arrogant dream, or rather, an ambition. That bastard Garp teased me, saying that I wanted to be the Navy King. He was right, that's exactly what I thought. I want to become the supreme commander of the entire force of justice, to make Zephyr, Garp, Tsuru and the others my right-hand men, and then use that power to fulfill everyone's dreams."

A flood of emotions welled up in Luo Xia's heart, and he couldn't help but whisper, "Your dream has come true, old man."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Guo let out a long sigh, his expression turning forlorn.

He finished another bottle of ale, shook his head, and said, "No, I didn't achieve my dream. In fact, none of us fulfilled the dream we had when we first joined the Navy."

"Zeffa's dream is to become a righteous hero and protect the weak, but he has struggled with loss and pain time and time again until now, and finally he has turned to violence, which he least wanted to embrace."

"Garp's dream is to fight to his heart's content. He doesn't want to be a hero. He just wants to be a regular soldier and enjoy the battle. But now he has become a naval hero and has been given a title that he cannot bear any stain on."

"Xiaohe's dream was to become a female admiral no less powerful than Garp and the others, but in the end she switched to a civilian position and became the Navy's chief of staff, transforming from a strong woman into a gentle-spoken old lady."

"My dream is to become the supreme commander of the forces of justice, to help everyone achieve their own dreams, but..."

Sengoku was silent for a moment, then his voice became low.

"But after constantly experiencing those agonizing and painful decisions, no matter which one I chose, I realized how naive we were in the past..."

"Kid, let me ask you this: when faced with the choice between sacrificing ten thousand or one hundred thousand people, what would you do?"

Rorschach's lips moved, as if he wanted to give a straightforward answer.

But he couldn't give an answer.

Some people would say, of course, it's the part that sacrifices less.

What do people who are sacrificed think?

What gives me the right to make decisions for them?

But in the end, he still gave his own answer.

"I choose the just and correct approach."

Zhan Guo looked at Luo Xia and said in a hoarse voice, "Justice is sometimes controversial. Everyone has a different meaning for it, just like the beliefs we all hold now."

"For example, the Baterila Island incident in the South China Sea back then."

"The World Government wants us to find Roger's bloodline, and for that, they'd rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free, so they're going to capture every pregnant woman and child of the right age on the entire island. Rorschach, if you were Garp... what would you do?"

Luo Xia was shocked, never expecting that Sengoku would bring up this matter at this time.

Did he also foresee what might happen next?

Or was he just giving a random example?

Seeing that Luo Xia did not respond, Sengoku continued talking to himself.

"Garp insists that the baby is innocent. Even if Roger is guilty of heinous crimes, his bloodline is innocent. If he were to choose to hand over... Portgas D. Ace, then the justice he has pursued throughout his life would completely collapse."

But if Ace isn't handed over, even more innocent people will be implicated and die.

If I had known his inner struggle back then, I would have forced him to hand over Ace without hesitation!

Because I've made choices like that many times before. My mind is now capable of calmly making the decision that minimizes the loss.

But Garp... he can't do it..."

Zhan Guo's voice was hoarse and strained, and he clenched his fists.

"Why not make a third choice?" Luo Xia asked softly, his eyes deep.

Sengoku shook his head blankly and said, "There is no third option! The price to pay for a third option would be a thousand times, ten thousand times, that of the Baterila Island incident. That price is something we cannot afford."

"Just like when Ohara was destroyed."

There is nothing wrong with studying history itself, but studying a history that terrifies rulers will only bring disaster upon oneself.

If we do not destroy Ohara, and allow them to research and spread what the rulers fear, then the destruction will not be limited to just Ohara.

"So, we just keep watching, keep being forced to make those choices. Because the stable lives of the majority are constantly being sacrificed at the expense of the interests of a small minority?"

Luo Xia's expression changed from hesitant and uncertain to resolute, and he looked intently at Sengoku.

"Marshal of the Warring States Period, I don't think that such a numb persistence will bring about any positive change to this chaotic world."

“Rorschach, sometimes the best change is to stay the same!” The pain and struggle in Sengoku’s eyes disappeared, and he returned to his majestic form as a naval admiral.

"Pandering to and flattering the hegemonic rulers will not satisfy them; it will only embolden them."

This world needs a change.

This transformation may be accompanied by blood and tears, sacrifice and pain, but if it brings a better future, then this sacrifice will be worthwhile!

Luo Xia stood his ground, meeting Zhan Guo's imposing gaze head-on.

"You know that's just a hypothetical; it doesn't necessarily mean things will get better. What if they get worse?"

This world has billions of people, and because of the rules of the world government, at least those billions of citizens of the member states can receive our protection.

If this rule is broken and no better rule is established, the number of innocent people who die because of war and pirates will be much greater than it is now!

Zhan Guo stood up, his imposing body radiating a powerful aura that made him look like a majestic mountain.

"Being content with the status quo will never get you the future you want."

Rorschach also stood up, exuding a powerful aura, equally majestic and profound, as heavy as a mountain.

The marines training in the nearby square were so overwhelmed by the imposing aura emanating from the two men that they were forced to lie face down on the ground.

Even the veteran generals and instructors felt dizzy and unsteady on their feet.

Garp and Aokiji appeared at the edge of the square.

Yun Que stood outside her yard, looking worriedly at the two people facing off on the embankment.

“I stand by my principles, Rorschach.”

Zhan Guo suppressed his imposing, mountain-like aura and looked at Luo Xia with a complicated expression.

"As we all grow up, countless hardships have worn down our edges and changed our original intentions. I hope you can continue to stick to your own ideas. I don't want to see you become another Garp, another Zeff, another Kuzan. Be yourself. The Navy is not the World Government. The Navy's justice will always tolerate different voices."

Luo Xia's heart skipped a beat. He stared blankly at the Sengoku in front of him, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Today, he has gained a new understanding of the Warring States period.

This is a conservative high-ranking naval officer who is loyal to the World Government.

Although he once harbored a dream of changing the world deep in his heart, the harsh reality changed his original intention, turning him into a person with exceptional intelligence, calmness, and decisiveness.

He always makes the most decisive decisions regarding the cruel orders issued by the World Government and executes them without hesitation.

Compared to Akainu, he is more like the World Government's number one loyal dog, and the decision-maker in many catastrophic events.

But at the same time, he could also understand the perseverance, struggle, and pain in the hearts of his former comrades.

But when it comes to orders from the World Government, he will show no mercy, even to his comrades.

The death of his adopted son Rosinante caused him immense pain, but he did not use this pain and anger to take action against Doflamingo, the murderer.

He was also able to embrace the various new ideas of justice that were constantly emerging within the Navy.

He knew everything about Kizaru's laziness, Aokiji's confusion, and Akainu's extremism.

He was able to manage the World Government's orders and the Navy in an orderly manner.