One Piece: Blue Scale Admiral

Seeing this, the surrounding marines all looked at Rorschach with utmost admiration and awe.

Bepo was the most excited, constantly scanning his surroundings with his eyes, his face full of pride.

It was as if to say, 'See that? This is the Vice Admiral, who subdues the enemy without a fight. With just a glance, he can make a pirate with a bounty of hundreds of millions of Berries lose his will to fight and beg for mercy.'

"So? Should we arrest him?" Luo asked softly.

"What are you trying to catch? You've got the guts to come out like this, why would you go back? Are you just waiting to run away again next time?"

Rorschach scoffed, beckoned with his finger, and suddenly two thick bolts of lightning struck down from the overcast sky, hitting O'Connell and his companion who were begging for mercy.

Everyone heard a click, and then a bright light shone before their eyes.

When the bright flash of lightning suddenly disappeared, only three charred corpses emitting black smoke remained on the spot.

Three escaped convicts with a bounty of hundreds of millions of dollars died instantly, without even uttering a scream.

"Very good, you performed very well. You gave us an extremely exciting, textbook-style war against pirates."

Rorschach clapped his hands, the sound like thunder, echoing throughout Jam Island and reaching the ears of every marine in the Heart Fleet, exciting the surrounding soldiers.

To be praised by their superiors, whom they admire and respect, is the greatest honor for them.

Even Akainu didn't hold back, praising in a deep, resonant voice, "Indeed, you did a great job, and your teamwork was excellent. It seems that future wars in the New World will be fought in this style."

Aokiji didn't say anything.

Although in his opinion, the Red Heart Fleet's fighting style was too wasteful of ammunition and too expensive.

But regardless, the fact that he was able to save the lives of the marines was enough to earn Aokiji's approval.

Although he believed that not all pirates deserved to die, it was not unjust to wipe out these escaped prisoners and New World pirates in front of him.

Only then did the surrounding marines realize with shock that Akainu and Aokiji, who were standing behind Rorschach, immediately stood up straight and raised their hands in salute.

Upon hearing Akainu's praise, the marines nearly burst into tears.

See that?

That's what you call saving face!

Being able to gain the approval and praise of both Vice Admiral Rorschach and Admiral Akainu means that their Red Heart Fleet will stand taller than anyone else in the G5 branch.

"Alright, everyone clean up the battlefield immediately, then retreat and return to the branch," Luo ordered.

"Yes, Major General!" The marines responded with a roar and rushed to various parts of the battlefield to begin their work with great enthusiasm.

“Rorschach, give us a warship and send us to Punk Hazard.”

Looking at the marines cleaning up the battlefield, Akainu suddenly spoke to Rorschach.

Luo Xia's smile faded. He looked up at Akainu and Aokiji, noticing their calm yet determined gazes. He sighed inwardly and nodded.

"Okay, I'll personally take you there."

Chapter 703 The Battle of Punk Hazard

On the warship heading to Punk Hazard.

On the bow deck, Rorschach emerged from the cabin, holding two bottles of juice, and handed one to Aokiji.

"Sorry, this is all we have on board. The military regulations I set for G5 strictly prohibit marines from drinking alcohol on warships. If you want to drink, you can only do so on G5 Island when you are not on duty."

"This military regulation is good. Drinking alcohol on a warship can easily lead to trouble, especially in a dangerous place like the New World where you can encounter unexpected situations at any time."

Aokiji took the glass of juice, glanced at the bottle, raised an eyebrow, and exclaimed in surprise, "This is... Sally brand juice from Beihai?"

Rorschach grinned and took a sip of the apple cider vinegar-flavored juice he was holding. "It's rare that you still remember, Uncle Kuzan. That's right, it's the most popular juice sold in the bars on Thousand Rock Island. I remember you even said that it might be from the same distillery that produces sherry."

"Sherry wine, sally juice, they sound so similar, don't they?"

A slight smile of reminiscence appeared on Aokiji's face, which had been stiff throughout the journey.

After taking a sip of juice, he remarked, "Time flies. I remember when I went to Beihai, you were still a rather hot-blooded and immature young boy. A small glass of sherry was enough to get you drunk and make you call me your brother."

"Ahem, really? I don't remember any of it at all."

Luo Xia's face fell, and he coughed.

Aokiji looked at Rorschach and asked, "It seems like four years have passed since we met in the North Sea, right?"

Rorschach nodded. "Yes, Uncle Kuzan, you went there in July of 2016, right? I was 13 then. Now it's 2020, and I'm 17. Hmm, time really flies. I can't believe it's been four years since I joined the Navy. Although I spent one of those years in prison."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I think this experience will probably become a stain on my illustrious resume."

"Flaws do not detract from your overall merit. Compared to the many honors and achievements you currently possess, even a few more blemishes will not affect your image in the Navy."

Aokiji looked at Rorschach with undisguised admiration in his eyes.

“Rorschach, you are the most outstanding marine I have ever seen in my more than 20 years of military service.”

“Uncle Kuzan, I’m really embarrassed by your praise. Compared to you great generals, my achievements are nothing.” Luo Xia scratched his head shyly.

Aokiji shook his head and said, "You don't need to belittle yourself, Rorschach. With your current achievements, no amount of praise from others is too much. Your talent, your speed of progress, and your current strength are no less than any admiral in the history of the Navy. However, what I admire most about you is that no matter what difficulties you have encountered along the way, you have always been able to face them bravely. No matter how strong the enemy is, they cannot make you submit."

His eyes were filled with complex emotions, as if he were thinking of his past self. He said in a low voice, "Four years ago, you were like that when you faced the invincible Doflamingo. Three years ago, as a mere Rear Admiral, you dared to face Kaido head-on. Two years ago, in that world-shaking great battle, you fought against Shiki for two days and two nights. And now, you even dare to risk your life to fight against Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world."

"Your victory is not a coincidence; it was earned with blood and sweat. Your courage deeply moves me."

"The hymn to humanity is the hymn to courage, and the greatness of humanity is the greatness of courage. What inspiring words! At the time, I thought you could only say such things in a moment of passion. But looking back now, I truly understand how serious you were. You have perfectly interpreted the essence of this statement over the past four years."

"Actually, I stole that line from Zeppeli." Rorschach felt his face burning.

It's disgusting.

At this point, Aokiji suddenly sighed and looked at Luo Xia, saying, "Luo Xia, in this respect, I am not as good as you."

Luo Xia was genuinely uncomfortable with Aokiji's blunt praise.

He was about to say something to change the subject when he heard Aokiji ask, "Vice Admiral Garp... is he alright?"

"His physical condition is good, and his spirits have recovered well. Don't worry too much about him. I think he's just too old and thinks too much. You have to find something for an old man who has nothing to do all day to keep him occupied and prevent him from overthinking. So, I told him to train his two precious disciples well, otherwise, if they are too weak, G5 won't want them."

Luo Xia's answer made Qingzhi chuckle softly. "Heh, you're absolutely right. That old guy just likes to overthink things and sometimes meddle in other people's business. He's practically halfway to the underworld, I really don't know why he's still worrying about things that aren't his business. Wouldn't it be better to just retire and enjoy his old age?"

After he finished speaking, the smile on his face gradually faded.

Because the outline of an island had already appeared in front of the warship.

That is Punk Hazard Island.

Luo Xia looked at Aokiji, whose eyes had regained their coldness, opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately sighed inwardly and remained silent.

To be honest, if possible, Rorschach really didn't want to see Aokiji break ties with Akainu and leave the Navy.

In his original best-case scenario for the future of the Navy, after the world naval draft that year, the Navy Headquarters should have looked like this:

The Fleet Admiral is Akainu.

Below them are five Marine Admirals: Kizaru, Aokiji, Fujitora, Green Bull, and Blue Scale.

Further down the list are Enel, Gion, Kakei, Hibari, Law, Smoker, Drake, Sentomaru, Bepo, and a host of other promising mid-tier characters.

With the addition of rising stars like Zoro, Hawkins, and Brook, the Navy will possess overwhelming power to dominate the New World in this new era.

With such powerful strength, it will be much easier to wipe out the disunited pirates in the New World and achieve the short-term goal of completely ending this Great Pirate Era.

But things don't always go as planned, and the will of the world and the will of others will not develop in the direction Rorschach desires.

In this situation, Issho became Luffy's caretaker, and now he's gone with Dragon. The Navy has completely lost a future top-tier combatant.

Aokiji still chose to break with Akainu, and if nothing unexpected happens, he will leave the Navy after this battle.

As for whether he would join the NEO Navy in Zephyr after leaving the Navy, or if he had other plans, Rorschach didn't know.

In that case, Rorschach's vision of the best possible future for the navy still failed to materialize.

The navy's overall strength does not seem to have become stronger despite its deliberate efforts to change it.

He had simply switched places with Issho, who was supposed to become an admiral; the navy's future configuration would remain the same.

The only difference from the comics is that the G5 branch now has many talented people, and there are quite a few with the potential to become generals.

At this moment, what came to mind for Luo Xia were the words that Ichisho had said to him a few months ago on Enies Lobby.

Yixiao said that the reason he joined the Straw Hat Pirates was because he knew that his ideals of justice clashed with those of Rorschach and Akainu, who were destined to take the helm of the Navy in the future.

Since joining would inevitably lead to conflict due to differing ideologies, it's better not to join at all.

He also said that the future of the Navy will definitely take the path of absolute justice and iron-fisted principles. The slightly more benevolent justice of the older generation, led by Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr, will be gradually eliminated, leaving only one voice in the Navy and forming a truly united and cohesive Navy Headquarters.

Wasn't his statement at the time a testament to the choice Aokiji made at this moment?

At that moment, an inappropriate thought, which even he himself found uncontrollable, popped into Luo Xia's mind.

Perhaps, Aokiji leaving the Navy is a good thing for both the Navy and himself?

The navy of the future will indeed need a cohesive and united structure to become the sharpest blade and pierce the heart of the pirates of the New World.

Rorschach felt a pang of shame at having such thoughts.

Honestly, Aokiji was really good to me.

Whether it was saving him in the North Sea, speaking up for him in Sabaody Archipelago, or later in the recruit camp, he unreservedly imparted many of his domineering and powerful training techniques.

And in the G1 naval battle, Aokiji deliberately took on a lot of pressure from Jhin, Katakuri, and Wang Zhi, all of which were ways he took care of him.

Aokiji is also very easygoing and doesn't have the airs of a strong person at all. He's much easier to talk to than Akainu.

Working with a colleague like that is really comfortable because he won't put any pressure on you.

As Luo Xia was feeling ashamed, he suddenly felt the warship beneath his feet jolt violently.

Immediately, the air temperature above the warship rose rapidly.

Rorschach looked up and saw Akainu's lower body transform into a torrent of magma, shooting into the sky from the aft deck of the warship, leaving a fiery red trail in the air as it fell toward Punk Hazard Island.

Aokiji then jumped onto the ship's side, preparing to land on the island and fight Akainu.

However, before leaving the warship, he turned his head slightly and gave Luo Xia a deep look. "Luo Xia, never forget why you joined the Navy. The Navy's strength is not to show off its own power, nor to aid and abet evil, but to protect the weak and maintain peace."

"Uncle Kuzan, don't worry, my principles have never changed. They haven't changed in the past, they haven't changed now, and they won't change in the future."

Luo Xia said solemnly.

"I believe you."