The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

The news of that 'descendant of the devil' has already spread!"

“Douglas Barrett…” Gern read the name, his tone unreadable, “I can only say it’s a mixed bag of emotions.”

Silence fell between the two again, with only the shouts from the training field echoing in the distance.

After a while, Gern turned his head to look at Kuzan's profile, which seemed indifferent to everything, and suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry.

"Kuzan, the justice you uphold now..."

Before he could finish speaking, Kuzan interrupted him.

Kuzan raised his hand and waved it, interrupting Gern, but did not look at Gern.

His gaze remained lazily fixed on the distance, his voice steady yet carrying a deliberate, almost numb ease.

"Alara... General Gern, let's not delve into this matter any further." He deliberately used the new title.

"As a naval officer, what I have always observed and practiced is—'lazy justice'."

Besides, it's easier this way, isn't it?

He pronounced the words "lazy justice" slightly more clearly, as if emphasizing something, or as if he just wanted to use a label to cover up all the deeper things.

Gern looked at him but didn't press the matter further.

He clearly sensed that the Kuzan before him was completely different from the colleague who had fought him with such passion a year and a half ago.

Beneath that "lazy" exterior lies something deeper, something that has already cooled down.

The two sat side by side on the bench, basking in the sunlight, one with a heart burning with a catastrophic ambition and power.

The other seemed to have buried all the flames beneath cold ashes.

The tides of time swept by, changing too many people and things.

The silence on the bench continued, and the warmth of the sunlight seemed unable to dispel the invisible, gradually cooling atmosphere between the two.

Kuzan's gaze remained unfocused, fixed on the distant training field where people were sweating profusely.

The recruit, his eyes burning with the purest belief in "justice," unconsciously tapped his knees with his fingers.

Suddenly, he spoke, his voice lowering, no longer the deliberately languid tone, but carrying an indescribable weariness and confusion.

It was as if this question had been swirling in his mind for countless days and nights, and finally, at this moment, he had found someone who might understand and asked it.

And this person was his best friend, comrade-in-arms, fellow student, dormitorymate, and dearest friend.

“Gern…”

"Was the Ohara incident... right or wrong?"

As he said this, Kuzan paused, as if each word weighed a ton and required immense strength to continue:

“Erase the entire island off the map…along with those scholars who may simply be pursuing ‘knowledge’ itself…” The voice trailed off, growing softer and softer until it almost turned into a sigh.

"And... those civilians who know nothing..."

"Does the 'justice' we bear really have to be so 'absolute' that it leaves no room for questioning, no room for thought, and not even the slightest bit of pity?"

As he said this, Kuzan rested his hands on his knees and lowered his head, as if he were asking a question to the air, or as if he were questioning his own heart.

The artillery fire of Ohara, Saul's resolute questioning and the final freezing, and the image of the little girl disappearing on the horizon in her small boat...

These images haunted him like a nightmare, shattering everything he had once believed in.

Gurn did not answer immediately.

Instead, after a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice calm: "There is no right or wrong in this matter."

Kuzan's fingers, which were tapping his knee, suddenly stopped.

Gurn continued, "There are only 'positions' and 'outcomes'."

From the perspective of the world government, any "spark" that could shake the foundations of its rule must be completely extinguished.

No matter how small the flame may seem, no matter how cruel the process of extinguishing it may be.

For them, maintaining stability and absolute rule is the greatest form of 'justice'.

From the perspective of those scholars and ordinary people, they were simply seeking knowledge or a peaceful life.

Yet they suffered an undeserved calamity, which is undoubtedly the ultimate expression of 'evil' and 'injustice'.

"As for the 'outcome'..." Gern paused, "Ohara disappeared, the research was interrupted, and what the World Government wanted to cover up was temporarily buried again."

This is exactly the result they wanted.

From another perspective, the navy's cannon fire also completely extinguished the fire within the navy itself...

At least in the hearts of some, it represents the last glimmer of hope for so-called 'absolute justice.'

At this point, Guern suddenly turned his head to look at Kuzan, his gaze sharp: "Kuzan, you asked if justice has to be absolute to that extent?"

The answer is simple: 'Yes' for those who make the rules and are required to uphold them at all costs.

But for those forced to bear this 'absolute' price, 'no.'

The real answer is never about right or wrong, but about whose side you choose to stand on.

And... what kind of 'outcome' are you willing to take responsibility for?

Gurn's words were like a cold scalpel, dissecting the bloody reality beneath the banner of "justice."

Instead of providing a clear answer, he threw an even more brutal choice back at Kuzan.

Kuzan remained silent, slowly pulling down the blindfold on his forehead, covering his eyes and seemingly shutting out all the light and disturbances from the outside world.

He leaned back on the bench, and after a long while, he finally uttered a very soft whisper, as if he had exhausted all his strength:

"Is that so... It's just a matter of stance and outcome..."

"And from your perspective?"

"Perhaps there's no benefit to it!" This was the answer Gern had in his mind.

The reason why Gern didn't intervene in O'Hara back then was precisely because of this...

It meant nothing to him, or rather, it offered him no "benefit."

That's why Gern had Cyborg initiate the trade early on to transfer him to the New World, and it was a year and a half before he returned...

But judging from the attack on Steelbone that happened shortly after he left, Gern made the right gamble!

After all, in the game of political power, any hesitation will lead to a series of mistakes!

Chapter 252 The Era of Four Admirals

Gern had barely left the training ground area when he paused slightly as he turned the corner of a building.

In the shadow of a tall wall to the side, a person was leaning against the wall, as if he had become one with the shadow.

The distinctive navy cap was pulled down so low that it almost completely obscured his face, revealing only his tightly pursed lips and jawline, which conveyed an air of unwavering resolve and even coldness.

It's Sakazuki.

He clearly didn't just happen to be passing by; it was more like he had been waiting there for a while.

“Sakazuki.” Gern looked at him, sighed softly, and spoke first, his tone somewhat complicated.

"You... are from the same cohort after all."

He was referring to Sakazuki and Kuzan.

Although their ideas have long since diverged, they were, after all, classmates who trained and grew up together.

Seeing Kuzan's current disheartened, almost zombie-like state...

Sakazuki's heart may not be completely unmoved either. (Refer to Akainu's words to Kizaru on Egghead Island, "Sorry, brother.")

Hearing Gern's words, Sakazuki didn't look up; his deep voice came from under the brim of his hat.

"'Justice'...is not a tender compromise, but an absolute will to eradicate evil."

It was as if he wasn't answering Guern, but rather reiterating his own unwavering beliefs.

“Kuzan is right, I don’t deny it!” His voice suddenly became more forceful, carrying an almost obsessive firmness.

"I ordered the refugee boats to be shelled."

This action was indeed...cold-blooded, even cruel.

“But, Gern…” At this point, Sakazuki finally raised his head slightly, his gaze from under the brim of his hat directly meeting Gern’s.

"But given the circumstances, someone had to do the 'right' but 'cruel' thing!"

Because justice is never a heartwarming fairy tale!

No one can guarantee with absolute certainty that not a single O'Hara 'scholar' had infiltrated that ship in its haste to escape!

"If even one person slips through the net, the consequences could be disastrous given their knowledge!"

Given the World Government's extreme stance on the taboo surrounding the 'Void Century,' it won't just be our navy that will be mobilized!

CP0's emotionless, efficiency-driven killing machines will unleash their full force!

The tracking, cleansing, and impact they cause will be far more brutal and widespread than a single 'absolute execution' by the Navy!

Having participated in the purge of Roger's bloodline, you should know the true nature of those guys!

Gern lowered his eyes slightly and did not answer.

Sakazuki's tone grew increasingly intense, almost bordering on desperate madness.

"If, out of momentary womanly compassion, one considers a few potentially innocent people..."

To allow a potential, enormous risk that could overturn the world to go unchecked would be the greatest irresponsibility towards more innocent civilians!

In reality, this places them under the shadow of a potentially larger-scale purge in the future!

“A mediocre fellow!” Sakazuki’s voice was filled with undisguised contempt as he glanced in Kuzan’s direction.

"They are often blinded by the apparent 'cruelty,' weeping and blaming the executioners for their cold-bloodedness."

But they completely fail to see the far greater disaster that this 'cruelty' was preventing!

Having said this, Sakazuki seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, straightened his body, and felt a sense of pleasure in having poured out his heart.

"Gern, true justice must transcend useless personal feelings!"

We must execute the optimal solution, both logically and in terms of results, with an iron will!

“This…” He stared intently at Gern, declaring each word clearly, “It was me, along with those indecisive ones…”

Easily swayed by emotions, ultimately achieving nothing...

"A fundamental difference!"

The last sentence echoed in the air, filled with extreme certainty and a suffocating sense of oppression.

Gern listened quietly, his face showing no sign of agreement or disagreement, but his eyes were deep, as if he were weighing the weight of every word he spoke.

After Sakazuki finished speaking, Gern slowly opened his mouth, his voice calm and even.

"The logically optimal solution is sometimes just a choice made under the current limitations of information and cognition."

And emotions are not always 'useless'; they define what a 'human being' is, rather than a cold machine.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Sakazuki's clenched fist, and continued, "Your choice was based on your beliefs and judgment at the time. You were willing to bear the consequences and the infamy. This is your path."

Kuzan could not accept this price and chose another form of 'justice'; this was his path.

“No one’s justice is absolutely pure or completely correct,” Guern’s gaze seemed to see right through people.

"We are all just carrying heavy burdens on the paths we believe are right, and taking full responsibility for them."

The navy, this great ship, needs a helmsman like you who, at certain moments, will not hesitate to cut the mooring lines.

We also need people like Kuzan to constantly remind us what's connected to the other end of the cable.

At this point, Guern glanced at Sakazuki one last time, his tone calm yet detached: "I will not judge your right or wrong, Sakazuki."

Just as I wouldn't try to force Kuzan to change his state of confusion.

"We... just need to stick to the path we've chosen and bear everything."

Looking at him, Gensakaski pursed his lips and said softly, "Brother, thank you."