Ohara, coastline.
While shielding Robin, Saul ran with all his might. The injury on his head had taken a toll—nearly half his skull was gone, and his thoughts were starting to blur.
Just then, Kuzan's voice came from behind.
"Ice Block: Partisan."
Two spears made of solid ice whistled through the air, hurling straight at him.
Using Observation Haki, Saul twisted his body in time to avoid them, but he couldn't keep his balance and collapsed onto the ground.
Crack!
A bolt of lightning struck just in front of him as Enel's figure materialized in the flash, cutting off Saul's escape. He glanced at the young Robin, then turned his indifferent gaze on the giant.
Kuzan also landed behind Saul, wearing a black coat. Frost clung to his clothes, and cold air seeped out from his body.
Saul looked back in disbelief. "Kuzan..."
Kuzan said flatly, "Sorry, but if the Buster Call was stopped by a former Marine, how bad would that look?"
Forcing himself up, Saul growled, "Kuzan, are you proud of this assault?! This isn't right! You know this yourself! This is nothing but a warning to the others! For that, the government's willing to erase Ohara completely! Ohara... is just the scapegoat!"
Under his sunglasses, Kuzan's expression was unreadable.
"If it's for the sake of the world, then so be it. Besides, those scholars did break the law. But justice changes depending on one's standpoint, that's why I won't criticize your idea of justice. However, if you stand in our way, I won't just stand by and watc—"
BOOM!!!
Out at sea, the evacuation ship abruptly exploded into a huge fireball.
All four on the shore turned sharply toward the blast.
Shock appeared across the faces of Enel, Saul, and Kuzan. Meanwhile, Robin stood still, her face full of terror. That moment, the flames, the wreckage, would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Even the Marines on the other warships were left speechless as they stared at the vessel that had just opened fire.
"What?!"
"That... that's…"
"No way..."
"That was Vice Admiral Sakazuki's ship..."
"Why would he...?"
* * *
One minute earlier...
Aboard Sakazuki's warship.
"Report! Vice Admiral Sakazuki! An evacuation ship spotted leaving the island ahead!"
Sakazuki turned to look in that direction. After a brief pause, his cold voice sounded.
"Fire."
* * *
The ocean went quiet.
As flames rose in the distance, the burning ship slowly sank beneath the waves.
On one of the Marine ships, an officer mumbled in astonishment, "This... This is too much..."
Next him, Vice Admiral Prukon, older and grim-faced, turned around. His arm flashed.
Smack!
The officer stumbled to the floor, clutching his cheek in shock as he looked up at Prukon.
The vice admiral's face was icy. "Who gave you the courage to question a superior officer?"
Dropping his hand, the officer scrambled to his feet.
"My apologies. I spoke out of turn."
Prukon eyed him for a few seconds before letting out a heavy sigh. "Do you understand what the Buster Call truly means?"
The officer thought back to the documents he'd read.
"The Buster Call is a government-authorized operation carried out by Marine Headquarters. It calls for indiscriminate and overwhelming firepower on a targeted area. Its purpose is to completely eliminate anything and anyone deemed a threat to the government's control."
Gazing out at the now-silent wreckage of the evacuation ship, Prukon murmured, "Right... total elimination. Now tell me... why would the government bother preparing evacuation ships at all?"
The officer stiffened as a chilling realization began to dawn on him.
Prukon continued, "Nobody will trust a government that slaughters the innocent.
"The whole meaning of the Buster Call is total elimination, from the moment the Golden Den Den Mushi was activated, they were already dead. But this sin... the government can't carry it.
"You can't carry it, and neither can I. None of us dare to step up and shoulder the weight of this crime and infamy. But if we let them go, then we couldn't bear the consequences either…"
He closed his eyes, unable to keep watching the ocean.
"Tomorrow, the world might curse Sakazuki. But not today. Not those of us carrying out this mission on this sea. He took the entire burden, the guilt, the hatred, onto himself. We have no right to condemn him…"
* * *
Ohara, shoreline.
Saul glared furiously at Kuzan. "This is what you call justice?! You can still live with yourself after seeing this?!"
He raised his massive arm and swung it down toward Kuzan.
Boom!
The man dodged quickly, gritting his teeth. "I never wanted to go as far as he did."
Saul's arm slammed into the ground, sending dirt and debris flying. But he didn't stop. He turned immediately, scooping up Robin and sprinting away as fast as his battered body allowed.
He had barely made it a few steps when a lightning bolt hit his lower right leg.
Crack!
The entire limb exploded into fragments from the intense voltage. Protected by a thin layer of Haki in his palm, Robin was spared, but her body went numb instantly.
Enel walked forward, his expression cold and unchanging. "For that cannon shot just now, I'll ask uncle about it later. But justice? Peace of mind?
"When you lifted that warship and let all those soldiers fall, did you think about justice? When you smashed it into another ship, did you ever consider that the soldiers were innocent? Did you feel any guilt?
"What right do you have... to stand here shouting about justice?!"
Zzzzap!
A harsh, crackling sound pierced the air as a lightning spear formed in Enel's hand. He aimed the deadly weapon directly at Saul.
The giant froze in place, stunned by what he heard.
Suddenly, Kuzan's voice rang out.
"Ice Time Capsule!"
A wave of chilling energy surged out of his hand, freezing the ground it crossed. It struck Saul's leg and rapidly encased most of his body in ice.
Enel turned toward Kuzan, who responded coldly, "Stand down, Enel. I'll deal with him myself."
Narrowing his eyes, Enel stared at the man for a long second.
"You'd better make it quick, Vice Admiral Kuzan. Uncle was already displeased with what you did earlier. And now... I'm not too happy either."
With that, he threw his thunder spear into the sea.
BOOM!
A mushroom cloud erupted, the blast throwing together wind and heat into a violent storm.
Kuzan took a deep breath but said nothing. Instead, he stepped quietly beside Saul and reached out.
Seeing Kuzan's hand resting on his shoulder, Saul didn't have time to think, and simply shouted toward Robin:
"Run, Robin! Don't look back! Head for the sea!
"No one in this world is born completely alone! If you ever feel sad, just use what I taught you. Laugh like this! Dereshishishishi!
"Out there, in some faraway sea, your friends are waiting for you! Go find them! Run!"
Kuzan's voice echoed, calm and resolute.
"Ice Time..."
In the next instant, a towering ice statue of a giant was formed.
**
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