If the Marines no longer upheld justice, then it was time to seek out a place that did.
The moment Fujitora stepped out of Marine Headquarters, he raised his head. Though his sightless eyes saw only darkness, in his heart, a glimmer of light persisted.
"Hahaha, see you later, old man!!"
A laughter echoed in his ears, as radiant as the sun. Though he couldn't see the person, Fujitora could feel that the voice truly brought him a ray of hope.
"Though I am blind, I have still seen the sunlight. Justice isn't defined by words but by actions. I must follow my heart and seek the compassion I believe in, not the superficial notion of justice. Thank you, Luffy!!"
Fujitora resolutely strode forward. Under the control of his ability, a wooden plank lifted into the air, carrying him toward the sea.
Soon, the Marines issued an announcement: Marine Admiral Fujitora (Issho) had resigned. Vice Admiral Gion and Vice Admiral Tokikae would be promoted to the new Marine Admirals, retaining their titles, Momousagi and Chaton, respectively.
The news spread worldwide alongside the fall of the Cross Guild, one of the Four Emperors' crews. In that moment, the world witnessed two major headlines.
"The Cross Guild was annihilated by the Whitebeard Pirates in less than an hour."
"Marine Admiral Kizaru was previously captured by the Whitebeard Pirates. Are they not planning to rescue him? Admiral Fujitora has resigned from the Marines... What is happening to the world?!"
"Perhaps the world's rules need to change!!"
Those reading the newspapers glanced toward their nation's palace, where war was raging. Rebel forces had stormed the royal palace.
Their country had conscripted its military into the Marines. With the army gone, the rebels suddenly acquired a batch of weapons and joined forces to capture the capital. Now, they were attacking the palace.
On the Sky Island
Marco was looking for someone.
"Where's Big Bro?" Marco stood at the door of a house and asked.
Whitey Bay, holding Rein, replied, "He left yesterday."
"Already gone? I thought he'd wait a couple more days," Marco said.
"Is something wrong?" Whitey Bay asked.
"Nothing much. I just wanted to update him on the Marines."
"What about the Marines?"
"Admiral Fujitora resigned."
"Something like that happened…"
"Since Big Bro isn't here, I'll head to Udon."
"Why are you going there?"
"To chat with an old rival."
Marco transformed into his phoenix form and flew down from the sky island.
"Big bird!!" Little Rein tried to grab Marco but caught nothing, eventually watching him leave helplessly.
"One after another," Whitey Bay smiled.
She remembered what Roy had told her yesterday: he was going to Ace's side. No matter what, Loxus was his son. Facing the Red Hair Pirates, the outcome was uncertain.
Udon Prison
Marco brought the news to the imprisoned Marine officers.
"Issho left the Marines…" Kizaru and the ten other Vice Admirals found the news hard to believe.
"Yeah, apparently, he had an argument with Sakazuki. He felt there was no justice left in the Marines and chose to leave. The new Admirals are Momousagi and Chatton," Marco said with a smile.
"That's not surprising. Those two have the strength and prestige to become Admirals," Kizaru nodded.
"Aren't you shocked?" Marco asked.
"Why should I be? From the moment he joined the Marines, even without sight, he saw clearer than anyone else. The Marines weren't what he had imagined, and his departure was only a matter of time," Kizaru said.
"It seems there are significant differences of opinion within the Marines," Marco laughed.
"Wherever there are people, ideas will differ. Perhaps if Kuzan had become Fleet Admiral, things might have turned out differently," Kizaru sighed.
The other ten Vice Admirals, bound in chains, thought about the current state of the Marines and couldn't help but feel despondent.
If Kuzan were in charge, perhaps the Marines would have stood by the common people.
"At least among us, there's no disagreement. Our goals are simple," Marco smiled.
"Did the Cross Guild cause you any trouble?" Kizaru asked.
"Yeah, it's already over," Marco said.
"Over?" Kizaru looked shocked.
"Yes, the battle ended quickly. Even we were surprised," Marco said.
"Even you were surprised?"
Marco recalled what had happened the day before.
The moment the Cross Guild declared battle, Roy went all out. A shadowy monster with boundless Haki instantly overwhelmed the Cross Guild. Except for Kuzan and the other three, everyone else lost their fighting capacity in an instant.
Roy moved like black lightning, weaving between the four of them. In a flash, all four were down. The speed was staggering.
Marco didn't even know what had happened before the battle was over. The Cross Guild, another Emperor-level crew, had been wiped out in an instant.
Roy simply returned to the sky island and calmly said to Kaido and Charlotte Linlin:
"Send them down."
Marco couldn't fathom what Kaido and Charlotte Linlin felt at that moment, but the two picked up their weapons and used the combined technique of the Elbaf giants.
"Elbaf Spear · Ikoku Sovereignity" sent the Cross Guild's ship crashing down from the sky.
The members of the three pirate crews looked at Roy differently. They had never seen him unleash his Conqueror's Haki to its fullest extent.
Marco still remembered a question he had once asked Roy:
"Big Bro, how strong are you really?"
"I don't know. I've never encountered anyone who pushed me to my limits. If I released all my Haki, my body probably couldn't handle it. If one day I eat a powerful Devil Fruit, maybe I can show you what I'm truly capable of."
Marco believed it. That was Roy's strongest state; his Haki was undoubtedly the most powerful Marco had ever seen, bar none.
"Alright, I've given you the news. If there are any updates, I'll let you know. If we win, you should be able to go free. If I die, someone will bring you the keys. What you do after that is up to you," Marco said.
"What is your ultimate goal? What are you trying to achieve?" Doberman couldn't help but ask.
"Big Brother once told us something: the power we possess now should be used to protect the weak, people who were once like us."
"We were all orphans who lost our families due to the persecution of the Celestial Dragons. It was Pops who took us in and allowed us to live with dignity."
"One day, we will grow old. While we still have strength, we must fight for our descendants and for the countless others like us."
"We want to build an equal world, a world where no nobility exists, and everyone is equal!!!"
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu