Chapter 338: The Danger of Freedom, The Heart of Freedom

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

When the man looked up, Luffy and the others were so scared they immediately fell backward and rolled into a heap. After all, the experience of getting beaten down on Circular Island was unforgettable for the Straw Hat crew.

"Why are you guys so panicked?"

Brook, calm as always, said, even though he no longer had a "face."

"Who is this?"

"Marine Admiral, Aokiji!!"

Luffy, who quickly got up, immediately took an attacking stance.

"Zoro, Sanji!"

"Oh!" The four from the hot spring, now fully alert, saw Aokiji lazily scratching his hair.

"How should I put it, I'm not here to arrest you guys. After all, I'm no longer part of the Marines," Aokiji said, turning his head to look at the dove perched on the hot spring's windowsill.

"You mean, Roman, right?"

*Flap flap* The white dove flapped its wings and landed on the railing, joining the Straw Hat crew.

"I quit the Marines two years ago. At this point... I guess you could call me a 'social drifter.'"

Well, mentioning things like joining Blackbeard's crew would just ruin the mood at this point.

"Actually, I prefer the title 'partner of justice.'"

As Aokiji stood up from the hot spring, his ice powers quickly formed into a fake leg, leaving Luffy and the others stunned.

"Oh, this?"

Noticing the group's shocked expressions, Aokiji casually patted the large wound on his shoulder and the missing left leg.

"I got a little too carried away."

...Who told you not to cross your 'Marine-special leg' at the top, now your leg's broken! The dove internally complained, but Roman wasn't worried. — Let alone the fact that Aokiji didn't have any ill intentions toward the Straw Hat crew, the reason he was here was to find Zephyr.

"Anyway, this isn't a place for talking."

The dove pecked at the wooden railing of the hot spring. If not for its ability to speak, it would have looked like an ordinary pigeon.

"I'll go inform the others. Let's meet at the docks."

——————

"Wow, we made so much money~~"

When Roman turned his attention, he saw Usopp and Chopper sitting behind a tavern, counting money, while Robin looked like she was still enjoying the moment.

"Is Robin that popular?"

"Of course, look at this tip..."

"...I thought you guys were here to gather information?"

It almost felt like they were here to perform, and they looked like they were having fun doing it.

"Roman-sensei, we've been 'working' hard," Robin smiled and stepped forward. "A lot of Marines have arrived on this island, and we got information from them. They're here to hunt down that 'NEO Marine' Fleet Admiral, Zephyr. So—"

"Zephyr-sensei is on this island."

The dove nodded. In fact, other doves had already spotted Zephyr and his troops at the towering extinct volcano behind this town. And, in the volcano's crater, they found the 'explosive rock' ready to trigger at any moment... and a straw hat! Oh, Zephyr-sensei...

"Let's go meet at the docks. Someone has something to say to us."

?

——————

"Hmph."

Pouting, the cute little Nami turned her head to the side, making Roman helplessly rub his temples.

"This... Nami, you know how I am with fashion..."

For Roman, dressing up was completely unnecessary. After all, Roman was the type of person who ran around every day wearing a suit made of his own abilities...

"Sir, these clothes..."

Facing the stack of changed children's clothes the clerk pointed to, Roman casually waved his hand.

"Wrap it all up."

!?

"Alright, sir, please wait a moment!"

The clerk, whose smile had been a bit stiff, immediately showed a sincere smile. There's a big difference between choosing clothes for hours and buying clothes for hours! It's clear that gentlemen's business is easier to do.

"Let's go~~"

Roman, ignoring Nami who turned around to leave with a grumpy expression, tossed a pile of Berries and waved his hand, packing the clothes he'd chosen for hours into his 'bag pages.'

Hmm, even though I might not have the chance to wear them later, it's a nice souvenir. — Who knows, maybe ' Nami' will need them someday? ———

"Aokiji!!!" X4

When they reached the dock, the same scene played out as before. The terrified screams and the group of people backing away caused Aokiji to scratch his head again.

"Well, well, am I really that scary?"

Not scary at all!

Everyone silently complained. Back at Round Island, he casually froze Zoro's and Sanji's arms and legs into popsicles, Luffy and Robin became big blocks of ice, and Roman had his hand crushed into pieces...

Only the Straw Hat crew's ridiculously strong bodies and the world's unscientific medical practices kept them safe.

Otherwise, the people here would have been a group of disabled people with broken limbs!

"Anyway, recently I've been chasing after a man."

Aokiji forcibly steered the topic back.

"You must have met a really strong old man recently?"

"Zephyr..."

"In this age of great pirates, pirates keep heading towards 'One Piece.'"

As Aokiji spoke, the Straw Hat crew calmed down and listened, curious about what he was getting at.

"Is it because there's 'One Piece' that pirates appear? Or is it because of pirates that 'One Piece' exists?"

"Either way, as long as there are pirates, there will always be people shedding tears for the warmth of home and loved ones they've lost."

"How can we end all of this?"

"Former Marine Admiral Zephyr came to a conclusion: as long as 'One Piece' disappears, pirates will disappear."

But that's impossible, Roman thought, lowering his eyes.

Because pirates don't only appear because of 'dreams.' More often, they are people who turned into beasts because they couldn't survive! If people could live peacefully, who would want to fight and kill? 

"So, Zephyr wants to destroy the New World. — What a crude idea," 

he said with a smile to Aokiji, but none of the Straw Hat crew could smile back. Deep down, most of them had once hated pirates!

Zoro had started as a bounty hunter who killed pirates for money; Nami was a thief who specialized in stealing from pirates; Sanji had always wanted to beat up pirates who ate for free; Usopp had always wished his father would come back and take a look at him after his mother passed away; Chopper's 'father' had turned from pirate to doctor; Robin didn't even need to mention her experiences, having seen the dirty side of normal pirates while hiding and running; Franky had been the leader of bounty hunters who killed pirates; Brook... well, calling him a pirate is a bit off, he was more of a musician...

But there was only one Straw Hat pirate crew in this world, and as for the rest of the pirates...

"Straw Hat kid, you'll stick to your beliefs and go find Zephyr to fight, right?"

"Then let me see your answer. — Zephyr is on this island, your companions should know his location."

After speaking, Aokiji turned around and waved.

"Goodbye."

As Aokiji left, Luffy silently turned around.

"Roman, lead the way."

"Mm."

———————

In the volcanic basin: *gurgle*

He took a sip of the 'JEREZ sherry' in his hand. This is a type of wine only sold in the New World, claimed to bring "sunshine-like joy." It had been Zephyr's favorite for many years, or perhaps his last hobby.

"Freedom?"

How many crimes are committed in its name!

"Doing whatever you want, killing, burning, looting, drawing swords over the smallest disagreement, massacring cities, destroying nations... such power, such Haki, such 'freedom'!"

Zephyr stood up after taking another drink, staring at the scattered explosive rocks ahead and the familiar straw hat in the middle.

"Roger, what does your freedom really mean?!"

"Take a good look at this sea! How many civilians die every year for your 'freedom'? Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or is it just so many that they can't be counted?"

"A sea without pirates is the only way to welcome the true dawn—?!"

"Ain, Binz," 

The elderly man suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and signaled his two students. "There's another 'mouse' coming. Get ready to fight!"

"Yes! Teacher." X2 "Gomu gomu no—"

Meanwhile, Luffy's familiar voice came from ahead. Immediately after, there was:

Boom!!

Luffy's punch shattered the air, creating supersonic shockwaves as it slammed into the giant Sea King stone arm. Both their Armament Haki collided with a huge explosion, sending massive waves of rocks flying, but...

The power was too weak...

Luffy's punch, charged up with all his strength, couldn't even move Zephyr a step! Not only was there a gap in their strength, but when Luffy's fist hit Zephyr's Sea King stone weapon, a strong feeling of weakness immediately spread! Even with Armament Haki, it still caused a significant weakening effect.

"What are you doing here, pirate scum?"

"Who's the scum, you old man!" 

In response to Sanji's words, Zephyr casually waved his hand behind him.

Boom, boom, boom—

"Hey, hey, hey, no way?!"

Usopp stared wide-eyed at the slowly approaching figures. They were wearing white long coats, their hair now fluffy and golden. But this style, this attack pattern—one by one, as they opened their mouths and extended their palms, golden light began to gather! "It's the Bears!!!"

"To be precise, it's 'Pacifista-PX-Z.'"

The pigeon beside calmly added, but these combat robots were the best "dividers." Only pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions could take them down in a single blow, while anyone below that, like the "super soldiers," wouldn't stand a chance.

"I'll take care of that female swordsman."

Zoro, facing a beautiful woman with soft sea-blue wavy hair, flicked his thumb, unsheathing his sword and choosing his opponent.

"Damn green algae head, how dare you steal the lead!"

Even so, Sanji charged forward to face Binz, who was wearing a flashy ninja outfit and had the ability of the "Growth Fruit." After all, everyone knew Sanji didn't fight women, right? And this Binz could continuously use 'Soru' while controlling plant growth—one wrong move and he could be caught. Just like Ain, his ability could decide the outcome in an instant.

So, Zoro and Sanji immediately engaged with these dangerous enemies.

"Uncle!!"

Luffy, of course, faced Zephyr.

"Give my hat back! Change Nami and the others back to normal! And—"

He glanced at the scattered 'explosive rocks' stuck in the ground and locked eyes with the former Marine Admiral.

"These too... give them back..."

"Heh, pirates always take what they want by force, right?"

Zephyr spread his arms and waved at Luffy.

"Hahahaha, if you want these, take them in the pirate 'way'!"

In response to Zephyr's words, Luffy immediately crouched down, his arms covered in Armament Haki.

"Gear Second!" 

(End of this chapter)

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