75.

The pirates quickly approached the petite Navy ship, intending to follow their usual practice of hijacking merchant ships—cutting off all their limbs and throwing them into the sea to feed the fish.

However, before their routine cannon fire on the enemy ship had even finished, eleven dark figures suddenly shot out from the small warship.

Lindemann took the lead, utilizing Moonwalk with more proficiency than the others to accelerate mid-air. His speed, combined with his exquisite swordsmanship, allowed him to swing his blade and directly slice apart a pirate—gun and all—who had been aiming at him.

His blade was already positioned to block an incoming cutlass attack from another direction. Before the rear admiral could twist his wrist for a horizontal sweep, a commander behind him, armed with a flintlock rifle, had already taken a shot, blasting the pirate's head apart.

"Hey, hey! Stealing my kill—what kind of bad habit is that?" Lindemann remarked with a half-smile before shifting his stance to attack the next pirate.

Continuing to pick off pirates in the distance with his custom rapid-fire rifle, the commander shrugged. "Naturally, whoever gets the kill first owns it."

Standing on the second deck, Sakazuki watched the battle unfold not far away. He slightly turned his head to look at the small head peeking out from a private cabin to his right. "Are you scared?"

"Mm!" Robin nodded without hesitation. "Why does everyone, who's usually so warm and gentle, become so terrifying the moment they start fighting…?"

"That's the nature of battle—it's either you die or I live." Sakazuki frowned slightly. He disliked soldiers who couldn't stomach blood. But Robin was only an eight-year-old child. He couldn't expect this little girl to be measured against his own childhood experiences.

Changing his approach, the vice admiral crouched beside Robin and tempted her: "Do you want to test the results of your training these past days?"

To his surprise, Robin answered with unwavering firmness: "No."

Sakazuki had hit a wall, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he asked, "Why? Is it because you're afraid to kill, or because you're scared and don't dare to act?"

Robin lowered her head in fear, her small hands clutching tightly at the fabric of her clothes. "Both…"

Seeing Sakazuki's expression darken, the little girl lowered her head even further. She was already bracing herself for a scolding. Having lived through the nightmare that was the Buster Call, Robin had developed an instinctive aversion to one-sided massacres.

What's more, she had never harmed another person before. Even when bullied by the children of Ohara, she had never truly injured any of them, despite their attacks being filled with naked malice. She had only ever used her abilities to drive them away or scare them off before tending to her own wounds alone.

Robin watched as the vice admiral raised his hand without any expression on his face. Her heart clenched, and she instinctively shut her eyes tight. She knew full well that what awaited her might not be a lecture, but a beating.

Since coming to Navy Headquarters, she had spent the past half-year recovering and reading extensively about the Navy. She understood, and had even personally witnessed, how the Navy dealt with traitors—swift execution.

"Saul!" Robin bit her lip, suddenly thinking of that kind-hearted giant.

But the pain she had expected never came. Instead, a rough yet gentle hand landed atop her head.

Sakazuki's gaze carried a hint of approval as he crouched down with perfect military posture, just as he had once done on Ohara.

His slightly calloused hand ruffled Robin's hair, messing it up.

With a steady yet warm voice, the vice admiral said, "Killing is never something one does out of interest. Whether it's pirates killing civilians to plunder their treasures, or the Navy killing pirates to enforce justice—whoever it is, in that moment of killing, we all become strangers to ourselves."

Robin looked lost.

Sakazuki lowered his gaze to meet the girl's confused eyes. "Humans have always slaughtered each other for various reasons—bandits for treasure, kings and politicians for power, the oppressed for survival, and soldiers for the peace of their nation. We always weave different justifications to soothe our uneasy hearts. But no matter how noble or selfless the reason may seem, at the core, it's still just a way to escape the responsibility and consequences of taking a life."

The battle-hardened admiral gave a rare smile. "I never gave you an order, only asked a question. You don't need to worry about disobeying me. You didn't hide your fear—that's good. And refusing my suggestion? That makes me proud of you, Robin."

The girl didn't smile, but she seriously pondered Sakazuki's words.

After a moment, she suddenly raised her head and asked, "Then… are you afraid? Are you also using the banner of justice to escape responsibility, Sakazuki?"

"No. I choose to bear this burden," Sakazuki replied firmly. "In my homeland, there was once a prince who said these words. Today, I pass them on to you—this is your third lesson."

"Only those prepared to be killed have the right to pull the trigger!"

——————————————————————————

The slaughter had ended, and the satisfied officers returned to the ship one after another.

Lindemann's veteran skills had earned him the respect and admiration of these proud commanders. In the Navy, aside from rank and authority, having the strength to command others' trust was the most crucial quality.

Sakazuki used his Devil Fruit abilities to clean up the final remnants of the battlefield. The intense heat of his Magma-Magma Fruit reduced everything to ashes.

Little Garden—an ancient island.

Due to its prehistoric climate, many plants and animals that could only be seen in fossils and amber had survived here. The island's dense forests and diverse wildlife maintained a delicate balance, making it the perfect environment for Sakazuki's training—especially the active volcano at its center.

By dusk, Sakazuki's group had arrived at their destination.

A combat meeting before setting foot on the island was absolutely necessary; blindly rushing in without preparation would be unwise.

"Vice Admiral Sakazuki, should we conduct a scouting mission first?" Lindemann raised his head and asked his superior for instructions.

"At night, this island belongs to its predators. Without understanding the terrain and the species living here, we'll spend the night on the ship. Standard procedure—three men on watch. Tomorrow morning, we'll form teams of three to explore the island."

With Sakazuki's strength, he could easily dominate this island. But as a leader, he had to make decisions with the whole team in mind.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked towards the volcano in the distance. If he recalled correctly, weren't there two pirates with bounties over a hundred million staying on this island?

He had always been utterly intolerant of pirates. Until now, it had never crossed his mind that there might be a pirate he would have to spare.

"Giants… The Giant Tribe… Elbaf," Sakazuki murmured to himself.

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