bacchusnovels Chapter 141: The End of an Era!
Chapter 141: The End of an Era!
The piece of paper Chen Ye left behind was very light.
But at this moment, in Kuzan's eyes, it was hotter than flames.
The wind and snow swept across this torn land, half of which was solidified lava and the other half was perpetually frozen glaciers.
This land seemed to be his grave.
It buried everything he had as a naval admiral.
Chen Ye has disappeared.
They came without a sound, and they left without a sound, leaving behind only a choice that could turn the world upside down.
Kuzan lowered his head, his eyes fixed on the piece of paper.
Chen Ye's last few words kept replaying in my mind.
"Your sense of justice is not wrong."
"The mistake was that you chose the wrong side and served the wrong people."
Standing in the wrong line...
This was the first time in decades that he had heard such words.
It's not that he's too lazy to uphold justice, not that he's not ruthless enough, and not that his beliefs have wavered.
Was he fundamentally in the wrong place?
The world government he served, the "justice" he upheld, was fundamentally wrong.
This thought, like a black gash, tore open his heart, which had been blinded by failure and numbness.
He saw it.
I saw the truth that I had deliberately forgotten, the truth that had been covered up by countless compromises and struggles.
The Fire of Ohara.
Sauro's roar.
During the Marineford War, he hesitated as he looked at Ace and Luffy.
His belief in "justice with compassion" is utter nonsense.
It's a joke in front of this cold machine that only turns for the Celestial Dragons.
What a complete joke!
Sakazuki won, not because his justice was more "correct".
His "evil" is purer and more irreversible!
Kuzan's body was trembling uncontrollably.
Regret, resentment, and anger seeped out from between his bones, turning his soul into a jumbled mess!
He lost.
They lost everything, even their underwear.
but. . .
Has his sense of justice truly failed?
Do not!
No!
A single thought, like a spark igniting from the ashes, rekindled his dying soul!
His justice prevailed!
This ocean, this world, this rotten order, is unworthy of his justice!
Kuzan raised his head.
A frightening fire ignited in those lifeless eyes.
He looked at the life certificate.
That was a boat ticket.
The only ticket to the New World.
This is his only chance to rebuild the justice that has been tainted, ridiculed, and destroyed, and to accomplish it with his own hands!
"Ah la la la..."
A hoarse laugh squeezed out of his throat, devoid of the previous numbness and self-mockery, replaced by a desperate, mad energy.
With his unbroken right hand, he braced himself against the icy ground, dragging his mangled body, inch by inch, toward the piece of paper.
Every movement sent a piercing pain through my broken leg.
With each step closer, the light in his eyes grew brighter.
Admiral Kuzan is dead here.
But his own sense of justice... is not dead!
From this day forward...
He stretched out his hand.
That hand was shaking violently because of the injury.
Her fingertips finally touched the piece of paper that still held the warmth of Chen Ye's body.
Then, it clenched tightly in its palm!
. . .
On the other side of Icefire Island, on a flattened mountain peak.
The wind is blowing fiercely.
Garp didn't leave.
He simply carried the mess of the battlefield on his back, silently gazing at the distant sea.
The sky and the sea were the same color, a hazy gray, just like the color of his heart.
The coat with the word "Justice" printed on it was whipping in the wind; those two words now look so damn ironic.
His mountain-like back looked all alone now, as old as could be.
Is this the navy he protected and lauded his entire life?
Is this the justice he upheld his whole life without ever doubting?
ridiculous!
That's fucking ridiculous!
Just then, a very flat voice rang out behind him, without any warning, as if it had been there all along.
"I've said everything I needed to say. As for the future of the Navy, it's up to him to choose."
It is Chenye.
Garp froze, but he didn't turn around.
He knew the man would come back, just as he knew he no longer had the right to raise his fist against him.
It was very quiet at the top of the mountain.
Only the sound of the wind.
After a long time, Kap's booming voice rang out again, but this time, it was hoarse and tired.
"That kid's business... is beyond my control..."
He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, as if he were expelling everything that had been bottled up in his heart for decades.
"Luffy and Ace... and Dragon..."
Garp paused, each word spoken with great difficulty, as if he had used up the last bit of dignity he had left as a naval hero.
"...I'll leave it to you."
boom!
These words, spoken by Garp, the naval hero who had dominated the seas his entire life and even driven the Pirate King to the brink of despair, seemed to have bent his back, a back he had always held straight.
This means they've admitted it.
This is an explanation.
It's a disguised form of bowing down.
He lowered his head, which he had held proudly all his life, to a pirate, a man who was labeled the most heinous criminal by the World Government.
The person he handed over was the most important person in his life.
Chen Ye looked at Garp's aged back, his face showing no smugness, and just smiled.
"Don't worry, Mr. Karp."
His voice was very soft, but Karp heard it clearly.
The path they choose is their own decision!
We have no right to interfere!
After saying that, he didn't stop. His figure faded in the air, turning into countless golden specks of light that scattered with a gust of wind.
That's all I have to say.
Everything that needed to be done has been done.
The rest is up to time.
Garp slowly turned around, looking at the empty mountaintop and the island that had been completely transformed by ice and fire.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, it only turned into a long, heavy sigh.
That tall figure looked particularly lonely in the wind.
An era seems to be truly coming to an end.
And he, this hero of the old era, could only watch helplessly, powerless to do anything.
. . .
On another stretch of sea!
No longer the cold and lifeless Punk Hazard, but the warm sea breeze and the bold aroma of alcohol.
The small Moby Dick, deck.
Chen Ye's figure appeared out of thin air.
Whitebeard, who had gone ahead of Chenye, was leaning against the ship's side, gulping down a large gourd of wine.
Upon seeing Chen Ye, he put down his wine gourd, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and grinned.
"Gurarararar! Is everything done?"
His gaze fell on Chen Ye, filled with scrutiny and curiosity.
"Judging from your expression, you've learned quite a bit!"
Chen Ye walked over with a smile.
Whitebeard casually tossed over another, smaller gourd.
Chen Ye caught it, pulled out the stopper, and followed suit, tilting his head back and taking a big gulp.
The spicy liquor slid into my stomach, creating a fiery sensation.
"Of course, Dad."
He put down the gourd of wine, looking relaxed.
"Let's go back first."
"Gurarararara!"
The white-bearded man laughed and waved his hand.
Set sail! Go home!
Adjust the sails and turn the rudder.
The coated boat cut an arc and sailed steadily toward the Whitebeard Pirates' main fleet.
Sunlight streamed onto the deck, dispelling the last vestiges of gloom brought by Punk Hazard.
Chen Ye leaned against the ship's railing, looking at the white-bearded man's bold face, and his smile faded.
His expression was more solemn than ever before.
"Dad."
The white-bearded man noticed the change in his tone, stopped laughing, and turned a sharp gaze towards him.
"Um?"
Chen Ye's golden eyes gleamed with a profound depth.
After returning to the Moby Dick
"I have something more important to discuss with you and Brother Marco!"