Whether or not we give up the resistance is no longer important.

Between the navy and the pirates, one side will always have to die.

The world is not a fairy tale; there are no happy endings.

Regardless of what the other party thinks, he has indeed lost, and even if he resists, it's only a matter of time.

Cass inherited Vice Admiral Kuro's sense of justice, and it's impossible for him to be let off the hook.

As the white mist dissipated, it revealed Ouf lying on the ground, expressionless.

"I will."

Cass lowered his pistol, his tears already dried.

"My friend... I will defend your justice, and together with you as you once were, we will move forward!"

...

Heavy rain at night.

On the Golden Lion, Sengoku was eating noodles made with bellflower, then pointed his chopsticks at Clow beside him and asked with a smile.

"Kuro, when you were in the East Blue, did you encounter any troublesome pirates?"

"What troublesome pirates? When have I ever encountered pirates?"

Kuro shook his head and lowered his head to drink his noodle soup. "Don't give me that. I didn't do anything in the East Blue. If you're going to make up these kinds of things, I'll sue you for defamation. You're not the marshal anymore."

"Huh?"

Lida, standing nearby, asked suspiciously, "Wait a minute, when you were chatting last time, didn't you say that when you were young you met someone... how was it again, some old coward? He stayed in the East Blue for over ten years and wouldn't leave. He was extremely strong, exceeding the East Blue's tolerance limits, and then you took care of him in a flash. What was his name again, Evil Blade?"

"Don't swear, Lida!"

Kuro glared at her, then looked at Sengoku's probing gaze, pursed his lips, and said, "I don't remember, and that kind of thing isn't important."

He certainly wouldn't forget something like that.

That group called the "Akuto Pirates" is an elite pirate crew. They are small in number, but every member is a swordsman, and their average strength is enough to make them famous even in the Grand Line.

But human thought is, of course, unique.

The reason they gave Kuro such clear memories is because these people are a bunch of freaks.

Instead of risking their lives on the Grand Line, they only think about killing people at will in the East Blue, treating it as a slaughterhouse.

That was Kuro's first real battle since becoming a Marine.