"So."
"Back to the question."
"If you had to choose, would you rather be a pirate or a soldier?"
Rosen pondered for a moment, then asked Douglas Bullet the same question again.
"I have no idea. Roger is dead, and I've lost to you. Even if I want to chase the strongest, there's no target, and I'm not qualified."
"As for being a soldier, even the Endless War Nation was destroyed by my own hands. How can I still call myself a soldier?"
"The Grand Line is truly vast—so vast that it has everything—but it doesn't give me a chance to choose."
Douglas Bullet shook his head.
"Alright. Those words just now should be considered the last words of the Demon's Heir. You can start now."
He smiled self-deprecatingly, then signaled to Rosen that he could proceed.
To this, Rosen nodded slightly, then turned his back to Douglas Bullet.
"Gol D. Roger is indeed dead, but the Great Age of Pirates, which he launched at the cost of his life, still exists."
"The Four Emperors, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Dark Emperor, and so on—these pirate forces can be said to be the continuation of the Pirate King's will and life."
"In other words, the Great Pirate Era is Gol D. Roger's masterpiece."
Rosen glanced back at Douglas Bullet and said something that shocked the Demon's Heir:
"Next, I will graduate from the Naval Academy, and one of the things I will do is end this era of pirates."
"Eliminate the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Dark Emperor, the Four Emperors, and all these miscellaneous pirates from the Grand Line."
"As for you, Douglas Bullet—since you don't have a goal, I will set a temporary one for you. That is to stay by my side as a Marine. After I end the Great Pirate Era and stand at a height above Gol D. Roger, you can challenge me again."
"If you beat me, you will be the strongest being surpassing the Four Emperors, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Pirate King, and even the Marine Headquarters."
"Also, unlike Gol D. Roger, there's one thing I can clearly tell you right now: I won't die—not before you lose sight of me and completely give up the idea of challenging me."
His tone was neither light nor heavy, but every word he spoke was like a heavy hammer wrapped in the aura of dominance, striking the heart of the Demon's Heir again and again.
"You—you won't kill me? Aren't you afraid that after I escape, I'll turn this ocean upside down again, Rosen?"
Douglas Bullet looked at Rosen in disbelief.
He was ready to close his eyes and wait for death, but he never expected that Rosen—who had never left a single person alive since stepping into the Infinite Hell—would actually spare someone for the first time.
Even more, he would set him free, with the condition that he act as a Marine in these seas.
"I gave you a goal. I made you a soldier again."
"You—do you still need to run away?"
"Even if you do, it will only be after seeing that I can't cut off the Great Pirate Era, or after I die. But unfortunately, such a thing will never happen."
Rosen pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and dialed a number.
Bulu Bulu.
Snap.
"Junior, you seem to be doing something dangerous and out of line. As a senior, I have to give you a friendly reminder."
"Don't forget—he's the Demon's Heir. The sins of pirates cannot be undone."
As soon as the call connected, Borsalino's voice came from the Den Den Mushi.
Obviously, he had been observing the conversation between Rosen and Douglas Bullet through the video Den Den Mushi placed nearby.
"It is the World Government—not the justice of the Marine Headquarters—that defines Bullet as a criminal."
"Of course, I have no intention of erasing his sins, because only he himself can erase his own sins."
"As far as I know, as long as a pirate has made significant contributions—even if tried and convicted—the Navy Headquarters can show leniency, or even acquit them, and even allow them to join the navy."
Faced with Borsalino's words, Rosen did not act arrogantly or use force to suppress him.
First, he knew this was well-intentioned advice from Borsalino as a senior.
Second, he understood that he currently had neither military rank nor authority.
He lacked the prestige and status to make decisions on his own.
Most importantly, the Navy Headquarters is a powerful organization with a million members.
Even if one day Rosen possesses supreme prestige and power—like the First Admiral in the eyes of the headquarters and all the navy—he would still consider the reputation, justice, and integrity of the headquarters.
Because by then, his existence would represent the entire Navy Headquarters.
As the king of the navy, if you take the lead in trampling on justice and the system, will other Marines still take justice and the system seriously?
No, they won't.
Because of this, having experienced Sengoku's teachings, when faced with Borsalino's words, Rosen chose to use the Navy Headquarters' own system to respond, rather than resorting to a crude method that would dirty his own feathers.
"Good. I just talked to him once, and his cunning, tactics, and character have already grown to this level. He's definitely made to be a Fleet Admiral."
On the deck of a warship, after Sengoku heard the entire conversation between Rosen and Borsalino through the Den Den Mushi, his first reaction was not anger—but rather a hint of admiration in his eyes.
The Navy Headquarters defines what absolute justice is.
If you want millions of Marines and even hundreds of races of the sea to recognize and follow this justice, the rule-makers must act within the rules.
Occasional exceptions may be made in special circumstances, but this cannot become the norm.
Rosen now chose to use the navy's system to solve the problem with ease, rather than using the most inferior method—fists to clear the way, trampling on justice and laws, unafraid of staining the Admiral's image.
Such a performance certainly made Sengoku admire him and even feel relieved.
"Oh?"
"A major meritorious performance?"
"What do you mean? I don't seem to see anything like that in Bullet."
Although he admired Rosen's actions, as the naval Fleet Admiral, Sengoku still maintained a businesslike tone.
"Douglas Bullet will be my right-hand man. After I put collars on each of the Shichibukai, he will be responsible for supervising them."
"When a Shichibukai tries to break free from the collar, or when a pirate is unqualified to remain one, he will be responsible for dealing with the unqualified."
Rosen said calmly.
He knew that both the World Government and Sengoku attached great importance to the Seven Warlords system.
The World Government needed them as one of the three great powers to maintain balance.
Sengoku needed him to put collars on them, transforming the system from the navy's shame into a weapon that demonstrated its authority.
Not just in name, but a true watchdog that goes wherever it's commanded.
"What if Bullet commits malfeasance? Or stir up the sea again like in the past?" Sengoku pressed.
"Whether he commits dereliction of duty or goes berserk, I will personally put an end to it. But before that, Douglas Bullet—I'll vouch for him. How is it, Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"
Rosen's words were neither humble nor arrogant, and his manner was perfectly measured.
...
If you enjoyed this book, don't forget to vote with a Power Stone and take a few seconds to leave a review
Join my P@treon for advance chapters and special content!
[email protected]/Ren_Saga