Under the influence of Crocodile, other than the capital Alubarna, this country hasn't seen rain in three years.
And this sudden downpour, appearing as if to compensate the nation, fell without end.
It even caused some citizens of Alabasta to worry that, following the drought, the country might face its first-ever flood in history...
A happy sort of problem to have, isn't it?
Inside the Royal Palace of Alubarna, the little reindeer was giving a physical checkup to the glasses-wearing man who had just woken up.
"Heartbeat, blood pressure, temperature... everything is normal." Chopper put down the stethoscope, looking at Sherlock who was sitting leisurely in the chair, his furry face full of worry.
"Do you have any discomfort anywhere right now, Sherlock?"
Frequent use of Insamona could keep Sherlock's spirit hyper-stimulated, but once stopped, he would immediately fall into a coma. According to the little reindeer's estimation, the Warlock should have slept for at least three or four days, yet he woke up in just one. This made Chopper happy but also deeply worried, fearing other side effects might have developed in the Warlock's body.
Sherlock pushed up his glasses and carefully assessed his own condition.
"Hmm, aside from being a bit hungry and having a slight headache, everything else is fine."
"Is that so?" Chopper breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sherlock, even though you only slept for a day this time, but..."
Round deer eyes stared tightly at the Warlock. Chopper's cute little face wore a rare serious expression.
"...Don't take Insamona again next time!"
"..."
Sherlock looked at the little reindeer's attempt at a serious demeanor and couldn't help but smile knowingly.
"Okay, I understand, the serious and responsible Dr. Chopper."
"Idiot, you four-eyed idiot! Even if you praise me, I won't be happy about it!" Although he said that, Chopper danced excitedly on the chair, almost falling off.
And because of this, Chopper was so excited he forgot to ask for the remaining Insamona back from the Warlock...
(What a foolish reindeer who can't hide his inner emotions at all.)
Shaking his head in amusement, Sherlock turned to look at the idiot captain lying on the bed not far away. The earth-shattering snoring complemented the sound of rain outside; it looked like Luffy was sleeping very soundly.
The Warlock, who had already learned the whole story from the little reindeer, gently pushed his glasses up. A complex light flashed through his pitch-black eyes.
(Perhaps some people are born to create miracles.)
(And you, you idiot, how many more miracles can you create? Luffy.)
(Maybe, you really can become the Pirate King...)
Thinking of the brilliant, confident smile under the straw hat, and the phrase the airhead captain always had on his lips, the corners of Sherlock's mouth curved into a handsome arc.
"By the way, Chopper, how much longer does Luffy have to sleep here?"
"I don't know." Chopper jumped down from the chair. "Luffy's physical condition is perfectly normal right now. Although he was poisoned by scorpion venom earlier, just as Vivi's father said, the venom in his body has been neutralized by the antidote."
"The reason Luffy is in a coma is simply because he's too tired. It's just a self-protection mechanism of the human body. You don't need to worry, Sherlock."
"Is that so..." Sherlock smoothed his hair with his hand and asked again, "Where are Nami and the others?"
"Ah, right! I forgot to tell everyone the news that you woke up!"
Chopper realized just then that he had been so focused on examining the Warlock that he forgot to tell their companions the good news.
The little reindeer scratched his head in embarrassment. "They were led by an uncle with curly hair to visit the palace. I'll take you to find them."
As he said this, Chopper subconsciously looked at Sherlock, who was fixing his hair, and the expression on his furry face froze.
"Sherlock, you... your hair..."
Crocodile was captured by the Marines. Although this had nothing to do with the two Vice Admirals and one Rear Admiral who came specifically to crusade against him, the result was still perfect.
Who could have imagined that Crocodile, a dignified Warlord of the Sea, would be defeated by a rookie?
I'm afraid that even a second before passing out, Crocodile hadn't realized he had been sent flying.
At a northern port of Alabasta, on a docked Marine warship.
Heavy rain fell. The moist and salty sea breeze gently brushed the young girl's blue hair. Tashigi leaned against the railing of the warship, gazing blankly at the boundless sea in the distance.
Because of Justice, Tashigi, as a Marine, should have arrested the Straw Hat Pirates.
But also because of Justice, Tashigi couldn't bring herself to lay a hand on these heroes who saved the country.
(Is what I'm doing right or wrong...) The blue-haired girl's heart was full of confusion at this moment.
"If you're in a bad mood, want to drink some of this?"
An abrupt male voice sounded from behind Tashigi. The girl turned around to discover a man with naturally curly blonde hair holding up two cartons of strawberry milk, his lazy dead-fish eyes gleaming with inexplicable meaning.
"Vice Admiral Hisoka?!" Tashigi exclaimed, then hurriedly turned around and gave a proper salute.
"Why are you so stiff, just like Pearl..." Sighing, Hisoka tossed a carton of strawberry milk at the blue-haired girl. The latter caught it in a flurry, then looked with confusion at this old classmate of her direct superior.
Leaning against the railing on his own, Hisoka opened his strawberry milk, tilted his head back, and chugged it, followed by a long sigh of satisfaction.
"As expected, strawberry milk tastes the best!" Saying this, the blonde perm turned to look at the still-bewildered glasses girl and smiled, "When you're in a bad mood, you should drink something tasty."
Behind her lenses, a pair of large, bright eyes blinked repeatedly. Tashigi probably hadn't expected that Hisoka, a dignified Marine Vice Admiral, would come to care for her, an obscure Master Chief Petty Officer. Her fair cheeks instantly flushed red with excitement, and she gave Hisoka a solemn, deep bow.
"Thank you for your concern, Vice Admiral Hisoka."
"...I told you, don't be so stiff." Hisoka shook his head, then looked up at the sky, remaining silent.
Countless fine lines of rain connected the dark, cloudy sky with the surging sea. Judging by the intensity of this storm, it didn't seem like it would stop within a day or two.
The scene became very quiet for a moment. Apart from the clattering sound of the rain, neither of them spoke.
After a long while.
"Tashigi, what do you think [Justice] is?" Hisoka suddenly asked.
"Eh? Justice?" Tashigi let out a soft sound of surprise. She lowered her head to think carefully, then tentatively whispered her answer:
"Justice is to sweep away all evil things."
"That's not it." Hisoka shook his head, took another swig of strawberry milk, and continued, "That is merely the Marines' Justice."
"What I want to ask about is your own Justice."
"But, Vice Admiral Hisoka." The blue-haired female Marine looked puzzled. "Am I not a Marine? And aren't the Marines Justice?"
Tashigi had always believed this in her heart; the Marines were the incarnation of Justice.
"Marines? Justice? No, no, no..." Hisoka turned his head, his dead-fish eyes looking at Tashigi as he asked:
"Do you think that a Marine force that would bury an entire town of civilians just to execute one pirate who knew important Marine secrets could be considered Justice?"
"Also, do you think the Straw Hat gang, who saved your superior and saved this country, are not Justice?"
"..."
These words from the blonde perm made the already confused Tashigi even more conflicted. She felt her beliefs of many years silently collapsing.
So, the blue-haired girl silently lowered her head, staring blankly at the strawberry milk in her hand, and because of this, she didn't notice the very strange expression on Vice Admiral Hisoka's face when he said the first sentence.
Looking at the bewildered blue-haired girl, Hisoka composed himself and spoke faintly:
"Five years ago, my Justice was to kill all pirates, to kill all this trash on the sea."
"But later..." Speaking of this, the blonde perm smiled self-deprecatingly. He tilted his head back to drain the strawberry milk and threw the empty carton forcefully into the sea.
"...I discovered that the superior I had always looked up to was actually a cold-blooded Marine, an executioner who would use any means necessary for the sake of 'Absolute Justice'."
"After that, I met kind-hearted pirates who would extend a helping hand even if you were a Marine."
Hisoka took a deep breath to calm his agitated emotions. His lazy dead-fish eyes were now full of nostalgia.
"I was lost, I was conflicted... but later, I finally came to terms with it."
Hearing this, Tashigi abruptly raised her head to look at the decadent man beside her, asking somewhat urgently:
"Then what is your Justice now?"
Inexplicably, Tashigi felt that Vice Admiral Hisoka, whose experiences were so similar to hers, would give her a satisfactory answer.
"My Justice?" Hisoka grinned and pointed to the wooden sword at his waist. "You'll have to ask the sword in my hand."
"Sword?" The blue-haired girl frowned slightly.
"That's right. My Justice is judged by my sword!"
As soon as the words fell, Tashigi only felt a blur before her eyes. Vice Admiral Hisoka had already drawn his wooden sword. The movement was as fast as lightning; even standing so close, she only saw an afterimage.
Moreover, Tashigi was shocked to discover that as soon as the blonde perm's hand gripped the handle of the wooden sword, Hisoka seemed to become a different person. He shed his usual laziness and decadence, and his entire aura became like a freshly sharpened blade, revealing its edge.
It was as if the [Golden Asura] who once made countless pirates tremble in fear had returned!
"If my sword can swing down without hesitation, then I am Justice. And vice versa."
Saying this, a divine light flashed in Hisoka's eyes. Holding the wooden sword, he seemingly casually swung it gently toward the sea.
Shwah! A tearing sound that made one's teeth ache rang out in the air.
Tashigi's pupils constricted to the size of needlepoints. She felt that with the swing of Vice Admiral Hisoka's wooden sword, the pouring rain outside seemed to pause for a few seconds, as if an invisible sword energy had forcibly severed the sky full of rain.
"Aren't you a swordsman too?" Sheathing the wooden sword, Hisoka glanced at Shigure worn at Tashigi's waist and smiled.
"If you feel lost, then ask the sword at your waist."
"My sword..." Her slender hand subconsciously gripped the handle of Shigure. The blue-haired glasses girl silently felt the somewhat cold touch, and a sudden realization dawned in her heart.
(That's right, my own Justice is actually judged by my heart. As long as I feel it is Justice, then it is Justice!)
The confusion in Tashigi's eyes gradually faded, replaced by determination, confidence, and soaring fighting spirit!
Noticing the change in the blue-haired girl's eyes, Hisoka rubbed his stubbly chin and grinned. Just as he was about to say something else, he was interrupted by a voice he hadn't heard in years.
"You guy with a brain full of strawberry milk, what crooked logic are you feeding my subordinate?"
Hisoka and Tashigi turned around to look, only to see the White Hunter, wrapped in bandages, chomping on two cigars, striding out of the cabin. His gaze toward Hisoka held none of the joy one should have when reuniting with an old classmate.
"Captain Smoker!" Tashigi's tears of excitement welled up.
"Tch, I was wondering why I smelled choking smoke; so it's you, you old chimney, waking up." Hisoka curled his lip and glared back without showing any weakness.
The air instantly filled with a faint smell of gunpowder; it was clear the relationship between these two old classmates was not harmonious.
"..." The blue-haired girl swallowed silently, seemingly unable to understand why these two were so unfriendly toward each other.
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