Marineford could absolutely be called a magnificent island.
Especially the Justice Fortress, which had stood for an unknown number of years, possessed an extraordinary aura, giving one a feeling of unyielding grandeur.
As if this place would never be encroached upon by evil.
At the same time, Marineford was also considered the most powerful island on the entire sea.
Because it gathered most of the Marine's high-level combat forces.
Whether it was an illusion or not, just by looking at this island, it felt as if one could hear a phrase.
That is...
"It's always us Marines who bully others; no one dares to bully us Marines!"
That's right, it was that arrogant and overbearing!
However, none of this had anything to do with Dante for now; as soon as he disembarked, he was immediately sent to the Marineford infirmary.
Perhaps it was due to the special care of Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Admiral Zephyr.
Dante was arranged in the high-level infirmary.
This infirmary was specifically built for high-ranking Marine officers; ordinary Marine soldiers were not qualified to stay there.
One had to have a general-level rank to be admitted; in other words, at the very least, a commodore-level Marine could recuperate here.
Dante was arranged on the second floor of the infirmary, in a double room; his spot was right by the window, and from the window, he could see a lawn, which was the infirmary's backyard.
There were many Marine officers strolling inside, some with casts on their arms, some leaning on crutches, and some directly sitting in wheelchairs.
These were all people with general-level ranks in the Marine.
From this, it could also be seen that although the Marine appeared glorious on the surface, with the posture of an overlord of the sea,
Behind this glory were countless lives and blood poured out.
Being a Marine, perhaps, was never a good profession.
That brat Rosinandi seemed to have truly latched onto Dante; even though Dante had slapped him hard on Minion Island, he seemed to not care at all.
He completely regarded Dante as his savior.
According to Admiral Zephyr, while he was unconscious on the ship, Rosinandi stayed by his side every day, just to be able to know his condition at the first moment.
Currently, Rosinandi still visited his savior, Dante, every day, sitting quietly by the bed, occasionally pouring him water or peeling fruit.
To be honest, if it were a little loli doing this, Dante would definitely be very happy to accept it.
Unfortunately, Rosinandi was a little shota, and even worse, he was also a scammer!
However, due to Rosinandi's 'official second-generation' status, Dante really couldn't do anything about him.
But then again, with Rosinandi as his little errand boy, his hospitalization here was indeed much more convenient.
"Uh... is it noon?" A lazy voice came from another sickbed.
The patient who had been sleeping finally woke up.
"Oh, Dante, I envy you so much, you have such a good little friend taking care of you. If you're not going to eat it, would you mind giving me that peeled apple? I just woke up and I'm a little hungry..." The patient asked impolitely.
Dante looked at the guy helplessly, raised his hand, and threw the apple from the fruit plate on the table over.
"Heh-ho..." The guy caught the apple, chuckled, and started eating it.
Three days ago, Dante, who was originally living alone here, welcomed his fellow patient... Marineford Rear Admiral Kuzan.
That's right, the one lying on the other bed at this moment was none other than Aokiji Kuzan, who would later become an Admiral.
To be honest, Dante had thought of many ways he would meet these big shots like Kuzan, but he never expected their first meeting to be in this hospital room.
Kuzan had always been a lazy and unpretentious person, so even though he didn't know Dante before, over these three days, he had developed some camaraderie with Dante, and the two got along quite well.
"Eating and sleeping every day, sleeping and eating, don't you feel bored?" Dante asked.
Kuzan chewed on the apple and said somewhat indistinctly, "Then what do you want me to do? Go play football?"
At this point, Kuzan even slightly raised his leg; indeed, his right leg was in a cast.
It seemed he had suffered a serious injury before.
"Your leg, it's really prone to disasters. Is it because of your usual incorrect sitting posture?" Dante said with a smile.
"I never cross my legs or prop them up, how could my sitting posture be incorrect?" Kuzan rolled his eyes and said.
"Perhaps it's precisely because of that..." Dante muttered.
Before Kuzan could respond, Dante finally couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked, "Speaking of which, Rear Admiral Kuzan, you're also known as one of our Marine's monsters, right? How did you break a leg?"
Dante hadn't asked this question over the past three days.
Mainly, he wasn't very familiar with Kuzan at the time and didn't want to ask rashly. Now, Dante felt that after three days of living together day and night, he and Kuzan were acquaintances, and their relationship was quite good, so he could ask.
Upon hearing this, Kuzan looked very distressed. He swallowed the apple in his mouth, shook his head, and said, "Dante, having a good superior is very important, especially one who is reliable. So, if you have the chance in the future, don't be like me. I was... misled by the word 'hero' back then."
Dante???
As if seeing Dante's confusion, Kuzan whispered, "It means, if you have a choice in the future, don't be like me and choose Mr. Garp as your boss!"
"Hahahahaha..." Dante suddenly burst out laughing.
So, Kuzan's leg was injured because of Garp?
"What exactly happened? Is it convenient to say?" Dante asked, suppressing his laughter.
Kuzan looked like life was tough and sighed, "There's nothing I can't say now. Not long ago, we received news that the Roger Pirates had reappeared in the first half of the Grand Line. Mr. Garp and Roger seem to have a strong obsession with each other, so upon hearing this news, Mr. Garp eagerly went to pursue them. As Mr. Garp's aide, I naturally had to act with him, but the result was... We had a big battle with the Roger Pirates at sea. Mr. Garp had no problems at all, but I was miserable; my leg was directly broken in the chaos."
Listening to Kuzan's narration, Dante also looked at him with sympathy. Indeed, one must choose a reliable superior, otherwise, the risk factor greatly increases.
And as everyone knows, Vice Admiral Garp is famously unreliable in the Marine!
Among the Marine, there are three very outstanding people in the current new generation, known as the Marine's 'Monster Rookies'.
Although they are called rookies, in reality, they have been in the Marine for several years and all hold flag officer ranks.
Kuzan is the lowest ranked among the three.
Then the other two are naturally Akainu Sakazuki and Kizaru Borsalino, who will also become the three Admirals in the future.
Based on what he had learned during this time, Dante also had a slight grasp of some information.
For example, Borsalino is Fleet Admiral Sengoku's aide, and is currently a Vice Admiral. As for Sakazuki, it might sound a bit incredible, but he is Admiral Zephyr's aide.
However, Admiral Zephyr has nominally withdrawn from the front line and only retained his Admiral rank, so Sakazuki is relatively special; he basically started being his own boss.
Of course, he is also a Vice Admiral.
"Well, that's how it is. But you, I heard you even fought the Golden Lion? You're very brave, Dante." Kuzan said with a smile.
Dante looked helplessly at Rosinandi, the scoundrel, and raised his hand to tap his head, saying, "If it weren't for this kid, I wouldn't have had to take such risks, nor would I be lying here."
Listening to Dante's words, Rosinandi lowered his head, a little embarrassed.
"Hahahaha, but you are very courageous. Teacher Zephyr seems to think highly of you. It won't be long before you become my junior." Kuzan laughed loudly.
Zephyr's Officer Training Camp has already supplied many talents to the Marine.
However, among them, there are not many who can be recognized by Kuzan and called 'junior'.
Dante didn't hide anything. He looked around, pretended to be mysterious, and asked, "Then, Rear Admiral Kuzan, do you think I have a lot of potential?"
"Hmm?" Kuzan was stunned for a moment, then asked, "What potential?"
"Of course, the potential to become a big shot." Dante laughed heartily.
"Hahahahaha, then it depends on your ability." Kuzan also laughed loudly.
Some thoughts cannot be concealed, especially when facing so many Marine big shots.
Therefore, Dante didn't intend to hide anything. Leaning against the headboard, he said with a slightly wistful tone, "Before, Admiral Zephyr asked me what my justice was. I couldn't say. Perhaps it was confusion. Anyway, even now, I don't know what justice I have in my heart, or even if I have any justice at all. However, after coming to Marineford, I at least confirmed one thing..."
Kuzan picked up a glass of water from the table, blew on it slightly, and it turned ice-cold.
He took a sip, then looked at Dante and asked, "What did you confirm?"
"I want to stand higher! I want stronger power, higher status, greater authority..." Dante said softly.
After a slight pause, he turned to Kuzan and asked, "Rear Admiral Kuzan, will my thoughts go against justice? Will they be too utilitarian?"
Kuzan was silent for a moment, then drank the ice water in his hand, shook his head, and said, "Who can clearly explain what justice is? As for your thoughts... they are indeed a bit utilitarian, but there's nothing wrong with them."
Although he felt that Dante's ideas had many points that didn't align with his own, Kuzan genuinely didn't feel that Dante was wrong.
Wanting stronger power, higher status, and more authority.
It's quite normal, isn't it?
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku once said that a Marine who doesn't want to be a Fleet Admiral is not a good Marine..." Kuzan finally commented.