"Pirate, huh..." Ye Chen sneered. "And how exactly do you define a pirate?"
He glanced at Zephyr and continued, "Is it someone who pillages, burns, and murders without remorse? As far as I know, I haven't done any of those things. Or is it simply that if Marine Headquarters says I'm a pirate—then I am one?"
"Ye Chen, you've killed so many people—don't tell me issuing a bounty for you was wrong? Calling you a pirate—is that unjustified?" Zephyr glared at Ye Chen and snapped.
"I have killed many people, I won't deny that. But tell me—should human traffickers not be killed? Should we just let them roam free, unchecked? Don't make me laugh."
The last line erupted from Ye Chen in a near roar—like the bellow of a king, brimming with righteous fury.
At the same time, an overwhelming pressure surged from Ye Chen's body like a tidal wave—majestic, violent, and all-encompassing.
On the deck of the warship, aside from Zephyr, Ye Chen, and a blue-haired girl standing beside Zephyr, all other Marines collapsed the moment that pressure swept over them. The girl remained standing, but her body trembled and swayed—clearly struggling to stay conscious.
As expected, after just a minute, she too collapsed.
Ye Chen glanced at her, somewhat surprised—among all the Marines, she had held out the longest.
"Conqueror's Haki..." Zephyr muttered, disbelief written all over his face.
Conqueror's Haki! One in a million people might possess it—even he himself didn't have it.
Taking a deep breath, Zephyr's expression turned grave. "Ye Chen... why did you release Conqueror's Haki here, on my ship?"
"I don't even know what just happened," Ye Chen shrugged, looking helpless.
He truly hadn't expected to awaken Conqueror's Haki here of all places.
"You mean..." Zephyr stared, eyes wide.
"Exactly what you're thinking."
Zephyr inhaled deeply. His voice lowered. "If you possess Conqueror's Haki... if you're allowed to continue growing unchecked, you'll bring disaster to the world. I can't let you leave."
He had never imagined that a simple academy training voyage would lead to a direct encounter with Ye Chen—let alone witnessing Ye Chen awaken Conqueror's Haki right before his eyes.
And truthfully, Ye Chen's emotional outburst likely was triggered by their confrontation.
Ye Chen never thought of himself as a good person. The reason he bothered speaking with Zephyr today was simply to hear how this former admiral defined justice—or what he thought made someone a pirate.
"You think you can stop me, Zephyr?" Ye Chen grinned mockingly and patted Osiris on the head. "This guy alone could kill you. And everyone on your ship would die with you. Are you sure you want to go down that road?"
Zephyr's brow furrowed tightly. The Armament Haki that had been coiled around his hands quietly faded.
What Ye Chen said wasn't an exaggeration. That dragon creature alone was beyond anything Zephyr could handle. Add Ye Chen to the mix, and stopping him was close to impossible.
And the ship wasn't just carrying him—it had academy students and numerous Marines aboard.
If a fight broke out, the entire vessel would be destroyed.
The ship would sink—and so would everyone on it.
"What do you want?" Zephyr asked, suppressing his anger.
"I just want to ask you: what is your definition of justice? And what exactly is a pirate?"
"To protect peace in the world. To eliminate evil. Especially those like you—who prey on the weak and trample on life."
"And what about human traffickers?" Ye Chen laughed angrily. "Just because they serve the Celestial Dragons, they get a free pass? Your definition of justice is laughable."
"Celestial Gold are slavers?" Zephyr retorted.
"Who told you they weren't?" Ye Chen chuckled. "If they weren't traffickers, I wouldn't have bothered wiping them out. I don't waste my time on ants."
That was the honest truth. If Celestial Gold hadn't kidnapped Hancock and the others, Ye Chen wouldn't have bothered flying Osiris all the way to the Land of Wano.
And really—traveling from the Land of Wano to Amazon Lily only took a day round trip.
Zephyr's face turned grim. He had heard some things about Celestial Gold. They abused their connection to the Celestial Dragons, committing countless crimes.
He had wanted to arrest them. But with the World Government and the Celestial Dragons backing them, his hands had been tied.
Now, Ye Chen had exposed that truth—bluntly and without mercy.
Zephyr found himself at a loss for words.
But when he saw the mocking look on Ye Chen's face, anger surged through him once again.
He was a former Marine Admiral, for heaven's sake—reduced to speechlessness by a pirate. It was humiliating.
Forcing himself to speak, Zephyr asked stiffly, "So that's your reason for killing them?"
Ye Chen's gaze sharpened.
"Human traffickers must die."
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