What now!?
Tsuru frowned, thought for only a moment, then made her decision.
"Ares is probably here for those slaves. Tell everyone to hold back. No one is to stop them!"
With her sharp mind, she understood immediately. Ares returning to Marine G-1 was most likely for the slaves.
And there was only one reason.
Food.
Otherwise… Ares would never have dragged tens of thousands of slaves all the way from God Valley in the West Blue to Marine G-1 in the New World.
If they truly tried to stop Ares, even sacrificing tens of thousands of Marines wouldn't be enough.
By the time reinforcements arrived, Marine G-1 would already be rubble.
That was why Tsuru ordered the soldiers not to resist.
Then
Gion relayed Vice Admiral Tsuru's orders at once, leaving Marine after Marine staring in disbelief.
Boom!
The flying warship descended slowly onto the ground.
On the deck
Tengetsu Ares turned toward the slaves, his expression cold and hard.
"Right in front of you is Marine G-1 Base. Inside are countless Marines who claim to carry justice in their hearts."
"But…"
"Why couldn't the Marines' justice save you?"
"Why did God Valley have a hundred thousand slaves left for the Celestial Dragons to hunt like animals?"
"Left to become their prey?"
"Their toys?"
Each question fell like a hammer.
The deck went so quiet you could hear breathing.
One by one, the slaves' faces shifted thinking, struggling, remembering.
Then voices rose, different answers spilling out.
Kuma, Ivankov, and Ginny all fell into thought.
Kaido bared his teeth in a grin. "Worororo what else could it be? Because you're weak!"
"Not just weak," Tengetsu Ares shouted, "you're not united!"
"The Marines abandoned resistance because I'm strong!"
"If it were you people with no power to fight back the Marines would only gun you down without hesitation!"
Eyes began to brighten.
In many of them, ambition sparked wild, hungry, aching.
But there were still some who remained numb, unmoved.
Years of slavery had hollowed them out until they were walking corpses.
Tengetsu Ares' tone shifted.
"I know some of you want nothing more than an ordinary life."
"I'll give you that too."
"Food. Land. Family."
"You'll have all of it. You'll start a new life."
"But I want every single one of you to obey my orders!"
A slave spoke up, voice shaking with emotion. "Lord Ares, you saved our lives and pulled us out of the Celestial Dragons' claws. If you tell me to do something, I'll do it!"
"Yes! This life belongs to Lord Ares from now on!"
More and more voices piled on.
Countless slaves stared at Ares with worship and reverence, as if he were
Their savior.
Kuma raised his hand, showing the pink paw pads on his palm, and declared loudly:
"Big Brother Ares is the God of Liberation!"
"And I… am Big Brother Ares' Hand of Liberation!"
And Tengetsu Ares, his chest swelling with pride and fire, roared:
"If the Marines won't protect you then I, Ares, will protect you!"
In an instant
The slaves erupted.
"Ares, long live!!"
"Ares, long live!!"
The thunder of tens of thousands of voices shook the sky, rattling Marine G-1 Base itself.
And Ares' earlier words hit the Marines' so-called "justice" like a slap across the face.
Many Marines lowered their heads in shame.
Because it was true.
They preached justice, claimed to protect the people…
Yet God Valley still held a hundred thousand slaves hunted for sport.
Counted as points.
Then Tengetsu Ares turned toward Marine G-1, speaking to those behind him.
"Alright, you lot time to walk into the base, take food and weapons…"
"And then go build a home that belongs to us!"
"Worororo " Kaido was practically vibrating with excitement. "If you want freedom, you've gotta keep getting stronger!"
Slardar nodded. "This world is one where the strong eat the weak."
"Big Brother Ares can shield us from wind and rain, but we can't live under his protection forever…"
"We all have to become stronger!"
The slaves raised their arms and shouted as one:
"Stronger!!"
"Stronger!!!"
Tengetsu Ares jumped down from the ship first, striding toward Marine G-1, his eyes locking onto Tsuru.
"Tsuru. Abandoning resistance was a wise choice…"
"…." Tsuru's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "The Marines have no will to fight left."
"And even if they did, they couldn't stop you."
She could only feel helpless.
And deep down, her emotions churned.
Ares has completely taken these slaves.
Once he leaves the Rocks Pirates… it's like a dragon entering the sea.
In the future…
He'll be far more terrifying than Rocks.
The moment he broke away from the Rocks Pirates, Ares had already built a force like this.
Kaido. Slardar. Tens of thousands of slaves.
That strength surpassed many so-called superpowers.
With no Marine interference
Kaido and Slardar led the slaves into Marine G-1, hauling out mountains of food.
And weapons.
Tengetsu Ares understood clearly.
He needed armed power.
Power comes from the barrel of a gun.
That principle never changes.
By Ares' command, the slaves did not attack the Marines.
Under the Marines' gaze, they simply carried everything food and weapons back onto the warships.
At the same time
Ares also took several Marine warships.
It made plenty of Marines grit their teeth in rage, but none dared to speak.
And that scene carved itself into the slaves' minds.
In front of absolute strength, even the Marines had to behave.
On the wall of Marine G-1, the still-youthful Gion watched, utterly shaken.
Her sense of "justice" took a brutal hit.
Ares was clearly a pirate…
Yet he had rescued tens of thousands of slaves from the World Government.
So who was justice?
The question left her lost, dizzy.
Beside her, Tsuru said softly, "Gion… Marine justice is pure."
"Our mission is to protect civilians."
"But the world has darkness. Places the light cannot reach…"
"We can save some people…"
"But we cannot save the world."
"Our power is limited."
Even inside the Marines, there were dirty, rotten corners.
And they would never be fully cleaned.
Gion stood there, dazed.
She was young, burning with passion, dreaming of becoming an excellent Marine like Tsuru…
But the sight before her
Tens of thousands of ragged slaves in bullseye-marked clothing, under the World Government's shadow
Hit her like a tidal wave.
Soon
Several warships were packed to bursting.
And Kaido had even dragged aboard a few cannons.
The slaves were glowing with joy.
With food secured, at least for a while, they wouldn't have to fear hunger.
Tengetsu Ares stepped onto the deck, swept his arm through the air, and shouted:
"Listen up, you lot set sail!"
"It's time to go build a home that belongs to us!"
A roar of cheers answered him, loud enough to shake the sea.
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