"Wuwuwu, Captain Carlo!"
Seeing Carlo return, Ginny flew toward him in tears, hugging his leg and crying sadly, "Captain Carlo, Uncle John... he... he... he died..."
"Dead? Who said that?" Carlo's mouth twitched.
Ivankov also said sadly, "I saw him being knocked into the sea by Dragon's old man. He looked very seriously injured."
"Wuwuwu, Uncle John..."
Beside them, Kuma started sobbing and crying.
"What are you crying for? Who said he died?"
"Ah? Uncle John isn't dead?"
Under the astonished gazes of Ivankov and the others, Carlo waved his hand.
Two transparent chains composed of violent winds emerged before everyone's eyes, stretched taut, and extended toward the seabed behind the pirate ship.
It was as if something was being dragged at the end of the chains.
"Two?" Ivankov was somewhat confused.
As Carlo waved his hand...
The transparent wind chains quickly retracted, pulling back toward the pirate ship.
Then, John, whose face was pale and whose aura was weak to the extreme, was dragged up from the sea.
He was like a fish being reeled in.
"It's Uncle John!"
Seeing John, Ivankov, Kuma, and the others hurriedly rushed over.
However, Ivankov and the others did not recognize the other person who was pulled up along with John.
But Dragon recognized him!
He looked at the man who landed on the deck, still wearing a tattered military uniform, his face full of bewilderment. He turned his head in utter shock and looked at Carlo beside him.
"This... this is Colonel Jesman? Carlo, didn't you kill him?"
In his shock, Dragon's mind was a bit muddled.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he hurriedly stepped forward, reaching out to check Jesman's breath.
But just then, this Marine Colonel, whose neck was twisted to one side, suddenly opened his eyes!
"Ah! A ghost!"
Dragon was startled and fell back onto his buttocks. He looked at Jesman with a face as if he had seen a ghost as Jesman suddenly opened his eyes and sat bolt upright on the deck like a zombie.
"Uncle Carlo! Je... Jesman's corpse has come back to life!"
"Stop being so jumpy." Carlo gave him a sharp look and then turned his gaze toward Jesman.
Jesman, whose skin had turned white and swollen from being soaked in seawater, slowly raised his hands, held his crooked head, and gave it a sudden twist toward the center.
Everyone heard a crisp 'crack'.
His crooked head returned to its original position.
Under the horrified gazes of Dragon and the others, Jesman slowly twisted his neck, exhaled a long breath of turbid air, rolled his eyes, and looked toward Carlo.
"Carlo, I said for you to act out a play, but you really tried to beat me to death, didn't you? Back in the recruit training camp, I was beaten by you plenty. Now, after not seeing each other for a few years, you were going to send me, the second-ranked, straight to my death."
The corners of Carlo's mouth curled up. "If I didn't strike to kill, do you think we could have hidden it from that stubborn fellow?"
"I think you're just using a public matter to settle a private grudge."
"I think your acting was very realistic as well."
"That was a genuine revelation of my true feelings!"
Jesman's voice carried a hint of resentment. He clutched the huge palm print on his chest, coughed a few times, and struggled to stand up from the ground.
He looked down at the astonished Dragon, a terrifying smile like that of a water ghost squeezing onto his face.
"Yo! It's Dragon. Long time no see. You're not being a Marine anymore? Are you going to be a pirate like Carlo too?"
Dragon's mouth hung open as he watched this scene. "What exactly is going on? Colonel Jesman, you... you two?"
Seeing his confused and shocked expression, Jesman gave a light chuckle.
"It's nothing."
"I just didn't want to see Vice Admiral Zephyr be killed by his own ideals, so I thought of finding Carlo to team up and put on a show."
"Some things, some truths, are not suitable for him to know. That would only harm him."
"He is too stubborn, too obstinate, and takes things too seriously."
Jesman shook his head, his voice carrying an indescribably complex flavor.
"In my eyes, he is both a superior and a father. I didn't want to see anything happen to him."
Carlo looked toward him and smiled mockingly, "And yet, you still failed."
Jesman gave a bitter smile:
"Yes, I still failed. In the end, I couldn't change his ideals. Vice Admiral Zephyr... as I expected, he remains unswervingly on his own path. Even the death of someone close to him probably wouldn't change him one bit."
Listening to the conversation between Jesman and Carlo...
Dragon gradually understood something and looked at the two of them in shock: "You've known each other for a long time?"
Jesman laughed:
"We were recruits in the same term. This guy Carlo was the top of that class, and I was the second. Speaking of which, when you were in Marineford back then, didn't you often come to watch our training? How did you forget so quickly?"
Dragon scratched his head in embarrassment:
"It's just that Carlo was too powerful back then, so I always subconsciously viewed him as someone apart. I forgot that he was also a recruit back then... I thought he was your instructor..."
Jesman's face twitched. "You brat, you actually look down on me that much."
"Sorry! Colonel Jesman!"
Dragon hurriedly apologized.
But after apologizing, he looked at Jesman with hesitation and said:
"But... Colonel Jesman, you... just to put on a play, you didn't hesitate to trigger this naval battle that caused heavy losses for both sides? Don't you know that this would cause many Marines to die? Was it worth it?!"
By the end, Dragon's voice had taken on a questioning tone.
Hearing Dragon's questioning, a momentary gloom passed through Jesman's eyes.
But soon, the expression on his face returned to calm.
He looked at Dragon and said:
"Dragon, sometimes, if you want to make some changes, you must pay a price for it."
"These things, you might not be able to appreciate now, but if one day you reach a sufficient height, a height like Carlo's."
"You will understand that to achieve a goal, some sacrifices are necessary. Even if you know clearly that many people will die because of it, you must do it!"
"Do you think I only wanted to change Vice Admiral Zephyr alone?"
"No, no, no. I wanted to change the hundreds of thousands of Marines who share the same ideals as him, including him!"
"And Vice Admiral Zephyr is their spiritual leader! As long as he can be changed, even if it doesn't change everyone else in turn, it can have a great impact."
"It's just... I was too naive."
He stepped forward, pulled up Dragon who was sitting on the ground, and patted his shoulder.
"Alright, let's not talk about those pointless things anymore. From now on, we're on the same side."
Dragon was stunned: "Are you going to become a pirate too?"
"Nonsense! I'm already a dead man now. Do you think I can still go back to Marineford?"
Jesman tore off the tattered military uniform from his body, tossed it out of the ship, looked at Carlo, and grinned.
"Hey! Carlo, what position do you plan to arrange for me? I heard that the second division captain of your ship, Kaido, ran away. What do you think of me?"
Carlo shook his head: "Not much. You're too weak. You're not qualified to be the second division captain yet."
Jesman was annoyed: "Weak? I was acting just now! I didn't even use my full strength, okay?"
"Using your full strength would be just as weak. I could slap you to death with one hand."
"You...! Bastard! You're still as conceited as you were back then!"