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The midday sun bathed the streets of Loguetown in its golden light.
The weather was perfect, bright and sunny, and the streets were no longer as crowded as they had been in recent days.
Kojin's squad marched toward the harbor, preparing to withdraw from the town and return to headquarters.
Along the way, he was thinking as well.
There was no doubt that Crocodile's concerns were well-founded.
The words he had addressed to the world would inevitably arouse suspicion and dissatisfaction among those in authority. Although they were spoken on impulse, they were also deliberately chosen after careful consideration.
Sometimes, words are the sharpest weapons, capable of achieving unimaginable effects.
With a single sentence, Roger had ignited the Great Age of Piracy. How much impact would Kojin's words have on the world?
Equality.
In any era, this word represented the supreme ideal that people longed for in their hearts.
How many great figures had gone before them, paying with their blood and even their lives for this word?
Undoubtedly, absolute equality was unrealistic and idealistic; it was a beautiful utopia.
People are unequal from the moment they are born, due to factors such as background, talent and environment. Yet countless people still strive for it in order to achieve equality of dignity and personality.
Having followed Roger, he has now taken words as his weapon and swung them at this world for the first time.
What consequences would this have?
Kojin had an idea and was already making his calculations.
In the blink of an eye, they had all arrived at Loguetown harbor.
"Vice-Admiral Kojin!"
"It's Vice Admiral Kojin!"
"Equal Justice... it's Vice Admiral Kojin!"
In an instant, the Marines gathered at the harbor, awaiting evacuation, soldiers and officers alike, turned their heads in unison, their eyes fixed on him with fervent excitement.
Looking at everyone's faces, Kojin smiled faintly, a flicker of emotion stirring within him.
Words like "equality" and "fairness," though seemingly abstract, resonate deeply within the human heart.
The Pirate world, where freedom reigns supreme, ironically lacks these fundamental concepts of democracy and human rights. In other words, the world's collective consciousness has yet to be enlightened.
But at the same time, under the guidance of freedom, this era would also be the period when ideological collisions were the most intense.
Kojin narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded to everyone with a smile.
"Board the ship! Return to Headquarters!" He commanded his subordinates.
He naturally had no intention of listening to Bullet's words.
Becoming a Pirate was never the best path for achieving his goals. Instead, a stable environment conducive to growth would better serve his ambitions and the development of his subordinates' power.
The group began to board the Battleship.
Suddenly, a white-haired boy burst from the crowd.
"Hey, kid!"
"Come back!"
When the Marines saw the boy running towards them, their expressions changed instantly and they shouted at him to stop.
In a split second, a Lieutenant Junior Grade was already about to move.
Kojin, naturally alerted by the commotion, turned to see the white-haired boy. He paused slightly, then raised his hand to stop the others from acting.
When the boy finally ran up to him, panting heavily, Kojin smiled and looked at him.
"Boy, is there something you want to say to me?"
Smoker steadied his breathing and stared at the smiling officer in front of him. After looking at him seriously for a moment, he suddenly inhaled sharply and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"I... I want to be a Marine!!"
His voice boomed across the harbor, startling the Marines into stunned silence before they burst into laughter.
No one could refuse the earnest desire of a young man eager to join the Marines.
"Oh?" Kojin raised an eyebrow slightly. "What's your name?"
"Smoker!"
"I saw you on the live broadcast and heard everything you said!"
Smoker stared nervously at the man before him, the courage he had mustered moments ago rapidly dissipating.
After all, this was an area under strict Marine control. There were numerous officers around, especially the man standing before him. He was a superpowerhouse who had captured Roger and the Golden Lion Shiki.
'What have I done?' Smoker thought, his mind racing. 'I actually broke through the checkpoints and made it all the way here.'
"I... I want to become the kind of Marine you spoke of, a Marine of Justice," Smoker stammered, his words trembling with anxiety.
"Is that so?" Kojin smiled faintly. "If you want to join the Marines, the Loguetown branch recruits new recruits every year. Pass the trials, and you'll naturally become a qualified Marine."
Hearing the boy's name, Kojin had already matched his face with that of the future middle-aged man.
The user of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit ability... Smoker!
He's also one of the most unfortunate characters. Since his debut, he's almost never won a significant battle, and every appearance ends in a miserable defeat.
Law stole his heart, Vergo defeated him, Doflamingo crushed him instantly, and Bullet overwhelmed him.
When he first appeared, people compared him to Garp, but he only grew weaker over the next two years.
However, Smoker's character was beyond doubt.
"Ah?"
Smoker froze, stunned by Kojin's words.
"N-no, that's not what I meant!" he stammered anxiously.
"I... I want to follow you!"
"I want to ask you to guide me to become a Marine of Justice!"
As he spoke, Smoker nervously dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead to the ground.
This scene shocked many people when they saw it.
The white-haired boy acted as if he were formally seeking a master and requesting to join his subordinates.
Would Vice-Admiral Kojin accept this seemingly unremarkable young boy?
Silence.
For a moment, everything fell silent.
Behind Kojin, Crocodile, Bullet, T. Penn, Rosinante, Evans, and even Buggy, who had just been forced into Marine trainee uniform, all stared intently at the boy before them.
"You wish to follow me?"
After a long pause, a soft chuckle finally broke the silence.
"Because of those words?"
Smoker, his forehead pressed firmly against the ground, immediately shouted, "Yes! Equal Justice, that is the true goal I seek!"
His voice was loud, and it caused the expressions of many Marines to change subtly.
Kojin smiled.
"What exactly is Justice?"
"You must develop your own understanding, rather than blindly accepting what others tell you."
"Smoker, boy."
After speaking those words, Kojin turned and boarded the Battleship ahead.
Crocodile and the others followed in succession, leaving Smoker kneeling there, lost in a daze.
"My own understanding?"
"Is equal justice not right?"
Doubt surfaced in his heart, and the white-haired boy instantly became lost.
After a long silence, he finally lifted his head and gazed at the young Vice-Admiral standing on the battleship, looking down at him.
Anxious emotion surged onto his face, and disappointment and dejection rose in his heart.
From the moment he heard Kojin's words, a seed had been planted in his heart, a yearning for the equality Kojin spoke of, a world without those who considered themselves superior to others.
After waiting all night, he had finally mustered the courage to speak his mind.
But now, he had been rejected?
Confusion, despair, disappointment... these emotions surged through Smoker, striking him like a physical blow.
Just then, Kojin, still standing on the ship, suddenly grinned and called out, "Smoker."
"I've decided to give you a chance."
"A chance to pursue the Justice in your heart."
As the words echoed, Smoker's head snapped up, his face flooding with excitement and anticipation.
"Get on board, kid!" Crocodile shouted down with a grin. "We don't have time to waste here."
(End of Chapter)