Chapter 23: Questions
Whoosh—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM…!
The shelling continued.
Under the command of Celestial Dragon Saint Lorvim, CP guards swiftly commandeered Marine choke points across the islands.
These points were originally meant to intercept Alvin Vergil, but to avoid civilian casualties, they'd relied mostly on blades, few muskets.
The CP didn't care.
They were Saint Lorvim's private security, answering only to him, following orders without question.
So, disregarding civilian life, they deployed heavy thermal weapons immediately—including extremely expensive handheld portable artillery.
Their targets weren't just Vergil. They aimed at everyone fleeing. No one would be spared.
BOOM!
"Damn it… damn it all!"
After an explosion, a figure in tattered sailor's clothes burst from the black smoke, stumbling as he ran.
He was one of the arena slaves, also a pirate captain with a 40,000,000 berry bounty. Betrayed by his crew near Sabaody, he'd ended up a slave, surviving until now.
Given a chance at freedom, he wasn't about to let go.
But Vergil's act of killing a Celestial Dragon was a world-class crime. It had mobilized both CP and Marines, making escape far harder.
"That monster lunatic killed the Dragon! Go catch him! Why focus on me?!"
The pirate captain cursed loudly.
Reaching a residential area, he was searching for a seaworthy boat when patrolling CP guards spotted him.
Without hesitation, they aimed the handheld artillery.
Desperate, the captain grabbed a little girl hiding nearby, using her as a shield.
"I've got a hostage! You won't dare shoot!"
"…"
The CP guards didn't answer. They just advanced slowly.
To calm him? Or… for a better shot?
The captain's scalp prickled. He forced a dry laugh. "You… you won't shoot, right?"
Click.
The trigger pulled. The shell fired.
In that instant, a shadow over six meters tall—massive, alien—charged between them and the blast.
BOOM!
The shell struck the shadow. Explosive smoke enveloped the three.
As it cleared, Vergil in his Chīguǐ Form stood firm, arms raised, only lightly dusted with powder.
Unharmed.
Vergil had a "body"—skin and blood like any human's, not the impervious stone of the Poneglyph. But his power was a Mythical Zoan, rarer than a Logia. In full beast form, his defense was monstrous.
Even without Armament Haki, mere guns and shells couldn't scratch him.
Would a master swordsman's slash work? Vergil wasn't sure. He hadn't tested it yet. He'd like to, given the chance…
"Huff… I'm… saved…"
The pirate captain panted, but his hands, acting on muscle memory, still choked the little girl's neck. A wanted man, he often used hostages to escape Marines. It never worked on CP.
"Hey."
Just as the captain felt relief, another figure appeared behind him, tapping his shoulder.
Confused, the captain turned.
At the same moment, the figure's left arm swept in, snatching the girl from his grip.
"Huh?"
The captain looked up into a crimson Fish-Man face.
Fisher Tiger, traveling with Vergil.
Before the captain could finish a syllable, Tiger covered the girl's eyes with his left hand. His right arm rose, fist clenched, and hammered down.
"Scum."
THUD!
The captain was driven into the ground. Dead.
Tiger valued loyalty. He despised pirates who used children as shields. Even fellow escapees, he couldn't condone such acts.
"It's alright. Find somewhere safe."
Tiger gently released the girl, but frowned, looking at Vergil.
"The situation's troublesome…"
As a former slave, Tiger knew "slaves" were a mixed lot. Not just innocent adventurers or civilians, but many wanted criminals and desperadoes.
Freed, they now roamed Sabaody, causing chaos.
From that angle, Vergil's mass liberation seemed… wrong?
But not entirely.
Fisher Tiger was straightforward, prone to extremes. The scene left him conflicted. What should he feel toward "humans"?
What about fellow slaves? Should a scumbag like that captain have been freed?
Tiger was truly confused.
Perhaps Princess Otohime had answers. Or perhaps even she couldn't clarify.
So complicated…
But regardless, one thing was certain: he must escape Sabaody.
"Move."
Tiger stepped forward, patting Vergil's shoulder, then pressed on.
But the next instant—
Vergil suddenly grabbed Tiger and flung him backward.
Simultaneously, a sharp sword-slash cut diagonally through the air, barely missing Tiger's head!
SHING!
A single stroke cleaved through a swath of civilian homes, the cut impeccably clean.
"Tch!"
A shadow flitted past—a CP swordsman. Seeing his ambush failed, he meant to withdraw.
But after a few steps, he stumbled and fell.
Vergil had used his Chīguǐ power, tearing a small pit under the swordsman's feet, trapping him.
Before he could react, Vergil was upon him, grabbing a chunk of earth and stone and slamming it down, burying him.
Dealing with the swordsman, Vergil tapped the ground lightly. Sensing no more CP nearby, he signaled Tiger to move.
Crocodile wasn't one to shy from trouble. He always sought opportunity. He'd likely still be waiting at the port.
Tiger nodded, stepping to follow.
But then, a small black object struck Vergil.
He looked down. An ordinary pebble—so insignificant the Chīguǐ form barely registered it.
"Hm?"
Vergil turned toward the throw's origin.
Amid ruined houses, a boy of about ten stood glaring at him, his bedridden mother behind him.
Their home was mostly destroyed, uninhabitable now.
"You bastard!"
The boy gritted his teeth, growling, "I heard the broadcast! It's because you let those bastard pirates go that our home is ruined!"
"…"
The boy trembled, fearing the "monster" before him might kill him.
Tiger paid little mind. Vergil was too cheerful, not the type to be provoked by such words.
But then Vergil stopped. He looked back at the boy and snarled in a rough, beastly voice, "You're the bastard!"
Tiger: "?"
Vergil glared at the trembling boy, yelling, "Let me ask you: Did I destroy your home?"
The boy paused, shook his head. "N… no."
"Did I launch the indiscriminate shelling?"
"No…"
"Did I just take an innocent hostage?"
"No…"
The boy was speechless, managing only a weak retort: "But if you—"
"If I what?"
Vergil clenched his thick fists, slamming them on the ground. The earth trembled.
"Are you saying that if I'd been a 'good' slave, if I hadn't defied the Celestial Dragons, if I'd accepted my lot, none of this would've happened?"
Vergil's scarlet gaze was piercing. Even Tiger felt the distortion, the rage in it.
"Are you saying that if 'rebels' never existed, life would be better for all of you?"
"Answer me! Does staying silent and compliant really keep you safe?!"
"Huh?!"
"Interesting!"
"…"
Vergil seemed ready to stay, to argue further.
But this time, it was Tiger who pulled Vergil away.
The Fish-Man hauled the monster arguing with a child onward, not looking back.
He dared not look back.
Because confusion swirled in Tiger's mind, thickening.
Was starting this riot "right" or "wrong"?
Was Alvin Vergil a "good man" or a "villain"?
Or had this sea mingled everything into a murky gray where such distinctions no longer existed…?
(End of Chapter)
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