Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

"Kuzan, what gives you the right to be so sure? Do you really want to oppose me today?"

"Of course I'm sure."

Kuzan turned slightly to the side, revealing Yann, and said, "He is the son of a Sengoku general, so how could he possibly be a sinner connected to Ohara?"

"Even during the Warring States period..."

Sakazuki paused, slightly taken aback, his eyes filled with disbelief, his anger instantly subsided, and he asked.

"He's the son of a general from the Warring States period? How is that possible?"

Kuzan responded to Sakazuki's question with a blank expression.

“If you believe that Yann is a criminal connected to Ohara, Sakazuki, you can apply to Admiral Sengoku to have Yann arrested. As long as Admiral Sengoku approves, I will not stop you.”

Upon hearing this, Sakazuki gave Kuzan a deep look, then glanced at the seemingly innocent-looking Yann, snorted coldly, uttered a single sentence, and turned to leave.

"I made a mistake."

[Chapter 19. Justice Lost in Confusion]

On the deck of the warship, a large number of naval soldiers were closely watching the movements inside the cabin.

until...

"I think I just heard Lieutenant General Sakazuki admit his mistake!"

A major exclaimed in disbelief.

"What?!"

"how is this possible?"

"Did you hear that right?"

The naval soldiers were in an uproar.

Who is Lieutenant General Sakazuki?

Even within the entire navy, he is an absolute powerhouse known as a "monster," and rumors suggest he is about to be promoted to admiral.

Lieutenant General Sakazuki is known for sacrificing everything to complete his mission and for not allowing even the slightest trace of "evil" to remain, adhering to the principle of "absolute justice."

However, it was almost unimaginable to the Navy that such a man would take the initiative to apologize, especially to someone he considered a criminal.

Just as the many naval soldiers were discussing this, Sakazuki's fiery figure emerged from the cabin, instantly silencing the deck.

"What's all this noise about? This chaotic and undisciplined behavior is no different from that of evil pirates!" Sakazuki's shout rang out, instantly causing all the soldiers to lower their heads.

"OK OK."

Seeing this, Lieutenant General Fire Mountain took the initiative to ease the tension, saying, "The soldiers have just completed the 'Demon Slayer Order,' and they do need to relax a bit."

Sakazuki glanced at Huoshaoshan and spoke directly. "As a naval officer, as long as we are sailing on the sea, we cannot be careless in the slightest. Vice Admiral Huoshaoshan, please be a little stricter with your subordinates."

Immediately, Sakazuki used "Naval Six Styles: Moonwalk" to leave the warship and head back towards his own vehicle.

Vice Admiral Fire Mountain didn't pay much attention to Sakazuki's words. He simply waved his hand, signaling the naval soldiers to disperse and prepare to return to Marineford.

With the Buster Call over, they need to return to Marineford as soon as possible to rest and prepare for the suppression of the sea.

Since the "Great Pirate Era," despite the Navy's increasing efforts to suppress the seas, new pirates continue to emerge, and their overall numbers are rising year by year.

It can be said that even a behemoth like the navy is gradually beginning to feel powerless.

Soon after, the situation was reported to Admiral Sengoku, who was in charge of this "Buster Call" operation, and the World Government, and an inspection of the Ohara Sea was conducted to confirm that nothing had been missed.

Under Sengoku's orders, these ten naval warships, which were like steel behemoths and had participated in the "Buster Order," began their return voyage.

However, on the return journey, Kuzan's vehicle separated from the main force and headed towards another route on its own.

……

"Hey, Vice Admiral Kuzan, stop messing around. The situation on the seas is so tense right now, especially in the latter half of the Grand Line, those great pirates are causing trouble all the time. Are you taking me to catch the mafia now?"

Arn's expression twitched slightly, causing the bandages that were pretending to be tied around his face to loosen considerably, and he asked repeatedly.

Are you serious?

“Seriously.” Kuzan nodded expressionlessly, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

……

Ya'en.

“Lieutenant General Kuzan, you’ve changed. You’re trying to become a scoundrel. You used to uphold ‘passionate justice’.”

Kuzan remained silent for a moment after hearing Yann's words before speaking. "Perhaps I really need to reconsider what true justice is."

Upon hearing this, Yan suddenly understood.

Kuzan... is confused!

Kuzan was once a student of Admiral "Black Arm" Zephyr. After graduation, he became a subordinate of Vice Admiral Garp, the naval hero he admired. Therefore, Kuzan can be said to have been deeply influenced by Garp.

It can be said that, compared to Sakazuki's firm stance on the World Government's position, Kuzan was not so steadfast.

In some ways, Kuzan's level of approval of the World Government is almost identical to that of Garp.

It was precisely because of this that the “Ohara incident” did not have any psychological impact on Yann, whom Sengoku was worried about. On the contrary, Kuzan fell into self-doubt and confusion.

So, rather than deliberately taking me to catch the mafia, was Kuzan simply looking for a quiet opportunity to reflect?

Having formed a vague judgment in his mind, and seeing Kuzan's icy expression, Yaen stopped talking and quietly returned to his room to lie down.

"It's alright, take your time thinking about it. Anyway, I'm not in a hurry to go back to see the old man, lest I be subjected to any more 'persecution' from him."

Ya'en said leisurely, while looking at the scenery by the window and slurping up a mouthful of juice that the cafeteria had "given" him.

It was definitely a "gift," not stolen; in fact, it was the kind of thing that even if Yann wanted to refuse, he couldn't.

Originally, Kuzan's subordinates thought that Yann was a strange person who was weak and sickly but had an extraordinary temperament and should have a considerable background, so they naturally did not take Yann seriously.

However, after experiencing the "Ohara Incident," he witnessed Yann blocking Sakazuki's cannonball and saving the entire refugee ship.

In many rumors, Yann even had Lieutenant General Sakazuki, who was of equal rank to Lieutenant General Kuzan and had a strong and unyielding personality, go to the hospital room to sincerely apologize for the "mistakenly shooting down the refugee ship".

Yes, it was a case of "mistakenly shooting down a refugee ship"!

If Sakazuki had truly blasted the refugee ship to the bottom of the sea, then the outside world would naturally be unaware of its existence.

However, since the refugee ship was rescued by Yann, the matter inevitably became public knowledge.

In order to avoid damage to the Navy's reputation, the incident was quickly characterized as a mistake after discussions at the Navy Headquarters in Marineford.

The error was caused by a naval trainee temporarily acting as a gunner who did not follow regulations, resulting in the gun emplacement accidentally firing at the direction of the refugee ship.

As for why several more shells were fired after the first one was fired.

That was because the naval trainee was nervous after making a mistake and accidentally operated the wrong thing again.

Therefore, the Navy decided to dismiss the naval trainee and send him back to his hometown, and offered a sincere apology to the frightened people on the refugee ship.

As a result, when Yann woke up in a daze, he learned from the naval soldiers that Sakazuki's reason for visiting his bedside had changed to an apology and thanks for Yann's prevention of the "accidental attack on the refugee ship".

This explains why, even though Yann hasn't joined the Navy yet, his popularity on Kuzan's flagship has inexplicably soared, and he's even been treated with great respect.

Unable to defend himself, Yann's only worry was...

'The old man won't take credit for this, will he?'

Yan took a sip of juice, feeling somewhat melancholy.

[Chapter 20: Kuzan's Misguided Actions]

After being given extra juices by the cafeteria for several days, Yan couldn't help but secretly whisper to the cafeteria naval uncle that he was already an adult and didn't have any duties to perform at the moment, and that drinking too much juice wasn't good for him.

Yann meant that he was an adult and didn't need to be given juice every day like a child.

Moreover, he didn't hold any official position on the warship, so he felt embarrassed to enjoy such special treatment, saying things like drinking too much juice would be bad for his health.

After only a moment's thought, the naval officer in the cafeteria showed a look of sudden realization, as if he had completely understood what Yann meant, and said, "I understand."

Then, the navy man snatched the kettle from Yann's hand and sneaked towards the kitchen.

This scene left Yann completely bewildered.

Could it be... that the navy officer thought I meant he should do it secretly, instead of being so blatant?

However, what Ya'en didn't know was that the navy uncle with the water bottle sneaked into the kitchen warehouse and secretly took out some sealed wine and poured it into Ya'en's water bottle.

Then, the navy man handed the full water bottle to Ya'en, winking as he spoke.

"Brother Yann, this is good stuff, don't let the other colleagues see it."

To this, Yan could only thank him helplessly and continue to stagger back to his room, still looking seasick.

Then, Yann, who had hardly touched alcohol since his transmigration, subconsciously took a big slurp, as if drinking juice.

"This taste... it's kind of... intoxicating... and it seems familiar..."

Feeling puzzled, Yann took another slurp to find out, smacking his lips as he swallowed, feeling the taste becoming increasingly familiar.

Until... after Yann inexplicably felt a little lightheaded, his somewhat confused mind suddenly snapped back to reality, and he murmured.

"Oh no, I'm doomed, it's the feeling of alcohol..."

However, at this moment, Yann was completely intoxicated and could not resist the urge to continue drinking. Driven by his drunkenness, Yann even started singing loudly.

"Life...life..."

"Life is short, let's drink until we're drunk..."

The singing attracted Kuzan, who was not far away. Seeing Yann's somewhat dissolute appearance, he couldn't help but question him.

"Ya'en, you're drinking in broad daylight? Where did you get that alcohol?"

In response, Yann, who was drunk, waved his hand casually, tilted his head, and said with a grin.

"Brother Kuzan, don't worry about these details. As the saying goes, a good drink can wash away a thousand sorrows. I'm also feeling down. This feeling of complete relaxation is just wonderful."

“Is that so?” Kuzan frowned slightly and said.

"Would you like some?" Yann invited.

Immediately, just as Kuzan was somewhat tempted but hesitated and remained silent due to the military discipline he had always adhered to, Yann pulled Kuzan, who was standing at the door, inside and then slammed the door shut.

"drink!"