I guarded Impel Down for a hundred years in the pirate world.

They all rushed towards Figo at once.

Roars, ferocity, and surging killing intent!

Figo stood upright, his expression unwavering, his clenched right fist covered with a thick layer of Armament Haki that seemed almost tangible.

Then he swung his fist and punched!

One hour later.

Covered in blood, Figo dragged the two corpses to the stairwell and said to the somewhat dazed King, "I lost control and two of them died."

"Have someone come down and help clean the floor and fix the walls. Now that the two of us aren't here, we don't have to worry too much about the pirates on the sixth floor. I'm going to take a shower, and then I'll be leaving first, Lao Jin."

"Ah... um." Looking at Figo's back, Jinqie suddenly felt that even if he had to live in the shadow of such a guy for the rest of his life, he would be willing.

……

Naval Headquarters, Marineford.

In the corridor on the top floor of the naval hospital, young and middle-aged marines kept coming to visit with gifts or flowers, but Mia stopped them all from entering.

"Mr. Doug needs to rest now."

I will convey my feelings.

"Yes, teacher will be alright."

At 47, Mia, the former beauty of the Navy, has lost her former glory, and the signs of age have appeared on her face.

However, she was not overshadowed by the birth of a new naval beauty. As one of only 16 elite vice admirals in the Navy Headquarters, besides Figo, she was still the most outstanding and powerful of Vice Admiral Doug's students, and also the most caring. She got along with Vice Admiral Doug like a father and daughter.

So even though she forced a smile, she couldn't hide her sadness. It wasn't until Figo's figure appeared at the end of the corridor that she finally showed a genuine smile and said, "You've come, Figo."

Figo? That Gaston Figo, the warden of Impel Down? The naval hero who captured Hellman The Bruce a few years ago?

The marines parted to either side of the corridor, casting their gazes at Figo. As Figo walked by, he nodded slightly to them and asked Mia, "How is the teacher? Why so suddenly?"

“It wasn’t anything sudden,” Mia sighed. “After all, she’s getting older, and she has such a straightforward temper. Her emotions change easily, and she gets easily sick. She’s had many minor illnesses over the years, but this time…”

She looked at Figo and said, "Unlike you, who seems never to age."

Figo could only shake his head and follow Mia into Doug's ward. The old man lying on the bed was receiving an IV drip. He looked weak, and compared to a few years ago, he had noticeably more age spots, and his hair had turned from ordinary white to pale white.

As a physical expert and with his exceptional Observation Haki, Figo felt a slight sinking feeling at first glance, knowing that the old man probably wouldn't last more than a month and there was nothing that could be done to save him.

The old man probably knew it himself, but he was very open-minded. When he saw Figo, he immediately put on a happy smile, without any reluctance: "Hahaha, Fittel, you've come."

Figo paused. After Fickel and Fitz, had I become Fitter again?

He wanted to remind and correct him helplessly, but the old man suddenly interrupted with a laugh: "Were you startled? Were you very disappointed? Did you think the teacher had forgotten your name again?"

"Hahaha, Figo, even if your teacher forgets someone else, he will never forget you!"

The old man smiled like a child who had stolen candy.

Figo remained silent.

That old geezer... still being cheeky.

Chapter Fifty-Five: The Stubbornness of Emptiness

Despite being a skilled martial artist, even when seriously ill and weak, Doug was able to sit up straight and casually slap away Figo's hand that was about to help him up.

Doug chuckled and said, “Don’t be so serious. Everyone grows old and dies. 86 is already considered old. Seven years ago, I finally shed the word ‘coward,’ and I have no more regrets. Smile, Xiaoya. Smile, Figo.”

Mia forced a smile, but Figo didn't cooperate: "A forced smile is not as good as crying, it's more awkward. Come on, Mr. Doug, we're all over forty, not children. There's no need to comfort us like this. We're not going to cry for you."

"You little rascal!" Doug laughed and cursed.

"How did you suddenly get sick? We were talking on the phone just last month. Who told you a story that upset you?" Figo asked him.

Doug's eyes flickered as he glanced at the young man standing by the window. The ward wasn't just occupied by Mia and Figo; it also contained Doug's only relative, the 19-year-old genius Kong, who had graduated from the elite military battalion and was directly awarded the rank of colonel.

The last time Figo saw him, he was just a three-year-old kid, polite and adorable. This time, the 19-year-old Kong already showed the potential to become the future Kong, with a strong and upright physique. At 2.6 meters tall, he was not much shorter than Figo in his normal state, and he still had the potential to grow taller.

Perhaps he's entered his rebellious phase, because when he saw Figo, he didn't greet him like he did when he was a child. He only nodded reluctantly as a greeting when Figo entered the house. Judging from the old man's subconscious look, it seems that his illness is actually related to this grandson.

Noticing the three people's gazes, Kong paused for a moment, stiffened his neck and remained silent, then turned his head back to the window as if there was something good outside.

"Cough cough cough cough..." Doug coughed repeatedly upon seeing this. Figo frowned, while Mia quickly patted Doug's back to change the subject.

"Figo, how did your return go? What about the World Government...?"

“I didn’t get a vacation, so I came back from the sea,” Figo said. “And I don’t really plan to go back to Impel Down. It’s okay, the Five Elders can’t do anything about it, so they just sulk.”

Doug laughed loudly: "Haha, you're so carefree, kid. Those five guys think they can control you like they control the others? They're asking for trouble!"

"The others?" Figo asked.

Doug snorted, a little smug.

“My students are not just those few in the corridor, but many more scattered all over the world. When they heard I was sick, quite a few children planned to come back, but the World Government rejected them all, as if they were afraid that I would teach them something before I died.”

He teaches an elite class, and about half of the marines at the Navy Headquarters are trained from the recruit camp. Among Doug's students, there are probably only two at the level of Vice Admiral at the Headquarters: Mia and the often overlooked Kinchie. However, there are at least four or five Vice Admirals at the branch level, and even more Rear Admirals and Field Officers.

Figo asked, "They're not letting any of them come back?"

If it's true that one half of the reason for not being allowed to return is due to mission commitments, then not allowing the other half to return is simply unreasonable. He thought the Five Elders just wanted to keep him in Impel Down, but it turns out it's all like this.

"I only had Xiaoya notify a few people who were free, but the World Government won't let them come back, so there's no point in notifying others."

The old man smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. I never intended to make a big fuss at the last minute. What would that look like?"

It's just that a few children won't be able to see them one last time, which is a little...disappointing.

In the end, Doug couldn't help but show a hint of disappointment. What elder doesn't want their children by their side before they pass away?

“That won’t do. We can refuse, but he can’t refuse to give it to us.” So Figo said, “I understand. I’ll try to communicate with the Marshal and the Five Elders. Who do you want to bring back?”

"Communicate with the Five Elders...?"

"Let's discuss it. Ask the Five Elders to give me some face; it's not the first time, no problem." Figo smiled, then gestured to Mia and asked, "What's wrong with this child? Little Kong, don't you recognize me?"

Kong turned around again and forced a greeting: "Director Figo."

That's a rather distant way of addressing him. Doug snorted angrily, "Call me Uncle!"

After a long pause, Kong finally managed to say, "Uncle Figo."

"That brat." Doug was still not satisfied. He sighed and said, "I've taught students my whole life, and countless marines have inherited my sense of justice. But in the end, it's my own grandson who has been taught by someone else to go against my principles..."

"The justice you uphold is flawed." At this point, Sora's tone became resolute: "The facts prove you were wrong. Several of the children raised by that blind witch you chose to spare seven years ago have already become pirates!"

Doug immediately coughed repeatedly in anger.

Figo narrowed his eyes, and Mia whispered the whole story to him.

It turns out that Sora somehow learned about what happened seven years ago, that Doug stopped the Buster Call from firing and saved the children, and that some of the older children chose to go to sea and become pirates, which led to an argument with Doug.

That's what made the old man so angry that he collapsed.

What a fine grandson.

Figo thought for a moment and couldn't help but laugh, "It's still a series of schemes. Appointing me to guard Impel Down indefinitely will prevent your student from returning to see you off, thus diminishing your influence from all sides. And by guiding your unsettled grandson, in 20 years, who will remember who Vice Admiral Doug is? Who will know that anyone dared to disobey the World Government's orders? Who will remember the Marines' duty to uphold justice?"

Furthermore, aren't more of your students being transferred to various parts of the world in recent years?

Doug was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter again: "So that's how it is? You see things clearly, kid. So the World Government is really wary of this old man who's about to die?"

“That’s right, don’t underestimate your influence, and of course, mine.” Figo nodded, then looked at Kong: “Do you know you were wrong?”

Kong, his neck stiff, retorted: "I did nothing wrong! When faced with evil, even if it involves children, we must nip it in the bud and never be soft-hearted!"

Mia frowned slightly, Doug shook his head helplessly, and Figo looked directly into Kong's eyes.

Facing Figo, the legendary naval hero, Sora avoided eye contact for a moment, but his youthful pride made him stare back fiercely!

Figo laughed and said to Doug, "That's good too. Your grandson will definitely be better than you, this stubborn old man. He'll become a general, a marshal, or even the commander-in-chief of the three armies. He'll be appreciated by the Five Elders and loved by the Celestial Dragons. He'll live in the Holy Land, next to the Celestial Dragons. He'll be much more comfortable than you are."

Doug glared at him: "You brat, the teacher's already like this, and you're still trying to annoy me?!"

Figo chuckled and then said to the air, "Did you think I was praising you, kid?"

He remained silent, yet stubbornly steadfast.

“I have a lot of reasons to tell you, but when people get stubborn, they may not listen.” Figo said, “Among the children who survived because of Teacher Doug, there must have been some who chose to become marines or other professions. Those who became pirates do not represent everyone, and there is no reason for the other children to die with them.”

Open your mouth wide.

“You might argue that it’s better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free?” Figo retorted, leaving him speechless.

"I can give you another example. If Teacher Doug had prevented you from becoming a navy officer because of your parents' sacrifices and resolutely blocked you from any training or practice, what would you be like now? Children rarely have a choice, and they were once the same."

Kong opened his mouth again.

“You might argue that the situation is different. The teacher is at least a naval officer, so no matter how he teaches you, you won’t become a criminal, but the blind witch who teaches those children is a criminal.”

Kong was speechless again, feeling as if Figo had completely seen through his thoughts, and he became somewhat nervous.

Suddenly, an aura of power he had never felt before pressed down on him, causing him to involuntarily take half a step back and lean against the windowsill!

He then realized that Figo had walked up to him without him noticing, and the pressure in his eyes was something he had never experienced before, several times stronger than anyone he had ever met!

"Today I'll only teach you one thing! Whether criminals deserve sympathy is debatable, but whether their families need to compromise is something we shouldn't hesitate to discuss."

Figo looked down at the sky.

"No matter what your thoughts or insistence are, it's your mistake to upset your grandfather, who raised you, to the point of collapse on his sickbed. At this point, even if you have to coax him or do it against your will, you should apologize and admit your mistake. Instead of stubbornly arguing with your elders because of your pride and self-esteem."

"A person who refuses to yield even a little when his beloved grandfather is bedridden is not even as good as a pirate, a criminal, or any other scum, and is not worthy of... mentioning the word 'justice'!"

Kong suddenly froze.

Figo waved his hand toward the hospital bed: "Alright, teacher, I'll go find the Marshal to contact the Five Elders."

Doug leaned against the bed, a faint smile of immense joy on his weak face: "Figo, having a student like you is truly my good fortune. You may not become a great Marine, but you will certainly become a great man, etched in human history. I... cough cough cough..."

Figo didn't turn around, but smiled and replied, "You, Doug, can absolutely believe this!"

Doug burst into laughter.

Mia's eyes reddened.

Chapter Fifty-Six: Heading to the Holy Land

In the Marshal's office, Gandharu sat in a chair, deep in thought.

One or two of them are all old men. He can't afford to offend the Five Elders, and he doesn't want to mess with Figo. He's already 74 years old and understands that he's just a transitional marshal. The World Government's preferred successor is the obedient Raul, but Raul is still a bit lacking in experience, so he's temporarily filling in.