One Piece: New Order

Lorca understood right away. She must have seen Admiral Sakazuki…

But what he didn't know was that Sakazuki had just casually spoken of erasing an entire kingdom, right in front of Robin. She realized then… that must've been how Ohara was destroyed too. So casually decided. So emotionless.

That was why she had been so terrified. Just like that, a man could decide the fate of a nation.

After a while, Robin finally steadied herself. She let go of Lorca's arm and stood up.

Seeing how hard she was trying to compose herself, Lorca said, "Let's take the day off. You're in no state to—"

"I'm fine!" Robin shook her head hard. "Let's go now!"

Before he could say anything else, she had already turned stiffly and walked toward the port.

Lorca sighed. 'Seriously, he's a grown man. What's he doing scaring kids?'

* * *

North Blue. A merchant ship had already set sail.

Robin leaned against the rail, watching the deep blue sea. Her heart slowly eased. 'I made it out…'

Lorca walked over with a smile. "Feeling better now?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Much better."

"Good." He chuckled. "Then enjoy the view. North Blue's coastlines are pretty."

He stretched. "Ah…this feels good."

Imitating him, Robin also stretched her arms, fully relaxing. She then looked out at the sea. "There are so many ships. Compared to the West Blue, they're everywhere here."

A bearded captain approached from behind.

"Of course," he said proudly. "The sea was just cleaned up and now people can travel without worry. You hardly see pirates anymore. It's all thanks to the Marines."

Robin froze. "The Marines…"

Turning to the captain, Lorca asked, "Captain, why don't you tell us what's changed around here?"

The bearded man grinned. "You're asking the right person. Back when the Marines launched their pirate-clearing campaign, I was one of the first to follow their warships and moved a huge shipment. Just that one trip was enough to cover my son's new house.

"I haven't taken a day off in six months. Been working nonstop and trying to save while this chance lasts. It doesn't come often. Previously, only big companies could sail safely because of their private guards. But now even small boats can roam the sea freely. All thanks to that marine admiral."

Lorca raised a brow. "Really? I've heard that admiral has a pretty bad reputation. People say he's a butcher. Bloodthirsty. His face is on every paper lately, and it's always surrounded by decapitated heads."

The captain frowned. "That's all nonsense. He's the best marine officer I've seen in my life. As for those heads? All pirates. If anything, he hasn't killed enough.

"From the way you're speaking, you must be strong yourself, right? But you wouldn't know what it's like for us regular folks. We just want to live in peace. In the past, sailing was like asking for death. You'd lose your cargo at best. At worst, your life. A pirate's blade goes in and… that's it. Burn the bodies. Nothing left. I…"

His voice cracked. He couldn't finish as tears began to fall.

This man, tough and broad-shouldered, covered his face with one hand, trying to hide his breakdown.

He stood there shaking until the tears finally stopped. His eyes were red when he looked up. "Sorry… didn't mean to embarrass myself."

Lorca shook his head, handed him a tissue and said gently, "No need to apologize. Did something happen?"

The captain took the tissue and wiped his eyes. "Thank you."

He let out a long breath. "Talking about it just now reminded me of my father and brothers. I haven't thought of them in so long… I nearly forgot what they looked like. When they came to mind all of a sudden, I just couldn't hold it back."

Lorca murmured, "Because of pirates, right…"

The captain's voice was still hoarse as he responded, "Yeah. I was only seven. I went sailing with my father and two older brothers to visit family. That night, pirates attacked. My father stuffed me into a barrel and threw it into the sea. That's the only reason I survived, but he and my brothers never made it out.

"Everyone on the ship was slaughtered. After looting, the pirates set the whole thing on fire. I hid in that barrel, watching the fire from afar… I saw everything burn to ash. Nothing was left. Only the pirates' mad laughter echoed across the sea.

"I drifted for two days before a kind merchant ship captain found me and brought me back. Not long after I returned home, my mother passed away from grief. Years later, I finally grew up, started a family, saved up some money… I wanted to find the man who rescued me, to thank him.

"But all I found was a crumbling little town. That kind-hearted captain died years ago and the pirates wiped out his town too. Now the place is deserted. Tell me… how could I not hate those scum? I want to kill every pirate alive. But I'm just not strong enough. No talent. Not even enough to take revenge.

"If my father and brothers could see the news headlines now… If only they could see the punishment pirates are finally getting. I hope that before I die, I'll see that marine admiral wipe them all out. When that day comes, I'll go down and bring the news to them. I'm sure they'll be happy to hear it."

Lorca gave him a firm smile. "That day will come. I'm sure of it. I want to see it as well."

The bearded man agreed confidently. "It will. I believe in him."

Lorca replied quietly, "So do I."

He leaned his elbow on the railing and rested his chin on his palm, gazing out over the ocean, lost in thought.

Time passed silently.

Eventually, he looked around and realized the bearded captain had slipped away. Robin still stood there, staring blankly at the sea.

He called out softly. "Robin."

She turned slightly, looking dazed. "Are the Marines… really good?"

But all those innocent scholars and people of Ohara… were killed by them.

After a moment, Lorca said, "Well, in this world, there's no real good or evil. Only different perspectives. Right and wrong are just extras that come with your position."

She nodded slowly, thinking it over.

Suddenly, Lorca grinned and said in an eerie tone, "Who knows? From some point of view, maybe I'm the bad guy too, hehehehehe~"

Robin rolled her eyes. "Childish."

* * *

North Blue. Germa Kingdom.

Inside the massive castle's laboratory.

Rows of cloning tanks filled with green nutrient fluid moved along like an assembly line. Each one held a cloned human created through genetic modification.

At the very back, in front of a large screen, Enel was copying data from one system to another. Beside him, Judge had his bones broken and twisted again.

'Why?' He thought, not expecting this. 'That lightning brat actually understood this stuff. A scientist… What the hell…'

Enel continued transferring files while flipping through the research logs. Then, he shouted in shock:

"You lunatic! You actually used your pregnant wife as a test subject?! There are over seventy pages of data on just that! Bullet! Let's just beat this guy to death!"

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