Buru— Buru—
Somewhere in the Grand Line.
A curly-haired handsome fellow riding a bicycle across the ocean suddenly received a call through his Den Den Mushi.
Aokiji slowly fished the Den Den Mushi out from his coat and leisurely placed it on his bicycle's handlebars.
The ringing continued uninterrupted throughout this entire process.
Aokiji pursed his lips before finally answering the call.
"Moshi—"
He barely got the greeting out.
From the other end came a very polite yet passionately unfriendly salutation.
"Aokiji, you bastard!!!"
"Ara ara..."
Aokiji dug at his ear lazily before responding.
"Oh, it's Fleet Admiral Sengoku. What's the matter?"
"Of course something major happened!"
The Den Den Mushi perfectly mimicked Sengoku's furious expression.
"You bastard! Why did you recommend that Vongola Storm guy to join the SWORD Unit?"
"Vongola Storm?"
Aokiji raised an eyebrow.
"He's an interesting marine. I did invite him to join the SWORD Unit back then.
"What about him?"
"Vongola Storm slaughtered Impel Down clean!!!"
"Actually, it was Instructor Zephyr who recommended him to the SWORD Unit!"
Aokiji swiftly changed his tune.
"I'm not familiar with Vongola Storm at all—we've barely met a few times.
"If you have any issues, Fleet Admiral, you can take them straight to Instructor Zephyr."
"You bastard! Don't try to shift the blame!"
Sengoku roared furiously.
"You're the SWORD Unit's highest-ranking officer!
"Now that one of your men has caused this disaster, don't think you can just wash your hands of it!"
"Ara ara, this sounds like such a hassle..."
Aokiji scratched his messy afro.
"What exactly did Storm do?
"'Slaughtered Impel Down clean' sounds way too exaggerated, doesn't it?"
"That was indeed an exaggeration on my part."
Sengoku's tone finally softened slightly.
"However, while Vongola Storm didn't slaughter Impel Down clean, he nearly turned the place upside down!
"He executed over ninety percent of the prisoners in Infinite Hell."
"...That's one impressive marine."
Aokiji struggled for a moment before finally managing a response.
"Sakazuki's definitely going to be thrilled when he hears about this."
"Now is not the time for your terrible jokes!"
Sengoku snapped coldly.
"Do you still consider Vongola Storm a marine? He's caused irreversible damage to Impel Down!"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I have a question."
Aokiji's expression turned serious.
"Aside from the prisoners held in Impel Down, did Vongola Storm harm any innocent lives?"
At this question, Sengoku fell silent.
"I just confirmed this with Impel Down."
After a pause, Sengoku continued.
"Other than the criminals, Vongola Storm didn't kill a single warden or staff member in Impel Down."
"Well, there you have it."
Hearing this, Aokiji quietly sighed in relief.
"Marines killing pirates is just an unavoidable part of the job."
"Although Storm's actions this time were a bit excessive...
"If Fleet Admiral Sengoku wants to convict a Marine for 'killing too many pirates,'
"I think you should first send that ruthless bastard Sakazuki to Impel Down!"
Sengoku wasn't fooled by Aokiji's attempt to shift the argument.
"Killing pirates in battle is one thing, but massacring already convicted prisoners in prison is another."
Sengoku cut straight to the point.
"Are these two things the same?"
"The scum locked away in Infinite Hell should have been executed long ago!"
Aokiji responded firmly.
"What I don't understand is why the government deliberately spared their lives!"
Within the Marine ranks,
there were indeed factions like the "Hawks," "Doves," and "Neutralists."
Broadly speaking,
Aokiji belonged to the "Dove" faction.
But even among the Doves, not everyone was as kind-hearted as Zephyr.
Black Arm Zephyr, the "Non-Killing" Admiral.
Throughout his life, he defeated countless pirates but never took a single life.
Aokiji deeply admired his teacher Zephyr's character.
But he didn't believe "killing pirates" was inherently wrong.
The seas were indeed filled with irredeemable trash.
And the criminals imprisoned in Infinite Hell were the worst of the worst.
Aokiji acknowledged that Storm's actions were excessive.
But it wasn't a big issue.
Honestly,
if the Admiral leading the SWORD Unit wasn't Aokiji but Akainu,
that guy might have even commended Storm for what he did!
"Kuzan, you..."
Sengoku sighed.
"Sometimes, I really can't tell.
"Are you still holding onto 'Blazing Justice,'
"or have you completely shifted to 'Lazy Justice'?"
"Ahaha..."
Aokiji chuckled lightly, avoiding a direct answer.
"It's hard for people to fully understand themselves."
"Let's drop this!" Sengoku also chose to move past the topic.
He too was a Marine who had undergone ideological changes.
Only those who experienced it could truly understand.
Sengoku continued,
"Barring unforeseen circumstances, Vongola Storm will definitely be issued a bounty!"
"A bounty? Why?"
Aokiji asked, puzzled.
"Doesn't Impel Down have Magellan and, well, Shiryu? Shouldn't Storm have been subdued by Magellan? The [Venom-Venom Fruit] is quite formidable."
Given how seriously Sengoku had framed the situation earlier,
Aokiji had assumed Storm failed before even beginning,
that this "SWORD" had been imprisoned in Impel Down before even infiltrating the pirates...
Aokiji had even mentally prepared himself to go extract Storm from Impel Down.
But now, it seemed he misunderstood?
"You underestimated Vongola Storm, and so did I!"
Sengoku said with a strangely complex tone.
"According to Magellan's testimony, Vongola Storm has awakened the [Clay-Clay Fruit]! After nearly wiping out Infinite Hell, Vongola Storm transformed into a White Dragon and flew straight out of Impel Down!"
"This... you're joking, right?"
Aokiji's eyes widened in shock as he asked incredulously,
"How long has Storm had the Clay-Clay Fruit? And he's already achieved Awakening? Plus, he can fly?"
"That's just how it is. Maybe Storm... he really is a genius," Sengoku explained.
"I just went to the strategy department to discuss Vongola Storm's bounty with Tsuru.
"Given his actions and strength, his initial bounty might be shockingly high! Regardless, Vongola Storm is now officially a 'pirate'—wait.
"There's an incoming call..."
Sengoku's voice quickly trailed off.
But with Aokiji's sharp hearing, he could still make out the conversation on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
'What do you mean, suppress the news?!'
'Such a major incident at Impel Down, and the government and Marines want to keep it under wraps?!'
'Damaging the government's credibility... what a joke!'
'I am the Fleet Admiral!'
Aokiji heard Sengoku's furious roar.
But what shook him even more were the faint, elderly voices that followed.
'What does the Fleet Admiral amount to?!'
'The Marines are nothing more than the government's public face!'
'The incident in Impel Down's Infinite Hell doesn't concern the Marines anymore!'
Then, the call was abruptly cut off.
Aokiji waited silently for a moment.
Finally, Sengoku's weary voice spoke again.
"Sorry, Kuzan, you had to witness that... Just pretend Vongola Storm never happened!"
Sensing Sengoku was about to hang up, Aokiji suddenly asked,
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, were those the Five Elders you were speaking with just now?"
"You caught that, huh."
Sengoku didn't hide it.
"Yes, it was the Five Elders. They ordered the Infinite Hell incident to be suppressed.
"So, Vongola Storm's bounty will be revoked..."
Aokiji couldn't care less about the bounty. He cut straight to the point.
"In the government's eyes, what exactly are we Marines?"
"What are we? Hah."
Sengoku chuckled.
"Kuzan, save that question for when you become Fleet Admiral someday. Then you can ask the Five Elders yourself..."
Click.
Sengoku's Den Den Mushi disconnected.
Aokiji stood alone in the middle of the vast ocean, his heart heavy with unspoken emotions.
After a long silence,
Aokiji dialed another number.
"Moshi moshi, this is Kuzan."
"Admiral Kuzan! It's been so long since I heard from you—I thought you'd left the Marines too!"
"Don't joke around, Storm."
Holding the Den Den Mushi, Aokiji spoke solemnly.
"I just got word from Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
"You've done something truly outrageous."
"I was just following your orders!"
Storm's indignant voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
"Didn't you tell me to become a pirate?!"
This is how you become a pirate?!
Aokiji rolled his eyes hard.
Storm immediately called him out.
"Hey, hey! The Den Den Mushi mimics its user's expressions—I can see you rolling your eyes!"
"Ara ara..."
Aokiji laughed it off before getting serious.
"Do you still want to keep being a pirate?"
"Of course! I am the blade in the darkness! Staying true to my mission, never forgetting my origins!"
Storm answered cheerfully.
I want to become a great pirate! Venture deep into the New World! Infiltrate the Emperor's ranks!"
Aokiji pressed further.
"So you plan to enter the New World right now?"
"Of course—not!"
Storm denied it.
"Going toe-to-toe with an Emperor's crew single-handedly? I can't do that yet."
"To successfully infiltrate an Emperor's ranks, I'll need to find some suitable allies first!"
Aokiji: From [Blazing Justice] to [Lazy Justice]—who knows if he's still just after leaving the Navy...
Sengoku: From [Justice that Reigns Over the World] to [Absolute Justice].
People often confuse Sengoku's philosophy with Akainu's.
Akainu is [Thorough Justice].