For the Navy, the situation had turned dire—the entire fleet had been wiped out.

Towering waves, nearly fifty meters high, surged from all directions. Who could possibly withstand such a cataclysm? For Devil Fruit users, seawater was their natural enemy. So imagine the horror the Navy faced.

Annihilation. That was the only word fitting for what happened.

As for their fate, Vane didn't bother to find out.

They wouldn't die—not the truly strong ones. The Navy's elite were all there. How could anything really happen to them?

Riding on the Vimana, stripped of its usual golden armor, it took over three hours for Vane to return to the island.

"I thought something had happened to you," Esdeath said softly, embracing him.

She had left him early that morning. Now the sun was beginning to set. Esdeath had genuinely been worried.

After several minutes of silent warmth, she finally let go.

"I'm fine," Vane replied simply.

"What happened to those marines? Did they see everything?"

"I knocked them all into the sea," he said nonchalantly.

"Into the sea? What did you do?" asked Momousagi—her tone sharp with anxiety.

By now, the Seastone shackles were gone. There was no need for them. Even if she escaped, where would she go? Swim from Sabaody to the New World?

Impossible.

Gripping Vane's collar, her eyes brimmed with concern. "You threw them into the sea? Are you insane?!"

"Just tossed them in. So what?"

"What happened to them?"

"I don't know," Vane said, smirking. "Maybe the tsunami swallowed them up."

"You bastard! What the hell are you doing?!"

That rare outburst caught even her off guard.

"Don't you get it yet?" Vane asked, completely calm. Her anger didn't faze him at all. If anything, it amused him.

"Then explain!" she shouted, furious and confused.

"They won't die. The average marine might, but the truly strong? No way. So what are you really worried about?"

"They're the Navy! The force that upholds justice and order in this world! You pirate scum should just drop dead!"

"Justice and order?" Vane scoffed. "Why not go after the Yonko then? Why use me to fulfill your sense of justice? Why not apply that justice to the Celestial Dragons?"

"You—!"

She had no words.

"When the Celestial Dragons were attacked, the Admirals showed up instantly. But when innocent civilians are tormented by those same Celestial Dragons, where's your Navy? Where's your justice?"

Still, she couldn't respond. His words hit where it hurt most.

"So tell me—why are you here to arrest me? I killed three Celestial Dragons. No, wait… four. Almost forgot one."

"You're creating chaos! You're endangering innocent people! Do you even understand what you're doing, Vane?!"

That voice came from Momousagi. She couldn't bear to hear him claim righteousness.

"I'm overturning a corrupt system," Vane said. "Change requires sacrifice. Sacrifices that will pave the way for a better world. You only see the sins of the present. You're blind to the peace hidden behind those sins."

"Can't you see it, Momousagi? There's no absolute justice or evil in this world. Light and darkness aren't neatly divided. The Navy doesn't own justice. And pirates don't monopolize evil."

"So this is how you justify your crimes?"

She glared at him with disdain.

Vane chuckled.

"What's so funny?!"

"You still don't understand your situation."

"What do you mean?!"

She froze—realizing she'd momentarily forgotten. She was a prisoner. Captured. No longer a marine.

"You're with us now," Vane said coolly. "You're no longer Navy."

"That's impossible!" she snapped. "I'll never accept that!"

"You're missing your cloak, right?" Vane said with a sly smile. "Where do you think it is?"

"My cloak… you took it!"

"It was picked up by an old woman. Name was Crane, wasn't it?"

"You gave it to her?!"

Crane—her sister. Not by blood, but closer than any family could be.

"I tossed it back to her," Vane said. "Told her I'd take care of you. Help you get used to life here."

He was lying, of course. The idea that Vice Admiral Tsuru would entrust her sister to a pirate was absurd. She probably wanted to skin him alive.

"You're despicable! There's no way she said that!"

"Kids these days lie so easily. How old are you, really?" she spat, glaring at him.

He was barely sixteen. A boy—yet already a Pirate Emperor, rising alongside legends like Shanks.

Unbelievable.

Momousagi was nearing forty. She had joined the upper ranks of the Navy in her mid-thirties. Among female marines, her swordsmanship was unmatched. Her strength, maturity, and grace made her one of the most respected women in the entire organization.

"You think you can treat me like a child?" Vane said, almost reading her thoughts.

She couldn't answer. She didn't know how.

Truthfully, she had seen many children forced into piracy in the Four Seas. Boys and girls under ten who were dragged into the dark cycle of poverty, persecution, and vengeance. Victims turned into pirates. Then those victims created more victims. A vicious cycle, with no end.

And the root? The Celestial Dragons. Among other things.

This world was already stained. To romanticize pirates as adventurers was a mistake. But pretending the Navy represented pure justice was an even bigger lie.

"Don't treat me like a child again," Vane said coldly. "Or you'll learn the consequences."

He turned, ignoring her, and walked off toward the food.

"You'd better behave," Esdeath whispered into Momousagi's ear. "Or you won't live long."

Her tone was light. But the threat was real.

---

Thanks for the Power stones.