Issho froze for a moment.
He could sense that there was a flaw somewhere in Raleigh's words, but in such a short span of time, he could not figure out exactly where the problem lay.
Raleigh smiled and continued, "Mr. Issho, I value both your arrival and your questions very highly. But I also hope you can understand the burden on my shoulders."
"Before this, when you were training alone on the Grand Line, all you needed to consider was your own safety. You never had to worry about anything else. But a Marine Admiral and the Fleet Admiral are different. You must remember this: every order we issue will be accompanied by the deaths of Marine soldiers."
"All of this is unavoidable. As long as there is war, there will be death. But I hope we can always keep the number of deaths as low as possible."
Raleigh pointed toward the sky.
"The sky above our heads has been the same since eight hundred years ago, and it remains the same now. But the people living beneath this sky have changed. I dare say that this is the best era for the civilians living in the first half of the Grand Line and here in the New World."
"Because our policy is different. We use the sacrifice of a small number of people to secure happiness for the overwhelming majority."
"This war against pirates and the Revolutionary Army would have erupted sooner or later, even if I had acted like previous Fleet Admirals and maintained a basic balance. War is unavoidable. The only thing we can do is make sure this war ends in our generation. That is what I intend to do, and what I am currently doing."
Issho fell into thought again.
He had never considered things from this perspective before.
He had only spoken from his own view, believing that pirates could be good or bad, and that there were still pirates who could change.
But he had never considered that the moment someone stepped onto the battlefield, they were already the enemy.
Raleigh sighed.
"Perhaps many years from now, they will call me a tyrant or a dictator. But ever since I began serving in the Marines, I have never wavered in my commitment to justice. I want to change this world into something beautiful."
"For eight hundred years, this sea has never known true peace. The people of the world have longed for peace for far too long."
"Also, perhaps my methods against pirates are too ruthless, and everyone fears them. That may be why they believe the Marines can truly win only under someone like me."
"Issho and Aramaki you may not know the situation with our recruitment. On some islands in the first half of the Grand Line, there are practically no young adults left behind anymore, because anyone over the age of twelve has chosen to join the Marine draft."
"If we had not strongly stopped them, many women would also have enlisted. I stopped that because we have not yet reached the point where we need women on the battlefield. But if the war between us and the pirates reaches the point of life and death, I will not hesitate to recruit female soldiers as well."
Raleigh's words exploded inside Issho and Aramaki's minds.
They had never considered this problem before.
They had only thought that pirates and Marines were naturally opposed, and that discussing which side was good or bad did not mean much.
But now it was different.
Raleigh's words made them understand something from the depths of their hearts.
The Marines had been founded in this world with the belief that pirates must be eliminated.
Raleigh's tone was not particularly intense, yet it rang through Issho and Aramaki's hearts like a great bell, washing over their souls and making their blood burn.
Issho took a deep breath, bent at the waist, and bowed to Raleigh in apology.
"This old man once thought Fleet Admiral Raleigh was a cold and ruthless person. I never imagined that today I would witness a heart as vast as the sky."
"When I look back on my own life, I blinded myself because I was afraid of seeing the evil in the world, and I even took pride in that. I possessed great strength, yet I always drifted with the flow, never once thinking of truly resolving the evil in this world."
"Compared to Fleet Admiral Raleigh's actions, this old man is truly the most foolish person under the heavens."
"What a shame that my eyes are already blind. I have no fate to witness Fleet Admiral Raleigh's peerless bearing as you command the world and suppress the evils of this age!"
Raleigh's face carried an easy smile.
"Issho, Aramaki, the burden of justice will fall on your shoulders next. Please do not disappoint me."
...
In the New World, inside the palace of Totto Land, a screen projection brought Charlotte Linlin and Shanks closer together.
Before the screen, Charlotte Linlin sat on her throne, holding a doughnut in her hand.
As she ate, she said, "Mama, mama, mama."
"Red-Haired brat, what exactly are you thinking? The Marines are about to break through Totto Land's second defensive line. I heard Marine Headquarters will be sending another Admiral-level fighter as well."
"If you still do not act, then I can only choose to face them head-on."
Charlotte Linlin's eyes were filled with intense killing intent, and the air around her began to freeze.
She had never been a good-tempered person.
For so long now, under the attacks of Jinbe and Hancock, Totto Land had already lost part of its forces. Several islands along the second defensive line had even been completely ruined.
If not for Charlotte Linlin personally sitting on Whole Cake Island, Jinbe and Hancock might already have broken through the second line by now.
Although the second defensive line had not yet fallen, it was already on the verge of collapse.
No one knew when the Marines would suddenly pierce through it.
Shanks was clearly weaker than her, yet what she could not understand was why the Warlords on Shanks' side were not as ferocious as the ones attacking her.
On the other screen, Shanks' expression was comparatively calm.
"Don't be impatient, Big Mom."
"I have already found allies, and I am coordinating the time with them to divide the Marines' pressure."
"There are too many secrets between us, so it is not convenient for me to tell you everything. But I can tell you one thing. Not all of the Warlords are loyal to the Marines. There are also conflicts and transactions between them and the Marines."
After saying this, Shanks ended the call, leaving Charlotte Linlin alone on the throne, deep in thought.
After a while, a sharp light flashed in Charlotte Linlin's eyes.
"Stussy, investigate this for me."