A faint smile appeared on Kojin's face, but he didn't answer Kuma's question right away.
He looked ahead at Laffitte, who was struggling to row the boat. After a long moment, Kojin finally spoke, his voice almost thoughtful.
"People out there say you're a vicious, brutal pirate. What do you think of that reputation?"
Bartholomew Kuma narrowed his eyes as he stared at the man in front of him.
"What others think has nothing to do with me."
Kojin laughed. "I actually know a bit about you."
Kuma looked puzzled, having no idea what this man was trying to say.
"You have close ties with the Revolutionary Army. Twelve years ago, you appeared in the East Blue alongside Dragon, Ivankov, and other officers. You rescued many survivors from the fire in the Goa Kingdom."
"Among them was a young noble named Sabo."
"Hmm... by now, he should already be an important figure in the Revolutionary Army, shouldn't he?"
Kojin spoke slowly, the smile still on his face.
Bartholomew Kuma's body trembled slightly. His gaze sharpened as he stared at Kojin, seemingly considering whether he should attack.
In the end, however, he didn't move.
Clearly, he was wary of Kojin's strength.
Kuma didn't know much about this man. He had only heard rumors surrounding him. As for just how powerful Kojin really was, Kuma had never witnessed it himself.
"Why did you choose to cooperate with the World Government and become one of the Seven Warlords?"
"Is your cooperation with them only for show, while you're actually helping the Revolutionary Army from the shadows?" Kojin asked curiously.
Kuma remained silent, refusing to answer.
"Also, you don't seem to fully understand what the project you're working on with the World Government will eventually do to you."
Those words made Kuma's body stiffen slightly.
"I can tell that parts of your body have already been modified. But the work is obviously crude."
"If you continue with these modifications..."
"Eventually, you'll lose your consciousness completely and become nothing more than a puppet for others to command."
Kojin sighed.
He had noticed it the moment he first saw Kuma.
Many parts of that huge body had already been modified. Kuma could essentially be considered a cyborg at this point. Fortunately, he still retained his human consciousness.
And since Vegapunk was currently under Kojin's control and secretly staying on Skypiea, that meant someone else was responsible for Kuma's modifications.
And judging by the results, whoever was doing it clearly wasn't very skilled.
If this continued, Kuma's fate would be even more tragic and cruel than in the original story.
Kuma's eyes flickered at Kojin's words, but he still said nothing.
"Is it worth it?"
"If you're doing this for some ideal or belief you hold in your heart, even to the point where you're prepared to die for it..."
As he spoke, Kojin slowly turned around and looked directly at Kuma.
Bartholomew Kuma remained expressionless, silently meeting his gaze.
After a long while, he finally sighed.
"Admiral Kojin, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Kojin smiled and turned back around.
"Are you interested in working with me?"
"Working with you?" Kuma was visibly surprised.
"That's right."
"Dragon's convictions are certainly strong, but I don't agree with the path he's chosen."
"He doesn't understand how to reshape, or change, the entire world."
Kojin shook his head with a sigh.
"You know Dragon well?" Kuma asked.
"We met a few times many years ago."
"We have almost the same ideals, but in the end, we chose completely different paths."
Kojin smiled faintly.
Kuma paused, then fell silent.
Today was the first time he had met this legendary Admiral.
During the meeting, he had watched Kojin effortlessly suppress Mihawk and Doflamingo. From that alone, Kuma had already concluded that this man possessed terrifying strength.
"Work with me, Kuma!"
"Dragon's actions are far too small-scale!"
"He doesn't understand the first thing about what 'revolution' truly means!" Kojin suddenly declared.
Revolution meant daring to overturn the old world and create a new one. It meant sharpening your blade in the darkness before the storm. It was an awakening of thought, a war fought with force, a vast movement capable of sweeping across the world.
When it came to the meaning of those two words, Kojin, who had grown up under the red flag in his previous life and studied Maoist theory, had far more authority to speak than Dragon.
Even the smallest fragment of that man's ideas surpassed Dragon's by countless times.
In terms of ideology and greatness, there was simply no comparison between the two.
The gap was far too great.
"Work with you..." Kuma murmured. "But I don't even know what you're trying to accomplish."
Hearing that, Kojin suddenly burst into laughter.
"What I want to do is very simple!"
"To be reborn from the ruins, to rise from decay, to bring light to this world and witness true Justice!"
Kuma's expression remained indifferent.
Those words sounded grand and empty. They meant nothing.
But Kojin's next sentence made his pupils suddenly contract.
"I intend to build a new nation starting from this fortress known as Marineford."
"A nation that will uphold true equality, fairness, and Justice. And from there, I will overthrow the Holy Land that stands at the summit of the world!"
"Kuma, this world should have no nobles. And it certainly shouldn't tolerate the existence of a class like the Celestial Dragons!"
"Eight hundred years!"
"This world has been rotting for eight hundred years. Discrimination, slavery, beatings, humiliation, injustice, darkness, all of it happens every single day, much of it at the hands of those who stand above everyone else!"
"It's a tragedy!"
"And what I want to do is change it!"
"Change it, reform this broken world!"
As his final words fell, a wave suddenly crashed against the boat, sending spray high into the air.
Even the sea breeze seemed to grow stronger.
"You really are one bold bastard."
After a long silence, Kuma finally spoke, his eyes filled with shock.
He understood what Kojin meant. This man actually intended to use Marineford, and the Marines as a whole, as his starting point to oppose the World Government and eventually bring it down completely.
It was undoubtedly a far bolder and more decisive plan than Dragon's approach of quietly building up his forces and stirring oppressed people into rebellion wherever he went.
In fact, Kojin's choice of starting point was remarkably precise. He planned to take control of one of the few forces in this world that still retained some sense of kindness and Justice, then quickly build it into a power of his own.
And once the Marines truly fell under his control, his influence would spread among ordinary people at incredible speed.
After all, for the civilians of this world, the Marines were the only organization they could really trust. Were they supposed to put their faith in pirates instead? Or in the rebellious Revolutionary Army?
Kuma's eyes flickered as a powerful curiosity suddenly rose within him.
He wanted to see just how far a man with this much courage and ambition could actually go.
After a long while, Kuma nodded firmly.
"I can work with you."
"Someone like you really does make me curious."
Hearing that, Kojin smiled.
Despite Bartholomew Kuma's fearsome reputation, he was actually a thoughtful, gentle, and kindhearted man.
Even in his previous life, Kojin had greatly admired Kuma and sympathized with what happened to him.
Besides, Kuma's ability could be incredibly useful.
The power of the Paw-Paw Fruit was almost absurd. It could even repel fatigue and pain from a person's body.
That was practically a conceptual-level ability. If used to train his subordinates, it could greatly accelerate the rate at which powerful fighters emerged.
In other words, Kuma wasn't just a formidable combatant. His support capabilities were equally extraordinary.
With the two reaching a preliminary agreement, the atmosphere between them naturally relaxed. It was no longer as stiff as before.
Kuma could sense Kojin's sincerity. A man willing to openly speak of overthrowing the Holy Land and using Marineford as his foundation was clearly serious about what he intended to do.
Crocodile's ship followed closely behind the raft. Around four or five hours later, the group arrived at a deserted island not far from the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Captain Teach and the others are on this island."
Laffitte wiped the sweat from his forehead, tossed the oar heavily onto the shore, and jumped off the raft.
Once Crocodile's ship reached shore, Kojin's body transformed into lightning.
In an instant, he appeared beside Laffitte.
Laffitte immediately tensed up.
At the same time, Kuma seemed to blink into existence behind Kojin. He stood there expressionlessly without saying a word, looking every bit like a loyal bodyguard.
"These two..."
Laffitte's heart tightened.
"Where is Marshall Teach?" Kojin asked calmly.
At the same time, his Observation Haki spread outward, instantly covering the entire island ahead.
He immediately sensed the Blackbeard Pirates hidden in the forest, sitting together in a circle.
"Follow me!" Laffitte hurriedly replied.
He then continued leading the way.
Nothing unexpected happened along the way.
Marshall Teach was extremely ambitious, but he wasn't stupid. He was every bit as calculating and cautious as he was ambitious.
He had been planning to become one of the Seven Warlords for a long time, so naturally he wouldn't allow anything to derail that plan.
When Marshall Teach saw Kojin and Kuma approaching, he froze for a moment before bursting into laughter, putting on an extremely welcoming expression.
"Zehahahaha!"
"We meet again, Admiral Kojin!"
"Last time, it was only because you showed us mercy that we managed to escape with our lives!"
His eyes quickly swept around them. When he realized there was no one else nearby, a hint of surprise flashed through them.
"Oh? You realized I deliberately let you escape?" Kojin raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
Teach's heart tightened, but he immediately laughed.
"Naturally! Against someone as strong as you, Admiral, if you'd really wanted to kill us, there would've been no chance for us to escape."
In truth, Teach had only said it as a courtesy to ease the awkwardness of meeting again.
He hadn't expected Kojin to openly admit it.
Which meant that when they had fled back then, the feeling he'd had of someone watching them hadn't been his imagination.
"Heh."
"I still have some use for you." Kojin smiled faintly.
Those words caused the expressions of the Blackbeard Pirates to shift slightly.
Marshall Teach, however, didn't show the slightest change. He continued laughing as he said,
"If there's anything we can do for Admiral Kojin, it'd be our honor."
"You really are good at hiding yourself, Teach."
"But you're also smart. And I like working with smart people."
"That's also why you're still alive." Kojin spoke calmly.
"Thank you for the compliment, Admiral Kojin!" Teach replied happily.
"Hand Ace over."
"Once that's done, you'll become one of the new Seven Warlords of the Sea."
Kojin's gaze passed over Van Augur and landed on another man lying motionless not far away.
"Thank you, Admiral Kojin!" Marshall Teach exclaimed in delight.
At the same time, the bound figure lying nearby suddenly opened his eyes before tightly shutting them again.
The person here to take custody of him...
was actually that man?!
---
(End of Chapter)
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