His thoughts returned to reality, and Qing Zhi looked at Nuo Xia across from him.
"At that time, I thought, it's not that easy for a firefly like you to turn into the sun. You still have to let a little star like me, who is almost reaching the horizon, keep walking inside to see if I can emit more light.
Big light..."
He shook his head and laughed, "In the blink of an eye, I was still wandering around the horizon without much change, but you had already surpassed me and become the brightest sun."
"sun?"
Nuo Xia raised his head and glanced at the full moon in the night sky, "I'm not even a star. I can only be considered a bigger star that can bring some glimmer of light to the people around me."
"There is still one last step left to truly become the sun."
last step?
Aokiji subconsciously glanced in the direction of Holy Land Marie Joa.
"A lot of people came to the house today."
Nuo Xia turned his head and looked at Qing Zhi again, and said with a smile:
"Teacher Zefa, Mr. Warring States, and others always feel that the reason why I submitted my resignation was because I couldn't stand Vere's reprimands and sarcasm, but you should know the real reason better than them."
"Do you want to take that step?"
Qing Zhi's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out subconsciously, but then he realized what he was talking about, rubbed his temples and smiled bitterly:
"This is really... a bit too sudden. I have never seen you in such a hurry before... Were you stimulated by those slaves during this operation?"
"So, not really."
Nuo Xia shrugged, "Frevans, Jevo Peninsula... I have been patient for many years. This incident is not even the trigger. Maybe... it can barely be regarded as the last straw."
"After I rescued those thousands of slaves, they regained their freedom, crying and laughing, but when they thanked me and left, I didn't even dare to look at them."
He filled the wine glass for Qing Pheasant, "Do you know why?"
"Too much, too much, hey, hey, it will overflow if you pour it again... Why?"
"I remember five years ago, I accompanied Xia to attend the world conference for the first time."
Nuo Xia also poured himself a glass. "At first, I was amazed by the ultra-era things like automatic robots, but soon I discovered that the so-called moving walkways that surround the city are all made by slaves working below them day and night.
Use your life to push it forward.”
"At that time, I was just a young major general and could do nothing about this scene. I clenched my fists to myself. I hope that when I come here again next time, I won't have to pretend to turn a blind eye to these situations."
"Four years later, that is, last year, I set foot on Mary Joa again because of the World Conference."
Qingzhi paused while raising the glass, and stared blankly at Nuo Xia who continued calmly, "And this time, I am already the candidate for general of the headquarters, and even directly represent Marshal Kong, presiding over all meetings related to the navy.
."
"But what's the result?"
"The streets of Mariejoia are still so beautiful and bustling, and the automatic sidewalks are still running sleeplessly. During the half-month period when the World Conference was held, hundreds of new slaves were imprisoned in the Holy Land's prisons every day.
, and every day, dozens or hundreds of slaves are tortured to death using various means..."
"And I still can't do anything."
"In comparison, rescuing thousands of slaves is nothing. How could I have the nerve to stay on their ship and accept their thanks in person?"
"Where does he have the face to continue wearing this big cloak with the word justice written on it?"
Nuo Xia laughed at himself and drank the wine in one gulp.
"..."
Qingzhi was silent for a while, then suddenly smiled bitterly, "Ah la la, if you feel shameless, then no one in the entire navy is qualified to be worthy of the word justice."
"I know that you pursue justice to the best of your ability and are always strict with yourself, but there is no need to rush out of the navy now, right?"
"Even if you can't help but take this last step, wouldn't it be better to stay in the navy?"
"Vell won't be able to stay for long. I think two years are enough. Once he leaves, you will be the general. If you continue to stay for a few more years, the marshal will definitely be yours. By then, the entire navy will be in your hands and unified from top to bottom.
Wouldn’t it be much safer to take this final step after all the strength is gathered?”
"Did you take a peek at my original plan? Or is it just the roundworm in my stomach?" Nuo Xia glanced at him sideways.
"What's the point of peeking?"
Aoki rolled his eyes and said angrily, "With your character, you are even more irritable than that guy from Sakaski, but you can always tolerate the various rules and regulations of the Navy and the maggots of the World Government.
, isn’t it because of this?”
"..." Nuo Xia curled her lips.
Have to admit it.
Ever since that night seven years ago, Aokiji has been the one who understands him best among all the friends of Gawazawa. Although Akainu and Kizaru also have a good relationship, they are separated by a layer after all.
"It turns out that's what I planned."
Nuo Xia shook the empty wine glass, and the glass under the clear moonlight reflected his deep and ink-like eyes, "But now it seems that it is too slow. If we really follow your plan, it will take at least ten years."
"Ten years is too long, I can't afford to wait, and the people in this world who are suffering cannot even wait."
"Then if you leave the Navy, you can advance this plan?"
"Um."
Nuo Xia didn't explain much, just nodded seriously.
"I always feel like you... are going to cause a big stir next time..."
Looking at his look, Aoki knew that he must have a detailed plan in mind, so he didn't ask any more questions and just sighed, "Have we discussed it with Gion Shia and the others? When will we leave?"
"The day after tomorrow."
Nuo Xia pouted and said:
"In the next period of time... maybe two or three years, I will rarely have the opportunity to meet my family, so I plan to stay and spend time with them tomorrow."
He glanced at his watch and waited quietly until the hour hand pointed to "12". Then he suddenly put down the empty wine glass in his hand and stood up.
"What? Where to go?"
Qing Pheasant never drank well and was already a little confused after drinking. At this moment, he was startled and asked subconsciously.
"And you?"
Nuo Xia shrugged:
"Since I have decided to become the sun and clear away the darkness, I must first see how deep the darkness is and what it looks like inside."
After leaving these words behind.
He didn't look back, and suddenly stepped on the ground, and his whole body turned into a blue lightning, piercing the night sky, soaring into the sky, and heading straight to the distant sky.
Garden in early summer.
The night is as cold as water, and everything is silent. Looking around, there are only a few fireflies shining through.
"Look at the dark night?"
In the silence, Qingzhi was at a loss for a while, and finally woke up from his drunken state.
"Depend on!"
His expression changed drastically, he hurriedly grabbed the phone bug, dialed the number, kicked open the door, and rushed into Nuo Xia's house:
"Oops, Gion! Get up! That guy drank too much! Something big is going to happen!"
…
Headquarters fortress building, top floor office.
The new Marshal Weir stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with his hands behind his back, looking down with an ugly expression.
Although it was late at night, the whole building was still brightly lit, and there was a dark atmosphere downstairs.
The sailors who had been gathering in the square since dusk were still denouncing Weir with righteous indignation. They have not dispersed yet, but have gathered more and more.
The headquarters has more than 200,000 permanent troops, and almost half of them are here now.
I don’t know where Kapuzefa died. I made several phone calls, but no one could be found at all.
Warring States made two appearances and tried his best to persuade the sailors to go back and rest, but with little success. The angry sailors insisted that Weir come out in person to give an explanation and apologize to Nuo Xia, otherwise they would stay here all night.
In fact, they did this. Weir could clearly see that someone had taken tents from the edge of the square and was passing them around.
Absolutely outrageous!
Weir was so angry that his teeth were almost broken. What on earth are these damn sailors going to do? Do they really not take him as the marshal seriously at all?
Do you want him to personally come forward and apologize to Nuo Xia?
How can it be!
Let’s live their sweet dreams!
Brubru~
At this moment, the phone suddenly rang rapidly.
"who!"
Will grabbed the phone and his tone was as bad as his mood.
But the next moment, his body trembled and his face turned pale: "No... no, I didn't mean it. Lord Chaerwinster, I didn't know it was you..."
On the other end of the phone was one of the Five Old Stars.
"I don't have time to argue with you about this!"
Wu Laoxing's voice was full of uncontrollable anger, "!Did you force Bailong to resign in the evening, and also caused a large-scale mutiny in the entire navy headquarters?!"
Who filed this complaint overnight?
Weir's expression changed again. He had obviously tried his best to block the news and planned to report it to the Holy Land after the matter was properly resolved tomorrow.
As a result, only a few hours had passed, and in the middle of the night, Master Wulaoxing, who should have gone to bed to rest, received the news in advance?
"Yes Yes……"
Weir was sweating profusely, but he didn't dare to hide it, so he could only explain tremblingly:
"There is such a thing, but Saint Chailwinster... Bailong's resignation was really not forced by me. Didn't you think that Cyborg Kong was too protective of that kid?"
"I... I just did it because he failed to complete the task this time, so according to your previous instructions, I beat him a little more and gave him some punishment, hoping to improve his memory in the future..."
"madness!"
The old voice on the other end of the phone was even more angry:
"Did I listen to your explanation of this? Beating? What you call punishment by beating means humiliating them in person? Directly forcing people away? No matter what your original intention is, Bailong's resignation has nothing to do with you. This is a fact!"
"But this time thousands of slaves ran away from the Holy Land, and they were clearly related to him..."
"That is within the tolerance range after all! After the investigation is clear, it will not be too late to deal with it. It would be better for you to not pay attention to proportion at all. Do you still need me to emphasize the importance of the white dragon to you?"
"The era of great pirates has not yet ended, so the navy and the world government must not lose the white dragon! Otherwise, it will not only be a serious damage to the combat power, but also a major blow to the morale of the people and the army!"
"It's just the headquarters now. When the news spreads to the world and all the branches know, have you ever thought about how serious the consequences will be!"
Wulaoxing's voice became louder and louder, and Weir's face became paler and paler, with cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
During the day.
He really never expected that the guy who made him feel uncomfortable from the moment they met would actually have such a high prestige within the navy.
And the consequences can be even more serious...
By the time I reacted, it was already too late, and I was riding a tiger that was hard to get off.
"Then, what should we do...Lord Saint Charles Winster?"
"What else can be done?"
The voice of Charles Winster came:
"First go and appease the mutinous sailors, and then go to Bailong in person and apologize to him. No matter what, you must keep him in the headquarters. Do you understand?"
You want me to apologize and stay?
For Weir, who wanted to save face, this was simply more uncomfortable than killing him.
"Saint Chailwinster, why don't you wait for me tomorrow..."
"I'm not discussing with you, I'm giving you an order!"
As soon as Weir cautiously raised his head, he was coldly interrupted by Wulaoxing.
"yes……"
Weir responded bitterly, waited for the other party to hang up the phone with a snap, and looked at the sailors who had not dispersed below, feeling tangled in his heart.
Is it really necessary to go to Nuo Xia’s house now?
It seems that it is not enough not to go. Who knows if Bailong will have left the headquarters tomorrow, and what will happen to the situation.
At this moment.
Suddenly, he seemed to sense something. He looked up at the sky and was stunned to see a bright blue star crossing the square and heading straight to the horizon.
That's... a white dragon?
…
The top of the Red Continent, Marie Joa.
The arson incident a few days ago was like a dream, with no trace left.
No matter you look around or wherever you look, there are magnificent scenes everywhere, and even the air is exceptionally fresh, making you feel like you are in the clouds and heaven.
The streets paved with red carpets are still wide and luxurious, and the magnificent and elegant buildings are still lined up in rows.
This is still the holy place on earth that countless people yearn for.
Five o'clock in the morning.
The fish-belly white light has not yet lit up in the east, but a pale blue light has lit up first.
Immediately, a figure silently landed on the red carpet street.