53 Chapter 53

Dragon's brow furrowed as he mulled over my words, realizing the truth behind them. "He's got a point, Dad," he admitted, turning to Garp. "What are we going to do about this situation?".

Kuzan nodded in agreement, his expression thoughtful. "It's a delicate situation, but we have to do what's right, even if it means going against orders."

"So enlighten me, Kuzan-san," I began, addressing the group with a sardonic smile. "What do you think is the right thing to do in such a situation? Are we going to follow orders and hunt down civilians alongside the pirates, all to aid the monarchy? Or are we going to fight alongside the rebels and help them overthrow the tyrant king? Oh, wait, wait—I know. We're just going to stand by and watch, neither here nor there. That's the kind of justice we're following, right, Garp-san?"

My words hung in the air, laced with sarcasm and biting truth. I teased the three for their naive ideals, knowing full well the constraints of their allegiance to the World Government. In a situation like this, they were bound to stand by and watch, unable to intervene in the truest sense of justice.

"So what are you proposing we do, kid?" Garp's frustration was evident in his tone as he questioned me. If my words didn't hold any truth, he would have already kicked me into the sea.

"If you ask me, follow your heart. Kill all the pirates and eliminate everyone who is truly wrong—and we all know who that would be," I commented, my words carrying a weight of conviction. I wanted to ignite the spark of revolution in Dragon's heart. He needed to become a revolutionary in the future, possessing a stronger resolve than what he had in the Canon timeline. If I wanted to challenge an empire that had ruled over the world for centuries, I needed to sow chaos in the future, and Dragon was the linchpin. He had to yearn for the freedom of the masses and fight for the oppressed, and I intended to take full advantage of it.

"So what about the World Government? They still have agents in the country. They'll know the moment we step in to help the rebels." Dragon's eyes glinted with determination as his mind raced with strategies to aid the oppressed.

"I say we kill them all. There are no saints amongst the Cipher Pol, and sacrificing a few of them to secure the future of these people is a noble deed," I remarked casually, fully aware of the brewing rage within Garp. He despised my radical ideas, but deep down, they resonated with his true beliefs.

"Enough, Ross! Shut up! We will be doing no such thing. We are Marines, and we serve to maintain order. How can you suggest such ideals in front of me?" Garp's words were laced with frustration, his inner conflict evident. He couldn't allow himself or his son to be swayed by such extreme notions.

"So, watching from the sidelines, it is," I mused, resigned to the fact that we would once again witness a bloodbath where the innocent would be slaughtered. It wasn't my first time in such a situation, nor would it be my last. With Sandai Kitetsu in hand, I leaped onto the shore, knowing Garp's decision meant I was free to explore this war-torn country at my leisure.

"Dad, Ross is right. We can't stand idly by while these people suffer under tyranny. Maybe we should..." Dragon began, his voice filled with uncertainty and empathy.

But Garp's abrupt, rage-filled shout cut him off mid-sentence. "Shut up! Just don't! Don't act like that naive brat! Let's say we go with your grand plan of freeing the oppressed. Then what? You kill the monarch and free them. Have you thought about what you'll do next? Have you considered the consequences when the World Government gets wind of this matter? They would bury this entire country. Will you be able to stop them?" Garp's frustration, long held back, erupted in a torrent of words.

"Have you thought about what would happen to these innocents once you've freed them? Every last one of them would be slaughtered. What would be better for them: to be alive and living, or dead?" Garp's words were harsh, but they carried a weight of bitter truth.

As Dragon's words echoed in the tense atmosphere, a silence fell over the group. Garp's expression softened, and his features contorted with a mix of frustration and concern. He knew Dragon's words held a truth that he couldn't easily dismiss. Despite his loyalty to the Marines, Garp couldn't ignore the suffering of the innocent people caught in the crossfire of rebellion and tyranny.

"Dragon..." Garp's voice was quieter now, his tone tinged with a hint of remorse. "I understand your frustration and your desire to protect the innocent. But we must consider the consequences of our actions. We can't simply intervene without a plan, without understanding the full scope of the situation."

Dragon's eyes flashed with determination, refusing to back down. "But what about justice, Dad? What about standing up for what's right? Isn't that what you taught me all my life? even if it means defying authority? Isn't that what being a Marine is all about?"

Garp sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair in frustration. He knew Dragon was right, but the weight of responsibility as a Marine weighed heavily on his shoulders. "It's not that simple, son. Sometimes we must make difficult choices, even if they go against our ideals. We must consider the greater good, even if it means sacrificing our own beliefs."

Kuzan watched the exchange silently, his expression unreadable. He understood both sides of the argument, torn between his desire for justice and the reality of the situation. But deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that sometimes the right choice wasn't always the easiest one.

I cautiously navigated the debris-laden streets of Ambrosia Kingdom, my senses assaulted by the sights and sounds of war. The once-bustling city now lay in ruins, its buildings reduced to rubble, and its streets stained with the blood of the innocent. As I moved deeper into the heart of the conflict, a feeling of dread settled over me like a suffocating shroud.

Amidst the chaos, a horrifying scene unfolded before me—a group of pirates mercilessly ravaged a defenseless woman. Her piercing screams cut through the air, pleading for mercy in the face of unspeakable violence.

As I stood frozen in shock, the woman's eyes found mine, a desperate plea for salvation evident in her gaze. With trembling hands, she reached out to me, her last glimmer of hope fading fast.

"Please... kill me." Her voice was hoarse with despair, and her spirit was broken by the brutality of war.

The pirates, engrossed in their depraved acts, finally noticed my presence; their attention diverted from their victim to the unexpected intruder in a Marine uniform.

"Damn it, it's the Marines!" one of the pirates exclaimed, rising to confront me.

Another pirate scoffed dismissively, "Forget him; we're on the same side as the Marines in this war. Let's enjoy ourselves while we can. Who knows when we'll get another chance like this?"

Disgusted by their callousness, I drew Sandai Kitetsu, the blade gleaming ominously in the dim light of the ruined street. Before the pirates could comprehend my intentions, blood sprayed through the air as heads rolled and bodies fell.

In the aftermath of the carnage, silence descended upon the street, broken only by the anguished cries of the woman, who now knelt amidst the blood-soaked ground, her spirit shattered.

With a flick of my blade, I sheathed Sandai Kitetsu and approached the trembling woman, her hands clutching a fallen pirate's blade, poised to end her own suffering.

"Stop," I spoke gently, reaching out to her with a reassuring hand. "You're safe now. The nightmare is over. However, you have two choices before you: either you can end your suffering with this blade here and now or use this same blade to take out as many of these vermin before you die so that another woman may not suffer the same fate as you."

I released the woman's wrist, allowing her a moment to contemplate her choice. With trembling hands, she dropped the blade to her side, her resolve wavering in the face of overwhelming despair.

"But... but I don't have the strength to confront them," she sobbed, her voice choked with anguish. "Even with a sword, I'll still be powerless."

"What if I gave you the strength you need?" I interjected, my gaze unwavering as I locked eyes with the woman. She sat before me, naked and ravaged, her body stained with blood, yet within her, I sensed a newfound determination, a spark of defiance amidst the darkness.

As she looked up at me with tear-stained eyes, a glimmer of hope flickered in her gaze, a beacon of light amidst the darkness of war.

"I will fight," she declared, her voice tinged with righteous fury. "I will fight until my last breath, and I will bring down every last one of those dogs."

With a sense of purpose burning in her eyes, she accepted the challenge, her aura pulsating with newfound resolve.

"Then take this," I said, placing a crimson-colored fruit before her. "It will give you the strength to begin your journey. How far you go from here is up to you. Perhaps our paths will cross again in the future."

Leaving her to her fate, I turned away without looking back, venturing further into the war-torn country. The woman's fate now rested in her own hands, her destiny shaped by the choices she would make in the battles to come.

As the tear trickled down my cheek, its wet trail a stark reminder of the emotional turmoil within me, I couldn't help but raise my hand to touch the evidence of my vulnerability. The tear glistened on my fingertip, a tangible manifestation of the turmoil that churned deep within my soul.

In that moment, a flood of conflicting emotions swept over me. The merging of Rosinante's essence with my own had blurred the lines between who I once was and who I had become. No longer was I simply Ross, the hardened warrior forged in the crucible of bloodshed. Now, I was also Rosinante, the compassionate soul who had dedicated his life to protecting the innocent.

The realization hit me like a thunderbolt, leaving me reeling in its wake. I had spent so long suppressing my emotions, burying them beneath layers of steel and resolve. But now, faced with the plight of these innocent children, those walls have crumbled, leaving me exposed and vulnerable.

As I stood there, a flood of memories washed over me, each one a testament to the journey I had undertaken since arriving in this world. From saving Homing, to tempering my villainous nature, to following Doflamingo's whims to visit Mary Geoise despite the risk, joining the Marines, every decision I had made flashed before my eyes in vivid detail.

In that moment, I realized the profound impact of a second persona that had subtly influenced me which led me to make these choices . I had fundamentally changed, evolving into a blend of two extreme personalities: one shrouded in darkness and the other bathed in light. While my dark side remained dominant, the influence of my light side had subtly guided many of my decisions.

It was a revelation that struck me to my core. For years, I had been oblivious to the gradual transformation occurring within me. But now, as tears welled in my eyes, I was forced to confront the truth. I was not the old Ross I had believed myself to be. I was something more—a complex amalgamation of conflicting traits, struggling to find balance in a world torn apart by chaos and conflict.

With this newfound understanding, I felt a sense of clarity wash over me, and I finally realized whom to blame for all this mess.

"Damn you, Rosinante," I muttered under my breath, my voice thick with emotion. "What have you done to me?"