Upon hearing Jin An's words, Topman Warcury couldn't help but reveal a hint of a cold smile.
He slightly turned his body and sneered in a low voice, "You think you're worthy to negotiate terms with me?"
Jin An still maintained that faint smile, as if he hadn't been affected at all.
His gaze was calm and sharp, carrying a kind of confident composure. "Your mistake led to the Impel Down prisoners' breakout. I went to recapture those escaped pirates and even conveniently gave you a 'gift' like Blackbeard. With such a good deal, I don't know where else you could find it."
Topman's gaze immediately froze, and a trace of unease arose in his heart.
These words struck at the sore spot of the Five Elders.
As the controllers of the World Government, they could never admit their mistakes.
Even if they caused chaos, leading to the current situation, their position meant they could never show weakness or apologize.
They had to maintain that supreme authority.
"So you think you can say whatever you want here?" Topman's face was gloomy, his tone cold and full of oppression. "I order you to immediately hunt down the escaped pirates. This is your duty!"
Jin An shrugged his shoulders, casually raising his hands, making an indifferent gesture.
"Okay, you're the boss, I'll listen to you." His tone carried a hint of mockery, as if deliberately catering to Topman's command, but in reality, it contained hidden sarcasm.
However, just as Jin An passed by Blackbeard, his gaze suddenly turned stern, his figure swayed, and a flash of a blade appeared.
Several cold glints flashed past, and the sharp blade accurately fell, Blackbeard's body being split into several pieces in an instant.
Fresh blood spurted out like a waterfall, staining the ground red, and a thick bloody smell filled the air.
Jin An stopped, casually flicked the blood off his blade, glanced coldly at the lifeless Blackbeard on the ground, and said in a nonchalant tone, "My spoils of war, I'll deal with them as I please, you... shouldn't have any objections, right?"
Topman Warcury's face instantly turned ashen, his eyes flashing with cold light.
He never expected that Jin An would dare to be so unscrupulous in front of him, openly killing a pirate who had significant value to the World Government.
However, in full view of everyone, Topman couldn't show too much anger.
He was one of the Five Elders, representing the highest authority, and any emotional fluctuations would be seen as a loss of control.
"You..."
His voice was low, his fists trembling slightly, and the anger in his eyes almost broke through his reason.
However, he suppressed the anger in his heart and ultimately did not explode.
Jin An seemed completely unconcerned about Topman's reaction, turned around easily, and walked towards the warship.
In the distance, Zephyr had been waiting there, witnessing everything that had just happened. His eyes flashed with a hint of complexity, as if he was both surprised and somewhat approving of Jin An's actions.
As Jin An left, the atmosphere at the scene finally eased, but everyone present understood that this conflict was just the beginning.
Topman Warcury's gaze locked onto Jin An like a sharp blade, and that pair of cold eyes flashed with undisguised killing intent.
He still maintained a superficial calm on his face, but his fists were unconsciously clenched in his sleeves, his knuckles turning white.
His anger was suppressed in his heart, like a beast that could go berserk at any moment.
"I hope you have a smooth journey!" Topman Warcury said through gritted teeth, deliberately emphasizing these words, as if each syllable carried a sting.
His voice was flat, but full of sarcasm and threat, like a poisoned dagger, stabbing straight into Jin An's back.
Upon hearing this, Jin An stopped and paused slightly.
He wasn't surprised by Topman's threat. These nobles from the upper echelons were always like this, unable to tolerate any chess pieces that escaped their control.
The corners of Jin An's mouth raised in a faint smile. He didn't turn his head, but at that moment, the surrounding air seemed to freeze because of his indifference.
He raised his head, gazing at the distant sea, his eyes deep and calm.
The wind gently lifted his cloak, carrying a hint of coolness, but this coolness was not enough to shake the determination in his heart.
Jin An was already accustomed to such confrontations, and he had never feared those symbols of power.
Even now, when Topman Warcury's gaze was as sharp as a blade, he didn't care.
"A smooth journey?"
The smile on Jin An's lips became more obvious, and he muttered in a low voice, his tone light, as if he didn't take Topman's threat seriously.
He knew that the real meaning behind these words was nothing more than a warning that the Five Elders would not let him go easily.
However, Jin An was never a person who was intimidated by warnings.
He turned his head, glanced at Topman Warcury indifferently, that gaze was calm without a trace of waves, but it seemed to carry some kind of invisible pressure, making Topman's heart sink.
"Thank you for your blessing, I will have a smooth journey."
Jin An responded softly, his voice revealing a sense of unruliness and confidence.
He didn't emphasize the words like Topman did, but instead threw them back with an indifferent attitude.
Jin An's tone was gentle, but it made Topman Warcury feel completely ignored.
Jin An turned around and strode forward, his cloak fluttering behind him.
The sound of his firm footsteps echoed in the empty port, as if declaring that he would not be shaken by any threat.
Topman stood in place, his eyes terribly gloomy, the anger in his heart almost burning him to ashes. He couldn't believe that this Marine Admiral dared to challenge him so brazenly.
"Jin An... you will pay the price for today's arrogance," Topman muttered to himself, his voice full of deep malice.
The sea breeze swept across Impel Down's port, Topman's hand tightened slightly, and he secretly made up his mind - Jin An, this increasingly uncontrollable existence in the eyes of the Five Elders, must be eliminated one day.
The Marines and prison guards watched Jin An's back disappear into the distance, his cloak fluttering in the wind, the striking word "Justice" embroidered on it dancing with the rhythm of the wind, as if it were the only truth.
And the light of justice seemed so dazzling at this moment, reflecting in the hearts of each of them, stirring up an uncontrollable emotional fluctuation.
However, these Marines and prison guards felt a subtle contradiction in their hearts.
Everyone once wore this uniform with a belief in justice, throwing themselves into the duties of the Marines, believing that they were responsible for maintaining world order and protecting the weak.
They originally thought that justice was a pure sword that could cut through all injustice and evil.
But as time went by, reality gradually made them understand that true justice was not as simple and pure as they initially imagined.
Looking at Jin An's fearless back, they couldn't help but feel longing.
Jin An was the embodiment of power and justice in their hearts, and his every move seemed to be a silent resistance to the rules of the World Government.
Those clean and decisive strikes, those merciless decisions, all carried a sense of justice that transcended the norm.
Such justice was frightening, full of some kind of primal power and unwavering belief.
Unfortunately, this belief did not seem to be accessible to everyone.
Reality was like a huge chasm lying in front of them, and that chasm was now becoming clearer - and that was the World Government.
Once upon a time, they believed that the World Government represented justice and was the ruler and guardian of this world, but everything recently had made them doubt this belief.
The coldness and tyranny displayed by Topman Warcury and the Five Elders, as well as their actions of placing the interests of the World Government above the beliefs of the Marines, completely broke their original understanding.
Does justice really exist?
Or are they just loyal to a mask that hides huge conspiracies and power struggles?
The Marines and prison guards looked at each other, their hearts stirred up in waves.
They wanted to follow Jin An's unwavering justice, but they also knew that they were just an insignificant part of this huge system, not even having the opportunity to resist.
The authority of the World Government pressed down on their hearts like a mountain, making it difficult for them to breathe.
That sense of oppression was far heavier than when they faced enemies.
The wind was still blowing, Jin An's back was getting further and further away, and the cloak symbolizing justice was still fluttering.
However, those Marines and prison guards standing in place were still bound by reality, unable to cross that chasm to touch the justice they craved.
Where is justice, in the end?
...
