Chapter 280: All is justice

Chapter 280: Chapter 280: All is justice

There were no trees there, only some tenacious weeds and stones, but the view was wide, and the sea breeze blew gently.

He used his hands and a sharp stone he had found to dig bit by bit into the hard earth and rock.

Charlotte Linlin stood not far away, leaning against a rock and watching, neither urging him on nor offering help.

Sweat mixed with tears, constantly sliding down Kuzan’s face and dripping into the soil.

He did not cry out that he was tired, only digging in silence, as if trying to vent all his sorrow, anger, and helplessness into this monotonous action.

After an unknown amount of time, a shallow pit barely large enough to hold one person was dug.

Kuzan carefully placed Grandpa Mo’s remains inside and straightened his tattered clothes.

When he turned the old man over, the pattern on the tattered target suits on the old man’s back clearly caught Charlotte Linlin’s eyes.

Charlotte Linlin, who had been silent all along, fixed her gaze on the black-and-white circle pattern, her purple eyes narrowing slightly as she muttered to herself:

"target suits... A person who escaped from God Valley?... Is it because this place is not too far from the Sorbet Kingdom?"

Kuzan, who was filling in the soil, paused, suddenly looked up, his tear-stained face showing shock and suspicion:

"otousan... you... do you know where Grandpa Mo came from?"

Charlotte Linlin withdrew her gaze and looked at Kuzan, her eyes returning to that look of keen interest:

"I suppose I know a little. If I haven’t guessed wrong, this Grandpa Mo, and the mark on his clothes, all point to one place—God Valley."

"God Valley? What kind of place is that?" Kuzan asked blankly.

"Hmm, an island that was completely ’erased’ from maps and history not long ago. A place the World Government does not want anyone to know existed or what happened there."

Charlotte Linlin looked at him, not answering immediately, her mouth curling into a meaningful arc:

"Are you sure you want to know? This matter... might completely subvert your previous understanding of ’justice,’ especially of the ’Marine,’ oh~"

Kuzan’s body trembled slightly. Subvert his understanding? About the Marine? He thought of Grandpa Mo’s strange clothes, the fear that occasionally seeped from the old man down to his bones, and what he had said about having "no household registration" and being "someone who escaped"...

"...I do," he said hoarsely. "I want to know. Please tell me, otousan."

This time, when he called her "otousan," there was less forced humiliation and more solemnity.

"Very well." Charlotte Linlin straightened up, walked over to his side, looked out at the rolling waves of the sea, and began to speak in a tone so calm it was almost cold.

The Celestial Dragons’ "human hunting" game, the Slaves and civilians of various races used as prey, the World Government’s indulgence and cover-up, the Rocks Pirates’ attack and chaotic battle, and the final destruction of the island and the erasure of information...

She omitted the parts about herself, Imu, Rocks, and others, but even this was enough to depict a scene of hell, and the role played by the World Government and its subordinate Marine within it.

As she spoke, Kuzan’s face grew paler and paler, his lips trembled slightly, his fists clenched tightly, and his fingernails dug into his palms once again.

"...Your Grandpa Mo was probably saved by that brat at that time. Without an identity, without money, wearing these clothes might even invite pursuit or discrimination... It is a miracle that he survived."

Kuzan listened, stunned, his face growing paler. He could not imagine that such a dark "game" that trampled on human nature existed in the world! And the ones leading it were actually the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons?!

And the Marine... aren’t the Marines supposed to protect the people? How could they allow such things to happen?! Shouldn’t they have stopped it?!

"How about it?" Charlotte Linlin finished speaking, turned her head, a mocking arc on her lips, looking at the deeply shocked Kuzan,

"Now, do you still so firmly want to become a Marine? They are the Celestial Dragons’ most loyal guard dogs and... accomplices, oh~ At least on that island, they were."

"How could it be... how could it be like this..." Kuzan muttered to himself, his eyes unfocused. The belief that had supported him all along—to join the Marine and practice justice—seemed to have developed a huge crack at this moment,

"The Marine... aren’t they just? Aren’t they supposed to protect the weak?"

"justice?" Charlotte Linlin scoffed, meeting Kuzan’s gaze. At this moment, she reined in her cynical tone, rarely carrying a bit of guidance belonging to a "father":

"Kuzan, this world is often not just black and white. Anyone can hang up the banner of justice.

Pirates can call themselves chivalrous thieves, nobles can be full of benevolence and virtue, and the World Government can hold high ’Absolute justice’."

She pointed to herself, "Just like me, I could also hang the flag of ’justice’ on my ship and declare that I am the only light of justice in the sea."

"Does that have any meaning?" Kuzan looked at her blankly.

Charlotte Linlin continued, her voice steady: "The Marine is a massive organization; naturally, there are good people and bad people inside, some who adhere to their beliefs, and others who are complicit.

But its top level, its core, is determined by the World Government, by the Celestial Dragons.

"When the order of ’justice’ comes from those ’gods’ who treat people as prey, how are the ’justice’ enforcers below supposed to conduct themselves?"

She patted Kuzan on the shoulder, not too light and not too heavy: "So, don’t rush to conclusions, and don’t be easily confused by other people’s labels. Does the Marine have justice? How much justice is there? You need to see for yourself, experience it, and judge it."

Kuzan lowered his head, looking at the soil staining his palms, his heart in turmoil. Grandpa Mo’s tragic death, the darkness of God Valley, the potential stains on the Marine... all of this was impacting his young worldview.

"Then... otousan," he looked up, his eyes full of confusion and the pain of yearning for an answer, "what exactly... is justice?"

Charlotte Linlin looked at him, silent for a moment. The sea breeze blew through her long hair, and Seagulls called in the distance.

Then, she spoke slowly, her voice clear and powerful, as if she were not answering a child’s question, but stating a principle she firmly believed in herself:

"Just follow your own heart."

"Do not be easily swayed by outside voices, and do not let your eyes be blinded by flashy banners and loud slogans."

"Use your eyes to see, use your heart to feel, and use your brain to think."

"Then, make your own choices and bear your own consequences."

She stood up, her huge figure casting a long shadow in the sunset, her tone carrying a sense of detachment and certainty: "Your old man is giving you a piece of advice, remember it well—"

"My heart and my actions are as clear as a mirror."

"Everything I do is justice."

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