Pirates: Beyond Akainu

Chapter 177 New Era ([-])
East China Sea.

At a shallow beach on the shore of Xiluobu Island, a small sailboat slowly docked.

On the boat, stood a tall and straight swordsman with a cold temperament, three long knives tied around his waist, and a head of bright green long hair.

The swordsman stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar shore, staring blankly. Just when he was about to think of something, a group of people, two big and three small, came running not far away.

"Hey! Zoro! Welcome back!!"

The sound has already arrived before the person gets close.

That was shouted by a fat old man. He was wearing denim overalls and a messy beard. He was holding a child in his arms, followed by two children and a beautiful and quiet woman.

The only striking thing is that the fat uncle has a long nose.

With this nose, the swordsman finally reunited his image with his former partner Usopp, and responded in surprise:
"Usopp!!"

"Ah! Zoro!!"

Usopp got excited and accidentally fell to the ground, but he had no time to cry out in pain or care about his fallen son. When he raised his head again, tears were streaming down his face and he ran towards Zoro without caring about anything.

"Okay, I understand, don't come close to me with a face full of snot and tears."

Zoro kicked in time to stop the big bear hug that the sloppy Usopp was about to give him.

Suddenly, both of them were startled. This familiar scene seemed to reappear in the past.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

The two looked at each other and smiled, then hugged each other fiercely.

Next to her, the little son, covered in dirt, protested to her gentle mother.

"Be patient, this is your father's most important partner."

Usopp's wife, Keya, gently patted their common son's little head.

The little Usopp, who also had a long nose, nodded half-understanding.

"You bastard green algae head! I was so happy to receive your letter. I thought we would never see each other again in this life."

Usopp was outgoing and could not control his tears.

Zoro's emotions are still restrained, and after the release just now, he has regained some of his cold expression.

"I'm back from traveling around the world."

"Did you really travel around the world? Go to the end of the world? Complete us, complete Luffy..."

Unconsciously mentioning that disappeared name, mentioning that unfinished dream, Usopp burst into tears again.

Seeing this, Keya quickly stepped forward and took Usopp's hand. The man who felt sorry for her still hadn't gotten over the death of her partner five years ago, and said softly:
"Go home first, prepare good wine and food, and let Zoro have a good rest before reminiscing."

Usopp covered his eyes with his arms, trying to stop the tears from leaving his eyes. He forced a smile and said, "Okay... let's go, Zoro, come to my house."

Zoro's face is weather-beaten. He has experienced a lot in the past five years of traveling around the world. At least when it comes to Luffy and everyone's unfinished dreams, he can no longer control his tears.

"Ah."

……

……

Quiet and peaceful village.

The sunset, which represents the arrival of darkness, touches the earth with its last gentleness. This is the last afterglow of the sun.

Orange waves hit the rocks beside the cliff. Usopp brought Zoro here and pointed at several wooden signs:

"This is the tomb I set up for everyone. This is our captain Luffy, this is the navigator Nami, this is the cook Sanji, this is the boatman Franky, this is the musician Brooke, and this is the best doctor. ...Chopper."

The death of his previous companions had been played out in Zoro's mind countless times, but when he saw Chopper's tombstone, his eyes widened.

"Didn't Chopper become an ordinary reindeer, how could he die so early?!"

Usopp's already calm mood became unstable again, and he gritted his teeth and burst into tears:

"Chopper is Chopper! He is our most important ship doctor, not just an ordinary reindeer! After we parted ways, I took Chopper back to our hometown, but he couldn't accept the deaths of Luffy and the others, so he jumped here The sea is dead..."

Hearing the news, Zoro also had tears in his eyes. He knelt down on one knee in front of Chopper's tombstone. The happy past with Chopper reappeared in his mind bit by bit, and he murmured softly: "Idiot... "

Usopp couldn't bear to look any more, his eyes were already red and swollen, especially seeing Sauron again today.

"What about...Robin? Where is she going? Is there any news about her?"

Zoro shook his head: "No, Robin and I never contacted each other after we separated. She said that she wanted to find the truth of history alone. I have also inquired about her over the years but found nothing. That woman is too kind. hide……"

Usopp sighed and sat on the ground dejectedly.

"If all that hadn't happened back then, if it hadn't been for the terrifying demon Akainu, our Straw Hat Pirates wouldn't have been separated by life and death like this."

Zoro was silent, looking up at the sky, his long green hair falling vertically, and suddenly said: "Usopp, aren't you curious?"

"Curious what?"

"Why can a roadie like me travel around the world?"

Usopp was surprised. What was surprising was that Zoro actually admitted one day that he was a fool. This was the Zoro who had been so strong all his life.

"why?"

There was a trace of bitterness on the corner of Zoro's mouth: "Because there is no danger in sailing on the sea today. There are countless islands and resources along the way. There are navy stationed on each island. Even if people like me stumble and often get lost, people still help me. I completed my journey around the world.”

Usopp was shocked: "I thought the navy's propaganda was all false, saying that they had killed all the pirates and bad guys in the world."

"It's true. Today's navy is not the navy we remember. They distinguish between right and wrong. I was caught by their cruise ship in the North Sea, and they recognized my identity as a former pirate, but I ended up in court. , but they acquitted me on the grounds that I had done no bad things and had made meritorious deeds in resisting the World Government on the Island of Justice and had been a bounty hunter.”

Usopp was shocked and speechless, and then slowly said:
"They are not like this in my eyes. My current wife, the Keya family was originally the richest people in the village, but after the navy came in, they forced Keya to hand over all their property, leaving Keya who had never done hard work before. Now you have to live a hard life as a worker with me."

"What do they do with the collected money?"

"Build big windmills to irrigate farmland."

"It can be considered a good thing that benefits more people."

"But our family, Keya, is a philanthropic person. She used to often donate to the poor in the village."

Zoro sighed and said: "At least things like the Black Cat Pirates will never happen again."

Mentioning the Black Cat Pirates who had murdered Keya's family and property and massacred the village, Usopp's expression changed but he still argued:
"But Captain Crowe was beaten away by us! With the prestige of our Straw Hat Pirates at that time, no other pirates would dare to cause trouble in Silobu Village."

Sauron didn't answer, and after a moment of silence he suddenly said:
"While traveling, I met a young officer from the [-]th Marine Corps. His words inspired me and made me realize a lot."

"Who is it? What did you say?"

"I forgot the name. I haven't heard it before. It's probably a young hero newly cultivated in their system. He said: Individual heroism cannot save everyone."

"Individual heroism cannot save everyone." Usopp repeated this sentence, he was shocked but said dejectedly:
"But like Luffy said, we are pirates and we are not going to be heroes. If we have meat, we must eat it ourselves. How can other people keep us..."

Zoro: "Yes, this may be the difference between us and them. Then their dreams are bigger than our dreams, so we failed."

"So they succeeded?"

Zoro shook his head and patted his head: "I don't know, I'm a little irritated. I won't talk about this anymore."

At this time, the sun has completely set, darkness has fallen, and the bright moon has come out.

Keya arrived suddenly and brought wine to the two of them. After delivering it, she hugged her son and left quietly.

Usopp took the initiative to pour a full bowl of wine for Sauron, and poured another bowl for himself.

Zoro drank a bowl of wine generously and said, "You are very good. You are the happiest person among us. You are married and have children. You can live a happy life."

When he mentioned his wife and three children, Usopp couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, they are my expectation to live now, and they are the happiest thing for me now."

Zoro poured the wine and drank by himself. He suddenly thought of something and asked with a smile: "Then will you abandon them like your father did back then, regardless of the life and death of your wife and children, and go to sea to find your unfinished dream?"

"Of course not!" Usopp shouted: "They are everything to me now!"

"It's best not to. The era of adventure in the sea is over. There are no dreams in the sea. Even the sea kings have become extinct. I don't want to see your son be like you in the future." Zoro warned his friend.

"How was I then?"

"A poor child who loves to brag and cry because he lacks love and wants to prove himself."

"Hahahahaha." Usopp laughed when he heard this sentence, thinking about it carefully, he was really like this back then.

Thinking of those events, Zoro also smiled. Suddenly he saw Sanji's tombstone out of the corner of his eye and suddenly said:
"Remember Sanji's dream? The legendary sea where you can see all the ingredients in the world."

"You found Sanji's dream!?"

"There is no need to find it. When the red earth continent that hinders the world is broken and the four seas are reunited, Sanji's dream will have been completed. It's just a pity that he didn't see it with his own eyes."

Thinking of Sanji's friend who "loved and killed each other", Zoro took another sip of wine.

"So that's it." Usopp sighed.

"What about your dream?" Usopp asked again.

"Me?" Zoro looked at the knife at his waist, especially the word "Wado" given to him by Kuina, and replied proudly:
"I am already the strongest swordsman in the world. In the past five years, it has been recognized by everyone in the world."

"Congratulations! Congratulations!" Usopp clapped and took the initiative to fill Zoro up with wine.

"But it's a lot more boring, because all the supernatural powers have disappeared, and the sword is just a sword. There is no longer the possibility of splitting mountains and seas like before."

"Hahaha, now that I think about it, the previous era was really scary. It was too unfriendly to ordinary people like me, and they all looked like monsters."

"Hahahaha, you finally realized this."

The bright moon hangs high, and old friends reminisce.

Zoro and Usopp seemed to have endless things to say, and they would laugh together from time to time.

Keya hid in the woods and watched them wipe away her tears. In her gentle eyes, the tombstone she saw was not a tombstone, but the reunion of all her friends who had returned from their adventure.

Everything is as beautiful as it was back then, just like they held a group banquet in the village after beating off Captain Crowe.

There was laughter and laughter.

……

……

Navy Headquarters.

late at night.

Roy knocked on the door of the office of the minister of anti-revolutionary affairs.

The lights were dim.

Minister Beria, who once had the power to kill countless people and also had the power to execute officers below the rank of general, was smiling quietly behind his desk.

Today, he is no longer the ordinary naval lieutenant commander who looked like a cat and an eagle, but a devil within the navy, so his smile is very scary.

"Welcome, my respected Lord Roy, the alternate member of the Military Council."

"It's so cold in your room." Roy pulled out the chair, sat down casually opposite Beria, and then threw a pile of documents on Beria's desk.

"This is?"

Roy didn't answer. He lit a cigarette first and puffed away slowly. In the process, although Beria was confused, he didn't take the initiative to open the file and waited patiently.

Roy was very satisfied and smiled: "Beria, you can be considered a profit-making villain after Sakaski came to power. It was fun to kill people casually at that time, right?"

Beria smiled: "That is necessary work to obey the orders of the great marshal."

"That's true. Without you, a murderous hawk, Sakaski might not have been able to take power within the navy so quickly. To centralize power, it's enough to kill the disobedient and keep the obedient."

Beria shook his head, but there was a trace of impatience in the corners of his eyes.

Roy suddenly said: "Do you want to relive the feeling back then?"

"Ok?"

"It's reviewing murders, what you were best at back then." Roy pushed the documents on the table over.

"Chairman Zefa has just approved it, and he has authorized me to organize a new major national reform, which will be more violent than before! A more thorough national reform!"

Beria's eyes lit up and he couldn't wait to open it, and then he saw Zefa's autograph.

"How are you? Are you excited? I know people like you." Roy was more like a devil than Beria at this time, seducing in a low voice.

"This is what the Qing Rebellion Department should do. It has not been disbanded, so I know there is still a use for me."

"But when Commissioner Ghost Spider handed you the position of minister, the power of the Qing Rebels Department declined. And you, you tried several times to get into the Military Committee but were unable to do so. Do you know why?"

Beria looked shocked. He really wanted to know why, with his merits and contribution to Sakaski's power, why was there no place for me on the Military Committee?
Roy leaned close to Beria's ear and said slowly: "Because this is what Sakaski meant. He once told Zefa that you cannot be reused. After the troubled times, people like you and the Qing rebels should slow down." Slow marginalization.”

"But now, your chance has come, because next will be my time."

Roy extended his hand to Beria.

Beria held the hand tightly without any hesitation.

……

……

East China Sea, Xiluobu Village.

Sauron and Usopp drank and talked all night, and after dawn, Sauron told Usopp that he would start the journey again.

"Why? Zoro, where are you going? Wouldn't it be better to stay and start a family like me?"

"I'm not such a person, at least not now. I still have unfinished things, such as looking for Robin."

Usopp was speechless and choked. He already understood Zoro's temperament, so he chose not to persuade but to bless.

"Have a nice trip. Write to me when you have time. Come and see me often."

"Will do."

Zoro was holding three knives, and the prodigal son's long hair was swaying, leaving only Usopp's back as he waved his hand.

As Usopp watched Zoro get on the small sailboat parked on the shore, he suddenly said:
"By the way Zoro! Do you remember where this is? This port is where the five of us, the Meili, set sail!"

Sauron's expression was shocked. He felt that this place was so familiar when he disembarked yesterday. It turned out to be the place where his dream set sail.

"yes……"

Zoro lowered his head, and when he raised his head again, he showed a heartfelt smile. He skillfully climbed up the ship's plank and pulled up the sail.

"Then, let's set off again!"

(End of this chapter)