https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-615-There-Are-Two-Trees-in-Front-of-My-House/13538746/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-617-The-Good-Karma-Cycle-Machine/13538748/
Chapter 616: Do You Think I'm an Asura?!
Chapter 616: Do You Think I'm an Asura?!
After the worship ceremony, Kuro led his men back to Base 153.
This location naturally couldn't accommodate three thousand people.
Li Pa simply opened up the exterior, transforming the fortress and town into the main venues for the welcome banquet. The three-thousand-strong Douglegnavy division split into groups - part entered the fortress, while others gathered in the town's outdoor plaza and streets to begin the feast.
As for Kuro and his entourage, they naturally entered the main banquet hall inside the fortress.
The long table was arranged by military rank, with Kuro seated at the main seat while his subordinates lined up on either side. Li Pa sat at the far end, clapping his hands and saying, "Let's begin."
Soon, Navy servants brought dishes and placed them on the table.
First came a salad for each person.
Kuro picked up his chopsticks and looked at the salad before him. "Starting with vegetarian dishes isn't bad. It's good for the stomach."
No one objected to this statement.
They weren't vegetarians after all.
After the salad, the Navy servants brought several plates of cucumbers.
"Hmm, cucumbers. Light and refreshing. A good appetizer." Kuro lifted his chopsticks again.
The Navy servants continued serving more food - several plates of green vegetables.
Then came more green vegetables.
More green vegetables.
Green...
Green!
"Did you mistake me for Old Man Asura, Li Pa?!"
A throbbing vein appeared on Kuro's forehead as he suddenly overturned the table, sending food flying everywhere. He glared at Li Pa and roared, "Or am I some kind of kappa?! Where's the meat?! Meat! You might be vegetarian, but you can't expect me to be!"
"Vice Admiral Kuro."
Li Pa's face remained calm as he continued smiling. "Please be patient and savor it carefully. Soon you'll discover the gentleness of nature and the gifts of the earth. Without slaughter, without plunder, simply receiving nature's gifts can bring fullness. This lifestyle is the most kind and compassionate."
"What kind of joke is this?! I'm human! I'm an omnivore!"
Kuro pointed at Li Pa. "Your very existence is because our ancestors conquered this world step by step, and that process certainly involved slaughter and plunder. Face the ugliness of humanity, Li Pa. And you weren't like this before - what's going on?!"
"I simply believe that being kind, being gentle, receiving nature's blessings, holding reverence for life, and abandoning killing and plundering - this is what makes one truly human."
Li Pa stood up, unflinching as he faced Kuro. "Kuro, I've finally realized that only by following this path can humans truly be human."
"And you-"
Li Pa pointed at Kuro. "Even though you're Vice Admiral, the 'Golden Lion,' you can't deny that you're an executioner stained with blood!"
This statement caused complete silence around the table.
Everyone's eyes showed disbelief.
Was this really Li Pa?
Was this really a Navy officer?
A Navy officer accusing another of being a bloodstained executioner?!
"You spoke beautifully!"
Kuro gritted his teeth. "Out of respect for you being my former superior, I'll let this slide."
He took a deep breath, glared at Li Pa, and turned to leave.
The man who once looked after him had become this pitiful sight. Clearly, he no longer belonged in the Navy...
"Not like this at all!"
Just as Kuro was about to leave and write a complaint note, Kas suddenly spoke up.
He stood up, pointing at Li Pa with righteous indignation. "That's not true! Everything Kuro Mr. has done is for Justice!!"
"What justice? Isn't it just killing? True justice would never recklessly take lives!" Li Pa shouted back.
"That's not true!"
Kas stood face-to-face with Li Pa, his solemn eyes staring directly into Li Pa's. "Justice is affirmation that requires sacrifice! There are too many pirates on the Grand Line! Those pirates, those wicked ones, make civilians live unstable lives, forcing them to live in fear every day, afraid of being killed or plundered. Their hard-earned achievements are destroyed by a single pirate raid."
"If the Navy refuses to kill, we'll never curb this situation. Some pirates can't be captured because capture is harder than killing. Our energy is limited - the Grand Line is too vast while the Navy is too small. Between protecting civilians and ourselves, we naturally choose to protect civilians!"
Kas shouted, "Who likes killing? No one does! But to protect civilians and uphold Justice, we hang our souls under the banner of Justice, letting Justice judge our actions! Look at Shelz Town's current peace - isn't that the result of the Navy's long-term pursuit of Justice? If you won't confront pirates, how can you fulfill Justice? How can you face the hooded cloak behind you, and the civilians who trust and support you!"
As he spoke, a white energy surged from Kas's body, impacting the area around Li Pa.
Like a gust of wind, the energy blew off Li Pa's hooded cloak and hat. The hat fell to the ground, revealing his hair.
Li Pa's eyes widened as he suddenly bent over, clutching his head. "I... I..."
In the swirling white energy, Li Pa's eyes showed something strange.
His gaze was gentle, yet unnaturally numb.
As if nothing existed beyond that gentleness.
But in this moment, that numb gaze gained some complexity - the complexity of humanity.
"Commander Li Pa! You're a Navy of Justice! Not a vegetarian Buddha!!" Kas added another sentence, the white energy surging from his body once more, impacting Li Pa again.
Li Pa's eyes gradually regained clarity.
He knelt on the ground, panting heavily, cold sweat pouring down his face. "What... What happened to me?"
"Hmm?"
Kuro turned around, raising an eyebrow. "What's going on, Li Pa?"
Even a fool could see something was different.
This guy seemed... off.
"Kuro!"
Li Pa stood up, looking at Kuro as if seeing him for the first time. "It's really you, Kuro!"
"Don't think pretending to just now meet me will erase your insult. I remember what you called me - executioner!"
Saying that, Kuro sat back down. "What's going on?"
"I don't know."
Li Pa shook his head, standing there dazed for a moment before continuing.
"About a year ago, after hearing some news, I went to check on some pirates nearby. Then I met a person wearing a black robe. After meeting him, I started thinking that life should be kinder, that we shouldn't slaughter."
He suddenly slammed his fist on the ground. "How could I think like that?! I'm Navy! I should be kind, yes, but not toward pirates!"
"Devil Fruit ability?"
Kuro narrowed his eyes. "You encountered a Devil Fruit user?"
Only Devil Fruit users could cause such drastic changes in human nature.
As for curses or legends, he didn't believe in them at all.
But an ability that could make someone become a vegetarian Buddhist was indeed strange - similar to Shiranami's "Washing Washing Devil Fruit."
(End of Chapter)
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