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Chapter 996: Those Who Fear the Grand Line
Chapter 996: Those Who Fear the Grand Line
What exactly defines a "strong man"?
Kas once asked Kuromr. this very question.
Back then, they were still in the East Blue. Kuromr. was a Sergeant, and Kas served as a sergeant under his command. At the time, Kas had merely viewed Kuromr. as a respectable Navy officer who cared deeply about his subordinates' safety and the well-being of civilians. The laziness Kuromr. occasionally displayed was, in Kas' mind, just another method to train his men's sense of responsibility.
Back then, Kas himself had been lost—a Navy officer with a vague, undefined sense of justice, mindlessly chasing pirates like everyone else.
"How should I explain 'strong men'..." Kuromr. had leaned back in his chair within the cramped office of their patrol ship, pointing out the window toward the Grand Line. "Do you see that sea out there?"
"I see it", Kas replied, puzzled.
"The Grand Line is terrifying. Are you afraid of it?"
Kas shook his head. "No. As Navy, we must always be prepared to die on the Grand Line."
Kuromr. simply smiled, saying nothing.
Kas never truly understood the meaning behind those words—not even after he discovered his own persistent justice. To him, the Navy's duty was to protect justice, and those who weren't afraid of the Grand Line should protect those who were. That was his justice.
It wasn't until he read Kuromr.'s old investigative reports that he finally grasped a sliver of understanding. He began observing the world around him more closely.
In Dressrosa and its surrounding islands, he saw countless examples.
Farmers toiling endlessly in their fields, battling sudden storms and tsunamis. Kas had witnessed people weeping bitterly after torrential rains destroyed their crops, only to wipe their tears away and grit their teeth to salvage what they could.
Artisans whose carefully constructed buildings collapsed during sudden earthquakes, yet they immediately set to work rebuilding without hesitation.
Street vendors whose boats were destroyed by tsunamis or robbed by pirates, yet after surviving, they still carried their remaining supplies to sell.
Did they fear the Grand Line?
Of course they did!
But fear didn't mean surrender!
These were people who had failed countless times yet refused to give up. They feared the Grand Line, feared the storms, earthquakes, and tsunamis it birthed, feared sea beasts and pirates—even fearing anything that might disrupt their lives.
Yet their will to survive left Kas deeply shaken.
He had seen so many like them.
If it were just one person, he would help out of duty—that was the Navy's responsibility.
But what if it was a hundred people? A thousand? Ten thousand? What if it was an endless number of people across the Grand Line?
That kind of collective will left Kas awestruck.
Now he finally understood!
"Strength isn't something someone like you can judge!"
The White Colossus' white energy solidified further, releasing a shockwave that roared across the island:
"Look! Open your eyes and look at those people!"
The voice shook Wang Long again. Though Kas hadn't specified where, Wang Long instinctively turned his gaze toward the distant farmland.
Beyond the golden fields stood a group of civilians, holding crude farming tools like pitchforks and wooden clubs. Their expressions mixed fear and concern, yet not a single one showed any sign of retreat.
"You and I are ordinary people—we just happen to control a bit more resources. But if we lost those resources, if we faced failure, we might not be as strong as them!"
Kas roared, "Strength isn't determined by resources! It's determined by the heart! Persistent justice is the same—it comes from survival, duty, responsibility, and courage! Humanity's anthem is the anthem of courage! For those who still face the storms that crush them, the waves that capsize them, the earthquakes that destroy their homes, the pirates who plunder everything they own—how dare you call them weaklings?!"
The white energy erupted violently. The colossal white beast-shaped energy scattered outward, slamming into Wang Long's body. The impact of Conqueror's Haki made Wang Long's mind tremble violently. He lost his grip on the stone pillar entirely, crashing to the ground.
The White Colossus vanished, dissolving into a hazy white mist that enveloped the two thousand Navy soldiers. At their forefront stood a bearded man gripping a saber, pointing it directly at Wang Long.
Kuromr. once said: Streams merge into rivers, droplets become oceans. A single spark can ignite the prairie!
After witnessing these people's lives, reading Kuromr.'s reports, and reviewing Wilbur's recorded "Words of Justice", Kas finally understood what Kuromr. had meant back then!
"We must show the wicked that these people aren't just protected—they must also see the strength that erupts from them isn't something to be trifled with!"
"We are the protectors and practitioners of this indomitable will!!!"
Wang Long stared blankly at the bearded man radiating justice. For the first time in ages, memories of his days as a wanderer in the Flower Country surfaced.
Back then, he had fought for justice, and people had smiled at him genuinely.
When had he changed?
After setting sail, encountering countless strong men, and battling them, he gradually shifted his focus to "dominance." He obsessed over improving his "dominance", avoiding fights he couldn't win, waiting until he cultivated further to become an even stronger man. As long as he improved his "dominance", he believed he could defeat them all.
As a long-term traveler of the Grand Line, he had indeed seen the very scenes Kas described—people living courageously. But he had forgotten.
Forgotten the self who once drew his blade against stronger men simply because he couldn't stand injustice.
Now, all he thought about was when he would win, rather than that old self who never considered victory—only drawing his blade first, consequences be damned.
"Dominance..."
Wang Long looked down at the stone pillar at his feet, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
"What incredible Conqueror's Haki and aura."
He picked up the stone pillar, took a deep breath, and slammed it into the ground with a roar: "Flower Country's Wang Long challenges the Navy as a pirate today! This has nothing to do with anything else! Don't underestimate me!!"
Clutching the stone pillar, he charged fiercely toward the soldiers.
Dominance be damned! Just swing your blade first!
Forget everything else—even if this reckless swinging felt undignified, he would still strike! Just to show that man before him, who inspired his admiration, that he wouldn't admit defeat!!
...
"Achoo!!"
Inside Headquarters' office, Kuromr. suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose horizontally, blinking his eyes open. "Strange, was I asleep? I even had a dream..."
Lida, sitting on the couch, asked curiously, "What was the dream about?"
"Ah..." Kuromr. hesitated briefly, then turned his head toward the Grand Line outside the window. "Back when we were in the East Blue, Kas asked me what makes a strong man. I asked him if he feared the Grand Line, and he said he didn't."
"And then?"
"And then? That was it! If he feared the Grand Line, I was going to tell him to overcome that fear. But when he said he wasn't afraid, I had nothing to say. I could only laugh. You know what? When you don't know what to say, just smile!"
Back then, he had constantly worried about tsunamis capsizing their ship or sea beasts swallowing them whole.
Kas wasn't afraid, but Kuromr. certainly was.
(End of Chapter)
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