Looking at the Paramount War as a whole, it was never only about monsters like Ozz clashing with one another.
Most of it, in truth, was made up of ordinary Marines and pirate fodder dying in droves. But people's eyes always drifted toward the strong.
Just like those watching the live broadcast, who only cared about how outrageous the battles between the Marine Admirals and the great pirates would be, and who would win or lose.
Other than the families of Marine soldiers, no one cared how many men died when a laser beam exploded, or how many Marines lost their lives when a single quake punch overturned all of Marineford.
From the standpoint of common ideas of justice, those men did deserve attention. Not only because they were pitifully weak, but because every one of them was a warrior staking his life on the ideals of his camp. They were real men.
But not every minor figure was worthy of admiration.
"What's with that guy...?"
A furious shout rang out in front of Ozz.
It came from a small Marine with pink hair tied up in a bandanna. His face was covered in tears and snot as he spread both arms wide and stood in front of the black-clad figure.
Strangely enough, that shout actually seemed to work.
Everyone's attention was drawn over. The light beam Borsalino had been charging in his hand for quite a while slowly faded away.
Sakazuki lowered his gaze. Teach panted as he looked over too.
"Stop the war!!!"
Standing before Ozz with his arms spread, looking barely half his height, Koby shouted at the top of his lungs,
"Don't fight anymore!!!"
The terrifying black spatial shockwave in Ozz's hand continued to hum as it warped the space around it. The tall man in the black coat lowered his head and looked down at the figure in front of him.
Hm?
Wasn't this the King of Deserters?
"You're trampling on lives!!!"
Koby screamed through tears, as if he had completely thrown caution to the wind. His face was twisted in agony.
"Every soldier and every pirate has family and friends of their own! This war, which began as a battle between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates, has already spiraled more and more out of control!!!"
"Whitebeard is dead. The fact that Fire Fist Ace has been rescued can no longer be undone. Since the outcome of the war has already been decided, continuing to fight now..."
"Turning a blind eye to the people who could still be saved, and continuing to increase the number of sacrifices..."
"Wouldn't that make all those people fighting with their lives on the line look like idiots?!"
Faced with the pink-haired King of Deserters shouting at him, Ozz merely dug at one ear. The black spatial wave in his hand did not fade. If anything, it only became sharper.
Seeing this, Garp's eyes widened.
"Wait, Ozz. Koby is my disciple..."
As the man who had witnessed Koby's two-hundredfold effort, Garp naturally thought very highly of him. If the Marines dealt with Koby from the standpoint of military law, he would have nothing to say.
But if Ozz, as a pirate, wanted to kill Koby, then he had to step in.
"Old man Garp, I already let you keep one grandson. Don't get greedy."
Ozz shot him a glance and snorted coldly.
"Grandson?"
Roger froze for a moment, then seemed to remember something. He immediately moved to block Garp, and the two started fighting again.
Ozz ignored them and instead looked down at the little nuisance in front of him.
"Fighting with one's life on the line is the resolve they chose for the sake of their ideals. That has nothing to do with a deserter like you."
He could kill the King of Deserters without the slightest hesitation, smash him into paste with a single punch if he wanted.
But looking at Koby's expression, the one that seemed willing to die without regret, Ozz knew that even if he killed him, the boy would probably think he had died gloriously for righteousness.
That irritated Ozz.
At that moment, Seagull King flew out from somewhere.
An image appeared on the Den Den Mushi in its claws.
"We should run. These monsters are way beyond anything we can handle."
"So scary!!!"
On the brutal battlefield, one blond-haired man and one pink-haired man were muddling through the chaos and had even hidden in the rear for a while.
The sight instantly enraged countless Marines!!!
One heavily wounded Marine lying on the ground saw that while he had charged at the front, his comrades had hidden in the back. His blood surged in fury and he died on the spot.
Some Marine officers, seeing that even the elite forces of Marine Headquarters had soldiers like this, felt only humiliation flood through them.
These were the men they had trained?!
The pirate grunts, who had been beaten into a miserable state, did not forget to mock them.
"So this is Marine Headquarters?!"
"In the Whitebeard Pirates, not a single one of us ran!!!"
"The Marines of Marineford are nothing special..."
Even ordinary people watching the broadcast began voicing doubts.
"We pay our money so the Marines of the World Government can protect us from pirates!!!"
"Not so they can run away!!!"
For a moment, outrage surged everywhere.
Koby, who had still been crying a moment earlier, forgot to cry. He just sat there blankly.
Everyone was condemning him. Everyone was cursing him.
"A worthless deserter, and you dare question pirates who are fighting with their lives for family and brotherhood, and Marines who are fighting to uphold order..."
"Who gave you the courage to do that?!"
"I... I..."
Koby's face twisted in agony. He dropped to the ground on his backside.
Without the support of moral superiority, what courage did he have left to stand before the strongest man in the world?
Seeing him like that, Ozz's eyes sank slightly.
He could not even be bothered to keep talking. The kid was not worthy of hearing any more.
Ozz lifted one leg and was just about to kick the King of Deserters in the head.
And then.
Bang!!!
Everyone broke out in cold sweat and looked toward Ozz.
A figure had appeared in an instant, blade in hand, blocking Ozz's kick.
...
Even Ozz was speechless.
Was there really some kind of luck in this world? Were some people simply that hard to kill?
Under everyone's shocked gaze, a stubbled man in a black cloak and sandals appeared.
He stood directly in front of Ozz with a sword in hand.
"You've done well, young Marine."
"This war really has gone far beyond anything anyone expected. If it continues, it may drag the entire world into the abyss of war."
His expression was extremely serious. On that weathered face marked by three scars was a look of gravity and ferocity.
"Ozz, no matter what, even indulging yourself has to have limits. At the rate this war is escalating, sooner or later it will trigger a conflict on a global scale."
"I came..."
"To end this war."
Shanks now carried an overwhelming presence. His mature face, marked by the hardships of the years, radiated a formidable aura.
Ozz looked at him darkly, staring at Shanks, who had blocked his kick.
"Give me some face."
"End the war, Ozz!!!"
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