The main harbor of Sabaody Archipelago wasn't far from the base, but the walk there you need to pass through several groves. Evening light filtered through the enormous trunks, bubbles drifting into the sky as Adam walked at a steady pace, his backpack slung over one shoulder, hands tucked casually into his pockets.
Anna walked beside him, kicking the occasional pebble out of her way.
Then Adam suddenly said,
"I thought about leaving the Navy."
Anna blinked.
She looked at him.
"What?"
Adam kept walking, his gaze forward.
"In the past year and a half."
He shrugged lightly.
"For good."
Anna slowed slightly, surprised by the casual way he said it.
"You're serious?"
Adam nodded faintly.
"After the war…"
His voice grew quieter.
"I started questioning things."
They passed beneath a cluster of glowing bubbles drifting between the mangrove roots.
Adam continued. "The whole meaning of justice."
Anna listened carefully now.
"The point of it all," Adam said.
"What do we truly seek?"
His brow furrowed slightly.
"Do we truly want a better world for the common people…"
"…or are we just playing a giant game of cat and mouse with criminals while certain people get away with everything?"
Anna frowned faintly.
Adam continued, almost as if he had been holding these thoughts in for a long time.
"What are we protecting?"
"What are we actually fighting for?"
"When I joined the Marines… I had a very simple desire."
He smiled faintly.
"Be the good guy."
"Protect the innocent."
He shook his head slightly.
"But it's not that simple anymore."
Anna stayed quiet for a moment.
She wasn't someone who overthought philosophy or justice.
She had joined the Marines because it felt right.
Because pirates hurt people, because someone had to stop them.
Finally she sighed.
"That's…"
She rubbed the back of her neck.
"…I don't really know what to say."
Adam glanced at her briefly.
"You don't have to."
He looked ahead again.
"That's why I didn't take that stupid promotion after the war."
His tone carried a faint bitterness.
"Because I had no plan to keep going."
"I was lost."
Anna said nothing.
She just walked beside him quietly now.
Listening.
Adam's eyes drifted toward the ground for a moment.
'Well…'
'I was lost because 'the old me' didn't know anything.'
His thoughts turned inward.
'He was just a Marine questioning justice.'
His gaze slowly lifted toward the sky above the mangrove canopy.
'But the current me…'
His red eyes narrowed slightly.
'I know everything about the One Piece world.'
The secrets. The lies.
The true power structures.
'I know what exists up there…'
The true rulers.
The shadow behind the word 'justice.'
They passed from Grove 50 toward Grove 41, nearing the harbor where the warship waited.
Adam's steps slowed suddenly as he noticed something.
His eyes widened slightly.
'Right…'
'How could I forget this…'
Anna noticed immediately.
"What?"
Adam wasn't looking at her.
His gaze was fixed ahead.
There, sitting near the edge of the grove,
Was a massive man.
Or rather… what remained of one.
Bartholomew Kuma.
His body was covered in visible damage. His massive form sat motionless, his blank eyes staring forward like a machine waiting for orders that would never come.
Behind him.
Docked quietly in the water.
Was a ship with a bright lion figurehead.
'The Thousand Sunny.'
Anna crossed her arms, glancing toward the giant figure as well.
"Oh yeah…"
Her voice softened slightly.
"He's still there."
She shook her head faintly.
"Hard to believe it's been almost two years since the war."
Her eyes lingered on Kuma.
"And he's still sitting there… guarding that ship for some reason."
Adam stared at him.
"Kuma…"
His voice was barely above a whisper.
For a brief moment, his expression darkened.
Because unlike Anna.
He knew the full story.
He knew what Kuma had sacrificed and he knew what had been taken from him, his jaw tightened slightly.
Then Adam suddenly turned away.
"Let's keep moving.."
His tone was firm.
He started walking again toward the harbor.
Anna blinked in surprise and stayed where she was for a moment longer.
Her eyes drifted back to Kuma.
The giant warlord of the sea sat there unmoving, like a silent statue protecting the Straw Hats' ship.
She exhaled quietly.
"…Yeah."
Then she jogged after Adam.
"Hey!"
"Wait for me!"
Adam didn't slow down.
But his mind lingered on the image behind them.
The silent guardian. And the pirate crew whose story he knew better than anyone.
'The world is about to start moving again,' he thought.
'And I'll make sure to be part of it.'
****
Adam and Anna reached Grove 1, this part of Sabaody Archipelago was always busy.
Massive mangrove roots stretched upward like pillars around the port, their surfaces glowing faintly as bubbles drifted through the air. Wooden docks extended across the water, and ships of all sizes rocked gently with the tide.
But unlike other parts of the island
This harbor belonged almost entirely to the Marines.
Dozens of soldiers moved across the docks carrying crates, loading cannons, or barking orders to sailors preparing vessels for departure. Blue and white uniforms were everywhere.
Not a single pirate flag could be seen.
Standing among the ships was a large Marine warship, its sails already raised slightly, the wind tugging lazily at the white fabric.
Bold black letters marked its sail.
G-1
Adam stopped walking.
He tilted his head slightly toward it.
"Well," he said casually.
"That's my ship."
Anna followed his gaze and whistled quietly.
"Straight to Marineford… or rather G-1."
But Adam's eyes had already drifted elsewhere.
Something had caught his attention along the far edge of the harbor.
A small group of people were being escorted toward another ship.
They weren't Marines and the ship had the World Governemnt logo.
Men dressed in clean black suits walked beside them with calm, almost indifferent expressions.
But the people they escorted
Were different, tattered clothes, bare feet, thin frames.
And around their necks…
Metal collars.
Adam's expression darkened slightly.
'Cipher Pol agents…'
His eyes lingered on the collars.
'And slaves.'
They walked in silence, heads lowered as the suited men guided them toward a sleek transport ship.
Adam's jaw tightened slightly.
'Ready to sail for the Holy Land.'
He exhaled slowly through his nose.
Anna noticed the direction he was looking.
Her own expression shifted.
"Yeah…"
Her voice grew bitter.
Adam asked quietly,
"Isn't the human shop in Grove 1 out of business?"
Anna nodded.
"It is."
She folded her arms tightly.
"Ever since that incident with the Celestial Dragon, the one Straw Hat was involved in."
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Straw Hat Luffy punching one of them basically forced the place to shut down."
Her eyes followed the group of slaves moving toward the ship.
"But there are others on the island."
Her voice turned disgusted.
"It's… disgusting."
Adam glanced at her.
"You don't like what you're seeing?"
His tone was calm.
"Even though it's authorized by the World Government?"
Anna immediately turned toward him.
"Of course I don't."
Her voice sharpened.
"Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's right."
She sighed heavily.
"But…"
Her shoulders dropped slightly.
"There's nothing to be done about it."
Adam watched the group quietly.
The slaves walked slowly, some stumbling slightly as the chains between them clinked softly against the wooden dock.
He spoke again.
"Right."
His voice was quiet now.
"And that's exactly what bothers me."
Anna looked at him again.
Adam's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the collars.
Then suddenly
An idea sparked in his mind.
'Shadows…'
His fingers twitched slightly.
He turned toward Anna.
"Though…"
She raised an eyebrow.
"…there is something I can try."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"What?"
Adam's voice lowered.
"I'll test my power."
Anna blinked.
Then realization hit her.
"Oh."
Her eyes flicked toward the slaves again.
"Oh!"
She stepped closer to him.
"Right!"
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"They could never tell it was you!"
Her eyes brightened slightly with sudden hope.
"You could use that shadow and free them!"
Adam remained silent for a moment.
His eyes lingered on the collars again.
Then his expression slowly darkened.
"…No."
Anna blinked.
"What?"
Adam sighed quietly.
"Now that I think about it, it would be pointless."
He pointed subtly toward the collars.
"That thing around their necks?"
Anna looked again.
"The collars?"
Adam nodded.
"They explode."
Her face went pale slightly.
"If the slaves try to run away… or disobey."
Anna swallowed.
"…Right."
Adam rubbed his temple slightly.
"With my current power…"
He shook his head faintly.
"I can't remove them myself."
The slaves continued walking past them toward the ship.
None of them dared look up.
None of them dared hope.
Adam watched them silently.
Anna exhaled slowly beside him.
"…"
The two of them stood there for a moment longer.
Watching.
Then Adam finally turned away, walking toward the G-1 warship.
"Though, I have another idea, and it will at surely cause problems for the Cipher pol on that ship." Adam said quietly with a smile.
/-\
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