After a brief meeting, Sakazuki led the two to the Fleet Admiral's office at headquarters.
Along the way, Aramaki chattered incessantly, Sakazuki occasionally nodded, and Issho sensed the soldiers they encountered.
In the Fleet Admiral's office.
After everyone was seated, a soldier came in and poured tea.
Sakazuki sat in the Fleet Admiral's chair and looked down.
"With the war ongoing, this welcome can only be a simple one."
"You two have been in the Navy for some time now."
"Regarding the current Navy, what are your thoughts? Feel free to share."
Aramaki said with exaggerated enthusiasm:
"No, no."
"Under Mr. Sakazuki's leadership, this Navy is simply perfect!"
"Hahahahaha."
Issho also nodded:
"That's right, under Admiral Sakazuki's leadership."
"Even the lowest-ranking Navy soldiers possess unwavering conviction. Such an army is truly admirable."
"But..."
He hesitated, unsure how to proceed.
Sakazuki noticed Issho's hesitation.
"There are no outsiders here."
"Whatever thoughts you have, feel free to express them."
Issho nodded, pondered for a moment, and then spoke:
"Admiral Sakazuki's governing style is perhaps too ruthless..."
"To some extent, many innocent people might be directly executed by the Navy during combat."
"Take the Germa Kingdom, for instance. Their betrayal of the government and collusion with the Four Emperors is indeed detestable, but that was a decision made by their high-ranking officials. To completely annihilate the kingdom, leaving no one alive... that..."
Aramaki nearby was somewhat displeased, as the mission had been executed by him, and he had even enjoyed such tasks.
"Hey! Issho!!!"
Before he could finish, Sakazuki raised his hand, signaling him to stop.
Sakazuki looked at the new Admiral.
"Issho is correct. This governing method does indeed lead to collateral damage."
"In fact, I can tell you with certainty that the collateral damage is far greater than you imagine."
"But as Fleet Admiral, my primary concern is to minimize casualties among the soldiers, not to pity the innocent civilians caught among pirates."
"You might not understand, but as Fleet Admiral, I must consider the overall picture."
"We cannot discern the truth of their words. To spare them simply because they seem pitiful would be irresponsible towards the lives of Navy soldiers, and irresponsible towards this world."
"The Germa Kingdom might have had innocent people, but have you considered the casualties our forces would suffer from the supplies they secretly sent to the New World over a year?"
"The purpose of this war is for the future of this world, so that there will be fewer tragedies on the seas."
"So that there will be fewer orphans and widows, less devastation. The number of civilians who die at the hands of pirates each year ranges from hundreds of thousands to immeasurable."
"The Navy currently has hundreds of thousands of personnel deployed across the world."
"The simplest way to eliminate pirates would be to detonate the three End Point islands in the New World and burn them all to ashes."
"However, there are millions of ordinary civilians in the New World."
"If you were the Fleet Admiral, faced with a choice between the lives of these millions of civilians and the lives of these hundreds of thousands of Navy soldiers, which would you choose?"
Issho's mouth parted slightly, wanting to speak but unable to. The words remained stuck in his throat.
Sakazuki smiled, stood up, and walked to the window, gazing at the distant sea.
"Just as you find it difficult to choose, many others do as well."
"Is the value of life determined solely by numbers?"
"Are the lives of millions of civilians not lives, while the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers fighting on the front lines are?"
"I could have, like past Fleet Admirals, maintained a balance, minimizing sacrifices, and the seas would remain the same after decades."
"Because choosing between the lives of millions of civilians and hundreds of thousands of Navy soldiers is a burden of sin no one dares to bear."
"The result of such a choice is still hundreds of thousands of deaths each year, the ruin of hundreds of thousands of families, affecting the lives of millions."
"But that has nothing to do with us, does it?"
"We can still sleep soundly, live our lives, because it's the pirates who are doing it."
"Choosing balance as Fleet Admiral, choosing to stand by as Admirals, perhaps occasionally showing a bit of kindness and saving some suffering civilians, and being hailed as a savior..."
"This is how it has been for eight hundred years..."
Sakazuki turned to face Issho and Aramaki and asked a question:
"After the World Grand Recruitment began, you must have felt the enthusiasm of the people."
"Why do you think so many people joined the Navy after the World Grand Recruitment was announced?"
Aramaki scratched his chin, thought for a moment, and said with a hint of fervor:
"Because of Mr. Sakazuki's methods."
"His ruthless approach towards everyone—that's what's most admirable and worthy of worship!"
Sakazuki chuckled lightly and looked towards Issho.
Issho pondered for a moment and said:
"Because of the pirates..."
Sakazuki nodded slightly.
"Partly right, partly wrong."
"Hatred for pirates alone is not enough."
"It's because they saw hope."
Issho's expression became serious, and Aramaki also became more solemn.
"Hope?"
Sakazuki walked to the map of the New World war situation.
"Sakazuki's name might have some effect, but it doesn't influence the entire world."
"Hatred for pirates will drive countless civilians to join the Navy, but there are also many cowards."
"What truly allows people worldwide to enthusiastically enlist is that we have brought them hope."
"The hope of eradicating all pirates from the world..."
"No Fleet Admiral in history has been known for being as merciless, brutal, and harsh as I am..."
"Yet, it is precisely because of this that we bring a sense of security to the people of the world, who have endured eight hundred years of pirate ravages, and make them believe that we will surely win."
"Can you imagine islands that have suffered pirate massacres, recovering for decades, only for most of their young and strong to come and join the Navy because of the World Grand Recruitment?"
"That is hatred etched into their bones..."
"Hatred that cannot be erased even after decades..."
"We have brought them hope, and they have placed all their trust in us."
"The 'Justice' we now bear is no longer just a simple word."
"It is hope, it is righteousness, it is the anticipation of the entire world."
"This war, which holds righteousness on its side, we will certainly win, but will the sacrifices be fewer?"
"No."
"But someone must always do things, make choices, and bear the burden..."
"The choice between innocent lives caught in the crossfire and the greater good of the world, I will make."
"The choice between the lives of millions of civilians and hundreds of thousands of soldiers, I will make."
"The innocent lives lost in this war and the monstrous sins committed, I will bear."
"Even if it means acting unilaterally..."
"I will crush the source of this suffering..."