20demayo Chapter 102: Unable to Begin
Chapter 102: Unable to Begin
Chapter 103, Section 102: No Turning Back
Zefa leaned against the ship's railing, his face completely hidden in shadow beneath his hood.
He listened quietly to people's stories without saying a word.
These living, breathing people recounted the bloody details, laying bare the cruel truth before him and Garp.
Karp straightened up, looked around at the still-shaken people on the deck, and then at the dark sea outside the ship's side.
On the sea, more blurry figures bobbed up and down, but the cries for help had faded away.
"Keep rescuing people! Lower all the movable lifeboats! Quickly!"
Garp roared at the soldiers on the ship, his voice hoarse, like the booming of a battle drum on the deck.
The soldiers were stunned for a moment, then reacted, shouted in agreement, and quickly ran, throwing more ropes and lifebuoys into the sea.
"It's no use, Garp."
Zefa finally spoke, his voice like it had been sanded: "You can't save everyone, this sea—it's too big."
"The real source is yet to come."
Karp didn't turn around. He braced his hands on the ship's gunwale, his fingers digging into the cold, hard metal until his knuckles turned white.
"Then let's go to the source!"
He gritted his teeth: "I want to see which bastard did this!"
The warship started up again, sailing against the current of the river made up of living people and corpses, rescuing people continuously while striving towards the source of the river.
Those rescued were temporarily placed in sheltered areas on the cabins and decks, where low sobs and painful groans filled the air for everyone on board.
The sky began to turn gray, and the darkest hour before dawn was about to pass.
The sea breeze brought a different scent, no longer just the salty smell of the ocean, but also a sweet and pungent smell mixed with the aroma of burnt food and chemicals.
The lookout suddenly shouted, "General, report! An island has been spotted ahead! There's a lot of smoke on it!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
As the sky gradually brightens, the outline of an island appears on the horizon.
Above the island, several thick, black plumes of smoke rose straight into the sky, and even from this distance, the faint glow of fire at the base of the plumes could be seen.
As the distance closes, more details become apparent.
The island's coastline is densely packed with warships, an astonishing number, practically half of the navy's entire fleet has been brought here.
In the center of the island, there is a large area of simple but uniformly structured gray, long, narrow buildings, arranged in an orderly yet oppressive manner.
The black smoke was coming from the chimneys on the top of several of the buildings.
On the sea between the islands and the warships, an even more shocking scene unfolded.
Not only in the direction they came from, but also in the waters surrounding the island, corpses and people barely alive were floating everywhere.
Small transport ships are sweeping away the people who have been thrown into the sea like garbage to make room for larger warships.
It can even be seen that on some warships, people dressed in white uniforms or black suits are pushing bound humanoid objects into the sea directly from the ship's side.
This situation needs no further explanation.
"Move closer!"
Garp's order was firm and decisive.
"no."
Zefa stopped him: "If you get too close, you'll be discovered, and then no one can save you!"
"Stop the boat right now, let's both change our clothes and find a corner to go upstairs."
Garp stared at him, then glanced at the island in the distance that looked like a painting of hell, before finally turning and walking into the cabin.
Half an hour later, the two had silently climbed to a steep cliff on the edge of the island.
As dawn broke, they looked down from their vantage point, and the scene on the island became clearer and even more breathtaking.
The gray buildings were divided into different areas by tall barbed wire fences, and each area was crowded with people, like sardine cans.
Armed naval soldiers and CP agents patrolled outside the barbed wire fence, all expressionless.
People wearing protective suits and gas masks drove small trucks through the gray buildings.
At this distance, the fishy, sweet smell in the air became even stronger, mixed with the pungent odor of disinfectant, making it truly nauseating.
Karp's stomach churned, and he abruptly turned his head away, but the smell, and everything he had just seen, were already firmly etched into his mind.
Bloodshot veins appeared in Garp's eyes: "Is this what the World Government wants?!"
Zephyr's expression was equally grim, but he managed to keep his composure: "I saw it with my own eyes, Garp."
"That's what they're doing. Not fighting pirates, not upholding justice, but arresting everyone they think might be suspects or disloyal, interrogating them, and then disposing of them like garbage."
"Just to reaffirm their authority—damn it!"
Garp's fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
"Perhaps more than that."
Zephyr's gaze drifted into the depths of the island: "Someone told me they're screening people—screening those with strong physiques, those with special backgrounds, those with Devil Fruit abilities—"
"These people may have been transported away through channels we haven't discovered yet. What's happening here is just part of it, or even just—waste disposal."
Kap followed his gaze and saw, on the other side of the island, a more secluded dock and warehouse, with large transport ships loading and unloading containers in the distance.
"What exactly are they trying to do?!"
Garp muttered to himself, an uncontrollable rage overwhelming his last shred of hope and doubt. He didn't need to know all the details; what he had before him was enough.
"Son of a bitch!"
Garp roared and slammed his fist into the rock beside him, causing it to shatter.
"A bunch of bastards!"
His chest heaved violently as he looked at the numb faces inside the barbed wire fence, at the shadows floating on the sea, and at the black smoke billowing from the water.
The anger and doubt that had filled the Marineford conference room a few days earlier had now transformed into a burning conviction.
This time, he knew exactly what to smash.
Garp suddenly stood up, ripped off his disguise, revealing a standard naval vest underneath.
He looked at Zefa, his eyes no longer filled with hesitation or confusion, but with unwavering determination and an impending outburst of rage.
"Zefa".
Garp's voice calmed, yet carried an even more terrifying power: "Is your new Marine still recruiting?"
Zefa met his gaze and slowly nodded: "Confess. Regardless of strength, as long as you have a sense of justice, I will confess."
O
"it is good."
Garp uttered only this one word, looked at the hell on earth before him, and strode away.
Garp knew what this departure meant. He knew that as long as he turned away and pretended not to see it, as long as he left with his men, he would still be a respected naval commander.
But he couldn't do it; he couldn't pretend that nothing had happened.
Karp knew that if he turned back, he would forever lose his reason to throw a punch.
"Wait, Garp."
Zephyr called out to him, "You're just going to do this—what about your ship and your men?"
Garp said without turning his head: "Those who are willing to come with me will work for me from now on!"
"Those who don't want to go back can go back themselves! There are plenty of boats here! If you go back, just say you were kidnapped by me!"
"Now! I'm going to smash all these scum into the sea, one by one!"