"Who are you?"
The tavern was noisy; Tashigi, inexperienced, was visibly uneasy. Showing unease here was like showing your belly to wolves; it invited trouble. But Alistair and Robin's attire was intimidating, deterring them.
"Who am I?" Alistair paused, considering his introduction. "I'm a partner in justice."
"Don't joke," Tashigi slammed her hands on the table. "Don't mock me. The Navy is justice, isn't it?"
Alistair smiled. "Actually, the CP's intelligence agencies also uphold 'justice'; you probably didn't know that."
Tashigi was speechless. She despised intelligence agencies but couldn't say that to his face. Even she knew that light and darkness coexist; if the Navy protects people openly, agencies protect them secretly.
She was naive; she thought most Navy protected people, but they protected World Government member states; nobles controlled the Navy. Ordinary people were at the Navy's whim; sometimes protected, sometimes extorted. As for intelligence agencies…they didn't care about civilians.
Oda's portrayal of CP9's actions didn't evoke sympathy from Alistair. Their compassion only emerged when their own people failed and needed civilian help. This was a sudden awakening; expecting conscience from them when powerful was futile.
He smiled. "But we're not an intelligence agency."
Tashigi was speechless. Alistair countered her anger: "But if you want to see true justice, join us. Our path is righteous. I swear it on my life."
Tashigi, a simple girl, joined the Navy for her ideals. A man swearing his life moved her to silence.
Alistair stood. "I'm Alistair; call me Alistair. Let's see the real world and true justice."
Tashigi, seemingly under a spell, followed him out. Several pirates eyeing Tashigi's sword stood up to follow, but tripped and fell. This was comical; the tavern erupted in laughter; no one noticed Alistair and Tashigi.
"Since Smoker's not here, let's visit the execution platform," Alistair said, ignoring the commotion.
Tashigi, though swayed by Alistair's promise, disliked his evasiveness; she had no choice but to follow. "What's your name?" she asked the cloaked woman.
"Robin," she replied, omitting her surname, fearing it might scare her.
Robin smiled; a new woman would balance the gender ratio; it was better than being with men. Her gentle introduction pleased Tashigi. "I'm Tashigi; nice to meet you."
"So easily swayed," Alistair and Robin thought.
"Emmmm~ah~!" Enel yawned from the church bell tower. As lightning, he'd explored the town in minutes. Loguetown was more prosperous than Skypiea or Mock Town, but that was it. He found it less exciting than fighting Ace and Hancock. He was bored; the meeting was an hour away. His Mantra spread, encompassing Loguetown and the surrounding sea.
His eyes lit up; he sat up. "Interesting people; they seem strong; the Navy Alistair mentioned? Let's test them." "Yey hahaha!" He vanished.
Alistair found a dejected Ace in the square. He patted Ace's shoulder.
"Captain," Ace said, lost.
"Go see it," Alistair said softly. "See what he saw last."
"Mm," Ace nodded, empowered. He turned into flames, reaching the execution platform. A light breeze blew. The noisy crowd was like the curses he faced before his death.
"This is what you saw last…"
"Dad."
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