Chapter 50: Chapter 48
When he tried to speak, his father placed a large hand over Bill's mouth and chin, gripping tightly enough so that Bill couldn't speak or break free.
"You should keep your mouth shut now."
As he was about to continue, Aramaki glanced at the still-saluting Sailor and shouted, "Are you going to keep staring or do what I said?!"
As soon as he said this, Ensign Ponte quickly hurried to lead Sasha and Rance away.
Unable to move, Bill followed them with his eyes before looking back at his father, who was once again watching him.
"Let's go."
With these words, Aramaki removed his hand from Bill's mouth, hoisted him under his side, and leaped into the air.
Jumping higher than the rocky cliffs, Aramaki made a few more leaps through the air before landing on the beach.
Setting him down with a thud, Bill exhaled heavily, thinking that if his stomach were full, he would have thrown up.
"What were you thinking?"
Still breathing heavily and exhausted, Bill could barely hear the question and began to fall asleep.
Just as his eyes grew heavy, Bill was suddenly lifted by his armpits and set on his feet.
"You will stand while I talk to you!"
Awakened by this, Bill looked up and saw Aramaki looking down at him. Before he could say anything, the large man continued, "This is the second time this year you could have been killed! Do you understand what that would do to your mother?!"
"Don't you realize that she survived only because of you? If you had died, then..."
Hearing this, Bill no longer felt sleepy, but his father didn't give him a chance to respond. Turning away from Bill, Aramaki took a few steps towards the sea before continuing:
"Son, I thought you were smart. I bragged about you to my colleagues! But this?"
Turning his head back to Bill, he said seriously, "Your actions today could have killed our entire family. How am I supposed to react to this?"
Shaking his head in disapproval, Bill tried to respond, "Listen..."
"'Listen' to what?!?"
"Do you understand how lucky you were today? How lucky you were when that girl 'only' ate the Cannon Fruit?"
"You know there's a documented Devil Fruit that can erase memories? That girl could have turned your brain to mush, William!"
Saying this, Aramaki shook his head in frustration and continued, "And today you took your little friends, trespassed on private property, and fought with pirates. Tell me, did you even learn their names?"
Seeing his chance to speak, Bill said, "They were the Foxy Pirates, and..."
"Oh, wonderful! The Foxy Pirates. Tell me, son, did you know that the Foxy Pirates are one of the largest new groups in the South Blue? Silver Fox has a crew of over fifty people, including adult Fishmen!"
As Aramaki listed off statistics, Bill thought his father might be reminding himself who these pirates were.
"Hah, even then you were lucky. Because Silver Fox is a scoundrel, but he doesn't kill children. Son, what would have happened if you had met the real Morgan Pirates?" "Do you think they would have let you go because of my name? No! Knowing you were my son, they would have killed you even faster!"
Hearing this, Bill could no longer stay silent and replied, "I didn't know anyone would be at the sawmill. I thought at worst it would be the owner involved in corruption!"
"That's the point! You didn't know! You're just an eleven-year-old boy, son. If you had suspicions, why didn't you just report it? Do you know how I felt when your little friend started banging on our door tonight?"
Upon hearing this, Bill snorted. Perhaps, mentally, he should have been wiser, but the fact was, after his rebirth, he had changed. It wasn't just a physical change, and not only because he was considered a child.
So even though he hated himself for it, he said what any other eleven-year-old might say: "If you're so scared, how did you become a Marine?!"
As soon as those words left his mouth, his father was instantly in front of him. Grabbing Bill by the collar, he shouted, "I am Mad Bull Aramaki Ox! "I have defeated demons, fought dragons, and upheld Justice across all the seas!"
After this, he released him, and Bill fell to the ground. Watching his son get up, he said seriously, "Yes, I feel fear. I am afraid every time I fight, not because I might die, but because if I fail, the consequences would be unimaginable.
And now I fear for you. To resolve this, you just need to live a respectable life. Forget about everything else, find a good job, and live sensibly. Believe me, I and others will take care of the main things."
By strange coincidence, as his father was explaining his hopes for his son, Bill recalled his past life. After all, wasn't he doing exactly what his father was now asking then?
But if he did that, what was the point of his rebirth?
Then Bill looked at his father and said, "You often talk about Justice, just like many Marines I've met, but I've never heard you explain what it is. So I'll tell you my understanding of Justice, and you tell me which path is just."
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