“Hey! What are you doing?!”
She still hasn’t lost her kind nature, and she could contemplate some things only when nothing else was happening. So, seeing this, her instinct prompted her to step forward.
According to her estimation, a battle was likely to unfold next, but the actions of the others took Yamato by surprise.
“Wait! Little girl, don’t come closer! It’s dangerous here, you could get infected!”
They didn’t attack her; instead, upon seeing that she came from outside the barbed wire, they warned her about the danger here. However, the other two soldiers were burning the bodies with flamethrowers, creating a stark contrast that momentarily left her bewildered.
“You…”
Initially, she thought these people were cruel villains, and was about to attack. But this turn of events left her at a loss for words, while the soldiers in front of her assumed she was frightened.
The soldier who had shouted at Yamato to stop turned around to see his companion burning the bodies.
“Little girl, stay away from here, it’s dangerous. Don’t you know that an epidemic has broken out in Flevance?”
The soldiers were unaware that what they were doing was a massacre. They received orders to prevent the spread of infection, protect their country, but their king never revealed the truth. As for the explanations from the people of Flevance, they dared not believe them.
To prevent their families from falling victim to the horrifying disease, they chose to follow orders and eliminate these infected people.
What was happening here was not an isolated incident; similar things were occurring all around Flevance, and it was escalating.
Even though the royal family of Flevance had escaped, a large stockpile of lead bullets remained in warehouses. Facing inevitable doom, those still able to move in Flevance picked up weapons and began to resist.
Due to this resistance, neighboring countries perceived it as a justifiable act of self-defense. Under the pretext of preventing the spread of the epidemic and protecting their own country, nearby kingdoms had issued new orders, though the soldiers here were only responsible for guarding the outside.
“Olga.”
“Understood.”
In the eyes of those soldiers, it seemed like Yamato and her group had heeded their warning and left the area, but in reality, they were still there and had entered the quarantine zone ahead, unseen by the soldiers.
Reality often introduces changes to plans. Originally, he had no intention of getting involved, but the timing was just right now.
Strength can be honed anywhere, and Yamato can’t find a more suitable opponent than Kaido. But in her case, some forms of training may not be as effective without real combat, after all Kaido’s training is not much different from real combat.
However, Yamato’s mindset cannot grow if she stays on Onigashima forever. In the current situation, even Zekrom’s Ideal might not approve of her, let alone representing Reshiram’s Truth.
There is a difference between naivety and ideals. She wouldn’t understand anything at all without seeing the reality of the world, and this is just the trial for her.
“Dad, what those people said…”
“It’s a lie, but the ones in the wrong are not them.”
Arceus explained to Yamato the origin of Amber Lead and revealed the issues related to the ore disease, as well as the World Government’s concealment.
“Yamato, now the question is, what do you want to do?”
“I-I want to help these people leave.”
“The soldiers outside also have their orders. If you want to save these people, these soldiers will be your enemies, but they’re just ‘protecting’ their country. If you want to save Flevance’s people, you’ll have to harm them. Do you still want to do that?”
This time, Yamato couldn’t provide an answer, and Arceus continued to lead them forward. The sporadic corpses they had encountered earlier were just the beginning. As they ventured further, the corpses almost covered the streets.
“How…how could this happen.”
“This is the world we live in. Without strength, you can only be at the mercy of others. Yamato, the people of Flevance are innocent, and they faced this tragedy because of the greed of the upper class, but those soldiers are not villains.”
“Justice and evil are never absolute. In the eyes of the Marines, both your father and I are heinous villains. Yet, within the territory of the Beasts Pirates, we hold a god-like status.”
“When you are helping those you perceive as weak, you might be bullying another weak person in the guise of a strong one.”
“So, remember, in this world, only the strong can determine good and evil, decide the right and wrong of a matter. Anyone can speak about lofty ideals, but without strength as a guarantee, ideals will always be just that – ideals.”
At the age of twelve, she was no longer ignorant. At this point, she has begun to understand the ways of the world, and the tragedy of Flevance has dispelled much of her naivety.
“What you do may be wrong. Nothing can satisfy everyone, but as long as you have a clear conscience, that’s enough. So now, make your decision. There should be some survivors in the northeast.”
Yamato’s body started to undergo changes. The appearance of Okuchi no Makami replaced her original look. Unlike before, she seemed to have figured something out.
“Have you decided?”
“I don’t know if what I’m doing is right, but if I do nothing, I won’t be able to sleep when I go back. Maria, Diancie, help me. Just don’t kill those soldiers.”
There was still naivety in her mind, but if it could be discarded in just a few words, then she would no longer be herself.
Saying this, she ran towards the direction provided by Arceus, pulling Maria with her. Diancie silently flew over, but she didn’t bring the less combat-capable Nico Robin with her.
She understood that she shouldn’t let her less capable companions be in danger because of her own recklessness. This was something she had realized before.
After Yamato left, Arceus instructed Olga:
“She’s still a bit impulsive. Olga, follow her and make sure she doesn’t run into any danger.”
“Leave it to me, Lord Arceus.”
After Olga left with Elizabeth, only Nico Robin remained. While her capacity for acceptance was not weak, this scene left a significant impact on her.
At this moment, her face had turned somewhat pale. All this was too similar to the events of Ohara.
“See, this is what happens when the World Government turns a blind eye. Their protection for allied countries is limited to only a few members of the royal family. Guess how they’ll report this incident in their newspapers?”
Initially, she had questioned the events in the Shikkearu Kingdom before. Taking advantage of the opportunity presented by Flevance, he helped her understand some things to avoid affecting her future relationship with Yamato.
Meanwhile, at this time, Yamato had already reached the designated location. Gazing at the sea of flames, an ice-blue breath spewed out from her mouth.
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