Marine Headquarters, Marineford, Judicial Department Trial Hall.
The three-headed Chief Judge Baskerville sat at the highest position, six eyes gleaming with a chilling light all fixed on the defendant seat.
To the left of the Chief Judge, Fleet Admiral Sengoku of the Marine Headquarters looked solemnly at a pile of documents before him.
The jury seats were filled with high-ranking Marine officers. Sitting in the front row were two of the Marine Headquarters' top three Admirals, Sakazuki and Borsalino.
Flanking them were the Admiral candidates, Vice Admiral Gion and Vice Admiral Tokikake.
Led by Vice Admirals Momonga, Onigumo, Doberman, and Yamakaji, all the Marine Vice Admirals were present, seated behind the two Admirals and the two Admiral candidates.
Like Sengoku, the two Admirals and most of the Vice Admirals present looked grave, all staring at the empty defendant seat. On both sides of the hall, dozens of Marine officers gathered whispering among themselves as the trial had yet to begin.
"Order in the court!" Suddenly, the Chief Judge raised his gavel and struck it heavily.
"The trial begins!" Pausing slightly, the three-headed Chief Judge looked toward the door and spoke in unison.
"Bring in the defendant!"
Meanwhile, Outside the Trial Hall Doors.
Wearing the uniform of a Marine Vice Admiral, Orion gazed at the tightly shut doors, lost in thought.
Unknowingly, six years had passed since he accidentally transmigrated into the World of One Piece.
During these six years, through his own efforts, he mastered the Six Powers, Armament Haki, and Observation Haki, honed his swordsmanship to the level of a Great Swordsman, and even awakened Conqueror Haki a year ago.
Of course, none of that was important. What mattered was that when he first joined the Marines, it wasn't for some lofty sense of justice, but simply to survive longer in this world.
Thus, while training to improve his strength, he also worked hard to build good relationships with his colleagues.
He firmly believed that in any world, even in the one piece world where the strong ruled, it wasn't all about fighting and killing.
The art of human relationships and social dynamics was a universal truth across all realms.
Through his interactions with his colleagues, he gradually discovered that the lower-ranking soldiers lived in extreme hardship.
Not only did they have to constantly prepare for life-and-death battles against powerful pirates, but they also struggled with the worries of daily life. The salaries of the marine soldiers were almost negligible, as the higher-ups always used the concept of "justice" to justify their decisions.
As a transmigrator, he had no family or connections in this world.
The level of his salary didn't matter to him, as long as he had a place to sleep and a food to fill his stomach, he was content.
However, the other Marine soldiers couldn't afford to live as carefree as he did, as they had families to support.
After realizing this, he began using his salary to help his colleagues in need whenever it came in.
Gradually, more and more marine soldiers became his friends. Whenever they went out on missions to capture pirates under their superiors' command, the soldiers he had helped would always rush to the front, forming a protective barrier around him to ensure he wouldn't be harmed.
As his strength grew and his reputation spread within the headquarters, he quickly caught the attention of the higher-ranking officers. After a year of field missions, he was selected to attend the elite training camp.
Half a year later, upon completing the training, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the headquarters. Not only did he gain his own subordinates, but his salary also increased significantly.
Using his position to his advantage, he began amassing wealth through various means, then distributed all the "illegal" gains to his subordinates in need.
Moreover, he secretly colluded with bounty hunters, intentionally letting some pirates escape so that the bounty hunters who were already in cahoots with him could capture them immediately. He would then split the bounties with the hunters.
As time passed, his strength soared, and his military rank rose rapidly. In just a few years, he became a vice admiral in the headquarters.
By the time he became a vice admiral, he had helped tens of thousands of soldiers in the headquarters.
Many of these soldiers, freed from their worries thanks to his assistance, devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the cause of justice standing by his side through thick and thin. Some became his subordinates, while others, grateful for his help regarded him as their guiding light.
However, the good times didn't last. When he embezzled a significant amount of public funds to help some officers in need, he was caught by the internal investigation unit of the marine headquarters and eventually arrested and imprisoned.
Just as Orion was staring at the tightly closed doors of the trial hall lost in thought, the doors suddenly swung open.
Two officers quickly approached, standing straight and saluting him. Far from distancing themselves because of his current status as a prisoner, they looked at him with deep respect.
"Vice Admiral Orion—"
Before Orion could react, dozens of headquarters officers standing neatly behind him took a synchronized step forward.
Hearing this, Orion turned around, his gentle gaze sweeping over the dozens of officers whose faces were filled with enthusiasm.
He then smiled softly. Without hesitation, he straightened his back, held his head high, and strode into the trial hall.
Whoosh—
As Orion stepped into the courtroom, the officers seated on both sides of the hall almost simultaneously rose to their feet, all turning to face him.
Some wore expressions of enthusiasm, others clenched their fists, while most looked on with eager anticipation. Of course, there were also a few who were so nervous that beads of sweat formed on their foreheads.
The officers with enthusiastic expressions and those eagerly awaiting were the ones who had received Orion favors in the past. As for those sweating profusely, they were the ones who had maintained cooperative relationships with Orion over the years.
If Orion were to reveal their dealings during the trial, they too would face imprisonment just like Orion now.
Orion did not glance at the standing officers. He walked straight to the defendant dock, then slightly raised his head to look at the three-headed judge seated on the thrones.
Seeing this, all the standing officers also turned their gazes toward the judge.
"Vice Admiral Orion!" Feeling the sudden surge of invisible pressure, the judge swallowed hard, then picked up the hammer and struck it speaking in a deep voice.
"The evidence of your embezzlement and bribery is conclusive. According to the internal investigation team's findings, since joining the Marine Headquarters, you have embezzled a total of 200 billion Berries. Do you admit to this?"
"Yes" Orion nodded.
"Good!" The judge secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then continued.
"However, after three months of investigation, the team searched everywhere but only found 120,000 Berries in your home. May I ask, where did the 200 billion Berries you embezzled go? Were there others who colluded with you and shared the spoils?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire courtroom fell into complete silence. Some were moved upon hearing that Orion had embezzled 200 billion Berries, yet only 120,000 were found in his home.
They all knew how much Orion had helped them over the years, but they never expected that after misappropriating such a vast sum, he had kept almost nothing for himself.
While some were moved, others nearly suffocated with tension upon hearing the judge ask if Orion had accomplices.
"No one shared the spoils!" At that moment, Orion voice, clear and resonant like a great bell, rang out in the ears of all the marines present.
"I spent it all myself."
"You're lying!" The judge suddenly raised his voice, shouting.
"According to the investigation team's findings, you have no assets under your name. You live in an apartment allocated by the Headquarters, and the furniture in your home hasn't been replaced in six years. How could you possibly have spent 200 billion Berries by yourself?"
Orion remained unfazed. "I like to use Money to light my cigarettes."