"Nonsense!"
"Right is right, wrong is wrong! I can't stand scumbags like you who commit slaughter in the name of justice!"
"If you shed your own blood for justice, I'd respect you as a hero. But you use the blood of innocents to proclaim your justice. In my opinion, such an act is worse than even the most despicable pirate!" Cross's face was cold as he angrily cursed without reservation, "Acting like a saint while being a whore—it's like disgust opening the door for disgust's mother, utterly sickening!"
Cross's furious rant made Pegasus's face flush red. He was so enraged that he crushed the armrest of the chair behind him.
Suddenly, Onigumo, with his fierce appearance that didn't inspire trust, slowly stood up. His eyes, chilling and dark, fixed on Cross. He said in a low voice, "Don't spout nonsense here. What do you, a mere rookie, know about justice?! True justice isn't simply about right or wrong; necessary sacrifices are an unavoidable reality!"
"Rear Admiral Onigumo, of course, I don't understand your bogus justice!" Cross scoffed, meeting Onigumo's gaze without fear, and sternly declared, "Because in my opinion, only those who fight without hesitation for the safety of civilians can be considered truly just!"
At this point, Cross pointed at all the Marine officers present, speaking passionately and loudly, "So-called sacrifice only applies when we, the Marine soldiers who claim to be 'maintainers of justice and order,' fight to the death against evil, falling before innocent civilians. Only when there's absolutely no other choice and civilians get hurt, that is called 'unavoidable necessary sacrifice'!"
"But the actions of Rear Admiral Pegasus and Onigumo, who have no intention of sacrificing themselves yet wish to sacrifice others, simply aren't worthy of being called Justice! Pah! It's absolutely disgusting!" Cross spat on the ground in indignation.
"Amphitrite Cross!" Pegasus was about to explode with rage, but to keep himself from losing composure in front of everyone, he practically growled, "Haven't you considered this? If our Marines fail in this operation, or if the fleet suffers heavy losses during the subjugation, it will lead to extremely severe consequences! The seas, which we Marines painstakingly pacified with countless sacrifices, will once again descend into chaos. In that case, all the Marines who sacrificed themselves before would have died for nothing!"
Onigumo, however, wasn't angry, for he knew that his thoughts and beliefs differed from others, and he had no intention of making everyone accept his ideas.
Cross looked at Pegasus with disdain, sneering, "Since it's war, there will always be winners, losers, and sacrifices! If you're afraid of losing, then fight with all your might! If you're afraid of sacrifice, then take off your uniform and become a civilian! And everything you've said is never a reason to abandon protecting or wantonly slaughtering innocent civilians!"
"Don't worry, if you become a civilian, I will definitely do my best to protect you, instead of letting you die under my sword and cannon fire!"
As he uttered the last sentence, Cross's tone softened, becoming remarkably gentle, yet it nearly caused Pegasus to flip the table in fury.
Watching Cross take on two opponents, fiercely arguing with Pegasus and Onigumo, both Sengoku, the top figure, and Sakazuki, the second in command, remained silent. The former frowned deeply, while the latter's gaze flickered, both pondering the conversation between the three.
"Alright, Captain Cross, Rear Admiral Pegasus and Rear Admiral Onigumo are your superiors, after all. Don't act too presumptuously!" At this moment, a low, powerful voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention.
The speaker was a burly man with a rugged appearance, approximately forty years old. He wore a black bearskin hat, a brown fleece top, jeans, dark red combat boots, and a Marine Justice coat. A straight scar ran from his eyebrow to the corner of his mouth over his right eye, and a green, fish-shaped earring hung from his right ear.
"That's Vice Admiral Zack Houthi, from the G-1 Branch!" Gobert subtly moved his lips, introducing him to Cross in an almost inaudible whisper.
"Vice Admiral Houthi, I apologize for my outburst, but I cannot accept Rear Admiral Pegasus's proposal, nor do I agree with Rear Admiral Onigumo's stance!" Cross slightly reined in his anger, his tone warming a little.
"It's good that you realize your outburst, but it's not your place to decide whether or not to accept Rear Admiral Pegasus's proposal!" Houthi's sharp gaze fixed on Cross as he sternly reprimanded him, "Furthermore, a soldier's duty is to obey orders. Whether you accept Rear Admiral Pegasus's proposal or not, once we accept it, you must carry it out!"
Hearing this, Cross's face suddenly darkened. He immediately understood that this guy, like Pegasus and Onigumo, was also a radical member of the hawkish faction. To these individuals, as long as they could eliminate pirates, they wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice civilians through bombardment, or even their own subordinates.
"I am a soldier, but I'm not a machine that only follows orders!" Cross met Houthi's sharp gaze, still unafraid. "If the order is wrong and violates my bottom line, I won't—"
"Enough!"
Sengoku suddenly cut Cross off, reprimanding him, "This is an operational meeting, not a debate! If there are no other proposals, everyone shut up and sit down!"
Hearing Admiral Sengoku's outburst, everyone understood that he was protecting this young, fearless Marine.
Cross's unfinished words were clear: if the Marine higher-ups accepted Pegasus's proposal, he would refuse the order.
This was also what many Marine officers secretly thought.
However, while Cross's reason for refusing to obey orders was understandable, at the end of the day, it was still disobedience, which absolutely couldn't be openly discussed. Once it spread, it would have a very negative impact on the Marine's internal structure!
Onigumo expressionlessly returned to his seat, casually pulling the fuming Pegasus down beside him. Pegasus glared at Cross, his face scowling, as he reluctantly sat down.
But at this moment, Cross did not sit down. Instead, he confidently said, "Admiral Sengoku, I have a better proposal than Rear Admiral Pegasus's. Hmm, or rather, a plan!"
"Oh? Let's hear it!" Sengoku raised an eyebrow, gesturing with his hand.
"This operation is of great importance, and we are at a disadvantage in terms of troops. Therefore, Vice Admiral Prodi's emphasis on surprise makes a lot of sense. However, this operation involves over twenty warships of various sizes, a massive fleet that cannot avoid outside attention once it leaves port!"
"Therefore, I propose we use a coating method to coat all our warships and travel underwater to Shiloh Island. Then, after the Roberts Legion begins its battle with the Bion Kingdom, we surface and launch a rear assault on the Roberts Legion!"
"But to be safe, we need to wait until the Roberts Legion captures the Bion Kingdom's port and all their forces have landed on Shiloh Island before we can launch our attack!"
"Additionally, I suggest that my flying Enlivened creatures launch the first attack to throw the Roberts Legion's defense forces at the port into chaos. Then, Vice Admiral Sakazuki will strike, simultaneously unleashing the full firepower of all ships to completely destroy the Roberts Legion's vessels, leaving them nowhere to retreat and forcing them to face attack from both front and rear!"
Cross didn't hesitate, immediately stating his ideas and proposing that he lead the vanguard, commanding the Enliven Legion in the attack.
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