As he spoke, Kuzan pulled out a stack of documents from his coat pocket and placed them on Sengoku's desk.
Rubbing his temples, he added wearily.
"Although my usual principles differ from Sakazuki's, this time I actually lean more towards the viewpoint he proposed. There are too many parasites within our Marines. If this continues, even with a 10 billion Beri military budget, less than 3 billion Beri would likely reach actual projects."
Hearing Kuzan's words, Sakazuki gave him a surprised glance.
It was rare for Kuzan—who had always held completely different views of justice—to support him.
When Sengoku took the documents Kuzan handed over, his expression instantly turned grave.
He asked Kuzan quietly.
"What are these?"
Kuzan sat back in his chair, his voice tinged with faint disappointment.
"These are the details I've recently gathered regarding the death benefits for fallen Marines soldiers. To put it bluntly, according to the records, our stipulated 300,000 Beri monthly compensation per soldier hasn't been properly implemented. Or rather, it's practically meaningless."
At this point, Sakazuki could no longer stay seated.
Due to his temperament, the troops under his command often faced more battles than those led by other officers, resulting in higher casualty rates.
Yet despite this, Sakazuki's division recruited the most new soldiers each year.
After all, this sea never lacked people consumed by deep-seated hatred towards pirates.
Sakazuki valued his fallen subordinates more than anyone else—he even allocated over half of his own salary to supplement the compensation their families received.
But now Kuzan was telling them the benefits hadn't been properly distributed at all?!
This was unacceptable to Sakazuki, so he immediately turned to Kuzan for clarification.
The question made everyone's expressions turn serious.
Even the sleeping Garp woke up, his gaze was cold as he stared at Kuzan—he'd apparently heard everything.
Though Kuzan said nothing under their collective scrutiny, he felt reassured.
At least those present here truly upheld the meaning of "justice."
"To explain—according to the intelligence reports, in areas with better implementation, only about 100,000 Beri of the stipulated 300,000 Beri monthly compensation actually reaches the families."
Before Kuzan could finish, Sakazuki stood abruptly.
With anger in his voice, he demanded.
"Only 100,000 Beri in well-implemented areas?! Are you certain the data isn't mistaken?! Has our Marines already decayed to this extent?!"
Kuzan nodded helplessly at Sakazuki's outburst and continued calmly.
"I reacted similarly when I first learned this. But this is reality—we can only accept it. What I'm about to say next might be even harder for you to stomach. I suggest you brace yourself."
"Families in well-implemented areas can receive a monthly pension of 100,000 Berries, while in poorly implemented areas, not only will the families not receive any pension, but they won't even get the soldiers' bodies or ashes."
Hearing this, even Kizaru, who was usually quite calm, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"How terrifying! Why wouldn't they even get the bodies or ashes? Didn't we arrange for ships to transport them all together? Along with medals, certificates, and other items—those things are meant to help the families of the deceased soldiers maintain their most basic living standards. Could those be missing too?"
In response, Kuzan shook his head and said.
"No, just like how we give plaques to the families of fallen soldiers as honors and guarantees for their livelihood, but often, some local naval commanders would choose..."
Sengoku's expression had darkened considerably by this point.
Staring at Kuzan, his voice carried a hoarse edge.
"Choose what?"
"Most are sold on the black market, becoming collectibles for underground gangs and Pirates. Others get recycled—since the plaques are made of high-quality materials, sometimes the inscriptions are erased and given to shipyards as materials for new vessels, perhaps for decks or other parts..."
"Using the honor of our Marines's bravely sacrificed soldiers as decking, trampling upon it freely?! This old man will never forgive such a thing!"
As Sengoku spoke, his entire body began radiating golden light—the first time he had ever displayed such overwhelming fury.
The temperature in the room was steadily rising, and Sakazuki's face had already begun dripping with molten magma.
Seeing this, Kuzan quickly used ice to catch the magma before it could fall onto the wooden floor, saying.
"Hey hey hey, be careful."
"My apologies, I lost control." x2
Both Sengoku and Sakazuki spoke these words simultaneously.
Meanwhile, Garp remained silent, head lowered as he stared at the stack of documents.
Following Kuzan's words, he said.
"Where did the money go? Can you track it down? i will smash every one of those bastards' heads!"
As Garp spoke, the terrifying aura emanating from him even caused slight cracks in the room's floorboards.
Kuzan merely glanced at Garp and said softly.
"It can't be traced—at least not in the short term. If we want to get to the bottom of this, we'll have to rely on Jake. The money passes through multiple hands before reaching the families—how many intermediaries, which departments screened it, who exactly took what wasn't theirs—it's all too convoluted to track easily."
"If the money amounts don't match up, the implications are too vast. Which layer had the problem? Who was forced to participate? Who's the mastermind behind it all? These things require thorough investigation, and it's far too complex for me to uncover in such a short time."
Sakazuki's voice was hoarse as he looked at Kuzan and slowly asked.
"Who are these people, roughly? Can you give us names?"
"Sakazuki, don't act recklessly!"
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