Chapter 304: A Mass Defection from the Marines!
Among the three Marine Admirals, Akainu undoubtedly had the most terrifying presence. This was not just due to his strength and rank, but also his stern personality and his strict, almost cruel, way of doing things. At Headquarters, he was the one who could always command the most respect!
But this was different. This was a matter of fundamental principle for many of them! It was something that had to be addressed! Therefore, though Akainu's roar had silenced the room for a moment, it was only for a moment.
"Mr. Sakazuki!" a Vice Admiral, who usually held Akainu in great reverence, instinctively shrank back, then his face flushed, and he roared, "I have always respected you, but please, get your priorities straight! This is not the time to talk about military discipline or following orders! Is that what we care about?! Is it?!"
"If we can't even uphold the most basic principle of protecting civilians, then what right do we have to talk about justice?! What is the point of wearing this uniform?!"
Akainu's face darkened. He was about to reprimand him, but more voices erupted from all sides.
"That's right! We joined the Marines to protect justice, not to be the Celestial Dragons' hunting dogs! And certainly not to help them slaughter the innocent!"
"Fleet Admiral! You and Master Z taught us that justice must not be tarnished! You taught us to give our lives to protect civilians and defeat pirates!"
"But now, please, look us in the eye and tell us, did these things happen? And what role did the Marines play in them?!"
"Insolence!" Akainu took a step forward, his aura seething.
"Enough," Sengoku's tired, weak voice suddenly cut in. He struggled to his feet, seeming to have aged ten years in an instant. He looked at the young Rear Admiral, then at the rest of the room, and finally let out a long sigh. "It's… true."
The conference room erupted! Though they had all suspected it, hearing it from Sengoku himself was a completely different feeling.
"The information you've read in the newspapers is mostly accurate. The Celestial Dragons' hunting game is a triennial tradition of the World Government that has been going on for centuries," Sengoku closed his eyes in pain. "Every three years, a non-affiliated country is chosen. The CP agencies are responsible for the preparations, and the Marines are responsible for securing the perimeter and ensuring that no information leaks out."
"By the most conservative estimates, at least a hundred nations have been wiped out because of this."
A hundred nations, wiped out!
Sengoku's words were spoken calmly, but their weight sent a chill down everyone's spine! The Lvneel Kingdom in the North Blue had over three hundred thousand people. If you added up all those hundreds of nations… how many civilians, how many elderly and children, had died at the hands of the Celestial Dragons, whom the Marines were sworn to protect?!
"What the hell!" a Rear Admiral staggered back, grabbing his hair in disbelief and grief. "It's really true! It's true!" Just half an hour ago, he had been filled with hatred for the Curtain Call's atrocities, and had been worried about the fall of the World Government's great figures. But now? What was he? What had the justice he had upheld all these years become? What was the difference between him and a clown?!
"Why?! Why!" Vice Admiral Momonga stared into Sengoku's eyes, his voice demanding. "Fleet Admiral, why did you agree to this?! You are one of the people I admire most! Even if the previous Fleet Admirals were wrong, when it was your turn, things should have changed! Why was there still a massacre in the Lvneel Kingdom!"
"Because it was an order!" Sengoku finally opened his eyes, his voice sharp. "Because we are the Marines! The Marines under the World Government! Because if we don't follow the orders, more people will suffer! And someone else will just come and carry them out! That's the way the world works! Don't you understand that yet?!"
"Passion is a good thing, but you have to be realistic! The Marines are just a sword in the hands of the World Government! And a sword does not need to think for itself!"
The words seemed to drain all the strength from Sengoku. His voice was hoarse, and he collapsed back into his chair, covering his face with his hands.
The conference room was dead silent. You could have heard a pin drop.
After a long moment, "I understand," Vice Admiral Momonga said. He lit a cigar, took a long, hard drag, and then slowly removed his epaulets. Then he took off his cap and his "Justice" coat, placed them on the table, and grinned at Sengoku. "In that case, I'm done being a sword."
"Me too."
"Same here!"
"Count me in!"
More and more officers tore off their insignia and followed Momonga's lead, turning and walking towards the door.
"Insolence!" Akainu roared, his left arm transforming into magma. "All of you, halt! What do you think you're doing?! Are you deserting?!"
"Let them go, Sakazuki," Sengoku stopped Akainu, shaking his head with a bitter smile. "I have failed as a Fleet Admiral. It's not their fault. If you're going to blame anyone, blame me…"
Just then, Aokiji, who had been silent, finally looked up, his expression unreadable. "Sengoku-san, I have a question." He looked straight at Sengoku, his gaze devoid of emotion. "Since you knew it was wrong, why did you continue to follow the order?"
"We all know what the Celestial Dragons are like. We can tolerate their usual antics. But a game of annihilation? Can you tolerate that? With your strength and prestige, and Garp-san's, and the three of us Admirals, if we had stood together against it, even the Five Elders would have had to seriously consider compromising, wouldn't they?"
"Or did you never even intend to do so?"
Sengoku was stunned. He looked into Aokiji's eyes, his lips trembling, and finally let out a long sigh. "Kuzan, you're still too young…"
"Not everything can be solved with force."
"Some rules, once broken, will only lead to greater disaster."
Aokiji lowered his head and fell silent once more. After a long moment, he stood up and smiled. "I understand."
"Kuzan," Sengoku said with a look of relief, a flicker of hope in his eyes. Of the three Admirals, he was the only one I never dared to tell the whole truth. Has he finally understood?
In the next instant, he watched as Aokiji also removed his epaulets and his "Justice" coat, and bent down to place them on the floor.
"Then, I'm done being a sword too."
How could this be! "Kuzan!" Sengoku shot to his feet as if struck by lightning, his voice trembling as he stared at Aokiji. "Do… do you know what you're doing?!"
Aokiji didn't answer immediately. He carefully folded his "Justice" coat and smoothed out the wrinkles. Only then did he look up calmly. "Of course I do, Sengoku-san. You were right. A sword shouldn't have a mind of its own. But unfortunately, I am a living person. And a living person… has to have some principles."
"I…" Sengoku's face turned red, his chest heaving, but he couldn't find the words to refute him.
"Hey! Kuzan!" Akainu, his anger finally finding a target, turned on him, his magma fist slamming towards Aokiji. "You bastard! Let the others go, but you're a Marine Admiral! The highest fighting force and a model for all! Do you think you can just walk out of Marine Headquarters whenever you please?!"
Aokiji didn't turn, but a frost instantly spread across his brow.
BOOM!
In the next instant, dozens of ice spears shot up from the floor, clashing with the magma. A massive cloud of steam exploded, and the surrounding floor was instantly transformed, half molten rock, half glacier.
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