At that moment, Raleigh's figure materialized between the two panting monsters.
"Vice-Admiral Garp... why are you here?" Raleigh asked, feigning complete ignorance. "Could it be that you are also here to help us capture the remnants of the Roger Pirates?"
As if Raleigh's appearance had snapped him back to reality, Garp, who had been on the verge of madness, regained a sliver of rationality.
His blood-red eyes glanced at Raleigh before he asked, "Did Silvers Rayleigh die by your hand?"
Raleigh nodded.
There was no hiding this—Garp would only need to use his Observation Haki to scan the jungle below to confirm the Dark King's fading life force.
Garp's expression turned grim. "Did that child die as well?"
Raleigh nodded nonchalantly. "Yes, they are dead too. I didn't lay a hand on them, though. The people of the Darons Kingdom chose not to forgive them—there was nothing I could do."
In an instant, Garp's misplaced guilt toward Roger surged within him.
To vent his fury, he appeared in front of Raleigh and threw a punch at his chest.
"Bastard! No matter what kind of person Roger was, at the very least, the child was innocent!"
Raleigh's body underwent elemental transformation, turning to wind to evade Garp's attack range.
He reappeared beside Sakazuki.
"Are you alright, Sakazuki-senpai?"
Sakazuki wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and straightened his torn suit.
"I'm fine. I won't die. But we need to be careful with this guy. His Armament Haki has reached the pinnacle of the world, making him troublesome in close combat."
Raleigh nodded dismissively before questioning Garp. "Vice-Admiral Garp, from what position are you acting in this matter? As a Marine? Or as a pirate?"
"Only one member of the Roger Pirates came to protect the woman—the Dark King," Raleigh noted.
"I thought we could capture more of the Pirate King's crew this time. I never expected it would be you who showed up to run interference in the end."
"So, Garp... are you betraying the Navy?"
Raleigh's cold questioning made Garp feel ashamed.
He knew deep down that he had no legal or moral justification for supporting Roger's bloodline over his own men.
"When the soldiers of the Darons Kingdom were being slaughtered by Roger, you weren't there," Raleigh stated, his voice ringing with condemnation.
"Now, when the victims seek revenge against the descendants of their enemies, you come out to stop them. Do you still possess the justice expected of a Navy officer?"
"I will propose to all high-ranking officials at Navy Headquarters that we reexamine whether you are still qualified to serve as a Vice-Admiral. Now, will you choose to return to Marineford on your own, or do you need Vice-Admiral Sakazuki and me to help you return?"
Garp opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but ultimately hung his head in silence.
...
In the grand conference room at Marineford, the atmosphere was tense.
All high-ranking Navy officers in the vicinity had been urgently recalled.
At this moment, the lowest rank present in the room was Vice-Admiral.
Fleet Admiral Kong sat at the head table, looking with mixed emotions at the dejected Garp seated beside him.
As the last officer took their seat, the internal trial targeting the "Navy Hero" officially began.
Fleet Admiral Kong rubbed his temples and said with clear frustration, "Let's hear it, Garp. Tell us about the joint accusation from Raleigh and Sakazuki, and this matter regarding Roger's orphan."
Garp sat alone in his seat, closing his eyes as he spoke. "Before Roger was executed, he had a private conversation with me in his cell. He hoped to exchange his surrender for my protection of his unborn child. I agreed to this, which led to Roger's capture and all the subsequent events."
Raleigh and Sakazuki sat together across the room, expressionless and silent.
Fleet Admiral Kong sighed inwardly and asked, "Raleigh claims you have betrayed the Navy's beliefs by aiding a pirate. Is this true?"
Garp opened his eyes and said gravely, "I didn't agree to any of Roger's other requests, nor will I protect any other member of the Roger Pirates. The reason I agreed to Roger's request was because the child hadn't been born yet. An unborn child bears no sin."
Sakazuki snorted coldly from across the table. "That child is the Pirate King's descendant. Gol D. Roger's only offspring. The sinful blood flowing in his veins is the original sin."
Garp glared at Sakazuki and retorted, "Roger committed crimes! He deserved to die at the Navy's hands, but that child doesn't! He hasn't even been born yet. He has a brand new future ahead of him. He might not become a pirate like Roger—he could become a Navy officer who upholds justice! If we are determined to kill an infant just because of his bloodline, what kind of justice is that? Where is the fairness?"
Raleigh slowly stood up to challenge him. "Then from what moral position are you standing to criticize our justice?"
"Where were you when Roger killed thousands of Darons Kingdom soldiers over a petty insult? What did you do when he committed countless crimes in the New World?" Raleigh's voice echoed through the silent conference room.
"Roger repeatedly escaped from your hands over the decades without ever losing core crew members, while our Marine soldiers suffered heavy casualties instead!"
"When you agreed to Roger's selfish request, did you ever consider the five hundred and thirty-seven brave soldiers who died under your command in attempts to capture him?"
Raleigh slammed his hand on the table. "Do you deserve their bloodshed and sacrifice? Do you have the courage to face their grieving families and tell them you are protecting their murderer's legacy?!"
Garp clenched his fists, powerless to refute the ironclad facts presented by Raleigh.
How could he refute them? Regardless of his personal feelings about innocence, from the moment he agreed to Roger's request, he had betrayed the lives of those 537 soldiers who died at sea following his orders.
Garp's choice made their sacrifice a joke.
Raleigh continued, his voice cold. "On the island, Vice-Admiral Sakazuki and I did not lay hands on Roger's child. Rouge's death was the will of the people of the Darons Kingdom. The Navy has no moral or legal jurisdiction to stop such justified revenge."
"And you, Garp. Appearing before the victims of the Darons Kingdom, trying to stop them from claiming justice—have you considered how severely your actions would damage the Navy's reputation if they realized who you were?"
After taking a deep breath, Raleigh turned and solemnly addressed Fleet Admiral Kong.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, considering Vice-Admiral Garp's charges of dereliction of duty, aiding pirates, and damaging the Navy's reputation... I formally request that he be stripped of his title as the 'Navy Hero'."
"Furthermore, I believe he is no longer mentally fit to lead brave Marine soldiers in battle against pirates. After all, no soldier wants their bloodshed and sacrifice to become meaningless to their commander. Please rule on this, Fleet Admiral Kong."
Fleet Admiral Kong looked at the officers gathered around the table.
Except for those few closely connected to Garp, the remaining officers' eyes were filled with deep distrust and anger toward the old man.
Sighing again, Kong knocked his gavel on the table and declared his verdict.
"Vice-Admirals Raleigh and Sakazuki's accusations against Garp are well-founded, with complete evidence and witnesses. Therefore, I announce the following decision."
"Effective today, Monkey D. Garp is temporarily relieved of all command duties and confined to Marineford without permission to leave the island."
Kong paused, his face flashing with hesitation before resolutely continuing.
"Simultaneously... Garp is officially stripped of his title as the Navy Hero."