"You—" The judge, never expecting Orion to come up with such an excuse, was so furious he nearly spat blood.
Sengoku, seated beside him, silently shook his head, his gaze complex as he looked at Orion standing in the defendant's dock. The marines who had been involved in Orion embezzlement and bribery all breathed a sigh of relief, then looked up at Orion with gratitude in their eyes.
Suppressing the anger in his heart, the judge spoke in a deep voice.
"This amount is enough to send you through the Gates of Justice to Enies Lobby. Think carefully before you answer. If you cooperate with our investigation and reveal all the marines involved in the embezzlement and bribery, we will consider reducing your punishment!"
Without any hesitation, Orion replied firmly. "No one was involved!"
"Alright, alright, alright," the judge said, repeating the word 'alright' three times. He then picked up another document and coldly stated.
"Last year, you authorized your subordinates to collect three thousand tons of steak from the quartermaster? Don't tell me you ate it all by yourself!"
"Yes" Orion nodded again. "I have a rather large appetite."
The judge, not expecting Orion to actually admit to eating it all by himself, suddenly stood up, his eyes wide with fury.
"Orion, are you really going to take all the blame yourself? If this is the outcome you wish to see, then I'll grant it to you!"
"Guards, take Orion to the prison. He will be sent to Judicial Island first thing tomorrow morning."
"JUDGE!"
Hearing the judge order to send Orion to Judicial Island, Fleet Admiral Sengoku who had been sitting quietly as an observer suddenly turned his head and said in a deep voice.
"This matter still requires further investigation. Don't rush to a final verdict!"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this case is already crystal clear!" The judge waved his hand dismissively.
"If you hadn't been dozing off earlier, you would have heard that Orion has confessed to all his crimes. The case is so straightforward that no further investigation is needed!"
After a brief pause, the judge suddenly picked up his hammer and slammed it down.
"Navy Vice Admiral Orion is guilty of embezzling two hundred billion Berries and bribing numerous Marines within the Navy. On behalf of the World Government's Judicial Department, I hereby sentence Orion to death. He will be transported to Judicial Island tomorrow for execution!"
As soon as the judge finished speaking, the entire courtroom erupted into chaos.
Almost simultaneously, the officers seated on both sides of the hall stood up. From the jury seats, except for the two Admirals and two Admiral candidates in the first row, many Vice Admirals seated behind them also rose, looking at the judge in disbelief.
"Judge, you have no right to sentence Vice Admiral Orion to death!"
"I confess! Since I started following Vice Admiral Orion, I've received seventy million Berries from him!"
"Anyone who dares to take Vice Admiral Orion away will have to step over my dead body!"
"Vice Admiral Orion is a good man! If it weren't for him doubling our salaries every year, we wouldn't have been able to hold on until now. He embezzled for our sake!"
As one officer after another stood up, the entire hall descended into chaos. Two officers even took the opportunity to rush to the defendant's stand, attempting to take Orion away!
"Alright, alright, alright!" Seeing the sudden uproar among the officers, the judge six eyes narrowed simultaneously, and he shouted excitedly.
"Vice Admiral Orion, do you see this? This is all evidence! Not only have you embezzled and accepted bribes, but you've also formed cliques for personal gain. Even if Commander-in-Chief Kong himself were here now, he couldn't save you!"
"Ara ara, how terrifying~" At that moment, Admiral Kizaru who had been sitting in the first row of the jury seats, suddenly stood up.
An overwhelming, invisible pressure radiated from him, instantly silencing the chaotic hall. Kizaru didn't look up. After the hall quieted down, he leisurely glanced at his wristwatch and lazily said,
"Time's up. I'm off to work."
Without hesitation, Kizaru turned and walked away.
Seeing this, Admiral Sakazuki also stood up. His sharp gaze swept across all the officers present, and his brows slightly furrowed as he spoke in a deep voice.
"This is a court of law, and silence is required! Orion corruption is a fact, and the evidence is solid. This matter ends here. If anyone dares to cause trouble, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
After throwing down these words, Sakazuki didn't linger any longer. He turned and quickly followed Borsalino out of the courtroom.
At the same time, Vice Admiral Candidate Tokikake also stood up. He glanced at Orion, who was standing in the defendant's dock protected by several officers, and then silently turned and walked out.
With two admirals and one vice admiral candidate leaving one after another, the Vice Admiral and Rear Admirals on the jury also stood up and filed out in an orderly manner.
In no time, the jury seats were left with only Admiral Candidate Gion.
Gion did not leave. Instead, after everyone's eyes turned to her, she slowly stood up and spoke unhurriedly.
"Chief Judge, Orion corruption, bribery, and collaboration with bounty hunters to earn the bounties are all facts. We have no objection to you handling this according to the law. However, baseless accusations cannot be casually added! If Vice Admiral Orion is accused of forming cliques for personal gain, then I must also be considered his accomplice. After all, over the years, every time I went out on missions, it was Vice Admiral Orion who took care of my family!"
At this point, Gion glanced at Orion, then turned her gaze to the officers who had rushed to Orion side.
"Please remain calm. Unless the Fleet Admiral speaks or unless the World Goverment directly orders it, no one can sentence Vice Admiral Orion to death. I stake my entire future on this guarantee!"
"If anyone dares to abuse their authority during this time to accuse Vice Admiral Orion of forming cliques for personal gain, not only will I not allow it, but the sword at my waist will also not allow it!"
The storm subsided as the two admirals left one after another, and Vice Admiral Candidate Gion words brought the situation to a halt. Due to Gion status as a Vice admiral and Fleet Admiral Sengoku silence, the Chief Judge dared not make any further reckless statements.
After ordering Orion to be taken to prison for further proceedings, the trial against Orion quietly concluded.
...
In the evening, in the headquarters prison, in the solitary cell where Orion was being held he sat on the floor, looked around and then shook his head with a smile. He had anticipated what would happen to him ever since the internal investigation team began their investigation.
At that time, a colleague from the headquarters had sent him a message, urging him to escape from Marineford before the investigation team could uncover anything.
But he chose not to do so.
Because deep down, he knew that if he fled the headquarters, he would become a deserter wanted by the World Government.
Most importantly, after so many years of building his influence within the headquarters, he believed that even if his corruption and bribery were exposed, given the connections he had cultivated over the years, the worst that would happen would be the stripping of his rank as a Vice Admiral and a year or so in prison.
That would be the end of it.
But he never expected that this trial wouldn't be presided over by Marshall Sengoku.
Instead, the World Government had transferred the Chief Judge from Enies Lobby to Marine Headquarters.
Of course, when he saw the Chief Judge with three heads—actually three people in disguise—he knew someone was out to get him!
Over the years, while he had been spreading goodwill, he had also stepped on the toes of many truly corrupt officers within the headquarters.
This meant that what he was about to face wasn't just the stripping of his rank as a Vice Admiral and a year or so in prison.
Instead, someone might genuinely seize this opportunity to eliminate him.
Clang~
Suddenly, the iron door of the cell was opened. Immediately, a group of seven or eight Marine Headquarters captains and commodores filed in.
"Lord Orion!"
"Vice Admiral Orion!"
As soon as they arrived outside Orion cell, the officers stood at attention and saluted him. Then, the leading officer stepped forward emotionally, grabbing the iron bars.
"Lord Orion, I just received word that the reason the World Goverment sent the Chief Judge from Enies Lobby is because Spandam, the highest authority of CP9, has secretly colluded with him. Their goal is to ensure your death."
"Spandam?" Orion brow furrowed slightly. He had considered that it might be Vice Admiral Onigumo, who had always been at odds with him, or those officers who had never benefited from him over the years. But he never expected it to be Spandam, the highest authority of CP9!
Now, hearing Spandam name, it all suddenly made sense. Although CP9 had few members, it was a special operations organization directly under the World Government, on par with the Marines. Of course, that wasn't the important part.
What mattered was that CP9 and the Marines had always maintained close ties. Often, CP9 would rely on the Marines' assistance to complete their missions, and over time, a chain of interests had formed between them, especially in the illicit trade of positions and titles.
Spandam was a man who would stop at nothing to climb the ranks. Over the years, he had gained immense benefits through his cooperation with the Marines. But as he rose higher and consolidated his power, many officers within Marine Headquarters had stopped working with him and instead pledged their allegiance to Orion.
Faced with such a situation, Spandam naturally wouldn't sit idly by. He would undoubtedly do everything in his power to eliminate Orion.
Of course, Spandam wasn't the only one involved. Many officers within Marine Headquarters were likely part of this scheme as well.
"Lord Orion!" As Orion fell into silence, the officer gripping the iron bars suddenly looked up, his expression fervent.
"They will surely try to pin all sorts of charges on you and send you to Enies Lobby for execution. Rather than waiting for death, we should take the initiative!"
"That's right! As long as Lord Orion gives the order, we brothers are willing to go through fire and water for you!"
Hearing this, Orion slowly raised his head, his gaze sharp as he stared at the officers standing outside the bars.
At the same time,
"Ding dong—"
A soft chime suddenly echoed in his mind, followed by a series of prompts:
"Good deeds bring good returns, and love given is love received!"
"Congratulations, host! Your efforts over the years have finally paid off, successfully activating the Choice System!"
"Detected that all Marine soldiers and officers within Marine Headquarters who have received your kindness are sharpening their blades, ready to rescue you from prison."
"Now you have two choices!"
"One, wait for your subordinates to come and break you out of prison. If the escape is successful, you will be rewarded with an escape warship!"
"Two, launch a military coup to seize the position of Fleet Admiral. If the coup succeeds, all your current abilities will be elevated to their highest level!"