"You..." The Chief Judge almost spat blood from anger, not expecting Elio to come up with such an excuse. Sengoku, who was seated beside him, silently shook his head, his gaze complex as he looked at Elio standing in the defendant's seat.
The officers who were involved in Elio's corruption and bribery all sighed in relief and looked up at Elio with grateful expressions.
Suppressing the rage in his heart, the Chief Judge said 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 us and reveal the names of all officers involved in the corruption, we will consider reducing your sentence!"
Elio answered without hesitation, simply saying, "No one else was involved!"
"Good, good, good." The Chief Judge said "good" three times in a row, then picked up another document and said coldly, "And what about the 3,000 tons of steak your subordinates collected from the quartermaster with your note? Don't tell me you ate it all by yourself!"
"I did!" Elio nodded again. "I have quite the appetite."
The fact that Elio dared to claim he ate it all by himself made the Chief Judge jump to his feet, his eyes bulging with fury. "Elio, do you really intend to take all the blame upon yourself? If this is the ending you wish for, then I'll give it to you!"
"Guards, detain Elio and send him to Enies Lobby at dawn!"
"Chief Judge!"
Hearing the judge order Elio to be sent to Enies Lobby, Fleet Admiral Sengoku suddenly turned his head and said in a low voice, "This matter still needs further investigation. Don't rush to a final judgment!"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this case is already very clear!"
The Chief Judge waved his hand. "If you weren't dozing just now, you should've heard everything. Elio confessed to all his crimes. The facts are crystal clear, no further investigation is necessary!"
After a short pause, the Chief Judge suddenly picked up his gavel and slammed it down. "Vice Admiral Elio embezzled 200 billion Berries and bribed numerous headquarters officers. On behalf of the World Government's Judicial Department, I hereby sentence Elio to death, to be carried out at Enies Lobby tomorrow!"
As soon as the Chief Judge finished speaking, the entire courtroom erupted.
Immediately afterward, nearly all the officers seated on either side of the hall stood up. Except for the two Admirals and two Admiral candidates in the front row of the jury, all the Vice Admirals seated behind them stood up as well, looking at the Chief Judge in disbelief.
"Chief Judge, you do not have the authority to sentence Vice Admiral Elio to death!"
"I confess! Since following Vice Admiral Elio, I have received tens of millions of Berries in bonuses from him!"
"Anyone who wants to take Lord Elio away must first step over my dead body!"
"Lord Elio is a good man! If not for him doubling our pay during tough times, we couldn't have made it this far! He embezzled only for our sake!"
As more and more officers stepped forward, chaos engulfed the courtroom. Two officers even rushed to the defendant's stand, trying to take Elio away!
"Very good!"
Seeing the courtroom explode, the Chief Judge's six eyes narrowed simultaneously as he shouted excitedly, "Vice Admiral Elio, do you see this? These are all evidence! You didn't just embezzle and accept bribes, you've formed cliques for personal gain! Not even Commander-in-Chief Kong can save you now!"
"My my, how terrifying~"
At this moment, Admiral Borsalino, seated in the front row of the jury, suddenly stood up. An invisible wave of overwhelming pressure burst out from him, silencing the chaotic hall instantly.
He didn't look up. Once it was quiet, he lazily raised his wrist and glanced at his watch. "Time's up, off duty."
With that, Borsalino turned around and left without a hint of hesitation.
Seeing this, Admiral Sakazuki also stood up. After scanning the room with a piercing gaze, he furrowed his brows and said in a deep voice, "This is a courtroom. Keep quiet! Elio's embezzlement is a fact, and the evidence is solid. This ends here. Anyone who causes further trouble shall not blame me for being ruthless!"
With those words, Sakazuki also turned and strode out of the courtroom.
At the same time, Admiral Kuzan stood up, glanced at Elio surrounded by officers, and left silently.
With the three Admirals gone, the remaining Vice and Rear Admirals also got up and left in an orderly manner.
In just a short while, only one Admiral candidate remained: Gion.
Gion didn't leave. When everyone turned their gaze to her, she slowly stood up and spoke calmly: "Chief Judge, the charges of embezzlement, bribery, and colluding with bounty hunters for reward money, those are all true, and we have no objections if you proceed according to the law. However, you cannot pin false charges!"
"If you claim Vice Admiral Elio formed factions for personal gain, then I count as one of his allies too. After all, during my missions, it was always Elio who took care of my family."
Saying that, Gion glanced at Elio, then turned her gaze to the officers surrounding him. "Please calm down. Without an order from the Fleet Admiral or a direct decree from the Holy Land, no one has the authority to sentence Vice Admiral Elio to death. I stake my entire future on that promise!"
"If anyone dares abuse their power to falsely charge him, I will not only refuse to accept it, this blade on my waist won't accept it either!"
With her speech and the departure of the Admirals, the uproar finally died down.
Due to Gion's status and Sengoku's silence, the Chief Judge didn't dare to make further proclamations. He ordered Elio to be imprisoned for the time being, and the trial quietly came to a close.
…
Evening.
Inside the prison cell where Elio was held in solitary confinement, he sat on the ground and looked around this cold and barren cell, before shaking his head with a bitter smile.
He had already expected what he would face when the internal investigation team began looking into him.
At that time, colleagues had suggested he run away before the investigation concluded, but he didn't.
Because he knew full well, if he fled, he'd be a deserter and become a wanted criminal by the World Government.
More importantly, he believed that even if they discovered his corruption, with the connections he had built over the years, the worst would be demotion and a short prison sentence.
But what he didn't expect was that Fleet Admiral Sengoku would oversee the trial himself, and that the Chief Judge of Enies Lobby would be brought in.
And when he saw that the judge was a three-headed disguise, clearly three people pretending to be one, he realized someone was plotting against him!
His generous acts over the years had also disrupted the interests of many truly corrupt officers in the headquarters.
This meant that this wasn't about demotion or a brief sentence; someone truly wanted him dead.
Clang...
Suddenly, the iron door of the cell opened.
A group of eight Marine colonels and rear admirals entered in succession.
"Lord Elio!"
"Vice Admiral Elio!"
As soon as they arrived at his cell, the eight officers stood at attention and saluted him.
Then, the leading officer stepped forward emotionally and grabbed the bars. "Lord Elio, I just heard, the reason the Holy Land sent Enies Lobby's Chief Judge is because CP9's top officer, Spandine, is colluding with him. Their goal is to have you killed."
"Spandine?" Elio's brow furrowed.
He had considered other enemies within HQ, like Vice Admiral Onigumo or officers he never favored. But he hadn't expected CP9's top agent, Spandine!
Now that he heard Spandine's name, it all clicked.
Although CP9 wasn't large, it was a special unit directly under the World Government, on par with the Marines.
More importantly, CP9 often relied on Marine assistance for missions, forming a tight web of mutual interest, especially in selling positions and corruption.
Spandine was the kind of man who would stop at nothing to rise in power. Over the years, he had profited enormously by working with the Marines. But ever since Elio had gained influence, many officers stopped collaborating with Spandine and turned to support Elio instead.
Naturally, Spandine wouldn't sit idly by. He would do whatever it took to eliminate Elio.
And of course, it wasn't just Spandine, many Marine officers were likely involved.
"Lord Elio!"
As Elio fell into thought, the officer holding the bars suddenly raised his head, eyes burning. "They'll try anything to pin charges on you and send you to Enies Lobby. Instead of waiting to die, let's strike first!"
"Yes! Just give the word, Lord Elio, we'll fight to the death!"
Upon hearing this, Elio slowly raised his head, eyes blazing as he looked at the officers outside the cell.
At the same time...
Ding~
A soft chime echoed in his mind, followed by a series of messages:
"Blessings go to the giver, love returns to the loving!"
"Congratulations! Your years of dedication have finally paid off. The Choice System has been activated!"
"All Marines who have received your kindness are sharpening their blades, preparing to break you out of prison."
"You now have two choices!"
"1. Wait for your subordinates to break you out. If successful, you'll be rewarded with a naval escape warship!"
"2. Launch a coup and seize the position of Fleet Admiral. If successful, all your abilities will be elevated to their peak!"