Marine Headquarters — Marineford.
Communications Division.
"Inform Kuzan!"
"What I saw is the truth!!!"
Click.
The Den Den Mushi was slammed down violently.
The communications officer held the receiver, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Captain Smoker's report was completely different from the urgent Den Den Mushi call received earlier...
One version said a Commander killed his superior in defiance of hierarchy.
Another claimed that the superior colluded with pirates, fought internally, and the Commander cleaned up the aftermath, turning the tide?
Which one... which one was real?
Forget it. Just submit it straight to the top brass!
Let the Fleet Admiral and those big shots worry about it!
...
Inside the top-level conference room, the atmosphere was heavy.
Sengoku sat at the head, his face dark.
Vice Admiral Tsuru sat beside him, calm as ever.
Admiral "Akainu" — Sakazuki and Admiral "Aokiji" — Kuzan were seated as well.
Sengoku's eyes swept across the Marine leadership, his voice laced with suppressed anger.
"You all know the situation."
"Commander Rayne Hawke of the 16th Branch in the East Blue openly killed his direct superior!"
"Nezumi was corrupt, colluding with pirates, oppressing civilians. The evidence is undeniable."
"Such vermin must be purged."
"But!"
"The method of purging was wrong!"
"The Marines have rules! We have an Inspectorate!"
"Since when is it the place of a mere Commander to bypass the chain of command and enforce vigilante justice?!"
"If that happens, what remains of Marine discipline?!"
Sakazuki, who had been silently reviewing the report, slowly raised his head.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
His voice was hard, like molten magma turned solid.
"I don't believe this young man named Hawke is at fault."
"Scum like Nezumi, Marines who collude with pirates, have long tainted the name of 'justice' and are unworthy of life."
"Hawke eliminated that evil directly and effectively."
"That in itself is the embodiment of justice!"
Sakazuki's gaze burned, his tone sharp and absolute.
"Absolute Justice means burning away all evil, whether internal or external, until nothing remains!"
"I appreciate Hawke's actions."
"This is the decisiveness the Marines should have!"
"Sakazuki!"
Sengoku's eyes widened in fury, staring at Akainu.
"Are you condoning insubordination?!"
"If everyone acted this way, what would happen to the chain of command?!"
"Hmph."
Sakazuki met Sengoku's glare without yielding.
"If the chain of command is riddled with vermin like Nezumi..."
"Then such a chain of command isn't worth having!"
"Sakazuki...!"
Sengoku's rage boiled over.
"You... you're far too extreme!"
The two clashed head-on, the air in the conference room igniting, the temperature rising sharply.
Tap. Tap.
Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had been sitting quietly, gently tapped the table.
The crisp sound cut through the heated exchange of the two men.
"Enough. Say no more."
Her gaze did not linger on the arguing men but slowly shifted to the far end of the table.
There, a towering figure slouched lazily in his chair.
Admiral Aokiji — Kuzan.
His eyes were closed, breathing long and steady, as though he had already fallen asleep.
Marine Headquarters Admiral, "Aokiji" Kuzan.
Kuzan sensed Vice Admiral Tsuru's gaze.
His head twitched ever so slightly, his eyelids flickering faintly.
Asleep?
What a joke.
He wasn't like Borsalino, slacking off at work in broad daylight.
He simply couldn't be bothered to intervene.
The Ohara Incident... had changed too many things.
Including the "Burning Justice" he once held to heart.
Now, this "Lazy Justice" was just fine.
At that moment.
Knock—
The conference room door was gently tapped. A soldier from Communications hurried in.
"Report!"
The soldier saluted. "Regarding the death of Captain Nezumi of the 16th Branch in the East Blue..."
"Captain Smoker has just sent... his field investigation report."
Sengoku said sternly, "Speak."
The soldier dared not falter, his words spilling out quickly: "Captain Smoker reports that upon his arrival at the scene..."
"He discovered Captain Nezumi had gotten into a violent conflict with the pirate Arlong over stolen loot distribution."
"In the end, Nezumi and Arlong perished together."
"Commander Rayne Hawke of the 16th Branch then led his men in time to annihilate the pirate remnants, safeguard the civilians, and uphold justice."
"Report complete."
The soldier's voice faded.
A brief, eerie silence settled over the room.
"..."
A vein throbbed visibly on Fleet Admiral Sengoku's temple.
Smoker!
That bastard!!!
To so brazenly fabricate events!!!
"Hmph—"
For just a moment, Sakazuki's hard features softened.
The faintest trace of a smile flickered at the corner of his lips, then vanished as quickly as it came.
"Hmm—?"
Still with eyes closed, resting...
Kuzan slowly opened his eyes at this moment.
His gaze fell directly on the communications soldier, clearly showing deep interest in what Smoker had just said.
"Admiral Aokiji..."
The communications soldier felt Kuzan's eyes on him. Remembering Smoker's final words, he hesitated.
Kuzan noticed his struggle and signaled for him to continue.
The soldier clenched his teeth and repeated decisively:
"Captain Smoker's last words were... 'Tell Kuzan, what I saw is the truth!'"
"..."
"Ha—"
The corners of Kuzan's mouth curved into a low chuckle.
"Smoker, you bastard."
Things just got interesting...
Rayne Hawke, huh?
A mere Commander of a branch... What exactly did he do that made Smoker go so far as to leave a message for him?
He knew his old friend well. Smoker was proud to the core—he would never speak up lightly.
If Smoker had spoken up, then he...
Had to help.
"..."
Vice Admiral Tsuru held her teacup, her eyes glancing sideways at Kuzan.
Which of the high-ranking Marines didn't know that Smoker was Kuzan's longtime friend?
Smoker could repeatedly talk back to superiors, stir up endless trouble, and in the end only be "exiled" to the East Blue's gateway—Loguetown—because Kuzan's invisible influence shielded him.
This obviously biased report of his would almost certainly sway Kuzan's stance.
And indeed...
Kuzan stood up, looking toward the Fleet Admiral in the main seat:
"Well then, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, it sounds like this matter might not be so simple..."
"That guy Smoker may be reckless, but his judgment isn't bad."
"If he says Commander Hawke was the one cleaning up the mess afterward, maybe... it's really true?!"
"Kuzan!"
Sengoku stared at the Admiral who always seemed too lazy to care, shocked that he was actually speaking in someone's defense. The vein on his forehead throbbed even harder.
One Sakazuki was already enough to give him a headache, and now Kuzan was jumping into this too!
He swept his gaze across the conference room. Sakazuki's stance was clear appreciation, Kuzan was openly showing favoritism, and even Tsuru leaned toward investigating thoroughly instead of condemning outright.
Even as Fleet Admiral, no matter how furious he was, he couldn't just ignore the opinions of two Admirals and the Chief Strategist.
"Hu—"
Sengoku drew a deep breath, pressing down his seething anger, and said in a low voice:
"Since Smoker submitted a contradictory report, we cannot convict based on a single side of the story!"
"Headquarters will dispatch a special team to the East Blue's 16th Branch for a full investigation!"
"Every piece of the truth must be uncovered!"
As soon as his words fell—
"Fleet Admiral."
Sakazuki's voice rang out.
He looked at Sengoku, eyes burning.
"I'll go."
He didn't hide his interest in the slightest:
"I'm very curious about this young man called Rayne Hawke."
"I want to see with my own eyes... what kind of 'Justice' he upholds."
"..."
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