Marine Headquarters' Disposition of Rochi

"That's right! Vice Admiral Strawberry is correct!"

Another hawkish vice admiral, Dalmatian, also rose to his feet with a cold expression and added grimly, "Such brutal methods... how can the G-8 Branch still be called a bastion of justice? It's practically a hellish slaughterhouse! A troublemaker who disregards military law like this should be severely punished under the strictest military code!"

With the accusations from the two veteran vice admirals, waves of condemnation immediately erupted throughout the conference room.

Clearly, Rochi's practically inhuman act of building a "Jingguan" had deeply rattled these senior officers, who were accustomed to doing everything by the book.

Quite a few of them had already been dissatisfied with Rochi, an eighteen-year-old kid who had shot up to the rank of Navy Colonel like a rocket through slaughter. Now, they had found the perfect outlet for their resentment.

Listening to the outraged denunciations around him, Sengoku rubbed his throbbing temples and let out a deep sigh.

However, before Sengoku could speak—

Sizzle—!

A suffocating wave of scorching heat suddenly erupted inside the conference room!

The temperature in the room soared to a terrifying level in less than half a second! Several cups of tea on the table began boiling at a visible rate, bubbling and releasing white steam!

The previously noisy conference room seemed to have had its throat abruptly squeezed shut, plunging into deathly silence.

Everyone turned in horror toward the man seated at the front of the left side.

Crack!

Admiral Red Dog Sakazuki's face was as dark as water as his thick right hand gripped the edge of the table tightly.

Scorching magma dripped through his fingers onto the luxurious carpet, burning deep black pits into it and releasing a pungent sulfurous stench!

He did not raise his head, but the terrifying General Level pressure pouring off him crashed down upon Strawberry and the others like a colossal volcano!

"Severely punish him? Strip him of his rank?"

Sakazuki slowly raised his head. His vicious, hawk-like eyes, hidden beneath the shadow of his cap, fixed on the officers who had just spoken. His low voice carried undisguised fury and domineering force.

"Are your rotten old brains full of shit?!"

The moment those words came out, Strawberry and the others' expressions changed drastically. Just as they wanted to retort, Red Dog's even more savage aura forced the words back down their throats!

With a cigar between his fingers, Sakazuki abruptly rose to his feet. His tall, muscular body stood like an immovable demon god as he pointed at the photographs on the table and roared:

"Our own people?! Trash that was so terrified of pirates that they seized a warship overnight to desert... they deserve to call themselves Marines? They deserve to wear that coat representing Absolute Justice?!"

"On the battlefield, deserters who turn their backs on the enemy are the most vile, most contemptible scum! Their very existence is the greatest insult to the Marine flag!"

Sakazuki's sharp gaze swept across the room, and an exceedingly protective yet cruel sneer curled across his lips.

"I don't think Navy Colonel Rochi did anything wrong!"

"He merely used the most effective and direct method to cut away a festering tumor that had plagued the officers of Marine Headquarters for far too long!"

"Not only is such decisive action not a crime, Headquarters should award him a special commendation! Make him an example for every branch across the Grand Line!"

Red Dog's aggressively protective words left all the officers speechless. Their faces turned livid as they gritted their teeth.

Who didn't know that Rochi was Sakazuki's trusted weapon, personally promoted by him and trained as his successor?!

There had to be a limit to his favoritism!

Calling the construction of a Jingguan an example was simply blacking white!

"Admiral Sakazuki! This is shameless favoritism!"

One officer shouted despite himself.

"Favoritism?"

Sakazuki snorted coldly. In an instant, his right arm completely transformed into churning, boiling magma. His eyes burned like a sea of fire as he fixed them on that officer and stepped out from his seat.

"That's right! I am favoring him! If you have a problem with that, or think the man I trained isn't good enough... then step forward and fight me one-on-one on the parade ground outside!"

He had gone insane!

One of the Navy's supreme fighting powers was actually challenging a colleague to a death duel at the highest-level meeting over a mere branch colonel!

The officer broke out in a cold sweat and instantly collapsed back into his chair, not daring to say another word.

Crunch! Crunch!

Just as the room descended into this tense, deathly silence, a distinctly discordant sound of chewing suddenly came from a corner.

"Hahahaha! Delicious! These rice crackers are so crunchy!"

Marine hero Garp laughed carelessly as he stuffed a huge handful of rice crackers into his mouth, chewing loudly. He slouched in his chair without a shred of dignity, picking his nose as he shouted bluntly:

"You people really have nothing better to do."

"The World Government's order says it perfectly clearly: organized armed desertion is to be executed on the spot! So they were killed. What's the big deal? They were just a bunch of cowardly runaways anyway. Were we supposed to carry them back to Headquarters in sedan chairs and invite them for tea? Hahahaha!"

Sengoku shot Garp a glare, his face covered in dark lines.

That old bastard always jumped out to muddy the waters at times like this!

Seeing that the situation was about to turn into a double act between Red Dog and Garp, Sengoku had no choice but to turn toward Aokiji, who had been wearing an eye mask and pretending to sleep.

"Kuzan, what do you think about this?"

"Ah la la..."

Aokiji lazily pulled down his eye mask, gave a long yawn, and rubbed his messy hair. His tone was languid, but his point struck straight at the heart of the matter.

"Honestly, the sight was pretty disgusting."

"But... I've been to the waters around the G-8 Branch too. The Marines there had been colluding with the local snakes for years. They were rotten to the bone already."

"When dealing with a chronic, festering disease, young Rochi's heavy-handed approach might not fit my personal sense of aesthetics, but at least it produced immediate results."

Aokiji exhaled a breath of frost, dispersing some of the oppressive heat caused by Red Dog. He calmly stated, "I agree. He should not be held accountable."

The entire room fell silent once more.

Of the three admirals, two had clearly declared their support for exempting Rochi from responsibility.

As for Kizaru, he was leisurely trimming his nails with nail clippers, looking like an office drone who had merely clocked in and heard absolutely nothing.

Combined with Marine hero Garp's stance—

These four men standing at the pinnacle of the Marines had directly set the tone for the matter!

The remaining vice admirals and rear admirals exchanged looks. Who would dare provoke them at a time like this?

"Cough, cough..."

Sengoku folded his hands beneath his chin. Seeing that the time was right, he went with the flow and delivered the final ruling.

"Since no one has any objections, this matter ends here."

"Navy Colonel Rochi rendered meritorious service in suppressing the mutiny, but his methods were excessively harsh. His merits and faults cancel each other out. This shall be classified as a special wartime military-law measure! No further investigation!"

"Meeting adjourned!"