Marineford, Marine Headquarters, the Fleet Admiral's office.
The Ice-cold air seemed to have frozen solid, crushing everyone until they could barely breathe.
Aokiji stared coldly at Akainu across from him and launched into an unforgiving attack:
"What the hell were you thinking? You actually used a Devil Fruit Awakening-level technique in a place packed with people!"
"Hmph. I was merely carrying out my mission. Obeying orders is a soldier's duty."
Akainu snorted and retorted without giving an inch, his gaze as cold as Ice.
"A mission? This time, you destroyed nearly a third of Sabaody Archipelago's landmass! Setting aside those criminals who deserved to die, countless innocent slaves and civilians were caught up in it too!"
Having long been dissatisfied with Akainu, Aokiji took this chance to vent all the resentment in his heart at once. "Was the World Government's mission for you to slaughter innocents?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the temperature throughout the office plummeted, as though they had been transported into the dead of winter. A thin layer of white frost even formed over the walls.
"What, you're allowed to let criminals go because of personal feelings, but I'm not allowed to carry out the higher-ups' orders?"
As if he had not seen the chill in Aokiji's eyes, Akainu gave a mocking smile.
"I don't know what you're pitying. Do I need to tell you what happens when criminals are let go? If you show mercy to criminals, how many more civilians will die innocently in the future?"
"Stop deceiving yourself, Sakazuki."
Aokiji replied coldly, "You and I both know what kind of pirates the Straw Hat Pirates are. All those so-called misdeeds of theirs were forced onto them by the World Government. On the contrary, they've done quite a few good things since