The civilians' sobs reverberated throughout the courtroom.
Zephyr observed the scene, his aged face etched with exhaustion and doubt.
He felt his lifelong conviction—the principle of non-lethal justice—beginning to waver.
Zephyr knew how others judged him. "Foolish Justice."
He was well aware many disapproved of his refusal to execute pirates regardless of their cris.
Yet on this matter, Zephyr held firm to his beliefs.
First, determining a pirate's guilt and whether they deserved execution required Judicial Island's rigorous interrogation.
Deciding fates arbitrarily would render the entire legal system a mockery and invite... fraudulent claims of rit through wrongful executions.
During the Marine's less regulated era, Zephyr had witnessed such atrocities repeatedly.
Destroy a face beyond recognition, and none could verify whether the slain was truly a pirate.
For rapid promotion, countless officers had bloodied their hands this way.
To prevent such abuses, Zephyr insisted prisoners remain alive—their identifiable faces presented for proper trial.
Second, not all pirates chose this path willingly.
Many turned to piracy only after being crushed by the World Governnt's exorbitant Celestial Tribute.
Zephyr had seen this tragedy unfold more tis than he could count—including in his own holand.
When his nation failed to pay the tribute, complete societal collapse followed.
Bandits, murderers, traffickers... waves of cri engulfed the country overnight.
Ordinary citizens faced two choices: join criminal syndicates or flee by sea.
No third option existed.
By World Governnt decree, any unauthorized mariti travel—even without pirate flags—qualified as piracy.
Survival beca impossible.
Remain and watch gangs seize your ho, violate your family—or join them to victimize others.
Take to the seas and be executed by Marines as pirates, swallowed by storms, or captured by slavers.
Even escaping to neighboring nations ant being sold underground as undocunted fugitives.
Death waited everywhere.
Zephyr had witnessed this blood-drenched reality firsthand.
His no-killing principle stemd from knowing this truth: when the world offers no ans to live honorably, n have no choice but to beco thieves.
But today, as he stared at the nearly half-ter-high criminal record of Slixus, he was utterly stunned.
How could this be?
This was a marine who was supposed to uphold justice, a beacon of hope for civilians, a role model for ordinary marines, soone who had received the teachings and influence of justice—how could they commit such atrocities?!
Zephyr couldn't comprehend it, especially when he saw how this branch commander had used various ans to drag his subordinates into the darkness as well.
The fury in his heart burned to its peak.
After his family was killed, Zephyr had chosen to beco a marine instructor precisely to guide the new generation of marines, to steer them toward the path of justice in their hearts.
Facing those gifted, extraordinary geniuses with personalities beyond the ordinary, Zephyr understood better than anyone just how difficult it was to guide them onto the right path.
The sheer effort he had poured into achieving this—only Zephyr himself knew.
He was never just an instructor who taught recruits combat skills.
He was their true teacher, guiding them in both conduct and duty.
But what about that damned branch chief before him?
He had corrupted marines who should have been beacons of hope for others, turning them into the sa rotten filth as himself, wrapping already suffering people in an even more impenetrable shadow.
The existence of such a person was nothing short of a destruction of all Zephyr's lifelong efforts.
This branch commander had no justification, no coercion—purely driven by his own inner darkness and desires, he had transford the entire marine branch into a living hell.
What if the one committing such atrocities today wasn't a branch commander, but a vice admiral from headquarters?
What if that vice admiral used such thods to climb the ranks, even reaching the positions of admiral or fleet admiral?!
What would the entire Marine beco then?!
Zephyr couldn't bear to imagine such a scenario.
His fists clenched, black Armant Haki unconsciously enveloping his entire arm.
His teeth gritted so hard that blood seeped from his gums.
Just as Zephyr was about to lose control, a steady voice reached him—his old friend Garp.
Garp looked at Zephyr and gave a slight shake of his head.
As Zephyr's longti friend, Garp understood his ideals and aspirations better than anyone, and he knew the depth of Zephyr's rage right now.
But unlike Zephyr's pure sense of justice, Garp's was more complex and ambiguous.
Yet because of this, he knew now wasn't the ti for Zephyr to act recklessly.
What Sengoku was about to do next was to utterly shatter the future Zephyr dreaded.
With Garp's intervention, Zephyr finally cald down.
Breathing heavily, his eyes bloodshot, he glared at Slixus—but in the end, he didn't strike.
The nearby vice admirals had also witnessed this scene, each with their own thoughts.
Kizaru sighed, Akainu lowered the brim of his cap and Aokiji's lips parted slightly—but no words ca out.
At this mont, Sengoku slowly raised his head, his eyes slightly reddened as he looked at the weeping crowd.
"To thoroughly eradicate corruption within the Marine, I, Sengoku, make this pledge today before the entire world!"
"Starting today, we will conduct a massive purge of corrupt practices within the Marines! Any Marine officer found guilty of even the slightest corruption will face public trial and imprisonnt in Impel Down. Those with severe offenses will be publicly executed! The duration of this purge... is indefinite!"
"And the Marine officer appointed as the leader of this purge is... Jake!"
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If you boys like harem and lemon i release a new one piece fic.
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