Karp sat in a spot, closing his eyes:
"Roger entrusted it to me."
Sakazuki sat in the distance, arms crossed, leaning against his chair, and remained silent.
The Fleet Admiral sighed inwardly:
"Why would you harbor Roger's orphan?"
Karp opened his eyes and spoke slowly:
"The child is innocent."
Sakazuki suddenly spoke:
"His sinful bloodline is original sin."
Karp turned to stare at Sakazuki:
"But he hasn't even been born yet."
"His life has not begun, he has committed no crime."
"To be sentenced to death simply because of a bloodline he cannot choose."
"This kind of absolute justice."
"I will never acknowledge it."
Sakazuki took a few deep breaths:
"I can't imagine these words coming from a Marine Vice Admiral."
"From what standpoint can you so boldly utter such words?"
"The Marines! The people! Or pirates!"
"No crime?"
"If Rayleigh hadn't been stopped by Barrett back then, do you know how many people would have died because he was unborn?"
Karp clenched his fist:
"If it weren't for the surveillance."
"Roger wouldn't have called Rayleigh in the first place."
Sakazuki was almost amused to the point of anger:
"Are you saying I'm wrong?"
*Boom!*
The table in front of Sakazuki was instantly shattered by a punch.
The Fleet Admiral roared:
"All of you, calm down!"
Sengoku, Zephyr, and others also stood up, preparing to intervene.
Sakazuki took a deep breath:
"It's fine."
He turned and walked away:
"Carole!"
Carole stood up from the back row:
"Yes."
Sakazuki, walking away, spoke:
"Have you found Dragon's whereabouts?"
Carole nodded:
"Yes, we have."
Everyone in the conference room didn't know what Sakazuki intended to do.
Sakazuki raised his hand and said:
"Fleet Admiral, I'm going to apprehend a Marine rebel."
"And bring you his head."
Everyone was stunned. Karp stood up abruptly:
"Sakazuki!!!"
Furious killing intent erupted.
Sakazuki turned back sharply, unleashing an even more domineering Conqueror's Haki accompanied by killing intent:
"Come! Tell me!"
"What are you so angry about!!!"
"When it happens to you, you also know anger!"
"Then tell me! The families of the over five thousand soldiers on Coco Island slaughtered by Roger, shouldn't they be angry!"
"Don't they have lives?!"
"Their lives were brutally cut short, the futures of over five thousand families utterly destroyed!"
"Have you ever thought if they were innocent?!"
"Why should they forgive the son of the perpetrator!"
"Innocent?"
"You stand on the moral high ground and spout pretty words!!!"
*Boom!*
Sakazuki immediately entered his magma form.
Intense red light and rolling black smoke erupted from his body, uncontrollably wanting to lunge at Karp.
Karp's killing intent also exploded, staring intently at Sakazuki, fists clenched.
Instructor Zephyr and Vice Admiral Momousagi stepped in front of Sakazuki:
"Calm down, Sakazuki."
Sengoku flashed in front of Karp:
"Don't be rash, Karp."
The Fleet Admiral, seeing the escalating situation, slammed the table:
"Enough!!!"
"All of you, stop!"
A powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki impacted the surroundings.
"Karp is temporarily relieved of duty!"
"Sengoku! Take Karp away."
"Sakazuki, retract your power."
"Zephyr, Momousagi, take him away."
"Dismissed for now, all of you, calm down!"
"Get them out of here immediately!!!!"
The usually cheerful Fleet Admiral was rarely seen in such anger. The others dared not delay.
Divided into two groups, they dragged the two men away.
A moment later, the entire conference room fell silent.
The Fleet Admiral suppressed his angry expression and sat down.
He massaged his temples, thinking of Karp, and couldn't help but slap the table again:
"Idiot..."
Then he stood up and walked out.
-----------------
Late at night, Marie Geoise, the Holy Land.
The Five Elders, armed with swords, threw a piece of paper onto the table:
"The inheritor of Pluton's blueprints has been identified."
The Five Elder holding a cane picked it up and read:
"The world's number one shipwright?"
"Hidden in plain sight."
"He even built a ship for Roger."
"Exposed only due to the Great Purge?"
"Arrest him."
They casually tossed the document back onto the table, not particularly concerned.
Knowing the truth, they understood that only the finished product could threaten them.
Whether a blueprint could be used to build it was uncertain.
The time and materials wasted meant that no one other than the government could build it.
The arrest was merely a formality.
The stout Five Elder spoke:
"What do you think of the report from the Fleet Admiral?"
The tall and thin Five Elder said:
"Strip Karp of his hero title."
"To think he would harbor Roger's offspring, truly the D. are all the same."
The sword-wielding Five Elder said:
"For now, only announce it to the high-ranking officials."
"The impact Roger had is still unknown; it's not advisable to make major moves now."
"Let's wait and see for a year or two."
"Sakazuki did well this time."
"Find an opportunity to promote him to Admiral, and then announce the stripping of Karp's title."
Several Five Elders nodded:
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
Commands were conveyed to various parties...
-------------------
Late at night, at the Headquarters' port.
Karp sat quietly on the stone steps, gazing at the sea.
Sengoku and Tsuru walked over with three bags of donuts, sat beside Karp, and handed one bag to him.
Karp silently accepted and tore open the packaging.
He picked up a donut, took a bite, chewed a few times, and then paused:
"Sengoku, Tsuru."
"Was I really wrong..."
Sengoku remained silent for a few seconds and said:
"Although I don't want to discourage you, in this matter, Sakazuki was not wrong."
"Roger's sinful bloodline must not be allowed to exist in this world."
Vice Admiral Tsuru comforted him:
"You were also misled by Roger."
"This is not your fault."
Karp suddenly chuckled:
"You are so kind, Tsuru."
After speaking, he stared blankly at the sea.
"Perhaps."
Only the sound of the three quietly eating could be heard at the port.
When the eating stopped and the sun began to rise, Sengoku stood up:
"Perhaps you should go to Coco Island and see the people whose lives were ruined by Roger."
Karp looked at the rising sun:
"Coco Island..."
"I understand."
---------------
The next day.
A small high-level meeting was convened again.
Karp's punishment was announced.
Stripped of his hero title, but not to be publicly disclosed for the time being.
Karp was suspended for six months for review.
The Fleet Admiral looked at Karp:
"Any objections?"
Karp shook his head:
"No."
The Fleet Admiral nodded:
"Meeting adjourned."
As the meeting was about to end, the Fleet Admiral stopped Sakazuki.
After everyone else had left, the Fleet Admiral said:
"Sakazuki, please sit. You handled this matter very well."
"The higher-ups have seen your contributions over the years, but your promotion was deferred due to your age."
"Now is about the right time."
"I will find an opportunity to promote you to Admiral in the next two years."
Sakazuki gave a light laugh:
"Is that so?"
"Then I truly look forward to it."
The Fleet Admiral smiled:
"You."
He hesitated for a moment, then said:
"Ah, and about Dragon."
"Well... how should I put it."
"Dragon grew up in this Headquarters since he was a child."
"More or less..."
Sakazuki smiled:
"Don't worry, Fleet Admiral."
"I was just angry at the time, I didn't really intend to do anything to him."
After all... he still has a great purpose...
The Fleet Admiral nodded, letting out a sigh of relief:
"That's good."
"You were put in a difficult position this time."
Sakazuki shook his head:
"It's nothing."
"Everything for justice."
-------------
The Island of Eternal Night, Enies Lobby.
The tall and thin chief judge looked at the secret report from the Five Elders:
"Shipwright Tom..."
"Summon someone!"
"Prepare the mobile court!"