One Piece : From Slave to Fleet Admiral

"You scum, from start to finish, you've never had anything to do with the word 'ordinary.' Don't use your disgusting mindset to taint the lives that truly belong to ordinary people!"

"You claim that after witnessing darkness, you felt deep despair and the helplessness of being unable to change anything. But what does that have to do with the crimes you committed? You couldn't change the darkness of the entire world—and the world's darkness doesn't need you alone to change it either. The world's darkness wasn't created by one person, and it certainly doesn't need one person to fix it!"

"All you needed to do was change the darkness around you. That would have been enough. If you could have brought even a sliver of light to those near you, that would have counted as effort. But you, this bastard, after seeing darkness, chose to wallow in it instead. Then you used high-sounding excuses to deceive yourself, saying it wasn't your fault—that the world was to blame. What a revolting piece of trash."

"To put it bluntly, from beginning to end, you were nothing more than a pathetic wretch who, after accidentally gazing into the abyss, was instantly corrupted and consumed by it!"

As Jake spoke, he kicked Slixus straight into the wall.

He looked at the man with undisguised contempt and disgust before dragging him out of the cell, his body now limp as a dead dog.

As he passed Aokiji, Jake said softly.

"Sorry to trouble you, Kuzan-san. Could you please move the rest of these injured scumbags to another cell? I've already given the severely wounded ones basic treatment—at least enough to keep them alive until they receive the punishment they deserve."

Kuzan nodded.

Just as Jake was about to leave the cell, Kuzan suddenly smiled and asked.

"I never expected you to have such profound thoughts on justice, Jake. Honestly, even I learned a lot from your words just now."

Hearing this, Jake paused briefly before smiling in return.

"Kuzan-san, you're joking again. Compared to my shallow understanding of justice, no amount of words could ever match a single act. I'm still far from reaching your level of justice."

"No. Justice in practice needs justice in theory to guide it. Jake, if there's anyone who could one day succeed Fleet Admiral Sengoku, it'll be you. Hahaha! Otherwise, I might as well quit the Marines!"

With that, Aokiji didn't give Jake a chance to respond before walking straight into the foul-smelling cell.

Seeing this, Jake could only shake his head helplessly before dragging Slixus toward the makeshift tribunal Sengoku had set up over the past few days.

Today was the day for the public trial of the corruption case involving the entire Sladepar marine base.

Sengoku had even brought in Morgans, making it clear he was serious about purging the rot within the Marines.

Jake, however, felt somewhat uneasy about this.

If handled well, the best feedback they could hope for would be along the lines of 'It's about time,' 'This was long overdue,' or 'Just doing their job'.

But if it wasn't handled properly—or if it fell short—the backlash, combined with the scandal itself, would deal a devastating blow to the Marine's reputation.

What weighed even heavier on Jake's mind was the fact that he was the one fully responsible for this operation.

If things went south, his own future would darken considerably.

As for whether he could pull it off, Jake wasn't entirely confident.

The issue at hand was far too complex.

Corruption within the Marines wasn't an isolated problem—it was entangled with various forces in the black market, official factions within the World Government, powerful Pirate crews, and even the Celestial Dragons.

If Jake dealt with it ruthlessly and impartially, the resistance he'd face would far exceed his expectations.

But if he turned a blind eye, and the media exposed it, the Marines would suffer another major blow.

Faced with such a dilemma, Jake couldn't help but feel helpless.

Still, he understood that Sengoku hadn't assigned him this task to undermine him.

On the contrary, Sengoku wanted to use this opportunity to thoroughly temper him.

Surviving in such a convoluted political landscape was Sengoku's test for Jake.

If he could navigate these treacherous waters with composure and skill, then in the future, Sengoku could confidently entrust the entire Marines to him.

Conversely, if Jake faltered—if he handled things too rigidly—Sengoku would still shield him, though his training would only intensify.

But if Jake himself became corrupted in the process, Sengoku would face a severe decline in the Marines's prestige, and Jake's future would be buried.

This was both a trial and an opportunity for Jake—a high-stakes gamble orchestrated by Sengoku.

Success meant mutual triumph; failure meant no winners.

Yet, despite understanding Sengoku's reasoning, Jake couldn't help but question it.

The Marine's current situation wasn't so dire—why take such a gamble?

Why not seek victory through stability?

If his position allowed it, Jake would've outright asked Sengoku.

'What's the rush?!'

But upon reflection, he could also grasp Sengoku's urgency—his burning desire to change the world.

With a sigh, Jake shook his head.

A camera flash snapped him back to attention, his expression hardening into solemnity.

Ten minutes later, Sengoku stood on the trial platform, his gaze cold as he looked down at the kneeling Slixus.

"Given all the crimes you've committed," he said coldly, "do you have anything left to say in your defense?"

Slixus raised his head and looked at Sengoku, his mouth opening as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he gave up.

His raised head gradually lowered, and large teardrops fell from his eyes.

His voice was hoarse to the extreme as he finally spoke.

"No objections. All these things... I personally committed them! I admit to everything Fleet Admiral Sengoku has stated!"

The moment Slixus's voice faded, the entire public courtroom fell into dead silence.

Everyone stared at the man kneeling at the center with stunned gazes, their eyes burning with fury.

A trembling voice, filled with indescribable grief and hatred, rang out.

"Hey! Is this what the Marines are like?! You bastard—where did you sell my wife and child?!!"

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