Chapter 454: Overthrow?

“To be honest, the Blade Unit was originally supposed to be handed over to Master Zefa, but Admiral Sengoku changed his mind at the last minute.”

“This is your fortune—and your misfortune.”

Drake blinked slightly, confirmed the man before him held no hostility, then sat down on the spot and voiced the question he had carried for so long.

“Why did Master Zefa make such a decision?!”

He didn’t understand.

He had never understood this.

Zefa had been the person he most respected—or rather, Zefa had been the most respected figure among the vast majority of Marines.

In the Marine ranks, only Karp, known as the Hero, could surpass Zefa in prestige.

More importantly.

After Zefa reached toward Mary Geoise and committed countless killings, he severed all ties with his past, burying his own creed of non-lethal justice beneath his own hands.

What had happened to Zefa that forced that man to make such a choice?!

Drake stared intently, seeking answers in Tenghu’s face, but found only a faint, almost imperceptible sorrow in the man’s eyes.

Tenghu sipped his tea slowly and said:

“What do you think justice is?!”

“Justice… justice is…”

Drake opened his mouth, then suddenly realized he could not give a precise answer.

Those two words—once the unwavering pillars of his will, even in darkness, the very words he and countless Marines had treated as faith—now felt utterly alien.

“Eliminate pirates? Protect civilians? Maintain peace on the seas? Or uphold the World Government’s rule and defend the privileges of the Celestial Dragons?!”

“Whose justice is this, really?!”

“How can you, who don’t even know what justice is, possibly be worthy of bearing it?!”

Tenghu’s words struck like a dagger into Drake’s heart, flushing his face red with fury yet leaving him without a single rebuttal.

Because he knew—Tenghu was right.

But what exactly is justice?

What had he been carrying all along?

Drake found no answer for himself. Unconsciously, he looked up at Tenghu—only to see the man’s retreating back, and Zefa’s final words:

“Master Zefa once said.”

“When you become aware of this—when you begin to examine your past, your burdened justice, even the meaning behind every action you’ve taken—”

“Your hand has already touched the essence of justice.”

Tap!

Tap!

Tap!

The footsteps faded into distance; Tenghu’s silhouette vanished beyond sight.

Drake still gazed at the direction where Tenghu had disappeared, turning the man’s words over and over in his mind, yet all he saw before him remained only confusion.

During this time, he had seen much in Britannias.

Frankly speaking, if one ignored the fact that it was a nation founded by pirates, Britannias might well be the most stable, most ideal nation on the entire sea.

It had even transcended its era.

Its sound legal system, the gradually ingrained will of freedom and equality in its citizens’ very blood—these were unlike anything elsewhere in the world.

Yet even Drake, a Marine by origin, could feel: this was how the world ought to be.

And the tragedies born of the World Government, of the Celestial Dragons—he had seen too many of them since becoming a pirate.

Had he not clung to justice, to the belief that he had always done what was right, his stance would have crumbled long ago.

Tenghu’s words were like the whispers of demons, gnawing at Drake’s most fundamental beliefs—but he could not stop himself from thinking.

Because to believe in justice, one must first understand what justice truly is.

And the more clearly he understood justice’s essence,

the more he compared what he had seen in Britannias with the kingdoms ruled by the World Government,

the more clearly he felt: the justice he bore might never have been justice at all.

Drake sat motionless in the shipyard for a long time, leaving only after midnight.

From afar, Hawkins watched him, unconsciously pulling a fresh deck of Tarot cards from his pocket.

He no longer blindly trusted his divinations, but that didn’t stop him from using them to glimpse hidden truths.

The Tarot cards fluttered in Hawkins’ hands; he drew three at random, glanced at their faces, and smiled faintly:

“Shaken, shattered, then… renewal?”

“You…”

“What choice will you make?!”

“Drake!”

…

Several days later.

Marine Headquarters.

A group of high-ranking Marines, led by Akainu, gathered in a conference room on the top floor.

The recording Den Den Mushi, stationed at the door, was crushed underfoot by Green Bull Huangmu, leaving only shattered shells and sticky residue on the floor.

Tiana, seated at the back of the room, saw this and her pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

That recording Den Den Mushi had been mandated by the World Government to document every internal Marine meeting.

Huangmu’s action carried unmistakable meaning—and even more shocking was that no one in the room showed surprise or tried to stop him.

Admiral Sakazuki…

What exactly are you planning?

Tiana’s heart reeled; she couldn’t help raising her eyes to look up at Akainu.

Lately, the Marine Corps had been in turmoil.

News of Akainu’s plan to reform the Marines had spread like wildfire, drawing attention from the World Government and the entire world.

All speculated: what brutal measures would this most radical Marine Admiral ever take to crush the seas?

But.

To their surprise, Akainu’s first target after taking office was not pirates—but the World Government itself.

“Everyone here is trustworthy, so I’ll skip the pleasantries.”

Akainu broke the silence; everyone instantly snapped to attention, focusing entirely on him. He continued:

“For eight hundred years, since the Marines’ founding, justice has been nothing but empty words.”

“We have never carried Marine justice—we have carried the World Government’s twisted justice, the Celestial Dragons’ justice!”

Tiana froze, suddenly realizing what Akainu intended: this man’s target had never been pirates—it was the World Government, the entire world.

Was this still the same man whose extremism had driven even his own colleagues to despair?!

Tiana’s heart thundered; she glanced around—the others’ expressions were calm, as if they had long expected this.

This was a premeditated coup.

A blade forged by the Marine high command, aimed at the World Government.

Perhaps it had begun the moment Akainu assumed command.

Otherwise, how could such a smooth transition have occurred—how could he have swayed nearly the entire Marine high command?

Tiana understood now—she knew exactly what Akainu planned.

Of course.

Akainu continued:

“The Celestial Dragons’ power must be restrained!”

“I will launch a reform—to create a new regime, led entirely by the Marines, built atop the existing World Government structure!”

“Justice…”

“Must be defined by those who enact it—not as a tool serving any single group.”

Crash—!

Akainu slammed his palm hard on the table, then rose, calmly scanning the room:

“I’ve spoken. Who agrees?”

“Who opposes?!”