One Piece: New Order-Chapter 76: The Darkness of The Marines

By the time Sakazuki and Enel reached the Marine base at Grove 66, the full moon hung high above, casting a pale light over the quiet land. It was already late into the night.

Enel had calmed down by then. When he saw Sakazuki come to a stop, he glanced at him and asked, "We're not going in?"

"We are," the vice admiral replied. "Just not through the front."

The moment the words left his mouth, he placed a firm hand on Enel's shoulder and stepped forward. In a blink, both figures vanished.

They reappeared in a shadowed corner of the base and moved quietly, scaling the tallest building.

Standing on the rooftop, Sakazuki looked at Enel. "Use your Observation Haki. Sense everything happening here." frёewebnoѵēl.com

The boy gave a silent nod and closed his eyes.

Inside the central hall on one of the middle floors, the base was strangely lively despite the late hour.

A group of marines were moving crates, one after another, stacking them almost halfway to the ceiling. Several crates still had fresh blood dripping from the sides, yet none of the soldiers seemed disturbed by it. It was like they were used to it.

Once the loading was done, aside from two guards stationed at the main entrance, all the marines gathered in the hall.

Standing before them with a crooked smile was Base Commander Demora.

"Start the report," he ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

A clerk stepped forward with a notebook in hand and began reading aloud.

"This week, we collected 3.17 million Berries in protection fees. From plundering various pirate crews, we seized a total of 43.24 million Berries in treasure and gold. Profits from capturing and selling slaves and pirates to traffickers came to 10.32 million Berries."

He closed the notebook. "Report complete."

Demora looked over the assembled marines and gave a low chuckle. "Same as always. Ross, divide the protection money among everyone."

"Yeah!!" The room erupted in cheers. No one cared where the money came from. They all knew it was dirty, but after spending enough time in this place, none of them minded. They had all become accomplices.

How much money could one make being a proper Marine? How much could one earn by chasing justice? What Demora handed out in one week was more than two months' official salary.

Demora narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the crowd of marines who had long been led astray.

"Alright. Keep it down. Ross, distribute the protection money. As for the rest of the treasure and funds, send them to my place. I'll sort it out myself... make sure the right palms are greased."

His voice wasn't loud, but just enough so every marine in the hall could hear him clearly. With that, he turned and walked out, a smug grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

'Bunch of idiots,' he thought. 'Hahahahaha...'

Drunk on his own pride, Demora had no idea that two people with extremely powerful Observation Haki were standing on the rooftop, watching everything unfold.

As soon as the base commander left the hall, Enel clenched his fists and spat out two words through gritted teeth. "Parasite. Scum."

Sakazuki's cold voice followed. "Demora. Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters. He took over the Sabaody Archipelago branch three years ago."

His gaze was fixed on the moon in the sky.

"Ever since then, the area under Marine control, and its surroundings, have been completely cleaned up. But the man himself is greedy, cunning, and without a shred of integrity. Now, think from the perspective of someone in power. What would you do with him?"

Enel stayed quiet for a long time before forcing the words out. "Let him go..."

"Exactly," Sakazuki said. "Let him go."

He paused, then continued, "Sabaody Archipelago is the gateway to the New World; it's filled with all kinds of people, powerful pirates and bounty hunters can be seen everywhere. In just three years, Demora cleared out the Marine's territory and the surrounding areas. No matter what kind of person he is, his capability is undeniable. Everything he's done—most of the higher-ups already know."

He glanced at Enel.

"There are many others like him among the numerous base commanders in the Marines. But we can't do anything about them. Do you know why?"

Enel thought for a second before replying, "Because our main enemy is the pirates."

Sakazuki gave a slight nod. "Yes. The pirates are the real enemy.

"Let me tell you this. If we purged every corrupted officer, at least half the Marine branches would fall apart. Men like Demora may be rotten, but they know how to win others over. There are a few clean ones under their command, but not many.

"Over the past few years, we've taken in quite a few children who lost everything to pirates and started training them. But they're not ready yet. If we dealt with people like these now and rushed to fill their spots with replacements, we'd be exposing our weakness."

Enel looked confused. "Weakness?"

"Indeed," Sakazuki nodded. "The Battle of Sgri may have looked like a victory, but that was just a surface illusion.

"Admiral Sengoku is missing. Admiral Zephyr has retired. Over twenty thousand elite soldiers from headquarters died in that war. Right now, the only ones holding up the Marines' front are Fleet Admiral Kong, Vice Admiral Garp, and me. There are still a few seasoned vice admirals, but they're getting old."

He turned toward Enel with a sharp look.

"Headquarters is at its weakest point right now. There's a gap between the old generation and the new. And these capable base commanders, no matter what kind of people they are, serve as the Marines' outer disguise.

"They make the world believe the Marine branches are strong, that we still have the power to keep the seas in order. But that disguise won't last much longer. Given enough time, the more ambitious pirates will realize the truth. They'll start testing us.

"If we don't find Admiral Sengoku soon, the balance of power between the Marines and the pirates will break. If another war like the Battle of Sgri happens again, we will definitely be the one to lose."

Enel let out a sigh. "I understand now."

"There's no need to be that pessimistic," Sakazuki spoke calmly. "It's just that the time hasn't come yet."

Enel looked up at him. "How much longer until the time is right?"

Sakazuki stared into the distance, his eyes narrowing as if trying to see something far beyond the horizon.

"How long, huh... until all of you grow strong. You, Bullet, Borsalino, Gion, Doberman, Dalmatian, Strawberry..."

He murmured each name softly, then fell into a long silence.

Finally, Sakazuki came back to himself.

"Come on, let's go back. It's too late already. Tomorrow, I'll take you to meet those so-called adventurer pirates."

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