Chương 62: 62. Light Falls And Darkness Rises, Pseudo-Vice Admiral Huouoin!
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The words of Rear Admiral Huouoin were like a thunderclap.
Not only did tens of thousands of people stare in disbelief, but even the veteran Vice Admirals, who had been harshly criticized by him, were stunned for a moment.
But when they came to their senses, they were suddenly furious.
What's the matter? You, a junior officer, dare to challenge your superiors and then claim you're the one wronged when asked to apologize?
You should consider yourself lucky not to be punished for your actions.
"Brat, are you out of your mind?"
Vice Admiral Archibald stepped forward, raising his bandaged arm angrily. "I didn't want to ruin your career; I decided to handle this privately.
Since you refuse to listen, don't blame me for not showing any respect."
With that, Archibald resolved to ignore his reputation and teach Huouoin a harsh lesson.
Originally, he and the others had already lost face due to their defeat. If Huouoin wasn't forced to apologize now or punished accordingly, they'd be left with no choice but to quit, or at least leave Marineford in disgrace.
"Great Staff Officer, Huouoin, who was merely a Rear Admiral last night, disrespected his superiors and attacked them. Please punish him according to military regulations."
Archibald addressed Tsuru directly, invoking her titlr.
Seeing this, the other veteran Vice Admirals who had also been beaten stepped forward in unison and echoed:
"Please punish him according to military regulations."
Rear Admirals Momonga, Onigumo, and the others, who were of the same rank as Huouoin, looked anxious. They wanted to speak up but found themselves unable to.
Huouoin had been their classmate and fellow disciple of Zephyr, so they had a close relationship. But in this situation, they could only wait for Tsuru's decision.
In the Marine's bureaucratic system, committing an offense like this was one of the gravest crimes.
Punishment for such violations was the strictest among all military regulations.
After all, if every subordinate disregarded rank and took matters into their own hands, showing no respect for their superiors, how could orders be carried out?
Who would uphold "justice"?
This is why all military forces emphasize that obedience is paramount. If you don't understand an order, you still must carry it out first.
Disobedience to orders would usually be punished, let alone Huouoin attacking his superiors.
This offense was even more severe!
If a Rear Admiral attacks a Vice Admiral and gets away with it today, who's to say a Vice Admiral won't attack an Admiral tomorrow, or the Fleet Admiral?
Even if Akira wanted to dismiss these old Vice Admirals, he couldn't condone such actions openly.
Therefore, the group didn't immediately intervene.
"Do you have anything to say, Huouoin?" Tsuru asked sternly.
"Yes." Huouoin understood the gravity of the accusation and his expression became serious.
"Go ahead," Tsuru prompted.
Huouoin replied, "I'd like to ask the Chief of Staff, is there a rule in the military regulations that states a superior should not bully their subordinates during a break period and use their power to oppress others?"
"There is," Tsuru confirmed.
"Alright, then I'd like to ask Vice Admiral Archibald and the others to explain to everyone why we ended up fighting and recount the entire process from beginning to end from their perspective."
Huouoin stood tall, his expression dignified.
The confidence he displayed made everyone subconsciously believe him.
They began to think that perhaps he had reason and justice on his side for having stood up to so many Vice Admirals.
Tens of thousands of eyes shifted in unison.
Archibald: "..."
At that moment, he suddenly found it hard to breathe.
Seeing that neither he nor the other Vice Admirals had any intention of speaking, he turned to the crowd below and asked, "Who witnessed the entire event last night?"
Soon, dozens of hands shot up.
"Everyone except Rear Admiral Huouoin's subordinates, come forward and recount what happened last night."
"Yes, sir."
More than a dozen soldiers stepped forward, standing at the front to describe what they saw. One soldier with the highest rank acted as the main speaker, while the others filled in any details he missed.
Although each person's perspective varied and their storytelling skills differed, there was no major dispute about what happened.
Everyone observed that several Vice Admirals were trying to force Huouoin to drink.
When Rear Admiral Huouoin refused, Vice Admiral Archibald felt insulted and slammed the table, trying to intimidate him. After being rejected again, Archibald initiated the confrontation.
"So, Rear Admiral Huouoin was merely defending himself?" Tsuru asked.
"Yes!"
"That's correct."
"That's what I saw."
The soldiers nodded in agreement.
Momonga and the other Rear Admirals couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The difference between an "active offense" and a "passive offense" is significant, even though it's just one word.
If Huouoin had initiated the attack, his actions would be unforgivable. But if he was defending himself, there was still room for interpretation and leniency.
Tsuru, who already knew the full story, showed no surprise on her face.
"Aren't you going to step in yet?" she thought, glancing subtly toward the office building. But since Akira hadn't shown up, she couldn't call him out directly.
So she turned back to Archibald and the other veteran Vice Admirals and asked, "Do you have any different opinions?"
Silence.
A suffocating silence filled the air.
Archibald and the veteran Vice Admirals exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what to say.
To be honest, it's not usually a big deal if a Vice Admiral orders a Huouoin to drink. Even if the subordinate refuses, the superior can frame it as a test of obedience.
For decades, they had done this sort of thing without any significant consequences.
But this time, things had escalated.
Archibald initiated the fight while drunk, only to lose and be humiliated.
In the Marine, which is as much about strength as it is about justice, if you win, you can speak freely. But if you lose, there's no room to argue.
Yet, they were puzzled by the situation.
Weren't the soldiers who testified worried about retaliation once this was over?
"We were drunk at the time, so we were a bit heated, but Huouoin, you beat us up like this—aren't you going to give us an explanation?" Vice Admiral Arlo, his arms bandaged and slung across his chest, stepped forward to challenge Kong Ming.
The other veteran Vice Admirals, realizing they could no longer accuse Huouoin of outright misconduct, began looking for other ways to hold him accountable.
"Don't you think your attack was too harsh? This old man has broken several ribs."
"I believe you did it intentionally, taking advantage of the situation to bully us."
"I'm beginning to wonder if you set us up last night."
"Regardless, I've been fighting for justice far longer than you've been alive. You should respect us. Why did you do this?"
Hearing the accusations from the veteran Vice Admirals, Huouoin showed nothing but disdain.
He placed his feather fan in front of him, slowly swinging it, and said leisurely, "If it were decades ago, I would have respected you all, but now..."
He paused, then continued, "Let's not talk about others. Archibald, Arlo—do you two Vice Admirals really deserve respect after what you did recently?"
Before the furious Archibald and Arlo could respond, Huouoin immediately turned to the tens of thousands of soldiers and shouted:
"Some Vice Admirals in this department have changed long ago; their hearts have been corrupted by power."
"Some time ago, when Fleet Admiral Akira and Admiral Sengoku were competing, everyone heard about it, but do you know what happened?"
"When Fleet Admiral Akira resolved the salary issues and encouraged all soldiers to fight the pirates with renewed courage, what did our 'respected' Vice Admirals Archibald and Arlo do?"
"They were more concerned about their own status and didn't want a younger officer to outshine them with his accomplishments. So, they pushed Admiral Sengoku to fight a notorious pirate, lying about their own strength to manipulate the situation."
"Admiral Sengoku, unaware of their treachery, fell for their plan."
Huouoin raised his feather fan high and shouted with fervor:
"The outcome was predictable. If I, a mere Rear Admiral, can fight them alone, what chance did Admiral Sengoku stand against the heavy axe-wielding pirate and his crew?"
"In that battle, Admiral Sengoku was almost killed by these two Vice Admirals, and thousands of soldiers were nearly lost as well."
"If Fleet Admiral Akira hadn't led a rescue team, our Marine might have lost an Admiral because of the actions of our own people."
"Do you think such Vice Admirals deserve my respect?"
"Ah???"
Huouoin's words were like a hammer, leaving everyone in shock and disbelief.
This was the first time the soldiers had heard of such a high-level secret.
They couldn't help but look at Admiral Sengoku, who stood on the high platform, arms crossed, his face dark and brooding.
In truth, Sengoku had never intended to go after Gage in the first place. He had planned to assist Garp, Zephyr, and other generals in transporting the Golden City while fending off pirate raids.
But the three veteran Vice Admirals had come to him, assuring him that the pirate with the heavy axe could be easily defeated. Their persistent whispers and false reassurances swayed him.
Sengoku had agreed, partly out of pride, wanting to prove himself in front of Akira. But the three Vice Admirals had their own hidden agendas.
Looking back, Sengoku knew he had been deceived. However, the Heavy Axe Pirates were indeed eliminated, and the world had one less pirate crew to worry about.
The battle had resulted in over a hundred soldier casualties and the death of one Vice Admiral, so Sengoku chose not to pursue the matter further.
But that didn't mean he had no opinions on the matter.
Now, as Huouoin brought it up, it was no wonder that Sengoku's expression was grim.
And Sengoku's silence at this moment served as confirmation.
Wow!
A wave of shock and outrage rippled through Marineford.
"Hey, hey, Akira-sama is so capable, what's wrong with him being Fleet Admiral?"
"Yeah, both Commander-in-Chief Kong and Admiral Sengoku approved, so why are these old guys causing problems?"
"Damn it, we were almost killed because of their despicable plans!"
"It's disgusting. If they're past their prime, they should step down. No one would object to them remaining Vice Admirals, but why did they have to cause trouble?"
"They still think they deserve to be Vice Admirals? Give me a break!"
Tens of thousands of eyes filled with anger and disgust now focused on the veteran Vice Admirals.
The soldiers were livid.
After all, they were the ones fighting on the front lines. If their officers were as selfish as Archibald and the others, many of them wouldn't survive.
How could anyone not be furious about something that directly endangered their lives?
The veteran Vice Admirals were trembling, drenched in sweat.
At that moment, they realized they had dug their own graves.
What started as a demand for an explanation had now turned into a situation where they might be the ones held accountable.
"Damn brat, how dare you slander us! I'll kill you!" Archibald, seething with rage, lunged at Huouoin without thinking.
His uninjured arm clenched into a fist, radiating intense anger.
But just as he charged...
Boom!
A powerful and terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted.
It crashed down in a straight line, like the wrath of the heavens.
Archibald, who was directly targeted, found himself half-kneeling on the ground, unable to move as if a massive mountain had pinned him down.
The air seemed to freeze, growing heavy and suffocating.
All of Marineford fell silent.
Tread.
Tread.
The crisp sound of footsteps gradually approached from a distance.
The outermost soldiers parted, forming a long path.
Akira, wearing the Fleet Admiral's distinctive cloak, walked slowly with a blank expression.
Soon, he reached the high platform, his presence commanding the attention of everyone present.
The arena remained silent.
All eyes were on Akira, waiting to see how the Fleet Admiral would handle this situation.
This was the first time he would exercise his authority over high-ranking generals in a truly decisive manner.
"Rear Admiral Huouoin, though your actions were in self-defense, you were too heavy-handed."
"Therefore, you will ensure that all the medical expenses for the injured Vice Admirals are covered until they fully recover."
"In addition, Rear Admiral Huouoin, you will be demerited and reassigned. You will leave headquarters and be stationed at the G-3 base from now on."
Hearing this, Huouoin's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Momonga and the other Rear Admirals were equally stunned.
"Stationed at the G-3 base? Isn't that typically a Vice Admiral's role?"
"Under the radar, if Huouoin gets transferred back later, he'll definitely be promoted to Vice Admiral."
"Isn't this punishment actually a reward in disguise?"
"Shut up. Just keep that to yourself."
The Rear Admirals exchanged glances, some of them filled with envy.
Though Akira's punishment didn't seem to favor Huouoin on the surface, those familiar with the inner workings of the Marine hierarchy could see that Huouoin had come out ahead. Being sent to the G-3 base was a prestigious assignment, and after some time, he could easily be transferred back with this experience bolstering his resume. When that happened, his promotion to Vice Admiral would be all but guaranteed.
Akira then turned his attention to Archibald and the other veteran Vice Admirals.
He sighed softly.
"Seniors, you have dedicated your lives to justice. The headquarters cannot bear to see you meet a tragic end at the hands of pirates."
"One generation has its own mission, and the wave of a new era has arrived."
"Let us, the younger generation, handle this era of great pirates."
With his hands behind his back, Akira spoke in a deep voice, "It's time for you to retire."
Tsuru stepped forward, her voice gentle yet firm, "Retire voluntarily, everyone, and let's part ways with dignity."
Sengoku also emerged, helping Archibald to his feet. He sighed, "Trust the young people. You've earned the right to enjoy your old age."
"Retire!"
At that moment, a voice from the square shouted.
Immediately, the chant spread, and the entire crowd joined in, their voices merging into a unified wave.
"Retire!"
"Retire!"
Archibald and the other veteran Vice Admirals trembled, their faces pale.
At this moment, they understood.
There was no longer a place for them in Marine Headquarters.
Their positions as Vice Admirals were no longer theirs to hold on to—they had to let go.
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