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Chapter 87 - 《One Piece: Magma of Absolute》Chapter 87: Rebellion or Usurpation

Only after everyone had disappeared did Titus finally speak up.

"Vice Admiral Sakazuki… Are you sure this is alright?"

Sakazuki shook his head.

"It's fine. I gave the order."

Night fell over the warship.

Under Sakazuki's watchful eye, the vessel slowly pulled away from Karakuri Island's port, gliding along a broad sea lane—

its bow pointed toward the distant Sabaody Archipelago.

Inside a makeshift cabin—

Rustle—

Sakazuki sat reading the newspaper, lost in thought.

Click, click!

The door handle rattled.

Enel burst in, eyes shining with excitement.

"Hey, old man! Dr. Vegapunk is unbelievable!"

Sakazuki set the paper aside, arching an eyebrow.

"Already won you over in just half a day, huh?"

Enel scratched his head, a little embarrassed.

"I mean, really—his blueprints, his designs…

They're just… whoa!

He's at least two or three centuries ahead of anything the world's got now.

And some of those flying machines—

the specs make the Maxim look like a toy."

Sakazuki nodded.

"Then you'd better learn everything you can from Dr. Vegapunk.

We're still a long way from Sabaody—over a month's voyage.

But tell me—

You didn't come see me this late just for that, did you?"

Enel's excitement faded, replaced by a heavy silence.

He hesitated, then spoke softly.

"Old man… I saw those people—the ones they experimented on."

Sakazuki met his gaze.

"And?"

Enel looked down, voice dull.

"It was awful…

I don't even know how to describe that place.

Why… why aren't we executing those scientists?"

In Enel's short life, the worst villains he'd ever known were the pirates who killed Admiral Zephyr.

But the horrors in that laboratory…

those mad scientists had done things even more monstrous.

He was confused.

Why bring them back alive?

Why let the government put them to work?

Sakazuki let him think, then asked,

"If it were you, what would you do?"

Enel hesitated, at a loss.

"Don't hold back," Sakazuki said.

"Pretend you're in charge. You're the one calling the shots.

What's your decision?"

After a moment, Enel replied quietly,

"I'd have them executed."

Sakazuki nodded.

"Fair enough.

But let's try another angle.

Suppose these scientists have technology five hundred years ahead of the world.

If you control them, you control the future.

Would you still execute them?"

Enel opened his mouth, but no answer came.

Sakazuki pressed on.

"Imagine—these are the smartest minds alive.

With them, you could create high-yield crops.

Cold- and drought-resistant plants—enough to feed even the poorest nations.

You could have them invent weapons so powerful that even ordinary people could stand against pirates.

Or tools that make travel and communication across the seas as easy as breathing.

Now—

what would you choose?"

Enel fell silent, unable to force out the word "execute."

Because deep down, he knew—

the benefits to the world were too great to ignore.

If you killed them for the sake of justice,

but doomed the future for everyone else—

that wasn't justice at all.

Sakazuki watched him.

"There's no such thing as absolute fairness.

People aren't equal in value.

If a general who keeps enemy nations at bay is executed for killing a few civilians,

and as a result, the enemy invades—tens of thousands die, hundreds of thousands lose their homes…

Is that really justice?

Fairness is only as valuable as the results it brings.

All we can do is choose the best possible outcome.

The dead can't come back.

The living have to move forward.

If you sacrifice the future of the living for the sake of the dead—

that's a tragedy on top of a tragedy."

Enel mulled it over, then let out a sigh, shoulders slumping.

"Alright… You convinced me."

Sakazuki shook his head.

"That's just one side of it.

Wait till we reach Sabaody Archipelago—

I'll show you just how dark and unfair this world really is.

We can't make everything perfect.

The sun doesn't shine on every inch of the earth.

Where there's light, there's always shadow.

All we can do is try to be as fair as possible—

and wait for the right moment…"

Suddenly, Enel's Observation Haki flared.

Sakazuki raised an eyebrow, watching as Enel leaned in and whispered:

"Hey, old man… are you planning a rebellion?"

Sakazuki saw the nervous excitement in his eyes.

He couldn't help but laugh.

"Where'd you even pick up that word? 'Rebellion'—

Sounds so crude."

His voice dropped, slow and deliberate—

"No, kid…

It's called—

Usurpation." 

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