"Huh?"
Following the sound, everyone looked at Renji, who in turn looked at Koby as if he were an idiot.
"The fruits of victory, earned by the soldiers risking their lives, are about to rot prematurely because of you. Letting one pirate escape today means countless civilians or Marines will be harmed in the future. Can you bear the consequences?"
"Furthermore, do your injuries and the pirates you claim to have killed have anything to do with the victory of this war? Do you, a deserter, even deserve to speak of justice?"
Hearing Renji's words, everyone was stunned.
"A deserter?"
"Does he mean this Marine soldier is a deserter?"
Amidst the public's confusion, Koby saw that the speaker was Renji and his heart sank.
However, with Shanks' praise, and Koby thinking that, besides Helmeppo, no one else paid attention to his performance in the war, he quickly relaxed.
After all, he was just an unknown Petty Officer. It's not like there was a high-definition Den Den Mushi recording his every move, right?
With this thought, Koby mustered his courage and retorted sharply, "You cold-blooded and heartless fellow, how dare you call me a deserter? These wounds on my body are proof that I fought valiantly in a bloodbath. Yet you still try to slander me."
As he spoke, Koby even shook his injured arm, tears welling up, as if he had truly suffered some immense grievance.
Seeing this, the uninformed public looked at Renji with a hint of doubt.
"What this Marine is saying sounds true."
"Yeah. Maybe we really misunderstood him, after all, his wounds are right there, clearly fresh. In this battlefield, it's not like he could have caused them himself."
"Perhaps there's a hidden truth we don't know."
"That's right. Renji might be like some wolf in sheep's clothing, using a bright and just facade to hide his dirty and ugly deeds."
Renji was unaware of the discussions happening worldwide. He merely looked at Koby, who was still acting, scoffed, and then cast his gaze towards Buggy.
Buggy received Renji's look and was startled. So that's why the big boss sought him out earlier.
Did Renji already anticipate that this Marine soldier would slander him like this?
The ability to foresee the future... or perhaps Observation Haki trained to see into the future?
His combat power is formidable enough, but his strategic planning is also so far-reaching. It's simply terrifying. I must never provoke him in the future.
"Everyone, please watch this."
While Buggy was pondering, he didn't forget to act. As his voice rang out, screens worldwide switched to display Koby's performance during the war.
On the screen.
"It's too terrifying… This is Whitebeard! Let's run!"
A scream, and Koby's hand was severed.
"Don't kill me! Helmeppo, let's run! I can't hold on anymore!"
"What? Renji is actually that strong? How come a guy like him isn't dead yet by a pirate's hand?"
"Go, Luffy-senpai..."
Koby's every word and action were presented to the public as if in a highlight reel.
Then, on the screen, just as Koby was running away, he was hit by a flying rock and broke his leg.
Upon seeing this, everyone finally realized. So this Marine soldier's hands and feet weren't broken from fighting pirates, but rather, he was punished by fate precisely when he was deserting.
Koby's "righteous" performance in this war, broadcast through Buggy's 1080P quality Den Den Mushi, was presented to the public with complete 120-frame detail.
As the live broadcast continued, Koby's face grew paler and paler, until he couldn't stop trembling, continuously muttering, "This isn't true… it's not true… he's slandering me."
When the footage finished playing, the world fell silent for a moment. Then, the Marine soldiers on Marineford Plaza, who had reacted, gradually grew furious.
"This is what you call fighting valiantly in a bloodbath?"
"You scoundrel, you're worse than a pig or a dog!"
"Not only did you not fight hard on the battlefield, you also disrupted morale, deserted in the face of the enemy, and even defiled our new era Marine model! You deserve to die ten thousand times! You are unforgivable!"
"This bastard actually hypocritically prattles on about justice! He's clearly a coward, yet he shamelessly portrays himself as so noble!"
"Yes! If not for Captain Renji's wisdom, I would not only have misunderstood him but also allowed this scum to succeed. It's disgusting!"
Facing the wrath of countless Marine soldiers, the torrent of insults and accusations, Koby felt his world collapse, his life devoid of hope.
Helmeppo wanted to find a hole to quickly burrow into. In the recording just now, Koby, to his misfortune, even mentioned him.
Could he also be implicated because of this?
Perhaps dying on the battlefield would have been a better outcome than this.
Akainu was the first to lose his temper. No wonder he found this pink-haired guy so utterly repulsive. So he was this disgusting.
A deserter, disrupting morale, and insulting Renji, a kindred spirit he had finally found – any one of these was enough to make Akainu want to kill him.
Sizzle!
Hot magma dripped onto the ground as Akainu walked grimly towards Koby.
"You scoundrel, a disgrace like you has appeared within my glorious Marine of Justice! Go to hell!"
"What do you want to do? Even if I am a deserter, I should be court-martialed. How can you, an Admiral, possibly…"
The crimson magma emitted terrifying heat. Koby tried to argue in his final moments, but Akainu wouldn't listen to his blabbering. He simply threw a punch.
Sizzle!