One Piece: New Order-Chapter 74: Rebellion or Usurpation

On the Marine warship at night.

The vessel, personally overseen by Sakazuki, drifted steadily through the moonlit sea. Having just departed from the port of Karakuri Island, it followed the pre-carved sea channel several nautical miles wide, cutting through the calm waters on a direct course toward the Sabaody Archipelago.

Inside one of the rooms hastily arranged for his use, Sakazuki sat alone, a newspaper spread open in his hands. The low hum of the ship's engines served as a distant backdrop to the quiet night.

Clack, clack.

The door handle turned with a metallic click. A moment later, Enel stepped inside, his face alight with enthusiasm.

"Uncle, Dr. Vegapunk is incredible!" he blurted out, unable to hold back his excitement.

Sakazuki glanced up from his paper, raising an eyebrow. "Only a few hours, and you're already impressed?"

Enel scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. "Seriously. His blueprints, his designs, they're just way ahead of their time. At least two or three hundred years beyond our current technology. And some of his flying machine designs... the specs look even stronger than the Maxim."

Sakazuki placed the newspaper on the table beside him and leaned back in his chair. "Then stay close and learn everything you can from him. This voyage to Sabaody will take over a month. Make the most of that time."

He paused, studying the boy's face.

"But something tells me you didn't come here this late just to talk about that."

Only then did Enel remember the weight pressing on his chest since earlier in the day.

He fell silent for a moment, then spoke. "Uncle... I saw those people. The ones they experimented on."

Sakazuki's expression didn't change. He looked directly at the boy and asked, "And?"

Enel lowered his head, his voice gloomy. "It was... awful."

His mouth opened again, to describe what he had witnessed in that laboratory, but the words wouldn't come.

Sakazuki's voice remained calm. "So you're wondering why I didn't execute those scientists."

Enel looked up sharply. That was exactly what he'd been thinking.

In his short life, the worst people he had ever encountered were the pirates who killed Admiral Zephyr's wife. But what those insane scientists had done in their experiments... it felt even more monstrous.

He couldn't understand it. Why were those people still breathing? Why bring them back instead of destroying them on the spot?

Earlier in the day, he had learned from Sakazuki told him the government wouldn't punish those scientists. They would even be asked to work for them.

Sakazuki gave the boy some time to process, then asked a question instead of giving an explanation. "If it were you... what would you do?"

Enel didn't know how to respond.

Sakazuki spoke again. "Think freely. You're the one in charge of this incident. Or better yet, you're someone in power within the government. Put yourself in their position. What decision would you make?"

Enel was quiet for a while, then murmured, "I would order them to be wiped out."

Sakazuki nodded slightly. "Good. Now, put yourself in that position again—this time, knowing those scientists possess knowledge that's centuries ahead of the world. As someone in power, would you still choose to eliminate them? Because if you control them, you control the future.

What would you choose?"

Enel hesitated again. He tried to speak, but nothing came.

Sakazuki went on. "Let me go a step further. These people might be monsters, but they also have some the smartest minds in the world.

"If you had them under your control, you could make them develop high-yield crops. Cold-resistant, drought-tolerant plants, so that even the poorest countries could become self-sufficient.

"You could have them create powerful weapons. Firearms and ammunition strong enough for ordinary people to defeat pirates.

"You could have them invent tools that are simple and fast to use. Tools that would make communication across the seas no longer a barrier.

"What would you choose?"

Enel fell completely silent. He couldn't bring himself to say the word 'execute.' Because these possibilities, whether for the government or for the people of the world, were overwhelmingly beneficial.

If the future had to be thrown away for the lives of a few people, then something was clearly out of balance.

Sakazuki's eyes remained on the quiet Enel.

"There's no such thing as absolute fairness in this world. People don't all have equal value.

"If a general who keeps enemy nations at bay is executed by his king for killing a few civilians, and because that general is gone, the enemy invades, the country falls, tens of thousands die, and hundreds of thousands are displaced.

Then tell me, was that 'fairness' really the right choice?"

Enel didn't answer.

"Fairness," Sakazuki continued, "is not a fixed concept. Its weight changes depending on the situation. And all we can do is choose the best possible outcome from the options we're given.

"The dead are gone. We can't bring them back. But the living still have a future. If we throw away that future for the sake of the dead, then we're just piling one mistake on top of another."

Enel finally exhaled, his shoulders slumped. "... Alright. You convinced me."

Sakazuki gave a faint shake of his head. "This is just the beginning. When we reach the Sabaody Archipelago, I'll show you what real darkness looks like. The kind of inequality that festers beneath the surface of this world.

"We can't be perfect. Sunlight can't reach every corner of the earth. Where there's light, there will always be shadows. Our job is to be as fair as possible.

And wait for the right time..."

Just then, Enel's Observation Haki flared. Sakazuki eyes narrowed. He watched as the boy walked over and leaned in to whisper:

"Uncle... are you planning a rebellion?"

Sakazuki looked at him, amused by the blend of nervousness and excitement in the boy's face. He let out a dry chuckle.

"Where'd you even hear that word? Rebellion? Sounds ugly."

Then, his voice dropped, slower, more deliberate.

"It's not a rebellion. It's called... usurpation."

He reached out and ruffled Enel's hair, chuckling again.

"But it's still too early for that. Go get some sleep. And while we're still on this journey, make sure you learn everything you can from Dr. Vegapunk."

Enel nodded firmly. "Got it!"

With that, he turned and made his way back to his room, the door closing softly behind him.

Sakazuki shook his head and picked up the newspaper he hadn't finished reading.

Outside, the ocean stretched endlessly beneath the stars, and time drifted onward in silence.

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