One Piece: The Sacred Justice Chapter

3

Days passed, and the New Marine slowly but surely recovered from the previous incident. The training grounds were filled with soldiers undergoing all sorts of rehabilitation therapies. Things seemed hopeful so far, yet for Koby, the environment was everything but joyous. 

The weight placed on his shoulders regarding the current situation might've become too much to bear.

He refused to leave his office. He couldn't remember the last time he had a full night's sleep. The excruciating headaches and his dependence on coffee. His usually patient demeanor strained by exertion, the smallest gesture being enough to unleash his temper, distancing him from his comrades— and family. 

Reports and painkiller capsules were scattered all over his desk, plus an empty coffee mug. The relentless throbbing in his temples matched the rhythm of his racing thoughts, each pulse a reminder of the mounting pressure he faced.

He tilted his head up to the sound of familiar footsteps and a soft knock on his door. 

"Come in..." 

"Koby-sama?" Junko approached, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What." The pink-haired groaned, his tone devoid of its usual warmth. In response, the raven-haired stepped back contritely.

"Walker wants to see you—"

"Fantastic..." Koby stood up abruptly, his shoulder brusquely brushing against Junko's as he departed. The colleen followed suit, still concerned about her guardian's strange behavior.

Helmeppo, who was heading to the same meeting, watched their exchange from afar, sensing the necessity to step in.

"Junko, why don't you go and join the other soldiers at the mess hall?" The blonde suggested, his tone almost pleading. 

Junko nodded, yet curiosity still lingered as she silently trailed behind them, expectant for answers. Meanwhile, Koby and Helmeppo found themselves on a rather heated argument. 

"Oi, listen to me. You can't keep doing this. What good are you for the New Marine in that state?"

"Easy for you to say. You're not responsible for all these lives."

"But weren't you the one who said that some things are out of our control?"

"Well, sometimes I wish they weren't, okay?!"

"So what are you gonna do about it, huh?! Sit in your desk all day and treat us like shit?!"

"Admirals?"

They both turned around, their gazes meeting with none other than Walker's, who cleared his throat in amusement.

"Vice-Admiral. Let's just get this over with." Koby gave Helmeppo a final glare before taking a seat in the almost empty meeting room. 

For a moment, there was nothing but an unsettling silence. That, until Walker finally spoke up.

"The relevance of this gathering, you may ask? Well, gentlemen. I'm afraid our recruits have been reporting evidence of infiltrators in the base."

"Infiltrators?" Helmeppo's brow furrowed in concern. "How?"

"Well, we've concluded they stem from the last attack." The brown-haired matter-of-factly stated.

"First of all- what evidence?" Koby inquired, stifling a yawn. 

"Our units have noticed odd behavioral patterns, aside from interference in our communications from unknown sources."