Marine Academy
Part 3
Chapter 19

She had not been sent to treat the wounded soldiers, she knew that, since there were never any wounded during the Buster Calls, only deaths. But the huge fleet that inevitably made up the Buster Call required the presence of a specialized medical team, in case of retaliation from the enemy.

But there was never any retaliation from the enemy, since the Buster Calls destroyed entire islands, mostly composed of civilians declared inconvenient for the World Government. Civilians who would not even have time to understand what was happening to them: an attack by a fleet of a pirate emperor? An unfortunate weather event specific to the Grand Line? No, just the World Government cleaning up.

So Murphy was, with Emma and a bunch of other doctors and nurses, on the last ship of the fleet, slightly behind but still protected by the soldier ships. Sakazuki and Kuzan, who had only become vice-admiral a few weeks ago, were with their fleet on the front line. The young woman had even been able to see the iceman set foot on land between two cannon shots.

The cannonballs had torn the skies apart for long minutes under the screams of agony of the civilians who were trying by all means to flee. But they were surrounded by the Navy ships.

While the soldiers were shouting orders in all directions during the attack, the medical ship was particularly silent. Emma and Murphy looked at each other in silence as the cries of the wounded civilians begging for the Navy to come and save them echoed on the ship which remained empty of any patients. The blonde clenched her fist tightly, trying to calm her rage. She didn't blame the soldiers who followed orders, she blamed the World Government. Why not just lock the scientists up in Impel Down? Sorting civilians and scientists so as not to commit mass murder but to remain reasonable?
And seeing her husband at the front, brusquely screaming out orders…

As she turned to leave the bridge and return to her quarters, she saw the silhouette of Vice Admiral Kuzan in the distance. They hadn't really spoken since her wedding, but she respected him and had enjoyed the time they spent together. He was a man of honor, reliable and remarkably kind when he didn't want to end up in the sheets of the woman in front of him.

She spied on him discreetly: he was talking with a particularly tall man (a giant?) and what looked like a little girl. She moved towards the back of the ship and saw a small boat. Civilians fleeing! She quickly understood that Kuzan had no intention of stopping them. They were barely visible, at the back of the island, far from the Buster Call.

As she watched the civilians unfurl the sail and take the children to safety inside the ship, a cannonball sliced through the air and slammed into the boat, pulverizing it and all its occupants in a second. Her blood ran cold as she heard men shouting Vice Admiral Sakazuki's name.

[...]

Murphy had returned like a ghost to the emergency department of the Grand Hospital of Marineford. She wasn't on duty since she had just returned from her mission in Ohara. She had locked herself in her office, burying her head in her hands as she gasped for air, feeling an anxiety attack tighten her heart.

What had just happened? What did she just saw ? All those civilians, dead without any possibility of treating them. Without them understanding why the Navy, which she also represented, had attacked them without warning and thus shattered the peace of the island. Why had Sakazuki fired so quickly, without hesitation? Why had she seen the same shocked look on Kuzan's face as hers? Why had he tried to save the civilians?

Who was wrong, the one who carried out orders in the name of the World Government for peace? Or the one who disobeyed orders to save innocent civilians?

KNOCK, KNOCK.

She heard someone knock softly on her door. She didn't have the strength to get up to open it, her legs still paralyzed with anxiety and she hoped that the person would give up and decide to come back another time.

But the soldier entered the room, not waiting for an answer from her. He entered discreetly, immediately closing the door behind him.

Kuzan stood in front of the door, silent, as he watched the doctor struggle to breathe and calm her racing heart rate. He hadn't had time to change, he was still Vice Admiral Kuzan who had tried to save civilians on Ohara. She looked at him with fear, like a rabbit in front of a hunter, still unable to keep her calm.

"What... just... happened Kuzan?" She gasped as her breathing was still irregular.

The Vice Admiral was frozen in front of her, his glasses hiding his gaze. He was cold as ice.

"Absolute Justice, Murphy. That's what you just saw."

Murphy winced. She had heard her husband talk about Absolute Justice before but had never really been interested in it. The more time passed, the more she didn't care about the Marineford soldiers and only found interest in medical research and humanitarian projects.

Fear came into her as her hands were still shaking.

"Don't forget what you saw Murphy. Because this is just the beginning. He didn't hesitate for a single second, you know that very well."

The blonde pushed her chair back from the desk to dive her head towards the ground to try to gather as much air as possible, her anxiety attack gaining space with each second.

She felt the brown-haired man's icy hand on her forehead. The cold instantly relieved her, forcing her body to focus on something else. Her heart rate quickly stabilized, her lungs calmed down.

She looked up at Kuzan who was at her side. She could clearly see his worried face.

"Take care of yourself Murphy. And above all, keep your eyes open."