Judgement

Jorge sat inside the courtroom of the The World Government's Judicial Ship, and sighed. He had a lot of work to do over the coming weeks, and it all had to do with the orders he had received in the wake of the Pirate King's execution.

A thick stack of papers waited on his desk, and his secretary had arranged them to make the travel route as efficient as possible.

He had already sailed from Enies Lobby to Water 7 to try the Shipwright Tom for building the Oro Jackson, and there, he had been met with a dilemma. The Fishman claimed he could build a locomotive that would travel between multiple islands.

He knew how useful that could be if the man's words were true, and if they could build a link between Enies Lobby and Water 7, it would grant The World Government a lot more control over a large portion of Grand Line's first half.

He ruffled through the papers, and found his next task. It was the file of a humble man on Sabaody Archipelago who coated and maintained ships for a living.

'Marshall Michael…'

And that was where he was currently heading. The journey at least, had been made easier by relying on the Tarai current between the three government facilities. His ship sailed along them from Enies Lobby to Impel down, only taking thirty minutes, and then from Impel down to Marineford, taking another thirty minutes. 

From there, his ship sailed to Sabaody Archipelago, which was quite close to Marine HQ. 

Technically, it was against the law to use fishman island to bypass the red line, though The World Government had never really taken any steps to actively stop it.

Inexperienced sailors would never survive the trek anyway, and those that did, The World Government most likely wouldn't be able to stop without at least sending a vice admiral. It simply wasn't worth the effort, and human resources were better put to use elsewhere.

For example, The New World.

Jorge massaged his temples in consternation. The Pirate King's execution had the opposite effect to what they had all hoped for, and now there was a surge in pirate activity all across the globe. The marines and The World Government currently had their hands full, and it was his job now to convict all those who had supported Roger's piracy, even a little.

At least that would act as a deterrent to all the civilians who had any thought of doing the same in the future, and would tighten the loosening hold The World Government had over the people.

The Judicial Ship moored by the outskirts of the 70's district of Groves. Passersby observed the World Government flag on the vessel with interest as a platform was lowered from its deck onto the Grove.

Instantly, a phalanx of marines and government agents marched off the vessel, and began to make their way somewhere with purposeful strides.

Whispers made their way all across the archipelago that the Judicial Ship had arrived to convict someone.

Citizens followed the whispers and found their way to the large vessel, while the many criminals on the archipelago hid deeper within their territories and lairs, hoping and praying that the ship was not there to arrest them.

The marine soldiers and government agents stopped in front of the door to a neat detached residence fitting for a middle class citizen.

"Thought he only did ship coating… How'd he afford this place?" A young marine whispered to his colleague.

"No surprise, he must've gotten a nice sum from Roger for the job he did to afford that."

"Anyway, it'll probably all be confiscated soon…"

As the marines whispered to themselves and the government agents remained silent, Lieutenant Brannew knocked on the door.

The man had a large forehead, a thick green afro, long sideburns, and wore shades. He wore his marine uniform properly and proudly, buttoned up at all the right places. His face was currently placid, and he waited in front of the door with his arms behind his back.

The door opened, and he saw a rather casually dressed handsome man who had dark hair and eyes, along with a short stubble.

"May I help you?" The man skimmed his eyes across the Lieutenant, and then to the other marines and agents behind him.

"Am I speaking to Marshall Michael?" The moment he said that, Brannew saw a little girl with rose colored hair and pale green eyes making her way down the stairs. Her eyes seemed confused and slightly frightened. He glanced at the child briefly before refocusing on the man in front of him.

Michael's eyes narrowed as he observed the marine. He had an inkling about why they were here, and he could only sigh as he heard his daughter walk down the stairs behind him. He also felt Rose's presence pause in the kitchen as she overheard the commotion at the front door.

"Well, please come in, I'm not sure what I can do for you. Would you like some tea?" Michael spoke softly to dissipate the growing tension in the air.

"No need," Brannew said, then he took a deep breath and stood straighter with his chest pushed out, and continued in a firm, commanding tone, "Marshall Michael, you are hereby arrested for aiding and abetting the Pirate King Gold Roger. Your crimes are facilitating his passage across the red line, and accepting illegal funds. You will be tried now on the Judicial Ship where Judge Jorge shall pass your sentence!"

There was a short silence, before a sigh sounded. Michael looked back to see his daughter and wife looking at him worriedly. Rose seemed to hesitate on something for a brief moment before she moved.

She stepped forward, and started to speak, "Wait! I'm D-"

She was cut off by Michael's gaze and a pat on her shoulder. He knew what she wanted to do, and could only shake his head. He met his wife's eyes before trailing his gaze down towards a trembling Lily, and at that moment Rose understood.

Somehow, in the back of his mind, Michael had anticipated this moment. Ever since Lily had drawn his attention to the news article - no, perhaps even before that. From the moment he met the man, he instinctively knew Roger would shape the world and cause him trouble, and yet, he took the job anyway, despite his intuition.

He smiled inwardly at the situation. Why couldn't he help but smile? Shouldn't he be upset at this situation? At the unfairness of it all? But at that moment, only a single thought cut through his heart's haze.

'I've really lived a worthwhile life.'

Even if he could go back in time, he would still do it. He wasn't a man who held regret, and he would face whatever came at him with a smile.

Just like the man he admired - Gol. D. Roger.

So long as his family was safe.

If there was one thing, however, he wished he could spend more time with his amazing family. The crowning achievements of his life were Rose and Lily. It was more than enough to make him feel satisfied with his life every single day.

He looked at his beloved daughter, who was now in the midst of a panic attack, tears threatening to escape her eyes.

His heart hurt at that sight. The best he could offer her was a smile. He knew she would understand that much. She was his - Marshall D. Michael's daughter after all.

Rose bit her lip hard and could only watch her husband with a frown as blood leaked down her mouth, and a lone tear rolled down her cheek. She also knew that this might happen. Ever since she was aware of what her husband had done, they had discussed it privately.

She had tried to convince him to leave the Archipelago with the three of them and go somewhere else. Maybe they could hire a good navigator and make it to Fishman Island. Maybe they could purchase an eternal pose to some far off island where the claws of The World Government wouldn't reach.

Her husband, however, had met all of her suggestions and objections with a smile and a shake of his head.

He would become a wanted man, and put his family at risk. He simply wished the matter to end cleanly so that Rose and Lily would be safe.

And also… He was proud. Proud of the fact that he had contributed to the world tilting on its axis. Proud of aiding the man whose dying embers lit the world aflame, and proud that he had, in some small way, chipped at a corner of the World Government's control.

He would carry that pride with him to his final sentence.

Brannew observed the interaction with slight curiosity. He had only casually read the profile of the man he was sent to arrest, but he was aware that there were no records of Michael having a family. He shrugged the thought off, and signaled to the men at his back.

Marine soldiers surrounded Michael and put him in cuffs. Then, they escorted him to the Judicial Ship where he would be tried.

Rose and Lily followed anxiously as more observers gathered around the commotion.

—--------------------------

The Courtroom inside the Judicial Ship.

Michael stood at the center with his wrists cuffed in front of him. His back was straight as he met Jorge's eyes up high seated on the judge's bench.

The courtroom was open to any who wished to observe the trial, and as such, many of the citizenry of the Archipelago were present.

"Marshall Michael, are you aware of your crimes?" Jorge said as he looked down at the man standing below him. His hands rested on the bench, one of them holding his gavel.

"If you mean coating the Oro Jackson, then I'm not sure that's a crime. It's just some bubble after all," Michael spoke with a wry smile.

Silence.

Jorge took a better look at the man, sighing inwardly. Why did all of his cases have to be so troublesome? First it was that ridiculous shipwright who had convinced him to rule a stay of execution on the promise of building a Sea Train, and now it was the man in front of him who seemed not the least bit remorseful for his crimes.

"Normally, it would be 'just some bubble', but this is a special case as it regards the Pirate King."

Lily looked up at Rose, and worry found its place deep within her eyes as she finally realized what was going to happen. She hoped it wasn't what she thought, but as the situation became more fraught with tension, she couldn't help her thoughts go in a certain direction.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" A laugh, larger than life sounded. Lily turned her head, only to realize it came from her father. Her eyes widened in shock, even as she felt her mother's grasp tightening on her hand.

'Father, too…?' She thought incredulously. Her father and Roger's images overlapped in her mind. 

The courtroom slowly found itself exuding the same breathlessness as that crowd in Loguetown, and Lily couldn't help but be mesmerized once more.

"Absolutely! 'Special case' is an understatement, dear judge. That man practically flipped the world on its head. I couldn't be prouder to be part of that story!" Michael's grin widened several degrees as his voice echoed throughout all the corners of the courtroom, his laughter lingering in its walls.

Jorge found himself dumbfounded. He had tried many cases in his long career. He was old. Very old. And yet, he had never seen a man who not only did not tremble before his judgment, but took utmost pride in his crime.

Before the lingering words faded from the courtroom, Jorge spoke again, "In that case, your execution has been decided. We will escort the criminal to Enies Lobby," lifting his gavel.

"HAHAHA! No need sir judge, save yourself the trip! You can execute me right here. I'd really like to be buried close to home," Michael's laughter resounded once more as the smile remained on his face, even as the sentence of his execution was announced.

 Lily felt the grip tightening on her hand, and shook herself off from her shock. She looked up only to see her mother with unshed tears, a forced smile, and a stream of blood trailing down her lip.

"Idiot!" Lily heard her mother say under a shaky breath.

At that moment, Lily completely processed what had just happened, and she whipped her head back to her father who simply smiled back at them.

She looked back up to her mother, who was attempting, yet failing miserably, to put on a brave front, and she felt herself inexplicably shedding tears.

"Wh-Why?" Lily asked no one in particular with a hoarse voice.