Nezumi, or his men really, had spent hours going over witness statements, scouring the scenes of the crimes, and even going over recorded footage from the few security den den mushi that might have caught something.
Not only did they have nothing to show for it, the Lord Regent had been giving him the run around too!
Did he want the culprit caught or not?!
"This is the third time that I've told you, captain. I don't know who exactly planted the bombs," Burrows beat around the bush once again.
"You said it was a pirate," Nezumi reiterated. "How would you know it was a pirate if you didn't know which pirate? There are no ships belonging to pirates anywhere near the island, so you must have seen and recognized the criminal, no?"
Burrows fidgeted with his collar and said, "It was just an assumption on my part."
Nezumi slammed his forehead into the table, causing the other man to startle. "This is absurd, Lord Regent. If you want my help, then you need to tell me what you know. Are you being threatened to keep quiet? Did they get to you between your call to me for assistance and our arrival?"
"Nothing of the sort," Burrows evaded.
Nezumi threw his chair back and he stood abruptly. "Then what is the problem?!"
Burrows looked almost like he was going to be honest for a moment, before switching tracks. "Why do you need to know, anyways? Can't you just catch the culprit and be done with it? Isn't it your job to catch pirates?"
"My job is a lot easier when I have local authority figures doing their best to see justice done," Nezumi sighed. "If you won't tell me about the pirates, then will you tell me about the criminals they have apparently joined hands with?"
"Of course," Burrows perked up, glad to have moved on for whatever asinine reasons he had to keep quiet. "The ring leader is, no doubt, Attano Corvo; former royal protector and the queen's murderer. I have reason to believe that the missing princess is being held captive by him and his co-conspirators."
"Uhuh, I see," Nezumi nodded along, not quite believing him. His money was on Burrows hiding the girl away until he could consolidate his control over the country.
Rapid footsteps approached, causing Nezumi to tense just in case and Burrows to scramble into the corner of the room like a coward.
The door did not slam open, because his men were professionals when they had to be.
"Captain Nezumi, sir!" the marine, a young lad who was still wet behind the ears, saluted him.
"At ease. You've brought news, I imagine?" Nezumi asked.
"Yes, sir!" the young marine put his hand down, but did not relax. "Our ship has been sunk in the harbor, sir!"
Nezumi blinked. "Repeat that?"
"Our ship has been-!" the young marine began.
"How?!" Nezumi roared. "Vice Captain Loronzo should have been aboard! What happened?!"
"It was fired upon, sir!" the young marine reported.
"By whom, marine?!" Nezumi pressed.
"By every other ship in the harbor, sir!" the young marine continued.
The silence was such that one could hear a pin drop on the carpeted floor.
"Fire upon… by every other ship in the harbor?" Nezumi clarified. The young man nodded swiftly.
That… that just didn't make sense. How was that even possible? Even if the Lord Regent himself had given the order, organizing every vessel to sink a single marine warship would be a logistical nightmare. That's not even to mention the risk of hitting other vessels.
"How many casualties?" Nezumi was eerily calm as he asked.
"None, sir!" came the answer.
Yet again, another impossibility. "How is it that every ship in the harbor fired upon my ship, and not a single person was hurt?"
"They received warning ahead of the attack, sir!" the young marine swallowed. "A warning from Cheapshot Cherry, sir."
Nezumi turned slowly to look upon the paling skin of the Lord Regent. "This is what you were hiding from me?"
"I-I had no idea!" Burrows blatantly lied. "Y-you're going to do something about her, aren't you?"
"No," Nezumi answered instantly. "We're leaving. Marine, let everyone know."
"Yes, sir!" the young marine saluted again. "Just one question before I go, sir?"
"What?" Nezumi asked, nonplussed at the lack of discipline.
"Should we abandon our ship and use another?" he asked.
"What kind of stupid question is that? How are we supposed to use a sunken ship?" Nezumi sneered. How did this boy get through bootcamp with a pea brain like this?
"Well, sir, it hasn't sunk yet," the marine responded. "I've only just finished giving you the warning that it will, sir."
"What are you talking… about…?" Nezumi trailed off. "What's your name, marine?"
"Why, sir? Are you going to reprimand me?" the marine didn't answer.
"I don't recognize you," Nezumi spoke barely above a whisper. He didn't know every face by heart, since the lower ranks tended to get shuffled around, but this face wasn't ringing any bells at all.
"That makes sense, sir," he smiled, looking Nezumi dead in the eye as his own eyes shifted hue from blue to piercing red. A smile bloomed on the 'marine's' face, full of teeth more menacing than Arlong's despite being relatively normal.
Nezumi was across the room and jumping through the window in a heart beat. Nezumi might not measure well against other captains in battle, but few could claim to be his equal in retreat.
The haunting laughter of a true villain followed his swift exit. He ran straight for the docks, already fumbling for his mini den den mushi to give out the warning.
…
"Wow," Cherry said. "He's a skittish one, isn't he?"
Burrows didn't say anything as he watched Cherry slowly return to her original shape.
"Well, a rat he may be, but at least he's not a worm, right Burrows?" Cherry waggled her eyebrows.
The insult seemed to stir up enough courage to break him free of his frozen horror. "H-h-h-how da-!"
"Yes, yes, how dare I. Do you have anything original to say?" Cherry asked, but the man had shut up again. She sighed. "Listen, I'm not here to kill you; Corvo wants you to hang. I'm just here to cut off your already fragmenting support network."
Faint echoes of cannon fire carried into the room from the broken window. Burrows shuddered.
"W-what do you want? I-I'll give you anyth-thing you ask for!" Burrows started to beg.
"I want for nothing," Cherry answered simply. "I have more money than you can even imagine. My words hold more weight through reputation than any modest authority you could grant me. Hell, I'm practically swimming up to my neck in beautiful women, too. So you tell me; what can you even offer me, that I don't already have in spades?"
Burrows tried to swallow, but his mouth and throat were bone dry. "I-I-I c-could…!"
He shut his mouth with a snap as Cherry stepped over to him. She patted his bald head as he shivered in terror and said, "The answer is nothing. I'm doing this just because I don't like you and your ilk on principle. Do you understand? I'm doing this for fun."
Burrows' knees gave out and his eyes rolled back in his head, unconscious.
Cherry chuckled and, before leaving, rearranged his position to maximize discomfort when he woke up.