About three minutes later, all the guards in the monitoring room aboard the Xiah were thrown off the ship—none of them even caught a glimpse of their attacker.
The two escort ships were also sunk in succession, quickly left behind by the Xiah. Since they held no deep grudges against him, Rosen didn't kill them all—he simply left them to survive on the sea if they could.
"It's... done already?!" Xiah stared out from the lounge's glass window at the thick smoke rising from the two sinking ships behind them, unable to believe her eyes.
The armed force that had rendered her helpless was effortlessly destroyed by this man.
So this was what a man with a 900 million bounty was capable of? Terrifying. If the guild had someone like him backing them, who would dare challenge them?
"Miss, this man is too powerful. If he turns against us…" Alex voiced his concern.
Though he hadn't witnessed it directly, anyone who could sink two escort ships in minutes wasn't someone you could just casually partner with.
True partnerships were built on relatively equal strength. If the gap was too large, the so-called cooperation was merely charity dressed up as alliance.
"Brr... Brr..." Rosen was dialing the Den Den Mushi to the Dawn. He had taken a little time finding the Den Den Mushi—otherwise he'd have dealt with the ships even faster.
The call rang for a long time with no answer, making Rosen frown. Had something happened?
Hopefully not. The weather in the Grand Line was notoriously unstable—Den Den Mushi often failed. Nothing new.
"If your crew has already entered the Kingdom of Andea, the Den Den Mushi likely won't work. Only fixed locations on the island can use them," Xiah said, guessing Rosen couldn't reach his crew.
"What do you mean?" Rosen asked, confused. On paper, the Kingdom of Andea was a major economic power known for its fortress construction.
How could such a country restrict communication? Timely information could be more valuable than money.
"The situation inside Andea is slightly different from what's commonly known. Yes, the kingdom has eighteen fortified strongholds and a vibrant commercial culture, but in truth, only the king, nobles, and the four major trade guilds are wealthy," Xiah said with a grim expression.
The AKS Guild was one of the four, but because her father had advocated for higher wages for wall builders, Abedin used it as a pretext to cut them off from the guild's core and had him murdered.
"That's not surprising. The wealthy are always a small group at the top," Rosen said indifferently.
"No, it is abnormal. The trade guilds and the nobles are sucking the people dry. Thousands die during fortress construction simply because they can't afford food. Anyone of working age who refuses to participate is in violation of the kingdom's First Construction Law…" Xiah's eyes showed deep resentment and helpless compassion.
Rosen frowned. Were these merchants really so shortsighted? Wouldn't long-term development with healthy laborers be better? Killing off your workforce only bred resentment and stifled economic growth.
But thinking further, he understood. The fortresses of the Andea Kingdom were famous worldwide. The world never lacked wealthy people—only safe places.
So as long as safety was assured, people would flock there. And by controlling the flow of information, the guilds could hide negative news. Once people settled in the fortress, they were forced into labor. The guilds then bled worker after worker dry to fill their own coffers.
They truly were vampires in every sense.
"What's the background of the four major trade guilds?" Rosen asked.
"Publicly, there's only one name—the Pheromone Grand Guild. It includes four branches: AKS, Trolom, Nazca, and Yodel. They deal in construction, food, weapons, and human trafficking…" Xiah explained.
"You've really covered all the profitable industries," Rosen remarked coldly—even those that should be illegal.
"The king of Andea only cares about taxes. As long as the guilds pay enough annually, even using the military is allowed, let alone committing crimes," Xiah added with clear disdain for the king's inaction.
"Sounds like this Pheromone Guild is deeply tied to the underworld as well," Rosen deduced.
"Yes. Aside from the Mercenary King, the guild has dealings with some New World pirates and World Government officials," Xiah admitted.
"Then how did your AKS Guild fall so easily? Even if betrayed, didn't you have any backup power?" Rosen was puzzled. Without some strength, how had they been one of the four?
"Actually, we used to be connected to a Marine officer from the World Government... but he was killed by you not long ago…" Xiah's voice dropped, fearing Rosen might be offended.
Rosen paused awkwardly. So he was partly responsible for their current situation? "Who?"
"Commander Eric. We used to pay him annual protection fees. After his death, AKS hadn't found a new patron before the betrayal. Now Abedin just needs the contract in my possession to officially become president of the AKS Guild."
"But the contract must be transferred in front of the Grand Guild to be valid. That's why there are escort ships instead of just capturing me outright. If I destroy the contract, anyone ambitious could challenge his claim, and the Grand Guild won't recognize him."
Xiah explained everything clearly.
Rosen listened and thought for a moment. "You're the first person to proactively seek cooperation with me."
Everything she had said was meant to form an alliance with him to help her through this crisis.
"Then I should feel honored," Xiah smiled.
Rosen had formed alliances before—but usually on his terms. This was rare.
She was playing with fire. If he were the type to ignore rules, he could easily exploit her, drain her value, and kill her. It would be perfectly reasonable.
After all, true win-win cooperation only worked when both sides had comparable power. Too great a gap meant too much risk.
But Rosen wasn't that kind of person.
"What do you want? And what can you offer?" Rosen asked. Andea had long been a target in his plans—having someone familiar with it as a partner wasn't a bad idea.
"I want to reclaim the AKS Guild. I can give you full support for any activity you carry out inside the Kingdom of Andea, whatever it is," Xiah said, ready to risk everything. This was her one chance—if she missed it, she would return only to be slaughtered like a lamb.
Rosen stayed silent for a moment. "You're a clever woman. But too much cleverness can be frightening."
She had already guessed his purpose in coming to Andea.
"Do I frighten you?" Xiah asked uncertainly.
"No." Rosen smiled, extended his hand, and Xiah reached out to shake it.
(End of Chapter)