"One Piece:The True Codex"Chapter 384: Intelligence
The situation unfolded much as William had anticipated. After meeting with the mayor of Saint Baobab, known as the "City of the Spring Queen," their discussions went smoothly. Although the mayor didn't immediately hand over the operational rights of the Sea Train, he was cautious and walked on eggshells, showing no resistance to William's proposals. Compared to the Sea Train, he seemed more concerned about the city's safety. Even Gin and Selkirk could see that his demeanor was more out of fear of William's notorious reputation as a pirate.
Unlike Water 7, where the island is populated by strong shipwrights and frequent brawls due to economic hardships, making the populace tough and resilient, Saint Baobab and other cities suffer greatly from pirate attacks. If William could fulfill his promise to safeguard the surrounding seas, both the upper and lower classes of these cities would welcome him with open arms.
The next stop after leaving Saint Baobab was the Gourmet City of Pucci, the hometown of many crew members from the Starlight. Here, those whom William had initially considered captives finally regained their freedom, leading to a mix of emotions among the crew.
For the crew members whose shadows were stolen by Moria on the Thriller Bark, William assured them that he would soon return to the Florian Triangle to clear out the zombies on the Thriller Bark, which was part of his plan.
Though this journey seemed fraught with danger, not only did they survive, but they also profited from the treasure William shared with the Starlight crew from Moria's stash. The sailors witnessed the transition between the old and new Seven Warlords of the Sea, encountered a pirate with a billion Belly bounty, and even saw the might of the Four Emperor "Red-Haired" Shanks, all while venturing into the New World.
Karslana, in her conspicuous Marine uniform, stood out among the departing sailors. William glanced at her before turning back to exchange a knowing smile with Dampier.
Upon returning to their hometown, the sailors' first order of business was to hit the taverns, getting drunk and bragging about their adventures. Having spent the most time with William during the voyage, they embellished their tales of what they had seen and heard, speaking highly of him due to the benefits received and his efforts to win them over during the journey.
As soon as Karslana regained her freedom, she hurried home to retrieve her neglected and near-lifeless Den Den Mushi, dialing her Marine base.
After the base commander confirmed her identity, he didn't say much but immediately provided her with another number to call.
Holding the freshly written note, Karslana's heart raced as she dialed the number with trembling fingers. Soon, the call was answered, and a slightly deep voice reached her ears: "Sergeant?"
"Ad-Admiral Sengoku!?" Karslana instantly recognized the voice from a speech she heard years ago at Marine Headquarters, coupled with the subtle hints from the base commander, she quickly identified the person on the other end.
In his office at Marine Headquarters, Sengoku listened to the stammering voice through the Transponder Snail and shook his head slightly at Vice Admiral Tsuru across his desk.
"Sergeant Karslana," Sengoku spoke into the Transponder Snail, "You're aware of Morgan William's appointment as a Warlord of the Sea, correct?"
Karslana nodded before realizing Sengoku couldn't see her, quickly responding, "I saw it in the newspaper, Admiral Sengoku. Morgan William is ruthless and cunning; making him a Warlord is bad for both the government and civilians..."
"This decision has already been finalized by the upper echelons of the government, and there's no room for change," Sengoku interrupted Karslana, pausing before continuing, "Have you been with him all this time?"
"...Yes," Karslana hesitated for a moment, embarrassed to admit she initially wanted to escape but didn't dare. She soon devised another plan and confessed to Sengoku, "I've been using this opportunity to gather intelligence on Morgan William and his crew."
For some reason, after Karslana said this, there was a brief pause from Sengoku before he replied, "Originally, when you were at the Sabaody Archipelago, Vice Admiral Momonga intended to contact you privately for this task while Morgan William and his crew were away. However, I was concerned for your safety, so I didn't proceed with it. I didn't expect your own thoughts to align with Vice Admiral Momonga's."
"Admiral Sengoku..." Karslana felt a surge of emotion.
Vice Admiral Tsuru smirked slightly. In truth, the Marine higher-ups refrained from letting Vice Admiral Momonga contact Karslana mainly because they doubted her abilities as a spy, fearing she might alert the enemy. They believed it was better for her to stay close to Morgan William, observe and listen until she was dismissed, and then rely on the higher-ups to extract useful intelligence from her reports.
Meanwhile, Sengoku, unaffected by Karslana's emotions, pressed on, "What useful information have you gathered while staying with Morgan William? What has he been up to?"
Sengoku wasn't expecting Karslana to uncover anything significant, but to his surprise, she solemnly replied, "They've been meeting with the mayors of several cities along the Sea Train route, aiming to acquire the operational rights. They're also quite unhappy with the mayor of Water 7 and might take action against him."
"Mayor Clint?" Sengoku furrowed his brow.
The news of William visiting several city mayors had already reached Marine Headquarters. His keen interest in the Sea Train aligned with the World Government's expectations, showing his commitment to his responsibilities. The Marines had no grounds to object, but this revelation from Karslana was unexpected.
Sengoku hesitated before asking, "Take action? You mean..."
Before Karslana was expelled from the carriage, Selkirk had mentioned getting rid of Clint, so she naturally replied, "They might be planning to assassinate Mayor Clint."
…
Sengoku instructed Karslana to return to the Marine base and submit a report detailing her observations before ending the call. He rubbed his forehead, deep in thought.
Vice Admiral Tsuru asked, "What's troubling you?"
"I feel something's off," Sengoku murmured, then looked up, "Could this information about targeting Clint be intentionally leaked by Morgan William?"
"Perhaps, but regardless, it's best to protect him first," Vice Admiral Tsuru replied dryly. "Even if there's no plot, we shouldn't allow Water 7 to become a stronghold for Morgan William. Can we really ignore this information?"
(End of Chapter)
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