"Princess Consort, we..."
"Shh!"
Reiju signaled for Ebony to keep quiet.
After opening the shackles, Reiju brought the two adults and one child with her, preparing to escape from the warship.
Because this was their only chance. The agents on this ship had all been taken by that man to the island for entertainment, and the only guard had already been knocked unconscious by her.
That man looked at Mother with lecherous eyes every day. If they did not leave now, perhaps something unimaginable would happen next time.
Very soon, the four of them escaped from the port under the cover of night.
They did not dare to sail this warship away, because that would complicate matters. What those people cared about was Father. They themselves were insignificant, but if a warship was added into the matter, it would be different.
The group quickly arrived in town.
After using Berries to find a place to stay, the four of them finally breathed a real sigh of relief.
But Sora, who had been forcing herself to hold on the entire way, collapsed to the ground and fainted.
"Mom!"
Sanji, whose hand was being held, cried out in alarm, but Reiju immediately reached out and covered his mouth.
Then she signaled for Ebony to help Mother onto the bed, only then warning Sanji not to make a sound.
"Princess Consort's body has always been poor, and these past few days she has been terrified that person would appear. After finally relaxing, she..."
Reiju looked at Ebony. "From today onward, don't call Mom Princess Consort anymore. Germa is already gone, and in our current situation, if we're discovered because of how we address her..."
Just as Reiju was about to continue, she discovered something in her clothing pocket.
After taking it out, she saw that it was a note.
[Dressrosa, Tontatta Tribe, Heal-Heal Fruit.]
A place name, a race, and the name of a Devil Fruit. But after only being stunned for two seconds, Reiju understood the meaning of the note.
But who had put this note in her pocket?
A hateful figure flashed through her mind. That guy came over every day to stare at Mother with lecherous eyes. How could it be him?
So was it one of the agents on the ship?
Only the World Government's agents could know such information.
Then could this country be Dressrosa?
One week later, Enies Lobby.
"They ran away?"
Rowan waved his hand. "I got tired of playing, so I deliberately let them go. Also, let me tell you, the women in Dressrosa dance really well. Let's go together if we get the chance."
Spandine said angrily, "So because you played around for a few days and felt embarrassed, you let them go? I heard you went to find them every day, and you were all in the same room..."
Rowan poured himself a glass of wine. "Don't make me sound that disgusting... Anyway, she was like a corpse. It wasn't interesting."
Spandine snorted. "It's not like she was willing. Were you expecting passionate cooperation?"
At this point, Spandine stood up, took a document, and threw it onto the table.
"If there's nothing else, return to Marineford as soon as possible. This is the report record I submitted to the higher-ups. Your promotion should come down in the next few days."
"With that candidate Admiral around, you can't even enjoy yourself properly. After you're promoted, you'll be a Headquarters Vice Admiral. You'll be able to carry out orders independently and separate yourself from that freezing man."
Rowan enthusiastically picked up the report record and looked through it.
Sure enough, the report briefly glossed over Kuzan's contribution and focused heavily on how Rowan had dismantled Germa's resistance, causing Vinsmoke Judge to surrender to the World Government.
Among them, his own figure was ranked second, while Spandine was naturally first.
Not bad.
Rowan smiled and raised his glass, clinking it with him.
After drinking it all in one go, Rowan stood up and rubbed his waist.
"I've been overworked these past few days, so I won't play with you. I'll head back first. Once the two of us get promoted and get a raise, we'll think of a new way to make money."
A new way...
Spandine immediately became interested as well. After seeing Rowan off with an arm around his shoulder, he began his own fun.
Meanwhile, in the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters.
Sengoku looked at the document in his hand with tightly furrowed brows, growing angrier the more he read.
"Smack."
The document was thrown onto the desk.
Then Sengoku looked at Kuzan. "So you just let that bastard take Germa's princess consort and her daughter away?"
Kuzan spread his hands. "It's not like I could freeze them all, right? There's even more of this kind of thing in Mary Geoise. There's nothing that can be done about it."
"Bang!"
Sengoku slammed his palm onto the desk. "Kuzan! Where is your justice? We can't control Mary Geoise, but I absolutely will not allow a scumbag like that to appear in the Marines!"
Kuzan yawned. "Then can Fleet Admiral throw this promotion notice back?"
Sengoku, who had been holding back his anger, was suddenly left speechless.
The people above absolutely would not care about a mother and daughter. And Vinsmoke Judge, who had already reached cooperation with them, also did not care about those people.
The promotion document had been issued by the World Government, and his achievements over the past few years also met the procedure. Sengoku had no way to send it back, nor could he resist the orders from above.
But if a scumbag like this became a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, no matter how he thought about it, it felt disgusting.
As his anger gradually faded, Sengoku sat down again and considered how to make Rowan, this Marine scumbag, less of an eyesore.
In his file, this guy had first been called the Executioner of West Blue. Over the past few years, while carrying out missions at Headquarters, although he always did some scummy things because of moral issues, he had never shown mercy to pirates.
Then he could be sent to guard a Marine G Branch in the New World.
Out of sight, out of mind. In addition, his strength could be used to suppress the pirates of the New World.
The base commander of a Marine G Branch in the New World needed to be a Headquarters Vice Admiral anyway, so there was no problem.
"Fine, you can go back. When that bastard has had enough fun and returns, tell him to report directly to me."
Kuzan stood up sleepily, waved his hand, and left the office.
Today, it was not only Rowan's promotion document. The code names for him, Sakazuki, and Borsalino had also come out.
Aokiji...
Heh. So the so-called Marine Admirals, the highest combat power of the Marines, were nothing more than animals for those people in Mary Geoise to command?
Two days later, Rowan, who had returned from Enies Lobby, was directly called to Sengoku's office.
What greeted him head-on was a fierce scolding. Vice Admiral Tsuru, who was sitting to the side, even had her hands crossed and rubbing together, just short of activating her ability on him.
After being scolded for nearly twenty minutes, Rowan finally found a chance to speak.
"That woman ran away with her daughter and son. They don't dare show themselves now, so who would know about these things?"
"And the higher-ups don't even care, so what's there to be afraid of? Besides, if not for there being too many beauties in Dressrosa, and that colosseum thing, they wouldn't have been able to escape."
"Bang!"
Sengoku slammed his palm on the desk. "If they hadn't escaped, what were you planning to do? Bring them to Headquarters and keep them here? Let everyone know that Marine Headquarters is a..."
"Sengoku!"
Before he could finish, Tsuru interrupted him, then looked at Rowan.
"So you did it on purpose?"
Rowan spread his hands. "It wasn't fun. Even if I brought them back, I wouldn't dare arrange anything."
This explanation made Vice Admiral Tsuru fall silent for a moment. Then she said, "Because of your performance in the North Blue operation, the World Government has notified the Marines to promote you to Vice Admiral. As a Headquarters Vice Admiral, you are already part of the backbone of the Marines. I hope you conduct yourself properly."
Rowan nodded repeatedly, indicating that he understood.
After Tsuru and Sengoku exchanged a glance, Sengoku took out the document and completed the promotion appointment.
Among them, Rowan was appointed as the base commander of the New World Marine G-5 Branch. He would depart three days later and deter pirates on the front line of the Marines in the New World.
G-5 Branch?
After leaving the Fleet Admiral's office, Rowan looked at the document in his hand.
He had some impression of this G-numbered branch in his memories, but he had mostly forgotten it.
No matter what, after leaving Kuzan, switching between his shadow clone and main body, as well as taking action, would finally become a little easier.
Although Kuzan was already one of his own, the fewer people who knew about the two identities, the better.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office.
Sengoku looked at Tsuru and asked, "Is there a problem?"
Tsuru was still looking at Rowan's file in her hand. Without raising her head, she replied, "There are a few too many coincidences. I remember that the last time, the ship carrying those Ohara scholars also managed to escape successfully because he was out having fun."
"In addition, in his file, before he joined the Marine branch in Lasgap Town of West Blue, his origins were all self-reported. His hometown was invaded by pirates, causing him to hate pirates, and the title of Executioner came from that."
Sengoku muttered, "He really never shows mercy to pirates. Even Roger's execution was something he had the base commander of Lasgap Town apply to Kuzan for."
Tsuru tapped the file in her hand.
"The base commander of Lasgap Town, Bartolomei. I remember he was in the same training camp class as Kuzan. Later, because of his impulsive actions at the Sabaody Archipelago, after being protected, he was transferred to West Blue."
As soon as those words fell, Sengoku immediately remembered Nomi as well.
After all, back then, Zephyr had also come to him about that matter.
"Sora..."
Vice Admiral Tsuru interlaced her fingers. "The name of this Germa princess consort was once the name of the warrior of justice in that North Blue comic about the Evil Army. There are too many coincidences, and this Sora is still alive."
"According to the information from Punk Hazard, Vinsmoke Judge said there was no need to care about that woman, because she went against his wishes and caused Vinsmoke's third son to become a failure."
"And she is about to die..."
Sengoku said, "So if that is really the case, that woman should not be able to survive. So that bastard Rowan did it to save those people?"
Tsuru exhaled. "For now, these are only guesses. Because of his background, perhaps he felt empathy toward a woman in that kind of situation, and toward that boy who was regarded as a failure."
"After all, as a failure, if Vinsmoke Judge did not care about him, that child would not survive in Punk Hazard."
As her words fell, both of them began to think.
Rowan was not an ordinary Marine, and he was not even an ordinary Marine Vice Admiral.
Since the training camp had been established, only four monsters had appeared over all these years.
Three of them were already certain candidates for the position of Admiral, the highest combat power. And the gap between a Headquarters Admiral and a Headquarters Vice Admiral was enormous.
For someone who could become one of the Marines' highest combat powers in the future, his own justice had to be considered, and they had to see it clearly.
In addition, the G-5 Branch was in the New World. As for the investigation into Wano, they could also arrange for him to go there nearby.
"Haa..."
Sengoku rubbed his forehead with a headache. "We'll watch him later. If he really did it on purpose, then his justice can be considered a good thing."
"Recently, the Beasts Pirates have appeared again in the New World. In that battle in Wano, the cloaked man did not kill him. And..."
"That guy actually can't be killed!"
"According to the intelligence, Kaido's body no longer seems human. There are many seams across his body, and he has not used his Devil Fruit ability even once."
"No matter what kind of attack it is, Kaido never dodges. After his body is shattered, it quickly recovers. Neither Armament Haki nor Seastone weapons can stop his body from restoring itself after being broken apart."
Immortality...
Hearing this, Tsuru also frowned deeply.
If a high-level combatant like that possessed an immortal trait, then he could attack without restraint.
"Has Sakazuki tested him?"
Sengoku shook his head slightly. "There are too many pirates in the New World. Sakazuki can only hold the current advance point."
"There is also BIG MOM. More than twenty years ago, those two were both members of the Rocks Pirates. Compared to the others, those two have a connection."
"If Sakazuki makes a move, we have to consider the possibility of BIG MOM and Kaido, those two great pirates, joining forces."
Tsuru replied, "So letting Rowan go and guard the G-5 Branch, allowing him to grow under the pressure of the New World pirates, means he can cooperate with Sakazuki in pushing forward."
Sengoku nodded. "Although we still don't know whether that little bastard did it on purpose, his hatred for pirates is real. Putting him in the New World is much better than keeping him at Headquarters."
Tsuru thought for a while.
Among her subordinates, there were also people who had interacted with Rowan.
One was Doll, a Rear Admiral who had once served under former Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Saul.
The other was Hina, who was about to graduate from the training camp. After graduating, she should receive the rank of Lieutenant.
Perhaps she could ask them.
Before, because she had not thought of this point, she had only been somewhat angry. Now, it seemed that perhaps this had also been intentional.
Three days later, Rowan looked at the white-haired and pink-haired figures beside him, somewhat stunned.
"You two finished the training camp?"
Smoker carried a staff on his back. "The assessment is over. I am now a Headquarters Lieutenant, so I applied to go to the G-5 Branch with you."
"Heh!"
Rowan sneered, then mocked him. "With your Armament Haki, do you even know what level the pirates in the New World are? If you get cut down the second day after we arrive, don't blame me."
There was no fear in Smoker's eyes. "I've made you my goal. How could I fall in a place like that? If I don't follow you, I won't be able to clearly understand the gap between us!"
The gap...
Heh. That gap was probably bigger than the distance from here to G-5.
Rowan then looked at the pink-haired girl. "And you? Planning to go on a date with me?"
Hina immediately took two steps back. "Vice Admiral Tsuru said that if you dare touch Hina, she will personally lead a team to kill her way over."
Uh. →_→
Rowan fell silent for a moment.
It seemed that letting Sora and the others go had made this Vice Admiral, who was famous for her intellect, somewhat suspicious.
This piece of meat had practically been delivered to his mouth, but he really would not eat it.
She had not developed enough. It would only get stuck between his teeth.
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