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Wano Country, Flower Capital.
Orrick casually tossed the newspaper aside, then picked up his wine glass and took a slow sip.
"What a troublesome man… To single-handedly suppress a wave powerful enough to sweep across the entire ocean, what an enviable level of influence."
"Well, there's no helping it. He does have the Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder-Thunder Fruit), after all! No matter who it is, once Soryu (Azure Dragon) sets his eyes on you, your chances of survival are practically zero."
Kurozumi Orochi, drunk and holding a songstress in his arms, drank in great gulps and then said:
"Those Revolutionary Army bugs can't be relied on. They care more about civilians' lives than power. They won't act again unless they're fully prepared... As for us, "
"Yeah, we need to make our move… Once Kaido returns, we begin."
Orrick took another sip of wine. A wave of invisible pressure rippled out from him, causing the songstress who had approached to refill his drink to foam at the mouth and collapse on the spot.
The festive atmosphere of the banquet immediately turned tense and heavy.
Kurozumi Orochi licked his lips with a serpentine tongue, eyes flashing with ambition.
"Ku-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu... Just so we're clear, Orrick, no matter what happens, if those vengeful spirits return, I won't lift a finger to help you."
"Without Wano Country's support, never mind joining forces, you lot would probably be the first to wipe me out."
Orrick calmly refilled his glass, shot him a cold glance, and said:
"If you regret it now, why do it back then?"
"All for a moment's satisfaction twenty years ago... Have you slept soundly at all these years?"
"Ku-hu-hu-hu-hu... What could I do? That guy insisted on standing in my way. What choice did I have? Right, Komurasaki?"
Orochi twisted around with a lecherous grin and addressed a beautiful, young songstress at his side.
Orrick ignored the scene, quietly swirling his wine glass.
"Yeah… They stood in our way. We couldn't just stop and do nothing, could we?"
Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office
"I never imagined the Revolutionary Army had that kind of thing. Truly unexpected!"
In the spacious office, only two people were present: Fleet Admiral Akainu and Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon).
Rowen sat in his usual seat. After lighting a cigar, he rubbed his temples.
"Yeah, I thought we were already hidden deep enough. Turns out, they were the ones hiding the deepest."
"So what now? Want me to make a move? Something like... killing with a borrowed blade?"
"No need. Let's just wait and watch."
Akainu shook his head, tucked the documents away, and slipped them into the inside pocket of his uniform.
"The value of the Revolutionary Army lies in fanning the flames. Before the final battle begins, the deeper they stay buried, the better."
Rowen was silent for a moment, then chuckled.
"Is this really okay, Fleet Admiral? Hiding such crucial information from higher-ups… That's practically bordering on treason."
If Akainu had used this information as leverage to peacefully resolve the Hancock situation, he could still claim that letting her go was part of gaining the Revolutionary Army's trust, leaving himself a political exit strategy.
But by not reporting any of this upwards, even that last fallback is gone.
"Isn't this what you, you damn bastard, wanted to see? Don't think I don't know you're testing me."
Akainu bit down on his cigar and shot Rowen a sideways glare. After a moment, he looked away and summed up everything with just one sentence:
"For Justice."
For Justice.
Such a simple phrase.
Rowen gave a faint, mocking laugh, but said nothing more.
Yet only he truly understood the price Akainu would pay for those three words, words that anyone could say.
In this era's Marine force, including himself, no one was fighting purely for "Justice" anymore…
Garp, Zephyr, Tsuru, Aokiji, Kizaru, Momousagi, Chaton, Every one of them had personal motives. They did things according to their own beliefs and ideals, at best balancing those with the concept of Justice.
Only Akainu was different. He had been consistent from beginning to end.
"Justice" was everything to him. It was his identity, his life, and the only meaning he saw in living.
No matter the era, someone always had to stand up for Justice.
So why couldn't that someone be him?
Perhaps it was exactly that kind of thinking… That had always been what kept Akainu going.
In the places unseen by ordinary eyes, Rowen clearly knew that Akainu, who had jet-black hair before taking office, now had graying temples beneath the brim of his cap.
Dreams?
Don't try to morally guilt him with such a soft word. It wasn't that complicated,
He simply knew what he wanted to do, what he should do, and then acted on it.
"I always thought you'd be my biggest obstacle in the Marines… Never expected you to be the only one who supports me."
Rowen couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief, exasperated by the irony of fate.
Who would've thought, That the "Red Dog" Akainu, once cursed by the world as "Red Dog must die," could now radiate such bold, heroic energy?
Thinking of this, Rowen pulled a sealed file from his coat and tossed it onto the desk in front of Akainu.
"What's this?"
Akainu instantly sensed trouble in the air and frowned.
"I've already got enough crap to deal with, give it a rest, will you?!"
The more openly they spoke, the more trust he placed in Rowen, the more Akainu realized…
Rowen was playing a massive game of chess.
Just the parts he had exposed so far were enough to shake the foundations of everything Akainu had spent decades believing in. At times, he'd even wondered if he should just say to hell with it and let the world burn.
As Marine Fleet Admiral, one of the most powerful individuals in the world in both authority and strength, who would not believe he had the means to destroy the world?
He was even convinced that the fall of the Celestial Dragons had been orchestrated by Rowen, Just no proof.
Seeing the wary, visibly shaken look on Akainu's face, Rowen smiled.
"Relax. This time it's good news."
Akainu hesitated, but finally sighed and picked up the file.
The next second,
"Pluton is almost complete?!!"
He gasped as he read the contents, eyes wide with shock.
Then it hit him. He turned sharply to Rowen.
"So that's it… That's the real reason you went so far, to the point of bearing everyone's suspicion, just to shut Garp up!"
The Ancient Weapon… Pluton!
Akainu knew that Century City and Golden City had been collaborating on a massive ship. But with the legendary Gild Tesoro of Golden City involved, it hadn't drawn too much attention.
Who could guess the whims of the wealthy?
Akainu had always been aware of the gap.
But he never imagined that the massive ship, seemingly just another Golden City replica, was actually the legendary Ancient Weapon: Pluton!
"When did this happen?"
Akainu frowned deeply.
"A few years ago."
Rowen took a drag from his cigar and gave a wry smile.
"I wasn't planning to go this far either, but Orrick beat us to it, he managed to kidnap Princess Shirahoshi first. To stand against that kind of power, we needed a decisive weapon."
Ancient Weapons were far too uncontrollable.
And with Rowen's personality, wanting everything firmly within his grasp, he naturally disliked such volatile forces.
But he had no choice. Orrick's decisiveness shattered the balance, so Rowen secretly dispatched Fujitora and Trafalgar Law to obtain the Pluton blueprints.
"That old bastard would never allow an Ancient Weapon to appear, let alone be used in war. It didn't matter whether I told him the truth or not. That's just the kind of man he was… He'd rather live in this decaying era than see more people die."
"He was such a kind-hearted man, and that's exactly why he stood against us. So, I had no choice but to kill him."
Rowen sighed deeply, watching Akainu remain silent.
"You asked me whose side I'm on? This is my answer."
"Don't let that old bastard die for nothing, Fleet Admiral…"
Pluton was a warship, and a warship needs someone to command it.
As Marines, they were the most suitable people to wield it, bar none!
(End of Chapter)