With that, the group left Marineford's harbor and gathered in Sengoku's office.
Inside, Roya gave a slightly embellished account of events.
"So, after you destroyed the island, you knocked Weevil into the sea, then used Moon Walk to barely reach another island, where you coincidentally met Akainu before returning?!"
Roya nodded, pulling Kalifa closer into his embrace.As for Tina, she looked at Kalifa with envy in her eyes.
Although their relationship had grown quite close recently, even becoming best friends, when it came to Roya, they were still rivals.
Now, seeing Kalifa so comfortably nestled in Roya's embrace, she couldn't help but feel envious.
Sengoku lowered his head in thought.
He suddenly recalled that when Akainu's lieutenant had reported to him, they mentioned one of the mysterious figures had a massive, hill-like physique and terrifying regenerative abilities.
Sengoku turned to Roya and solemnly relayed this information.
Even though Roya himself had orchestrated the entire incident, he pretended as if it were the first time he was hearing about it.
His expression gradually shifted into one of seriousness.
The atmosphere in the office grew tense.
After a long pause—during which Roya had actually been contemplating what to eat later—he finally responded to Sengoku, "I don't think that mysterious figure is Whitebeard Jr. The timing doesn't add up. Even an Admiral-class Battleship couldn't move that fast! The timeline just doesn't match!"
"Moreover, I believe those two mysterious figures are definitely part of an organization, and there's been a leak in intelligence!"
Sengoku was taken aback by Roya's words. He didn't understand why Roya would say that.
For the first time, he felt his own intelligence wasn't sufficient.
Roya continued explaining, "Think about it, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Even if Akainu had attacked without prior reconnaissance, how could they have arrived so quickly? It's as if they were already waiting by the island!"
"What does that mean? It means they had prior knowledge!"
Hearing this, Sengoku fell into deep thought once more.
"You're saying there's a mole in the Marines?"
The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed.
Back when he had rescued his adopted son, Corazon, on Hachinosu Island, Sengoku had learned from Corazon about the existence of a Marine mole—Vergo—and had swiftly imprisoned him in Impel Down.
Now, it seemed there was another mole in the Marines, and this one likely held a high-ranking position. Sengoku had every reason to believe it.
Just the thought of such a powerful organization lurking in the shadows made Sengoku feel that the seas were about to descend into chaos.
"Roya, thank goodness the Marines have you. Otherwise, we'd be powerless against this."
"It's my duty," Roya replied calmly.
"Alright, Roya. I'll handle the investigation into the mole. You should go rest. I suspect we'll be very busy soon."
Sengoku felt Roya truly needed some rest and dismissed him.
Roya nodded and left Sengoku's office.
But as he turned away, a faint, imperceptible smirk curled at the corner of his lips—one that no one noticed.
Walking across the grounds of Marineford, gazing at the boundless sky, Roya was in an excellent mood.
His identity had become even more unshakable.
No one would ever suspect that Roya, the Marine Admiral known as "White Dove," was also one of the mysterious figures.
"Roya, you seem really happy," Kalifa said, holding onto his arm.Roya pulled Kalifa into his arms and chuckled softly, "Of course I'm happy because I get to see you!"
Kalifa felt delighted, but she didn't hide from Roya the fact that she had already joined CP9.
"Roya, I want to keep honing my strength. In the future, I want to be the one who protects you!"
Seeing Kalifa's determined expression, Roya simply smiled faintly without saying much.
He supported her dreams.
The two then strolled back to Roya's room.
The night passed without incident.
——
Early the next morning, Kalifa left the room.
For warriors at their level,
it was merely like tearing open a small wound.
They could recover in the blink of an eye.
Just as Roya was about to go back to sleep, his Den Den Mushi rang.
"Fleet Admiral, what can I do for you?"
"White Dove, come see me."
"Understood."
On his second day back at Marineford, Roya once again entered Sengoku's office.
As soon as he stepped inside, Sengoku said to him, "White Dove, I should have let you rest longer, but the New World is already in chaos. The Four Emperors have just been established, and BIGMOM has announced she'll be hosting the first Tea Party soon.
So, to counter their momentum, we've passed the Warlord initiative. I want you to go to Fish-Man Island first and invite Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea!"
[Ding! Sign-in mission issued: Fish-Man Island. Reward: Peak Observation Haki! Time limit: 3 days!]
Hearing Sengoku's words, Roya nodded, a faint smile appearing at the corners of his lips. "Fleet Admiral, consider it done."
Watching Roya turn and leave without hesitation, Sengoku's estimation of him rose even higher.
At the same time, he thought of Roya's current reputation.
He couldn't help but sigh, "Aokiji, if you don't work harder, the Fleet Admiral position might very well be taken by Roya in the future!"
No sooner had Roya left Sengoku's office than he ran into Zefa and Ain.
"Teacher Zefa, how are you feeling now?"
Roya greeted Zefa.
Zefa instinctively touched his right arm, which had been mechanized, and said, "If it weren't for you this time, I probably would have been killed by Whitebeard Jr."
Zefa continued, "White Dove, are you off to recruit the Warlords?"
"Yes, the Fleet Admiral just gave the order."
"The Marines are really regressing, actually wanting to cooperate with pirates!"
Zefa sighed again, "Ah, but I don't have much say anymore. I'm practically retired now."
Hearing this, Roya was surprised. "Teacher Zefa, are you planning to retire to your hometown? What about your students?"
"I've already arranged for the other students to go elsewhere. Only Ain insisted on staying by your side to learn, so I brought her to you..."