There was an awkward atmosphere lingering in the air, and everyone remained silent.
"Pū Chī!"
Chaton couldn't hold back and burst into laughter with a "puff."
"Cha… ton!"
The cold, chilling call made Chaton tremble, and he quickly turned his head, coughing to disguise the smile on his face.
Glaring at Chaton with resentment, Momousagi looked at Rowen, her dangerous aura palpable. Through gritted teeth and forced composure, she smiled, "Vice Admiral Soryu, are you giving up?"
"Yeah, knowing when to stop is important!"
"What if the treasure inside isn't worth two billion? That would be a huge loss!"
Rowen nodded calmly, took out a cigar, and asked Chaton for a light. Chaton's face turned red from holding back his laughter, and with a begrudging expression, he reluctantly lit Rowen's cigar with a lighter, infuriating Momousagi!
Knowing when to stop was exactly what Momousagi had just said.
A visible black aura emanated from Momousagi's back, and Komainu emitted a sharp, terrifying sword intent that began to spread.
"Cough Cough, then..."
Ignoring their interaction, Vice Admiral Momonga faithfully played his role as the host, picking up the small hammer.
"1.9 billion, with an additional 50 million, going once!"
Momousagi's expression darkened further.
Everyone was well aware of Vice Admiral Momonga's character; he wouldn't care whether you had difficulties or not. Maintaining the order of the auction was absolute for him, without favoritism towards any side, which was what constituted "justice."
Moreover, the average auction price for a treasure map was less than 300 million. While this map was somewhat special, it was still worth only around a billion.
Now that it had been bid up to 1.9 billion, it could easily be sold.
"1.9 billion, with an additional 50 million, going twice!"
After calmly scanning the table to ensure no one else was bidding, Vice Admiral Momonga brought the hammer down.
"1.9 billion, with an additional 50 million..."
Momousagi gritted her teeth in frustration, glaring daggers at Rowen.
But when she heard the start of the third bid, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.
1.9 billion with an additional 50 million was no small sum! In some small countries, it was enough to ensure that all citizens lived comfortably for a year!
As the leader of the female soldiers, she and Tsuru did have money, but money didn't grow on trees! Rowen might not feel the pinch of wasting a billion, but they couldn't afford it.
However, Vice Admiral Momonga, like a stern judge, showed no hesitation for Momousagi's predicament. As the hammer was about to fall, Momousagi was already reluctantly considering teaming up with Rowen.
"Two billion!"
Swish!
The hammer stopped just a centimeter away.
Vice Admiral Momonga calmly raised his head, then continued in a businesslike tone, devoid of any fluctuation, "Two billion, going once!"
Momousagi: "..."
Don't stop me, today I'm going to kill this asshole!!
...
An obscure treasure map sold for two billion, making Vice Admiral Comil the biggest winner! He happily handed over the information he had collected over the past ten years to Rowen, considering it a favor.
After all, no one believed that Rowen had actually solved the puzzle on the treasure map in such a short time.
After the auction ended, Chaton pestered Rowen to join in. Rowen, thinking for a moment, contributed 50 million, adding to the 100 million he had just earned, raising a total of 200 million Belly, and eagerly went off to find someone to gamble with.
Within the Headquarters of the Vice Admirals, there were quite a few gambling enthusiasts, with Chaton being a typical example.
Hmm...
With him, it's either betting against him or owning a villa by the sea.
That kind of "typical."
After dealing with Chaton, Rowen tidied up the things he had acquired and asked, "Hey, what about those agents?"
The white-suited individuals who had been overseeing and serving at the auction were nowhere to be seen now, not a single one of them.
The turmoil in Water 7 had already occurred, and Rob Lucci had become a member of CP0 two or three years ahead of schedule. So where did the other members of CP-9 go?
Rowen was quite curious about this.
"They went back as soon as the auction ended. Why would they stick around for dinner?" Vice Admiral Momonga, who had been wearing a facade while supervising the auction, now showed a lively expression, his disdain for the CP organization, which had more power than the Marines, evident. He removed the disguise from his face.
With a dismissive gesture, he avoided delving deeper into the topic. Then, suddenly curious, he asked, "But Rowen, did you really solve the puzzle on that map?"
Having previously been responsible for survival training on Hell Island, Vice Admiral Rowen had quite a favorable opinion of him. He nodded in response, "Yes, I did. It's just that the location is quite far, so I haven't had the time to go treasure hunting."
"Hiss...!"
"To think you really solved it!"
Vice Admiral Momonga gasped in shock. Rowen's expression didn't seem fake, and he wasn't the type to boast.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Vice Admiral Momonga continued, "So, what's the solution?"
The curiosity to uncover the truth was almost instinctual for living beings.
However, after saying these words, Vice Admiral Momonga quickly realized his mistake and waved his hands repeatedly, "Forget it, this is your thing. Keep it confidential."
"It's not that serious. How much treasure can a group of pirates leave behind? Feel free to take a look." Rowen chuckled and pulled out the treasure map from the scroll.
After solving the puzzle, Rowen was sure that he had definitely undersold it for two billion.
But who cares? It's just two billion!
Let's just have some fun.
It's not like I am short of money!
The commotion here quickly caught the attention of the others. Apart from Chaton and his companions who were busy gambling, the other Vice Admirals gathered around with curiosity.
For a puzzle that almost caused an uproar, who wouldn't be curious?
Even Aokiji strolled over lazily, holding his chin in one hand.
"Since Vice Admiral Soryu could tell just by looking at it, there definitely isn't a hidden layer inside!"
"That's stating the obvious! Vice Admiral Comil has been holding onto it for ten years, thoroughly researching it inside and out. There's definitely no hidden layer!"
"What's the mystery behind the patterns and text on it? These two parts seem to fit together."
"I think it might be the colors... Look at this part of the desert, does it resemble a big rooster?"
The Vice Admirals expressed their opinions and began to explore the puzzle.
"Could tell just by looking at it?"
Aokiji silently chewed on these words, his sleepy eyes gleaming.
After a moment, he rubbed his afro in distress. "Ah, troublesome things like this are really not my style!"
Rowen glanced at him silently, realizing that Aokiji had also noticed the anomaly. But given his personality, he couldn't be bothered to rack his brain over it.
"Since you're indifferent, just tell everyone the answer already!" Vice Admiral Momonga couldn't figure it out and had to turn to Rowen for help.
"Alright, let's get started then."
Rowen shrugged and placed his hand on the edge of the fabric.
"Have you ever wondered why this tenacious silk fabric was used as a treasure map?"
"Fear of damage?"
"That's a normal train of thought... If the treasure map is real, the material would naturally need to be as tenacious as possible to avoid damage during circulation."
"But, that's just a red herring left by the person who left behind this treasure map!"
Rowen expressed his opinion, then, under the astonished gazes of everyone, a faint electric current slowly permeated the edge of the fabric. Suddenly, the crimson fabric began to flicker with electricity, forming a glowing grid pattern.
"I see, it's the silver threads inside!"
Seeing the intertwining silver threads resembling needles and threads, someone quickly remembered Vice Admiral Momonga's earlier introduction.
"That's right, the real secret lies within these silver threads!"
Rowen covered all the threads with a subtle control of electricity, then gave them a strong tug.
Creak!
The metal threads tightened abruptly, filling the gap, and the treasure map was no longer hidden.
"It's a map within a map!"
Each segment of those threads left behind a lot of pigment. From a distance, it was clear that these pigments connected to form the shape of a treasure map.
"That's right, this is the real secret of the treasure map."
Rowen twisted the thin silver threads and showed them to everyone.
"Even those misunderstood ancient characters were just side branches used to deceive people, making everyone think that the real secret lay in those patterns and characters, thereby ignoring the truth."
Rowen released the electricity from his hands and found the starting and ending points of the "silver thread skeleton," then pulled them with force.
Creak!
The metal threads were suddenly pulled taut, filling the gap, and this time, the treasure map was fully revealed.
"When I first saw this treasure map, I was puzzled. Why draw an unnecessary pattern? Why leave an extra trace?"
"For example, those misunderstood ancient characters. Their distorted forms were a bit exaggerated, which made me feel like something was amiss, as if something was being deliberately concealed."
"Later, I discovered that underneath each trace, there was a corresponding silver thread. This couldn't possibly be a coincidence... So I connected them all, rearranged the pigments on top, and got this."
It was a crude sea map, with a black flag with a skull in the corner proving that it came from a certain pirate crew. Three hundred years had not brought much change in this aspect of knowledge, and as Marines, everyone present could understand it.
At the same time, above the sea map, several prominent characters were printed.
Alabasta!
(End of Chapter)
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