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After Doflamingo disappeared, Rowen had speculated extensively and finally gleaned some hints from Lirisk.
Now, with Kuma's response completing the final piece of the puzzle, the conclusion could finally be settled.
However...
"I want him dead!"
Kuma abruptly held his breath and opened his mouth, struggling to contain his reaction: "What?"
"Don't worry, not now."
Rowen waved his hand and took out a prepared Den Den Mushi: "I'll notify you when the time comes, and you'll be responsible for nullifying the fruit ability on him."
Kuma took the Den Den Mushi in silence and then said, "Unless I lose consciousness or die, to eliminate the fruit ability on him requires maintaining a certain distance."
"Can Vice Admiral Soryu create an opportunity for me? Or is it…"
Kuma did not refuse Rowen but indicated that he was not his subordinate and did not have to follow his orders.
Through this statement, Kuma saw an opportunity.
If managed well, it could be a tremendous benefit for the Revolutionary Army and even the entire world!
But the constraints of the fruit ability made Kuma worried.
"Have you not already prepared yourself to sacrifice for the Revolutionary Army, Kuma?"
Rowen spoke slowly: "Even if you survive, Vegapunk's modifications won't stop. You should be well aware of that."
The Pacifista had always faced a problem known as "intelligence."
The current Pacifista, developed to PX-5, was ahead of the original timeline but still operated as a rigid robot following programmed rules.
For instance, the most obvious issue:
Unless ordered by someone with higher authority, Pacifista can never attack government officials or Marines.
In the event of betrayal or internal conflicts, they could not be dealt with promptly.
Their operational logic relied solely on pre-recorded information by the Scientific Force. To prevent chaos, they were set to follow orders rather than individuals. If something happened to the authority figure, they would be no different from a pile of metal.
This was also a major reason for the limited large-scale deployment of Pacifista forces.
However, modifications to Kuma, the prototype, were likely to overcome this issue, creating a bionic robot with some level of autonomous awareness, suitable for handling more complex situations.
It sounded unscientific, but Vegapunk could indeed create something akin to "J.A.R.V.I.S." following this logic.
Thus, Kuma's loss of consciousness was bound to happen; it was just a matter of time.
Kuma was silent, contemplating whether to survive or be destroyed; that was the question.
He already had the answer in his heart.
"I can agree, but I need at least a month!"
A month was necessary for the Revolutionary Army to receive the news and make all necessary preparations.
"Okay… if the situation becomes critical, the decision is yours."
Rowen agreed without concern.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
A friend is someone to be used in mutual advantage.
These two statements share a common premise: there must be a unified goal.
Rowen was clear about Kuma's goal, though Kuma was not clear about Rowen's.
He trusted that Kuma would make the right choice.
This was an inherent advantage brought by the information gap, and Rowen was grateful for the script in this regard.
"Naturally, I hope you don't tell anyone about my presence."
"Whether or not you can bring me down, I think you should be quite aware."
Even if the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) knew that Rowen was involved in this matter, with the First Grade Glory Medal in hand, they could not label Rowen as a rebel.
Although the details of the Gorōsei's Fishing Plan were unknown, without the endorsement of that important figure behind the scenes, did they have the courage to take such risks?
The Celestial Dragons were not essential to the plan.
Otherwise, the issues with the Donquixote family would never have occurred.
As a top-level powerhouse in the world, Rowen was fearless of any challenges to his strength.
If such a situation did arise, Rowen believed the Gorōsei would be more than willing to apply pressure on him to handle the Revolutionary Army personally.
If done well, it would be a case of killing two birds with one stone.
It would give them a reason to turn a blind eye and pretend nothing happened.
So Rowen's reminder was just a formality; in fact, he was quite eager for Kuma to deliberately spread news and create some trouble for him, giving him an opportunity to eliminate his target.
"No problem!"
However, Kuma seemed to be aware of some insider information and nodded in agreement: "I will tell everyone that this information was obtained through my undercover work."
"Very well, then... the second matter!"
Rowen raised his eyebrows slightly in disappointment and spoke: "How much do you know about Uranus?"
"Ancient Weapon": Uranus!
According to reliable sources, the government has already acquired Uranus but cannot yet use it. The document, which was almost certainly stolen by the Revolutionary Army, pertains to Uranus.
For this reason, Rayleigh even sacrificed himself as bait to draw attention.
There were internal documents within the Marine about the Ancient Weapons, but like Chaton and Momousagi's previous suspicion, accessing these crucial documents always required prior approval.
Rowen had no desire to stumble into unnecessary trouble at this critical moment by applying for access to Ancient Weapon information; there was no need to be stuck in the Marine when he could obtain external information.
"You plan to take action against Uranus?!"
Kuma looked at Rowen in disbelief.
Dealing with the Dragon family, he could understand why, as spies were not blind, and the Revolutionary Army's recent movements were clear.
But Uranus was an absolutely forbidden item!
"Don't answer a question with another question. Just tell me everything you know, nothing more."
"...I understand."
Kuma nodded silently, closed his eyes to recall, and then slowly began to speak.
"Among the three Ancient Weapons, Uranus is the most secretive. According to legends, it is a type of virus that can easily eradicate all life on an island, turning fertile land into a desert."
Here it was!
The representative of destructive power!
How terrifying is Pluton?
One shot can destroy an island.
How terrifying is Sea King?
Sea Kings can easily overturn an island.
And Uranus... can easily annihilate an island.
Island: "What did I do to deserve this?!"
Rowen twitched his mouth, signaling Kuma to continue.
"Since it is a virus-type weapon, no one can confirm whether the government has actually found Uranus or something else before its use, but whatever it is, it is undoubtedly terrifying."
The difference between Ancient Weapons and top-level combat power is actually minimal. What Ancient Weapons can do, top-tier fighters like Rowen can also achieve.
But human stamina is limited, while Ancient Weapons are just weapons with no such limitations.
Especially something like Pluton, a super battleship, if someone masters its blueprint and equips it on a large scale, "destroying the world" is no idle threat.
"The government has had four reasons for not wanting Ancient Weapons to come to light."
"One, to prevent anyone from researching forbidden ancient knowledge along the path."
"Two, to prevent anyone from threatening the government's rule with Ancient Weapons."
"Three, to prevent anyone from using them to destroy the world."
"Four, to establish authority and screen out rebels."
At this point, Kuma paused: "So, if Vice Admiral Soryu is worried about the government using Uranus, there's no need."
"The situation is not dire enough for that."
Ancient Weapons are like nuclear weapons; their existence is more significant than their use. Using Uranus just for dealing with internal rebellion would be like using a cannon to kill a mosquito, which is not worth the cost.
However, Kuma did not notice the flicker of light in Rowen's eyes when he learned that Uranus was a type of virus weapon.
Virus?
That is indeed, most fitting!
(End of Chapter)