When Sengoku urgently contacted Aokiji, who was on a nearby island carrying out a mission for the Marines, everyone had the same thought in their minds.
Speed is crucial in this!!
They have to reach the G-10 Marine Branch before Rowen killed Doflamingo!
No one other than the Marines are aware of Rowen's current strength.
It may sound unbelievable when spoken, but most of the higher-ups in the Marines know that the current Rowen is not someone an ordinary pirate can handle and that same goes for the New World Pirates; not a single person in the higher-ups in the Marines would doubt Rowen's power!
To grow to the top level of the current era in just two years, Zephyr still finds it unbelievable even now…
The reason why Sengoku didn't send Rowen to the New World was not that he was stopping him from gaining more experience and establishing a path for the future but because Sengoku wasn't prepared to clean up after him! Dealing with one Garp was already enough headache for him!
And Sengoku's concerns proved correct when Rowen went on to fight against Shanks.
Although Aokiji didn't have much contact with Rowen in his daily life, given his elevated position as a future Candidate for an Admiral, his preferences and every move were scrutinized by others as some kind of signal.
As a representative of the Peace Faction, Aokiji didn't want the War Faction officers to feel nervous, so he naturally had little interaction with Rowen, who belonged to the "Garp faction."
However, this didn't mean that Aokiji didn't understand Rowen.
The annihilation of the Pucci Kingdom forces and the incidents involving the death of Water 7 residents indicated that Rowen is a more ruthless and merciless Officer than even the War Faction's Akainu!
But there is a difference between them.
Akainu's ruthlessness was driven by his own stance and beliefs while Rowen, on the other hand, simply didn't value human life!
'You harm my soldiers and my interest, and I'll take your life.' This seems to be Rowen's belief.
It's as simple as that! No one in the high position in the Marines expected Rowen to understand the concept of "Balance." Given the chance, everyone can guarantee that Rowen would definitely attack a Yonko without giving it a second thought and he wouldn't even care about the consequences!
Doflamingo's attack on Marine G-10 Branch was seen as nothing short of suicide by everyone… except himself!
Aokiji silently thought to himself as the shattered remnants of Branch G-10 came into view.
There were broken aircraft and debris everywhere, except for a small part where the fortress was located. The rest had been swept away like a hurricane had ravaged the area, turning it into a large expanse of ruins.
As Aokiji gazed at the ruins-like Branch G-10, he felt a chill run down his spine when he noticed Doflamingo charging towards the black sphere.
Is it too late?!
"Not yet!"
At that moment, the towering figure of Kuma suddenly flashed past Aokiji. With his ability to transport through the air without any frictional resistance, he appeared in the center of the battlefield in an instant, pushing the destructive black sphere away with a strong push of his paw-like hands.
Whoosh…!!
…
Port Fang, along with a large section of the aircraft harbor was devastated. Aokiji stood in this area for a moment with a stunned expression on his face, as he discovered that beneath the frozen ice, there was a broken piece of land.
This place used to be fertile soil, but now, only a layer of frozen seawater remained. It was evident that the battle had been intense!
"This is almost an unforgivable crime… Vice Admiral Rowen." Aokiji looked at the shattered Branch G-10 with a surprised expression on his face while his tone carried a hint of solemnity in it.
A cold breeze swept over the sea as he arrived, causing the soldiers in the distance to shiver.
"Damn it! I've told you before!" Dante gritted his teeth as he internally cursed Rowen in his heart. He was about to step forward to explain the situation when Rowen stopped him with a single glance.
Leave it to me…
That was what Dante understood from Rowen's expression.
To Rowen's left stood Admiral Aokiji, the "Marine's Strongest Combat Power," while to his right stood the enigmatic powerhouse of the Shichibukai, the "Tyrant" Kuma. The two seemed to block any escape route for Rowen and Dante anxiously observed the situation, but then he saw Rowen smile.
"Hey, Admiral Aokiji, what kind of crime is this?"
"A Shichibukai launched an attack on the Marines. As the Base Head, it is within my authority to arrest him, isn't it?"
With that, Rowen suddenly realized something and extended his hand to grab the little Tiger Tally from Dante's arms, bringing it to his side.
"If you're worried that I'm lying, you can examine the evidence."
The Tiger Tally was not only a communication Den Den Mushi but also an audiovisual Den Den Mushi. Rowen held the bewildered Tiger Tally and said to Aokiji.
Afterward, Rowen pressed a button, and a recorded playback started.
"Doflamingo! What are you doing?!!"
"Oh, sorry, sorry. It happened accidentally…"
"Doflamingo, can I consider this as you initiating an attack on the Marines?"
"Fufufufufufu! Yes… so what?!"
"Not good! The Birdcage has surrounded the base, and we can't get out!"
"Be careful! Don't get close to the cage!!"
One after another, the recordings were played, including those of Doflamingo and the soldiers. Even without visual footage, the intense and urgent situation could be heard in their conversations.
Doflamingo had unleashed the "Birdcage" in the Marine G-10 Branch, one must know that the Birdcage is capable of destroying an entire country, and he had unleashed this here which means that he was aiming to wipe out all the Marines in this Marine Branch!
If he weren't a Celestial Dragon, based on this recorded evidence alone, Sengoku would have definitely ordered his public execution as a deterrent to other Pirates!
"Arrest?"
However, Aokiji disregarded the recording completely, his focus solely on Rowen. With his left hand casually tucked into his pocket and his right hand dragging his coat behind him, he raised his gaze to meet Rowen's with a complex expression etched on his face. "But what I witnessed was you attempting to take his life… and from the looks of it, he had died, right?"
Rowen's lips curled into a sinister grin after he heard Aokiji's words and he spoke while exuding an unsettling aura. "So, you've already noticed our presence…"
…
(End of this chapter)
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