There wasn't much change in the appearance of the Sai from five years ago and the Sai of today, except that he looked slightly younger.
Due to his seniority, his original position was on the edge, closest to the door. However, since he was the one becoming a Shichibukai, King Ramen arranged for him to be beside Kai.
At this moment, Sai spoke up, capturing everyone's attention. The young Sai seemed a bit flustered under all the gazes, but he quickly calmed himself down and continued speaking to Rowen.
"Please, Vice Admiral Rowen, believe us when we say that we have absolutely no intention of underestimating the Marines."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Rowen turned his head slightly and exchanged a glance with King Ramen.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Ramen knew that this was the turning point, so he awkwardly smiled and said, "To be honest… it's a bit embarrassing to say… Recently, Kano Country suffered a major defeat. We were caught off guard by various high-quality weapons from an inconspicuous small country. It was a significant loss for us. After investigating, we found out that the weapons were provided by the Capone Family, so I sent Chinjao to deal with it."
Ramen didn't continue his explanation beyond that.
After all, discussing arms deals in front of Marines… you couldn't court death in such a manner!
Rowen remained silent for a moment, then, after receiving confirmation from Henry on the battleship, his expression eased.
"Oh! So that's what happened! I apologize, I apologize. I was unaware of such a matter. I'll make up for it with a drink!"
With that, Rowen finished his drink.
The atmosphere finally completely relaxed, and everyone else let out a sigh of relief. The atmosphere at the banquet became lively once again.
To be honest, if they were to fight against the now-famous "Undying Vice Admiral" Rowen, they were visibly cautious on the surface, but deep down, they had no confidence.
As martial artists, they understood just how terrifying Logia Devil Fruit's abilities could be. And as the user of the Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder-Thunder Fruit), which was acclaimed as the "Strongest" among the Logia fruits, Rowen's level of threat was only higher!
At the same time, the fact that he was the renowned "Undying Vice Admiral" added to the intimidation factor!
The explosion that occurred in Dressrosa had blown the entire country into four pieces, yet it failed to kill him. And there were rumors circulating that he had been retrieved from the sea by soldiers… The Marines had even prepared his funeral, only for him to resurrect before the burial.
He truly experienced death and came back to life!
Kaido, the Yonko, fought against people stronger than him without any fear because he was resilient.
Kaido experienced several failures, had been captured by Yonko and the Marine a total of eighteen times, and had endured over a thousand tortures. He had been sentenced to death forty times, yet even when subjected to hanging, he would break the chains; even on the execution platform, he would smash the guillotine; even when stabbed by spears, they would break instead.
No one had ever managed to kill him, and he himself had attempted suicide multiple times without success.
He had never died!
On the other hand, Rowen could be killed but always managed to recover.
So, in the eyes of some, Rowen, with his ability to come back from death, was more deserving of the title "Undying" than Kaido.
After all, no matter how terrifying Kaido was, everyone knew that he would eventually die; it was just a matter of finding a way to kill him.
But even if Rowen died, it wouldn't matter as he would just come back to life…
How could they possibly fight against that?!!
"By the way, you mentioned the Capone Family earlier. It sounds somewhat familiar. Who are they?"
After a few rounds of drinking, Rowen suddenly asked.
Gojiro beside him thought that instead of causing trouble by mentioning Chinjao in front of the Marine, it was better to stir up trouble elsewhere, so he quickly replied, "It's normal for Vice Admiral Rowen to find it familiar. After all, they are the largest criminal organization in the West Blue!"
Unlike the other three seas, the West Blue was different. Whether it was the "Strongest of Four Seas" the North Blue or the "Weakest of Four Seas" the East Blue, their threat was centered around pirates.
But the West Blue was different!
In this "Most Chaotic of the Four Seas," what troubled Marine wasn't the various pirates but the incessant conflicts between the countries that couldn't stand each other.
A group of pirates massacring the residents of a small town sounds brutal, right?
But in the West Blue, it's not even considered a big deal! In this sea, there is an average of one large-scale nation-annihilating war every three months, with death tolls starting in the tens of thousands!
The main mission of the West Blue Marine Branch is not so much about preventing the influx of pirates from the Pirate Era into the Grand Line, but rather about maintaining balance between various factions and reducing the conflicts.
The cases that attract the attention of Marine Headquarters in the West Blue are not incidents of pirates causing trouble, but rather when a small country seeking Marine's protection ends up being destroyed.
Compared to the West Blue, the Hundred Years' War between England and France is insignificant… For hundreds of years, this sea has never known peace!
The countless wars have given rise to a large number of mercenaries and arms trades. Everyone fights each other to survive and protect food, land, and wealth.
But engaging in war only leads to impoverishment; this is an absolute truth. When you add up the total assets of the victorious side and the defeated side, it is always less than the total wealth before the war. If this continues, the entire West Blue will eventually collapse.
However, there is no way around it; this is the situation in the West Blue.
It's a blatant survival of the fittest!
If you don't devour others, you won't survive.
That's why Kano Country established the Happo Navy to plunder wealth and use it as their foundation and war funds.
That's how the Capone Family rapidly grew. Under the leadership of a wise "Godfather," they profited from war and virtually dominated the underground arms trade market in the West Blue.
"Capone Bege, if I remember correctly, that's his name, right?" Rowen pondered for a moment, recalling a stout and solid man who always had a cigar in his mouth, with lips protruding like a kappa.
"Yes, it's Capone Bege!"
Gojiro nodded and said, "After coming to power a few years ago, he carried out significant reforms within the Capone Family, resorting to kidnapping, extortion, and poison. He quickly gained control of the Capone Family and then immediately expanded their influence externally. Currently, Capone Family is responsible for two-thirds of the arms trade in the West Blue… Naturally, our Kano Country has never purchased any weapons from them!"
Gojiro quickly assured Rowen while Rowen glanced at him but remained silent.
(End of the chapter)
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