Rowen and Issho had a clear understanding of each other.
Starting from the moment Rowen stood out in the recruit camp's annual test, to defeating Hell Island's giant crab and toppling the Shichibukai Crocodile and Doflamingo, with such a brilliant track record, no one, no matter how arrogant, would dare underestimate Rowen because of his youth.
Simultaneously, concerning this Marine's emergence as a super prodigy, his character had been extensively investigated by various factions.
In less than five hours since Rowen deliberately revealed himself to make Garrote suspicious and prompt his departure, until Issho's arrival, the efficient information transmission within the locked-down Gat Island could only have been possible with extensive information resources behind Rowen.
In Issho's eyes, Rowen was a Marine who didn't differentiate between black and white, he is reliable in his pursuit of justice. He was smart and powerful, seemed completely obedient to Marine orders, unbothered whether the blood on his hands was that of innocents or thugs.
Yet, he possessed a unique perspective on dark justice and didn't blindly follow government dogma; he was a very thoughtful young man.
For someone like him to find something troublesome and seek his help, Issho was sure it wasn't something good!
"But there's plenty!"
Responding to Issho's question, Rowen chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "With great power comes great responsibility. That's why I, as a part of the system, can't act recklessly like pirates, without considering the consequences. Hence, the deliberate interference today."
The greater the power, the greater the responsibility.
In the eyes of Issho… there was a flash of understanding, and he nodded in agreement with this statement.
He himself was just like that. After gaining immense power, he felt it was necessary to help the vulnerable citizens in some way, hence his choice to act as a hero.
Otherwise, with combat prowess rivaling an Admiral's, he could excel at anything he set his mind to!
If he turned to piracy, even the Yonko would welcome him as a guest of honor!
And the reason he didn't join the Marines, as Rowen had put it… was exactly the same. After all, the Marines weren't pirates! They were heavily constrained and complicated!
After drinking this intoxicating drink, Issho's perception of Rowen finally underwent a change.
"I hope Vice Admiral Rowen won't make any requests that would trouble an old man like me…"
"Don't worry about that!" Rowen was pleasantly surprised as he spoke while wearing a smile. "I will never ask Issho San to go against his principles."
"I just want to ask Issho San to take action and kill a scoundrel and criminal… a pirate named Edward Weevil!"
…
Under the cover of night, Issho's amiable expression gradually faded, replaced by an intense seriousness, and then a touch of displeasure crept in.
"Does Vice Admiral Rowen think I'm a fool?"
"Are you trying to use me as a pawn in your game, Vice Admiral Rowen?"
Issho felt increasingly unhappy with Rowen as the time passed. The feud between Zephyr, his sensei "Black Arm" Zephyr, and Edward Weevil was well-known, at least within their circle.
Rowen, as Zephyr's most esteemed disciple, shared an extremely close relationship with Zephyr; they were more like family than just master and student. Coming from him, this statement seemed like an attempt to manipulate Issho into seeking revenge on his behalf.
Honestly, Rowen had always been skeptical about his own ability to take down Edward Weevil. After all, Weevil was a man so powerful that even the High-Level members of the Whitebeard Pirates, including Marco, couldn't stand against him after Whitebeard's death.
He was even evaluated by Kizaru as one of the top contenders for "Possessing the same power Whitebeard had in his youth." He was undoubtedly a monster in terms of strength. Issho might have sensed this doubt, which explained his reaction.
To this, Rowen's heart trembled inwardly, but the expression on his face remained unchanged.
"I think Issho San has misunderstood something in my words. When I ask Issho San to deal with Edward Weevil, there are absolutely no selfish motives behind it."
"My eyes might be blind, but my heart isn't," Issho spoke with a tone of increased gravity and didn't touch the wine anymore.
Seeing this, Rowen knew it was time to play his trump card.
"Issho San, do you know who the final candidate for the two vacant Shichibukai positions is?"
"Nani?!"
In an instant, Issho stood up in shock.
With a clang, his wine cup fell to the ground, a clear indicator of his current unstable state of mind.
He stared at Rowen earnestly and took a deep breath, "Has the World Government gone mad?!"
This was the enemy of Zephyr, an enemy so detested by him. Moreover, this was also an enemy Rowen vowed to eliminate.
Ignoring the opinions of two heavyweight Marine dignitaries, inviting Edward Weevil to be a Shichibukai… did the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) not consider the possibility that these two might defect because of it?!
To be honest, Issho could guarantee that the consequences of Rowen defecting from the Marines would not be much less than those of Dragon's defection. This was because Rowen lacked Dragon's various apprehensions and lofty ideals.
Everything he had done so far made him look more like an unrestrained, unruly pirate ruffian!
"I see that you understand my situation, that's why I thought to ask Issho San for help!" Rowen sighed and spoke with a touch of sorrow in his voice. This time, he wasn't even acting; he genuinely felt troubled by this.
"I've gone to great lengths and finally managed to eliminate the two unstable factors among the current Shichibukai… if it weren't for some powerful backing, Doflamingo would have been locked down in Impel Down long ago!"
"But then, the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) decided that the final candidate would be Edward Weevil!"
"Not to mention the enmity between Zephyr Sensei and him, just the fact that someone who has stained their hands with the lives of thousands of innocent people, destroyed so many towns that their numbers have reached in the double digits, and for someone like him to transform from a heinous criminal into a lawful pirate and to become a Shichibukai would render all my previous efforts in vain!"
"At that time…" Rowen gazed calmly at Issho's cloudy, greyish-white eyes, which had opened wide, "It will be a catastrophe for all living beings!"
…
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