Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"What a load of nonsense, this prophecy ability! You actually believed that I used it to deceive Teach?!"
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, Rowen's voice was filled with extreme frustration. Following that was Sengoku's calm and serious inquiry, his imposing presence unquestionable.
"Stop trying to be clever! If you know something, just say it. I won't harm you!"
"Yeah, Rowen, if you have any information, you should share it with everyone. There's no need to keep it hidden," Vice Admiral Tsuru chimed in, offering her advice with a reassuring tone.
Rowen: "..."
Is this what they call karma? I've lied so much that now nobody believes the truth?!
Rowen looked at the Marine officials and government bigwigs in front of him, who seemed poised for a formal interrogation, and sighed, "Why don't you believe me? If I really had the ability to foresee, do you think I'd be here arguing with you?"
"Am I stupid, or are you all stupid?!"
"Hmph! Who knows if you're doing this on purpose? It's never too cautious when dealing with you..."
Garp, seemingly nonchalant, interjected and promptly slapped a "Cunning and Deceptive" hat on Rowen.
The latter widened his eyes, staring at him in disbelief.
Garp, you, the prominent Marine Hero with your bushy eyebrows, have actually betrayed the revolution?!
Sengoku stared at him sternly, and after a long while, he exchanged a few words with the expressionless government officials beside him. Finally, he nodded.
"Very well, considering the contribution you've made to the Marines this time, we'll leave it at this."
Rowen breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, it was over.
"But!"
Sengoku's tone grew heavier, and he spoke solemnly.
"Also, due to your failure to report crucial information, I, on behalf of the highest decision-making body of the government, the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars), hereby issue the following notice: from today onwards, 'Soryu (Azure Dragon)' Rowen, you are to serve a six-month restraining order at G-10 Branch. Without the orders of either myself or the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars), you are not allowed to venture more than thirty kilometers from the G-10 Branch!"
"Otherwise, severe punishment will be meted out!"
Rowen: "Meow meow meow???"
...
In the residential town bought by Zephyr, in the courtyard.
"Hahaha, a restraining order? You?"
The old man with purple hair, dressed as a farmer, laughed heartily, barely able to catch his breath. He looked at Rowen with a strange glint in his eyes, then finally opened his mouth.
"Haha!"
"Hahaha!"
"So even you have days like this, Rowen!"
"Is this really that funny..."
Rowen rolled his eyes at him as he spoke. "On the surface, it may seem like I'm being disciplined for withholding information, but there's more to it, you know?"
"Hmph, you still acted like that even after knowing that?!"
Seeing this, Zephyr's laughter instantly ceased, and he looked at Rowen with a dark expression on his face. He couldn't find any words to say to this disciple of his, and he let out a long sigh.
"Rowen, rulers and soldiers like us have different considerations."
"We believe that the fewer wicked elements there are in the world, the better. Even if it requires significant sacrifices, we eagerly charge forward."
"But the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) only want a stable rule, and that's enough for them!"
"You should be thankful that you didn't cause a major uproar this time! Otherwise, a mere restraining order wouldn't be enough to get through the Levely period and go to war with the Yonko!"
Zephyr spoke with emphasis and seriousness, then sighed with melancholy.
Rowen being restrained wasn't unexpected. Even without the so-called "prophecy," they would have found an excuse to restrict him.
After all...
The series of major moves made by the Marines in the past year has deeply unsettled the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars).
They're not exactly afraid, as the World Government still holds the lifeline of the Marines: Funding.
As long as there's any sign of trouble with the Marines, funding gets cut off. Sengoku can't even release the soldiers' benefits.
Everyone needs to eat, after all!
Not to mention that the Marines don't have their own weapons and equipment factories. They rely entirely on government supply. In terms of organization, they're just a combat unit. This is a common issue for any military force, no matter which country.
Even if there are some rogue Marines causing minor trouble behind the scenes, it can't cover up the entirety of the Marine force.
The series of major actions taken by the Marines this year has only muddied the waters of the already turbulent New World. While their achievements are commendable, what the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) want is stability, not a major overhaul.
In the eyes of the higher-ups who seek nothing but stable rule, Rowen's actions are no different from a pirate causing trouble. They are both disruptive elements, and they naturally need to be dealt with.
Restraining Rowen is a signal from the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) to the Marines, a warning to others after making an example out of him.
"It all comes down to a lack of strength..."
Rowen had long since understood this simple truth and sighed inwardly. "If I had been able to defeat Big Mom and Whitebeard head-on, I would probably be receiving recognition as a Marine Hero on par with Vice Admiral Garp, rather than being under house arrest."
Even if the fall of a Yonko were to cause widespread upheaval, the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) would be overjoyed when it comes to that point! After all, they're not the Justice-oriented Marines who are concerned about civilian casualties. The removal of a troublesome Yonko is a huge cause for celebration.
But Rowen couldn't manage to cause trouble without consequences, which put him in an awkward position. Despite clearly accomplishing something significant, he couldn't accept any recognition.
"It's enough that you understand this... in the future, use your brain more and think about the consequences before doing anything!" Zephyr rolled his eyes and didn't bother to look at him.
'Killing Whitebeard? You're quite ambitious! If you could actually kill Whitebeard, I'd call you Sensei!'
...
The events at Whitebeard's territory weren't widely publicized by the Marines. While Rowen successfully separated Teach from the Whitebeard Pirates, causing Whitebeard to endure both physical and emotional turmoil, the methods used were too underhanded, tarnishing the illustrious and just image that the Marines had maintained.
Everyone knew that the current Marine Fleet Admiral, Sengoku, was a renowned "Resourceful General," but the details of his achievements were not accessible to the common folk. Those hidden military honors were mostly similar to Rowen's actions this time, employing less than honorable methods, and therefore, they weren't publicized.
However, precisely because of this, on the side of the Big Mom Pirates, under the guidance of certain influential figures, the World Economy News' "Big News" Morgans took it upon himself to amplify the story.
Katakuri's successful escape before reaching Impel Down led the government to increase his bounty to 1,200,000,000 Belly. Morgans, truly a master of news, described the incident in the newspaper in a way that even Rowen, the one who orchestrated it, couldn't help but feel that Katakuri's escape had a hidden agenda.
Kill when necessary, but manipulate minds first.
The Katakuri who escaped this time would undoubtedly leave an indelible mark in Big Mom's heart. Even if he knew that Rowen played a part in it, Katakuri would never be able to let go of his younger siblings. Just like this time, they were treated as expendable, dying in a senseless war.
So, Rowen's plan was indeed a success.
Internally, the Big Mom Pirates were showing signs of division. Katakuri was caught between his younger siblings and "Queen" Charlotte Linlin, and no one dared to make significant moves.
As for the Whitebeard Pirates, they were already exhausted from dealing with Teach's betrayal. Unless Whitebeard wanted to seek revenge on Rowen, they wouldn't take any major actions.
We won't even mention the Red Hair Pirates. The Hundred Beasts Pirates have been absent for months since their last defeat...
Rowen had a premonition that perhaps Kaido had started contacting the Black Snake General of Wano Country two years in advance, preparing for war materials using Wano Country's advanced processing technology for Sea Stone, ready to unveil the largest war the world had ever seen!
As for Teach... with just a few years left after consuming the Sacrifice-Sacrifice Fruit, even if he were to obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit, it wouldn't save him.
After all, if this kind of sacrifice could be easily interfered with, healed, or even offset by other fruits, CP0 wouldn't have considered it a trump card in the first place; they would have started recycling it long ago.
Finally, on the side of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon believed in the so-called "prophecy" and didn't dare to take any risks, even if the spy left within the Marines reported that the "prophecy was just a joke" Information.
They would undoubtedly reduce their forces, temporarily suspend their uprising, wait for the Levely in 1518 to pass, and then reassess the situation before repositioning.
Thinking about it this way, he not only accomplished the plan but did so in a way that was practically flawless!
Moreover...
After this series of major actions, Rowen believed that his current reputation in the sea was no less than that of an Admiral, and perhaps even more worthy of caution for those ambitious individuals. He had even gained fame, truly killing many birds with one stone!
Standing in the highest office of the G-10 Branch, Rowen bit his cigar, looking somewhat melancholic.
"The only problem is, do I really have to stay at the base for half a year?!"
(End of this chapter)
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