Henry dared not voice his misunderstandings. Inside the office, Rowen didn't have to wait long before Fujitora's call came through.
"Apologies for the wait, Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon)! I just went to inspect Century City to prepare for the peak season."
The weather in the Grand Line wasn't always so unreasonable; at least in the months of May and June, the climate would be somewhat milder.
This time of year marked the festive season throughout the entire Grand Line!
Various chambers of commerce dispatched a large number of ships for trade at sea, wealthy individuals gradually made their way to their desired tourist islands for sightseeing, and even pirates could take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune.
After all, how could those islands that relied on tourism and other tertiary industries for their livelihood survive? There had to be a stable source of income for the islands to endure.
"You handle these matters well. If there are any troubles, let me and Tesoro know."
Rowen nodded. The shares in Century City were his largest source of income at the moment, so he naturally needed to pay attention to them.
Pausing for a moment, Rowen continued, "Earlier, you called me saying someone wanted to meet me. Did you keep them here?"
During their return journey, Fujitora had told Rowen that someone wanted to visit him, but they hadn't left their name. Now that Rowen was back, he recalled the matter.
"The person is still in Century City, but..."
Fujitora hesitated slightly. "But it wasn't me who kept him here. He volunteered to stay and wait for you to return."
"Oh?"
Zzzt...
Rowen ignited his cigar with an electric spark, taking a puff and raising an eyebrow curiously.
...
First Half of the Grand Line, Century City.
After receiving funding from the "Gold Emperor" Gild Tesoro, Century City entered a period of explosive development. Many facilities that had previously been unable to start due to lack of funds were now back on the agenda, and things that were once unattainable for the wealthy were no longer a problem.
Every citizen seeking refuge under the protection of the "Benevolent Hero" Fujitora in Century City could eat and dress warmly as long as they were willing to work. Visitors could also experience a different kind of enjoyment in the variety of entertainment options available, unlike the lavish spending in Golden City.
Overall, the situation was excellent.
This was why Fujitora chose to cooperate with the Gold Emperor and even lowered his status to ask Rowen, whose strength was clearly inferior to his, for assistance.
Even though he was now one of the unpopular Seven Warlords, Fujitora remained the same virtuous man.
He was unwilling to see the world's filth and was powerless to change it, but he was willing to make efforts to provide a place for ordinary people who were suffering and in need.
In the presence of such a righteous man, Rowen felt somewhat ashamed of himself.
Today, the title of "Benevolent Hero" Fujitora is more respected than that of "Sea Hero" Jinbe. People everywhere admired him, and whether they were Marines, pirates, the Revolutionary Army, or even the maggots in the government, they didn't dare to cause trouble in the presence of such a virtuous figure.
Century City now covered an area more than twice its previous size. Thanks to Fujitora's efforts, the area for accommodating civilians no longer required him to pull down aerolites to reclaim land. The residents of the rehabilitative facility had already begun to build their new homes.
Fortunately, the entertainment venues remained unchanged; otherwise, Rowen would have had trouble finding the port in the vastly changed Century City at first glance.
"That's... Marine Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon)!"
At this moment, at the port.
Several Nobles from a certain kingdom had just disembarked, and when they saw the Zipper Thunder streaking across the sky, they involuntarily shuddered with cold air.
Then they suddenly woke up.
"Why are we afraid?"
"We're guests, aren't we?"
"No... I don't know, but let's just be careful!"
An older middle-aged Noble wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and then looked disdainfully at the Pirate Ship that had raced with their ship halfway.
At least they could stand where they were and wait for the Soryu (Azure Dragon) to pass, while the previously unknown pirates had urgently sent someone to find their Captain and were preparing to leave immediately.
The Soryu (Azure Dragon) was not a faction within the Marines that would tolerate any nonsense, as everyone knew.
But just like what this Noble said.
Better safe than sorry!
Bang!
With a clap of thunder, Rowen stood calmly on the empty balcony. Fujitora, who had been waiting there, turned his head at the sound and gestured to Rowen with a raised teacup.
"No need to be formal, feel free to sit."
Rowen nodded, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, curiously examining the transformed balcony.
"Oh, are there so many guests here?"
Although this place was called a balcony, it was actually more like a garden in the sky.
A pathway paved with cobblestones extended into a moderately sized grove of trees, with a small pond beside the road where fish swam back and forth, chasing the breadcrumbs tossed in by the person in the pavilion.
"I've heard of your great reputation, Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon)!"
Fujitora and Rowen were partners, so there was no need for formality between them, but the others didn't dare to be so casual.
The Soryu (Azure Dragon) of the Marines was a designated Admiral!
A chubby, round Cyan Fish-Man stood up, similar in size to a sumo wrestler, and nodded to Rowen in acknowledgment.
He was a Whale Shark Fish-Man, characterized by his hurricane-like eyebrows and sideburns, with a hairstyle reminiscent of the Dean style. He had a thick, black short mustache on his chin, and a lightning-shaped scar at the corner of his left eye. With a stout figure and two large teeth in his lower jaw.
"Sea Hero Jinbe..."
Rowen softly uttered the name, then smiled and said, "No need to be nervous. Issho should have told you that as long as you don't do anything harmful to government rule, I can't be bothered to be your enemy."
Although Jinbe was respectful, his slightly trembling arms and his tense posture indicated his inner tension.
But this was normal. After all, not long ago, Rowen had single-handedly obliterated more than one-third of the pirate forces outside the Yonko's influence in the New World, with remarkable achievements and lingering prestige! Hearing this, Jinbe breathed a sigh of relief and smiled awkwardly.
He was afraid that Rowen might be like Akainu, intolerant of any pirates, but fortunately, as the rumors suggested, before being identified as an enemy, Marine Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon) was indeed easy to get along with.
After Jinbe sat down, another person stood up.
"Hello, Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon), I am..."
"Trafalgar Law!"
Before he could finish speaking, Rowen interjected, pointing out his name directly. "I was planning to find you in the North Blue, but I never had the time."
The young man before them, with a face showing signs of excessive indulgence and deep dark circles under his eyes, was none other than Trafalgar Law, one of the Eleven Supernovas from the original story.
Later, he fought alongside Luffy on Dressrosa to defeat Doflamingo and was preparing to challenge Yonko Kaido together as the "Surgeon of Death".
Seeing Rowen immediately say his name, Law's expression turned horrified, then he smiled wryly and shook his head. "That's right, considering that you even captured Vergo, it's not surprising that you know about me."
"Vergo?"
Jinbe furrowed his brows in confusion at the mention, then recalled something and asked, "Is it that former Marine G-5 Branch Base Head, Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Vergo?"
"That's him, and he was also the second-generation member of the Donquixote Family Hearts Army, a high-level agent, and a spy for Doflamingo within the Marines."
Fujitora actually knew more about Vergo through Rowen than Jinbe did.
After all, the first thing they had to deal with was the Warlord system, so they were the most knowledgeable about the Warlords' information.
A spy?!
"Wow... I had no idea it was like this!"
Jinbe was truly amazed.
But he quickly regained his composure and looked at Law. "In that case, little brother Law..."
Law smiled bitterly and said, "That's right, I used to be a member of the Donquixote Family."
(End of this chapter)
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