In the New World, in the Golden City.
Inside the luxurious swimming pool where Rowen and Fujitora were received before, Tesoro leaned against the edge, holding a Den Den Mushi in his hand.
"No problem, it's just a small matter, leave it to me."
Tesoro smiled faintly. "Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon) and Fujitora San are welcome to visit me if they have time. I recently acquired a special fruit wine from the South Blue and would like to have you both taste it."
"As for visiting, let's talk about it when we have time... I've just finished dealing with the reconstruction of the G-5 branch, I need some rest."
"Of course! Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon), you decide."
After a brief chat, Tesoro hung up the phone, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Hmm, it seems Neptune must have negotiated something with him. Otherwise, why would Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon) step up for Fish-Man Island..."
"But, why should I care?"
As the wealthiest man in the world, he didn't care about a small matter like Fish-Man and Mermaid slaves. Even if he stopped the slave trade, the loss wouldn't bother him. It was better to use it as a favor to win Rowen over.
Shaking his head, Tesoro ignored the matter and took out another Den Den Mushi, dialing a number.
"Hello, Umit?"
"Our Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon) asked me to pass on a message to you..."
Grand Line, Century City.
Jinbe watched as Rowen hung up the Den Den Mushi, feeling stunned, and asked incredulously, "Is that... all there is to it?"
Just making a phone call could solve the crisis of Fish-Man Island.
"How else? Sabaody is the backyard of the Celestial Dragons. Do you want me to warn the buyers there as well? It would be strange if the Gorosei didn't skin me alive!"
Rowen glanced at him coldly. "Stopping the sellers from targeting Fish-Man Island is the best outcome we could hope for."
Jinbe quickly nodded in agreement.
In fact, he knew that this was already the best outcome. With the Celestial Dragons' endorsement, the human auction house in Sabaody was far more realistic than stopping the slave traders from targeting Fish-Man Island.
He just hadn't expected that Rowen could achieve such a thing with just one phone call!
That was the Underground World!
Although it couldn't compare to the Marines and the Yonko in terms of strength, its influence permeated the entire world and its industries spanned all aspects.
What kind of power did one wield to make the Underground World give up such a lucrative opportunity as Fish-Man Island?
It was truly terrifying to think about!
"Thank goodness I didn't become his enemy..."
Jinbe thought with relief, recalling the fate of "Sand Crocodile" Crocodile and "Heavenly Yaksha" Doflamingo, who, like him, were former Shichibukai. Their forces had dissipated after crossing paths with Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon).
With the Fish-Man Island issue resolved, Jinbe promptly took his leave.
Due to the recent rampant activity of slave traders, Fish-Man Island was not peaceful internally. The Pacifista, a race called the Hody Jones or something similar, were stirring up trouble, and Jinbe needed to go back to oversee things.
After seeing Jinbe off, Rowen and Fujitora discussed some matters related to Century City and their future plans before heading to the port.
"Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon)!"
Law, accompanied by the chubby White Bear Bepo and his two little bros, Peckham and Sicilian, had been waiting here for a long time. Seeing him return, they quickly approached.
"Is this your ship?"
Rowen glanced at the harbor. A yellow-painted submarine partially surfaced on the water. Bathed in the warm hues of yellow, the style of the entire submarine was different from the menacing steel of Marine's new submarines, appearing rather cute.
Except for the black flag on the main mast, which was somewhat of an eyesore.
Seeing Rowen's gaze linger on the black flag, Law felt a bit embarrassed.
Unlike in the original story, Law, without a revenge target, didn't have a strong insistence on establishing a pirate crew. His original plan when he set sail was to make this ship, "[The Polar Tang]," a famous mobile hospital in the Grand Line.
However, things didn't go as planned, and despite his caution, he kept making enemies during his journey.
Troubles kept coming to him as they did to the Straw Hats, and in the end, he became a wanted Bounty criminal!
A bounty of 30 million!
With a grudge against the World Government for causing the destruction of his homeland, Law decided to rise up and establish his current Heart Pirates crew.
Seeing Law's embarrassment, Rowen shook his head.
"Alright, I'm not unreasonable."
"It's your choice to become a pirate, and I have no right to say much about it. Out of respect for Corazon, I won't arrest you... at least not for now."
Law breathed a sigh of relief. For now, it was enough.
The last thing you wanted to provoke in the sea right now was Marine's Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon). With his unyielding nature, no one dared claim they had the ability to escape him.
Once Soryu (Azure Dragon) had you in his sights, your only option was to hide for the rest of your life.
"But... you're still a Bounty criminal now. Even with me guiding you, you won't be able to get close to Marineford."
Apart from the Shichibukai, any other pirate who appeared near Marineford would be sunk by the Marine unconditionally, even outside the Grand Line's Florian Triangle.
After pondering for a moment, Rowen said, "Have your little bro wait here. I'll take you to meet the Fleet Admiral, and then you can come back."
"Captain, you can't!"
At this moment, the Polar Bear Mink, Bepo, exclaimed, showing his distrust of Marine. "They'll definitely arrest you!"
This was the normal reaction of pirates facing Marine.
But was Rowen that kind of person?
Did he really need to scheme against a mere Heart Pirates crew?
With an impatient glare, Rowen said, "Shut up, beast! Is your brain made of porridge?"
"Sorry..."
Almost instantly, a noticeable low-pressure zone formed around Bepo, and he lowered his head to apologize.
Rowen: "..."
How intriguing!
Law twitched his mouth, realizing that Rowen was just teasing Bepo. On one hand, he felt fear at Rowen's understanding of them, and on the other hand, he felt relieved.
Patting Bepo on the shoulder, Law smiled and said, "Thanks for your concern, Bepo, but I don't think Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon) needs to deceive me if he wants to deal with us."
Then, he instructed the crew, "Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon) is right. Century City is a neutral zone, so pirates are allowed to enter the harbor. But Marineford, as Marine Headquarters, you definitely won't be able to get in."
"Wait for me here. Be cautious, and I'll be back as soon as possible."
Since the Captain had given the order, Bepo and the others had nothing to say.
However...
Law suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon), are we going by Battleship?"
Century City had shares of the World Government, and soldiers dispatched by the Headquarters for joint defense were stationed there. At least three Battleships were docked in the harbor at all times.
Rowen didn't have time for that!
Dante was training in the New World, Ain went back to her family in a fit of anger, and now the G-10 branch had a bunch of official duties waiting for him to handle. If he used a Battleship to travel back and forth, who would take care of all that?
So, with Law trembling in fear, Rowen assessed him for a moment and asked, "How's your health?"
"I think... it's alright..."
When it came to strength, Law could confidently say that his bounty was greatly underestimated.
The Government set bounties based on the threat pirates posed to them. A bounty of 30 million, in Marine's terms, was a level that even a Four Seas branch could handle.
Now, a bounty of 30 million didn't mean Law was weak. It just meant that he hadn't done anything significant enough to make the Government take him seriously.
"I don't think so!"
Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) wouldn't lie. Law was far from the level of his initial appearance in the original story with a bounty of 200 million.
But it made sense. This corner of the world in Gat Island was just the halfway point of the First Half at best. Compared to where he was in the original story when Luffy had just arrived in Alabasta, there were still plenty of adventures waiting for Law to help him strengthen his abilities.
"Since your ship is a submarine, you should have pressure-resistant diving suits and oxygen tanks, right?"
Rowen didn't want to bring back a dead man, so he asked Law seriously.
The latter shivered, feeling that some tragic event was about to happen.
(End of chapter)
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