In the underground world, silence pervaded the vast space.
"We can basically confirm that Rebeke's transformation is related to the Nether River you mentioned... Drag him away and beat him until he spills everything!"
"If he doesn't talk, beat him to death and throw his body into the desert to feed the wolves!"
Rowen's cold and commanding voice shattered the tranquility of the place.
He came here to find treasure, not to excavate history.
As long as the treasure exists, Rowen couldn't care less whether Rebeke lives or dies. Refusing to speak would only increase his physical suffering, and Rowen wouldn't suffer any loss.
"Uh... understood!"
The commander shuddered, realizing this, and after respectfully saluting, cautiously approached Rebeke. Only then did he realize that Rebeke had been knocked unconscious by Rowen's foot.
Watching a group of sturdy workers take Rebeke away, Rowen bit down on his cigar and glanced back at the stone door, furrowing his brow in silence.
That female student was most likely killed by Rebeke, presumably to silence her.
This conclusion was easy to deduce.
The backpack abandoned on the ground earlier contained nothing scattered around, but instead, everything inside had disappeared without a trace.
What kind of monster has such a voracious appetite? Do they also consume women's cosmetics?
Rebeke, still maintaining his composure, told Rowen the fact that it was his doing, deliberately destroying all the information.
Rowen had reason to believe that even if he went back to the camp and searched through Rebeke's tent, he wouldn't find any useful information inside.
However...
"Pirate crews from 300 years ago, desert legends from hundreds of years ago, archaeologists who settled in Alabasta ten years ago, and the Nether River that can turn people into monsters... It seems like we've caught onto something important!"
His lips slightly curled upwards as Rowen took a puff of his cigar, letting the smoke waft into the air.
...
Boom!
With an extremely violent kick, the heavy stone door was sent flying. In the eyes of the workers, who looked at him as if he were a god, Rowen brushed off the dust on his pants, put his foot down, and said, "Notify everyone to get their weapons ready and follow me!"
"This time, I'll personally take action!"
"Understood!"
The temporary commander nodded excitedly, beginning to select the strongest workers and distribute firearms and machetes.
The people of the desert kingdom were tough, and even "Kind King" Cobra couldn't change the fierce nature forged by the harsh environment.
Every adult citizen of Alabasta was a qualified knight, skilled in wielding swords and guns, ensuring the protection of their homeland against the lurking threats of jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards.
Hmm, this could once again be used to criticize Cobra.
If there was a king with ambition, there wouldn't be any pirate invasions like now.
With the greatest assistance, the old scholar turning into a monster, Rowen had no choice but to take action himself.
With the old scholar's abilities— being able to regulate body temperature, change voice, change form, and disguise himself as a stone— ordinary workers would undoubtedly meet their doom if they encountered him.
Soon, the workers were assembled, presenting a formidable army before Rowen.
Born in the wilderness of the desert, accustomed to hunting wolf packs and being hunted by them, these rugged individuals had bright eyes and moved with precise coordination, showing no signs of fear.
Rowen estimated that disregarding firepower advantages, in a scenario with an equal number of combatants, the ordinary soldiers of the Marine Headquarters would only have a 7 to 3 chance of winning against these folks.
The Marines win by three points for discipline and an additional clone effect.
In addition, there was no difference.
"Set off!"
Satisfied, Rowen nodded vigorously and led the team to set off.
The team, brimming with momentum, traversed through the pitch-black cave, making even the darkness retreat!
The dim underworld, with its mysterious and enigmatic Nether River legend, and the eerie paintings on the walls that could have frightened people, were now disregarded and callously abandoned by the team, left behind without any significance.
"Sir, there's gold in the tomb chamber ahead!"
A few minutes later, the scout who was scouting ahead came rushing back, his eyes filled with joy.
"Oh, how much is there?"
Rowen remained calm.
Gold was indeed a good thing, but its price wasn't the highest.
In the original story, the Straw Hats took away a large bag of gold from Skypiea and only exchanged it for 400 Million Belly in the end.
Others may calculate gold by "grams," but for "Marine's Richest" Rowen, any gold not measured in "kilograms" wasn't worth much.
"I don't know, there's just too much!"
The scout was still immersed in excitement, dancing with excitement.
"It's like a mountain of gold in that room, so high that you can't even count them at a glance!"
"Oh?"
Now Rowen was curious.
Thinking about it in reverse, if a pirate could build such a large tomb, they must have a considerable amount of wealth.
Continuing along the passage for another two minutes, the tomb chamber mentioned by the scout appeared before them.
Money! So much money! Even Rowen, with his immense wealth, couldn't help but feel his breath grow heavier.
Looking around, in the vast open space the size of four to five football fields, there were piles of golden blocks stacked into three-meter-high "gold" pyramids. Preliminary estimates suggested there were at least hundreds of them!
As the torchlight shone on the gold blocks, the reflected light made the dim underground space gleam with dazzling golden light, every detail vividly visible.
The scout picked up a gold brick and presented it to Rowen, saying, "Sir, I've examined it. There's no poison on the surface, and there are no traps inside. They're just placed here for people to transport."
These things didn't need him to explain; Rowen didn't sense any threat from the gold brick, enough to prove that the gold blocks were safe.
With his current strength, his intuition was more convincing than many detection methods.
These mountains of gold were indeed placed here for people to transport.
This also explains why the owner of the tomb left behind that treasure map. Rowen believed that the old scholar had indeed discovered some clues and only launched an attack after confirming what was inside.
Gululu... Gululu...
Listening to the occasional sounds of swallowing saliva in his ears, Rowen took a deep breath and snorted coldly.
"Hmph!"
Bang!
With a flash of Haki, thunder exploded in the minds of the greedy workers, who were blinded by greed, causing them to withdraw their gaze one after another.
For the third time, they forgot that here, Rowen was the most terrifying one!
Seeing them avert their gaze and remain silent, Rowen nodded in satisfaction. Then, he took out the Den Den Mushi from his pocket and aimed it at the golden mountain ahead...
Ka-Cha... Ka-Cha...
He took several photos in a row, then dialed the Den Den Mushi number of the Comil Vice Admiral and sent the photos, with a note attached.
"Ugh, it's so annoying. How am I supposed to transport all this gold back?"
Grand Line, G-2 Branch.
Comil, the Vice Admiral, who was enjoying his afternoon tea, saw his subordinate enter the office with a solemn expression, prompting him to ask curiously, "What's the matter?"
The subordinate shook his head in silence, placing a stack of photos on the desk and then looked up, holding back the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
Comil, with a hint of impatience, glanced at him and picked up the photos. In the next moment...
"Holy cow!!!"
The earth-shattering scream caused chaos in the G-2 Branch, leaving everyone bewildered after the emergency assembly.
That voice just now... seemed to be from Vice Admiral?!
After teasing Comil, the "Devil" Rowen put away the Den Den Mushi and then turned to the people behind him, saying, "I've already informed the other Marines about the discovery of the treasure. Now, all Marines know that this is mine. You should know what happens to those who mess with Marine's belongings, right?"
Teasing aside, Rowen's true intention was to spread the message through Comil, to deter potential threats and prevent others from coveting it.
In response, the workers remained nervous and they dared not to reply.
Rowen wasn't surprised either. Pointing to a mountain of gold, he continued, "See that pile over there? Whoever is the quickest and most efficient, I'll decide to reward them!"
Hustle and bustle!
"Long live Vice Admiral Soryu!"
"Quick, get someone to bring the stuff in!"
"Line up! One person packs, two people carry, three people per group!"
With great reward comes great courage.
The temptation of a mountain of gold was incredibly alluring. The workers boiled with excitement, showing off their skills to win favor.
As the workers began to transport the treasure, Rowen strolled along the mountain of gold. Despite appearances, he wasn't as immersed in the vast wealth as one might think.
Indeed, he didn't sense any danger from the gold mountain, but he felt a looming threat from this massive tomb chamber.
Apart from them, what else lurked in this place?
(End of Chapter)
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