Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"What? Moria's been taken out?"
As Rowen approached the office door, the roar from inside made him pause in his steps.
"We couldn't find him, so he must have been taken out! But that's not important, what's important is that why are we only finding out about such an important piece of news now?!"
"Alright, you guys don't need to worry about this matter. The Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) will handle it."
Moria defeated?
Was it Law's doing?
Rowen's face was puzzled.
That was fast!
I thought it would take him at least until next year to have the capability to take down Moria, but I never expected...
Indeed, the Supernovas of this extremely dangerous era are not simple.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Come in!"
With permission granted, Rowen pushed open the door to the office and walked in.
"Report!"
Sengoku sat in his seat, rubbing his temples with a headache. Seeing Rowen enter, a weary smile appeared on his tired face.
"You're back? Feel free to have a seat."
"Thank you, Fleet Admiral!"
After bowing, Rowen found a chair and sat down, asking in confusion, "What's going on with Moria?"
Understanding something in your heart and how to say it out loud are two different things.
Rowen dared not let Sengoku know that he had sent Law to deal with Moria. Seeing the lingering flush on his face, he knew Sengoku would definitely hit him with a barrage of punches if he found out.
"Three days ago, the rookie pirate 'Surgeon of Death' Trafalgar Law attacked the terrifying three-masted ship and defeated 'Gecko' Moria..."
Sengoku paused for a moment before continuing, "The news has spread now, and even if the government wants to cover it up, they can't... Moria, this Shichibukai, is probably done for."
"Spill it, was it you who did it?!"
Suddenly, Sengoku's expression turned cold.
The last time they met, Law ultimately chose not to become his ally, but to pledge allegiance to his benefactor, Rowen. He and Tsuru were quite clear about that at the time.
With such a big incident happening, Sengoku's first suspect would undoubtedly be Rowen!
"That's preposterous!"
To this, Rowen complained with a look of injustice, "Fleet Admiral, ever since that day, I've had no contact with Law. I don't know what he's done... You have to let the pawns run free in this kind of chess game, right?"
"And think about it, last time he caused trouble, I didn't even intervene when I almost got killed by that old asshole. In the end, he got away. Do you think I bribed the old asshole?"
The last time Law passed through G-3 and unexpectedly encountered Garp, it was chaos. There was no way to conceal it.
It was also after that encounter that he witnessed the formidable power of the Operation-Operation Fruit, leaping from a bounty of 500,000,000 to 1,100,000,000 as a pirate of the sea.
Sengoku wouldn't believe for a second that Garp could be bribed by Rowen.
However...
"Enough with the 'old asshole' nonsense! I admit he's a bit of an asshole, but he's also Vice Admiral Garp, your senior. Show some respect, you little asshole!"
Sengoku roared angrily, accusing Rowen of being a "little asshole" while repeatedly calling Garp an "old asshole," causing Rowen's lips to twitch uncontrollably.
This old thing, is it called shifting the blame?
Is he taking advantage of Garp's absence from the Headquarters, letting out some frustration?
After venting his anger, Sengoku continued furiously, "If it wasn't you, then who? How could a rookie pirate with a bounty of only 100 Million defeat Moria? Do you dare to say you didn't intervene?!"
"I really didn't!"
Hearing this question, Rowen shrugged with both hands, rolling his eyes.
So what if a rookie worth over a hundred million defeats a Shichibukai?
If it wasn't me, do you believe that next year, a small pirate worth a few tens of millions could take down two Shichibukai?!
"And these past few days, I've been with government agents the whole time, where would I find the time?!"
As a Marine, Rowen's possession of immense wealth immediately caught the attention of the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars), who, amidst their busy schedules, took the time to call and subtly remind Rowen not to act against his own interests.
21 Trillion!
And it was all liquid assets, not fixed assets.
Just in this aspect alone, Rowen was, apart from the Gold Emperor, the wealthiest member recognized by the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars)!
As a member of the Marines, he naturally couldn't be treated like an ordinary wealthy person.
To this, Rowen naturally patted his chest and said he wouldn't, and then he recounted the loan agreement he and Sengoku had agreed upon.
As expected, the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) expressed their satisfaction. Originally, those agents were only responsible for monitoring Rowen to see if he was embezzling funds for personal gain within the Marines, but in the end, they ended up bearing the burden of security work as well.
Turning good agents into porters was quite a bizarre tale.
With the endorsement of the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars), it would be easy to investigate the truth of this matter.
"It really wasn't you?"
"Really wasn't me!"
Rowen sighed, "If you don't believe me, should I go grab him for you now?"
"No need..."
Sengoku, suspiciously rubbing his chin, said, "That's strange then, if the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) invited him to take Moria's place as a Shichibukai and he refused, what's he after?"
Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
Rowen: "What?!"
"He doesn't want to be a Shichibukai anymore? Why?!"
This was not what was agreed upon?
Uh...
Damn!
As soon as the words were out, Rowen realized it was not good.
Sure enough, Sengoku narrowed his eyes and looked at him coldly, "Oh? You seem to know him quite well, Rowen!"
Slap!
Suddenly, he slammed the table and stood up, "And you still say it wasn't you?!"
Rowen was dumbfounded, like a wooden chicken...
You old troublemaker, so cunning!
…
"So, in the end, it was Kuma who saved Nico Robin, and you all were knocked unconscious, only waking up three days later?"
In the rear area of the Headquarters fortress, in the Crow's Nest Commanders' Quarter.
After much persuasion, Rowen managed to temporarily avoid further scrutiny from Sengoku, who believed it was Law's personal actions. Back in his own courtyard, he took out the Den Den Mushi and made a call.
"Yes!"
Law apologized, "I'm truly sorry, Vice Admiral Soryu. If only I could have recovered my stamina sooner..."
"Don't blame yourself, Law. You did your best, and I know Moria's strength. You exhausted your stamina to deal with him, but the fault isn't yours."
In reality, even if you were at your peak facing "Tyrant" Kuma, it would still be a situation where you'd be beaten.
Of course, Rowen didn't say this out loud— it's too demoralizing.
To outsiders, all Shichibukai are monsters, and the gap doesn't seem too wide.
But only they, as government high-ups, know the intricacies involved.
Moria's threat assessment has been gathering dust in the database for years without anyone caring, while Mihawk's is updated annually, making the differential treatment clear.
And...
For someone ambitious like Rowen, a living Nico Robin is more valuable than a deceased Devil Child. Should I be glad you didn't succeed?
Rowen thought to himself with a strange expression on his face.
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Law clenched his fist as he spoke, "Understood!"
Law didn't mind the defeat, but he couldn't get past the hurdle in his heart!
Moria's shadow revolution left him powerless, and it was only thanks to the Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) he awakened during his last encounter with Garp that he was able to evade repeatedly.
If only I were stronger, the situation wouldn't have turned out like this.
Law secretly thought to himself.
At this moment, Law heard Rowen continue, "Next, focus on recovering from your injuries. I estimate that in the next two days, government officials will come to invite you."
"The New World is heating up, and they don't want to see any more waves after the First Half... Take some time to find Moria's whereabouts. I suspect he wasn't rescued by Kuma but escaped on his own."
After the war at the top of the original, Moria even managed to escape Doflamingo's attack, showcasing the life-saving ability of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
Compared to Luffy's reckless fighting style, Law's destructive power is far inferior. Maybe Moria saw defeat looming and deliberately left himself an escape route.
"Understood!"
Law nodded solemnly, then slightly furrowed his brow, asking curiously, "By the way, Vice Admiral Soryu, why did Kuma rescue Nico Robin? And why has there been so much commotion in the past three days? I presume he helped spread the news."
If it weren't for the incident escalating, the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) would never have easily handed over the Shichibukai position to him so Law couldn't help but wonder, why did Kuma do this?
Upon hearing this question, Rowen raised an eyebrow.
"Kuma? Nico Robin?"
"How did they end up with you?"
Hiss...!
Law took a sharp breath, thinking of a possibility, then nodded decisively, "Sorry, I must have remembered it wrong."
"That's good..."
Hanging up the phone, Rowen's lips curled up.
"You've got quite a few informants, Dragon, to know that Law is under my command... But do you think a Shichibukai position can easily be traded for Nico Robin? You might be overthinking it."
"We haven't settled the score from last time yet!"
(End of this chapter)
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