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However, what disappointed them was...
"If possible, I would even consider letting him go..."
A single stone cast into the pond caused ripples that spread far and wide. Rowen, who had remained silent until then, suddenly made an astounding declaration!
Everyone lifted their heads in disbelief, wanting to confirm if they were hearing things. However, everyone around them had the same reaction, indicating that Rowen had indeed uttered those outrageous words!
"Vice Admiral Soryu, please be clear about your position!" An official immediately stood up and delivered a stern warning.
Let Dragon go? What absurdity!
Some even demanded a thorough investigation of Rowen to see if he had received any benefits from the Revolutionary Army to plead for Dragon.
But unlike the indignant officials, the atmosphere among the Marines was calm.
If someone else had said those words, the commanders would undoubtedly question their motives.
But who was standing before them?
Marine's Soryu!
A Marine extremist capable of making Yonko lower their flags!
The G-10 Branch, as the most stable branch of the Marines, relied not on high salaries or cutting-edge technology like the Super Electromagnetic Cannon for suppression.
It was solely because Rowen was the base head that pirates entering the Grand Line dared not choose the fourth route and entirely avoided it out of fear.
A Marine renegade who clashed with Shichibukai, Celestial Dragons, Yonko, and now the Revolutionary Army, and still lived to tell the tale, would he really take bribes to plead for Dragon?
If that were to happen then iot would be a real absurdity!
By uttering those words, even if it seemed unexpected, the commanders would only consider Rowen's intentions.
Fortunately, Rowen didn't let them dwell on it for too long. He observed the expressions of everyone present and raised a finger.
"In reality, everyone knows there's only one dilemma at hand!"
"And that is the uncertainty of the consequences of killing Dragon!"
"And what about you, Rowen? Can you be certain?"
Tsuru calmly interjected. As the Great Staff Officer, she was even more skilled in strategy than Sengoku.
"Yes, I can!"
Before the crowd could erupt again, Rowen turned to Akainu and asked, "Admiral Akainu, did you notice anything unusual during this battle?"
"Hmm?"
Akainu hadn't expected Rowen to suddenly question him, but with his air of authority as an Admiral, he calmly considered the inquiry despite the scrutiny from all sides.
After a moment, Akainu's eyes lit up. "There is indeed something unusual. It just felt... too easy."
As a companion of several decades, both friend and foe, Akainu undoubtedly knew Dragon better than anyone else in the Marines. Prompted by Rowen's reminder, Akainu reviewed the entire battle and quickly identified something amiss.
"Too few!"
Akainu noticed the puzzled look from Sengoku and Tsuru and explained, "The resistance force in Baltigo was too small!"
"The actual core members numbered less than ten thousand, with the rest being hastily recruited militia. And the high-end combat power was limited to just one person and that was Dragon, with no one else of significance."
"Don't you remember, Fleet Admiral? Dragon's modus operandi has always been to avoid battles without certainty."
"Even if they were ambushed, it might have been intentional."
"With Dragon's arrest this time, the entire Baltigo... I have a feeling it was just a shell, deliberately abandoned like a pawn."
The one who knows you best may not always be a friend, but they will always be an enemy!
This style of doing things was a trivial matter to those familiar with his personality like Sengoku had long been dismissed. Only Akainu, who viewed him as a formidable adversary, remembered every detail of Dragon's tactics.
But he quickly turned back, crossing his arms. "But does this have any relevance to our current discussion, Rowen?"
"The fact is already established. What more can he do?"
"It's not about what more he can do, but what he has already done!"
Rowen shook his head slightly, with a wry smile. "I'm sorry, Fleet Admiral. I only realized this after coming back."
"We've been manipulated!"
To be precise, Rowen had been manipulated.
Because the information itself was provided by him.
"Tell us your reasons."
Sengoku raised his hand to silence the crowd, and while some government officials looked displeased, Rob Lucci subtly turned his head, and no one dared to disturb the conversation.
Taking a deep breath, Rowen began to explain.
Why did he report the existence of Baltigo to the Marines?
Because Dragon had taken Nico Robin without informing them.
Although the Revolutionary Army later helped spread the news of Law's victory over Moria, forcing the Five Elder Stars to reluctantly invite him to become a Shichibukai, at the end of the day, it was still a slap in the face for Rowen.
In Rowen's opinion, would Dragon take such a risk?
If not, why would he take Robin away?
Was it because the stolen information needed Robin's translation?
How would Dragon bear the consequences of angering Rowen?!
That was the crux of the matter!
Facing the impending retaliation from Marine's Soryu, Rowen had the confidence that no one in the world dared to underestimate.
Naturally, he couldn't explain these matters to Sengoku, or he would end up in a military court!
"As Admiral Akainu said, the resistance force in Baltigo was indeed very suspicious."
Rowen slowly spoke up, "I admit that factors such as the Revolutionary Army not being as grand as our Marine Corps, and having only a few top-level combatants, play a role in this. However, the scarcity of foot soldiers is a glaring issue."
"The Revolutionary Army's strategy is to first focus on the Four Seas and the Red Line, which drains a significant portion of their military strength. Due to our presence in the Grand Line, they are pushed to the back, resulting in insufficient forces."
Tsuru explained to the puzzled officials and then asked, "Is there an issue with that?"
"Yes!"
Rowen nodded earnestly.
Knowing that their retaliation was imminent, yet failing to arrange sufficient forces for defense, that's the problem!
So here's the question.
Where did their forces go?
Vaguely, Rowen sensed a looming, indiscernible net closing in on him.
Dragon would never sit back and wait for death. He must have dispersed his forces to carry out some actions. Taking Robin to decipher the data was just an excuse. His true goal was to lure his enemies out into the open!
As long as he fell into the trap, Dragon could achieve his nefarious objectives.
Now, consider this: if nobody knew the location of their headquarters, what were the chances of Rowen being led by the nose?
Almost 100 percent!
However, Dragon was unaware of a manga called "One Piece".
His only miscalculation was relying on the advantage of the original work, knowing that Baltigo was their headquarters and directly striking at the heart of their operation, achieving such a feat.
"Fujitora Issho informed me beforehand that he discovered a significant amount of Revolutionary Army activity traces in Century City."
"I also asked Tesoro, who likewise found traces of Revolutionary Army gathering in Golden City."
"Do you know why?"
"Wait, why would Shichibukai Fujitora Issho and 'Gold Emperor' Tesoro contact you?"
Another government official jumped in, these people seemed to oppose just for the sake of opposition, which was getting annoying.
But Rowen remained calm, casting a sidelong glance at him, "Shut up, you penniless fool!"
"The circle of friends of the wealthy is beyond your comprehension. You can't even imagine it."
"As the saying goes, do you think the wealthy are happy? No, you can't even imagine the happiness of the wealthy!"
Everyone: "..."
Well, if you're wealthy, you're right.
As the super-rich tycoon who controls twenty trillion Belly, Rowen could practically disregard all individuals in the world except for the Celestial Dragons. And the reason he couldn't disregard the Celestial Dragons was that, for the Celestial Dragons, there was no need to worry about "money".
Rowen's sentences were all about "money"!
Each word strikes at the heart!
The official's face turned purple with anger, and he opened his mouth.
"Pfft!"
He suddenly spewed blood and collapsed.
Tsuru calmly waved her hand to have him dragged out, then continued, "So, you believe that Dragon knew our movements, thus dispersed his forces, using himself as bait, with a greater purpose behind?"
She wasn't foolish; a fool couldn't become a Great Staff Officer.
This position was higher in authority than even an Admiral, and there was only one.
However, to Tsuru's question, Rowen shook his head.
"That's the most terrifying part, everyone!"
"Indeed, Dragon was unaware that we were targeting him. This operation is undoubtedly a case study worthy of being recorded in textbooks."
"Then..."
Sengoku opened his mouth, suddenly realizing a logical problem, and immediately sucked in a breath of cold air.
That's right!
Dragon didn't know their purpose, so the surprise attack was fully successful.
But precisely because he didn't know, why did he disperse his forces?!
(End of this chapter)