You can read ahead up to 90 chapters on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
"Why aren't we sending anyone to rescue him?!"
Back at Marine Headquarters, Akainu was immediately confronted by a troublesome visitor: Colonel Ain, the user of the Modo Modo no Mi (Return-Return Fruit).
Upon hearing her question, Akainu fell silent for a moment before responding resolutely, "This is the best option. I believe even Rowen himself wouldn't want us to act so recklessly."
A major war was on the horizon. Whether it was dispatching a small squad deep into enemy territory or launching a direct assault to close the distance, both options carried the risk of falling into an ambush, leading to devastating losses.
This was an open conspiracy, plain and bold. Akainu firmly believed that Orrick was capable of pulling something like this.
"But… he'll die!" Ain said anxiously. Captured and taken back to the enemy's base, just imagining it was enough to guess what Rowen might be facing.
"Silence, Ain!" Before Akainu could reply, a thunderous shout came from outside the door. The two turned to look, and Akainu's frown slightly eased when he saw who it was. He nodded at the newcomer and said, "Zephyr- Sensei."
It was none other than Zephyr, who had rarely appeared in public since his retirement. He had just arrived at the office door and happened to hear Ain's outburst, prompting him to storm in, furious.
Glaring at the stunned Ain, Zephyr said angrily, "What do you think the Marines' principles stand for?! No matter who it is, we are all prepared to die! What makes Rowen so special?! This is an insult to him, to the countless soldiers of the Marines, and to Justice itself!"
"Sensei…" Ain bit her lip, her hands clenched tightly.
"I know… I understand… but still!"
"Don't worry, Colonel Ain. I believe our master will be fine." At that moment, another person stepped out from behind Zephyr. It was Koby, wearing a calm and reassuring smile as he comforted Ain.
"While I'd also like to believe in Rowen… do you have any reason to say that?" Akainu asked, intrigued. He suddenly recalled that during the recent war, Rowen hadn't brought Koby with him at all, despite Koby being among the most powerful of the new generation.
After consuming the Mera Mera no Mi, he was on par with any typical Vice Admiral, yet Rowen hadn't taken him to the battlefield to rack up military merit.
Akainu didn't believe Rowen was simply letting Koby grow on his own, nor was he coddling him or afraid he'd get hurt.
In response, Koby and Zephyr exchanged a glance. Then Koby said, "Actually, Master had already made preparations… for the possibility of being captured by the enemy."
"Oh?!" Akainu's eyes lit up.
"Several years ago, Rowen mentioned that because of his immortal-like body, if he ever encountered a powerful enemy, it wouldn't be strange if they chose to capture him instead of kill him." Zephyr took over the explanation, making Akainu pause mid-sentence.
Indeed, Rowen's 'undying nature' was known throughout the world. Even the boldest of pirates only dared to speak of defeating him, never of killing him. So when it came to someone like him, imprisonment was undoubtedly the most effective approach.
"And then?" Akainu prompted.
"So then, based on that premise, he made a series of contingency plans, each tailored to different scenarios."
Knock knock knock!
The door was knocked, and Dante walked in right after. "The signal's been received. Good thing we found it early. Otherwise, if we'd blindly barged into Wano Country, the outcome would've been… disastrous."
"What are you talking about?" Akainu looked up, confused but also faintly excited. No one could deny it; Rowen, renowned for his brilliant schemes, never failed to surprise. Even in enemy hands, he'd planned for it all ahead of time.
"Here's the situation, Fleet Admiral. You know how Master possesses that special Devil Fruit device made using the Fortress-Fortress Fruit, right?"
"Yes, I know. Vegapunk never tried to hide that from me." Akainu nodded, then suddenly froze. "Wait… are you saying…?"
"Last night, he sent us a signal. Looks like the enemy didn't notice the special feature of that ring on his finger." Dante stepped forward and laid the file on Akainu's desk, quickly explaining, "Even if the device can't be fully activated, it doesn't matter. There are multiple contingency protocols; this is the best-case scenario, where we can communicate via speech."
Akainu picked up the file, his heart filled with hope. "So that's it… this is the message Rowen sent back?"
And then, "What the hell is this?!" Akainu slammed the file down on the desk in fury, his expression dark as the abyss. Sure, it was a message… but its contents were like this:
Rowen: [Moshi moshi, anyone there? If you can hear me, please respond.]
Dante: [Senior officer? You're alive, thank goodness! By the way, this is a text-only channel. No voice.]
Rowen: […Don't sweat the small stuff. Are you a rookie or what? Anyway, listen up, the ship transporting me isn't heading for Wano Country, so anyone planning to rescue me can save their strength.]
Dante: [Nani?! Then where are you?]
Rowen: [How would I know? All I can say is, the seas near Wano sure don't have weather this sunny. Also, the Seastone powder in my body is becoming a problem. If anyone's coming to rescue me, bring a doctor.]
Dante: [I see… we examined Patrick Redfield's corpse and were confused why he died so strangely. So that's the reason. Got it. I'll use the Vivre Card to re-lock your position. At most, we'll be there in seven days.]
Rowen: [No need. I'm still curious what their endgame is. Once I'm free, I can even operate on myself. By the way, how's the thing I asked Koby to do?]
Dante: [Not sure. I'll go check…]
[A few minutes later]
Koby: [Master! Orrick hasn't sent anyone to attack the Dyna Stone mining site. Everything's normal!]
Rowen: [You report your mission results before showing concern for your master's safety? That really hurts, Koby.]
Koby: *[…] *
Rowen: [But whatever. Just make sure you doctor the files, and don't let the Fleet Admiral notice anything… With that much Dyna Stone, the consequences of getting caught would be a nightmare.]
Koby: […Master, I'm scared.]
Rowen: [What's there to be scared of? The Fleet Admiral's so dumb, he couldn't find the issue even if you gave him a hundred years.]
"THIS IS STRAIGHT-UP INSIDER THEFT!!"
Akainu flipped the desk, roaring in fury as he glared at Koby, who was cowering behind Zephyr. Then he caught himself. Now wasn't the time to hold this master-and-disciple duo accountable. The real issue was, "This is a serious strategic transmission! Can't he take it seriously for once?!"
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "No… that's not the point… I'm just too mad to think straight." Taking a deep breath, Akainu sat back down and lit a cigar.
Hssss… exhale… Blowing out a thick smoke ring, his eyes darkened. "That bastard… how much Dyna Stone did he steal?!"
'You can guard against anything… but never against betrayal from within.' While they were preoccupied fending off the enemy, Rowen had sent his disciple to steal Dyna Stone from under their noses. The more Akainu thought about it, the more furious he became. He laughed, a twisted, furious laugh.
Hearing this, Koby nervously poked his head out and held up three fingers. "Th-three…"
"Three… kilograms? Hmph, gutsy. But even three kilos is enough to threaten Orrick. Spread out and detonated strategically, it could level an entire city." The idea of Rowen being dragged into an enemy base while carrying three kilos of Dyna Stone made Akainu smile involuntarily. What a beautifully dangerous image.
"…It's three… tons." At that moment, Koby gave up pretending, squeezed his eyes shut, braced himself, and blurted out the number.
Ka-cha!
Akainu's expression froze solid on his face. A moment later…
"Mobilize everyone immediately! Bring him back! I'm going to kill him MYSELF!!!"
Even at the far end of the family district near Marineford, you could clearly see the sky above the Fleet Admiral's office erupt in a towering plume of molten lava and flame.
(End of Chapter)