In the room, Roy, who had yet to leave, glanced toward the balcony where Arcadio was still watching the "smug and self-satisfied" William leave. Roy broke the silence, saying, "I think agreeing to his proposal is unwise."
"Oh?" Arcadio turned back at the remark, raising an eyebrow at Roy. "And why is that?"
"I can't say for certain," Roy replied, frowning.
Although Roy was cautious by nature, William's strategies were shaped by the knowledge and experience of a modern world, far beyond the comprehension of someone like Roy. Limited by the worldview and knowledge of this world, Roy could not fathom William's true intentions.
His unease stemmed from an instinctive distrust of William. Roy felt that William's proposal carried a hint of conspiracy, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly why.
But such baseless concerns clearly failed to sway Arcadio. After all, William's proposal, at least on the surface, directly benefited Arcadio, resolving a pressing issue for him. Moreover, William's request to become a noble effectively handed Arcadio leverage over him.
"You're just overly cautious," Arcadio said dismissively, shaking his head.
Roy took a deep drag from his cigar, his mood visibly souring. "Has your informant, Kuro, reported anything recently?"
"A few things."
Roy's eyes lit up at this, but Arcadio's next words dashed his hopes. "Kuro said that Stolt is too soft-hearted. He can't bear to see his pirate subordinates pillaging and plundering ashore, so he constantly forces his crew to clash with other pirate crews instead. Many of the veteran pirates on his ship are dissatisfied with him for this. I suspect his proposal this time is also for his own benefit. By becoming a noble, he can gradually distance himself from pirate matters. And once his crew is cloaked in the guise of the kingdom's military, he'll have a legitimate excuse to stop them from raiding ashore."
"What about the Devil Fruit? Is it a Logia?" Roy asked, frowning further as he pressed on the key issue.
"No, Kuro said he primarily relies on swordsmanship in combat. His fruit ability doesn't seem particularly strong," Arcadio replied.
Roy fell silent, lost in thought. By this point, he understood Arcadio's stance and knew it would be futile to press further. Without another word, Roy stood up abruptly and left the room.
Even after returning to the Marines' 16th Branch base, Roy couldn't shake his unease. He locked himself in his office, his brows furrowed in deep thought, until a knock on the door pulled him back to reality.
It was his trusted subordinate, Captain Eusolin Heller, who entered after saluting and loudly reported, "Sir, Major Nezumi has a situation to report."
The wrinkles on Roy's forehead deepened.
The unfairness of the world never ceased to frustrate him. Roy thought of his own journey—rising from a mere recruit to a senior officer. Along the way, he had poured sweat and blood into his efforts, narrowly escaping death countless times, and enduring grueling training day and night to achieve his current position.
And then there was Nezumi, a man Roy considered utterly incompetent. Thanks to his family's influence, Nezumi had climbed the ranks without any notable achievements, eventually being assigned to the "safest" sea in the world—the East Blue—as an officer.
Because of these connections, Roy, as the highest-ranking officer in the branch, had to show him some respect. These same connections ensured that even in the unfamiliar waters of the East Blue, Nezumi still had people lining up to hand him credit.
Since William's rise in the waters surrounding the Navia Kingdom, he had defeated numerous pirate crews. Although most were insignificant, the World Government and the Marines had yet to officially issue a bounty for him. The main reason for this was that William always handed over the credit to Marine officers like Nezumi, Gin, and Roy.
William involved Gin under the pretext of their shared hometown, Roy because he was the highest-ranking Marine officer in the Navia Kingdom's vicinity, and Nezumi because of his high-level connections.
Thus, in the official reports of the Marines, those pirates were not defeated by the Morgan Pirates, but rather by the Marines of the 16th Branch under Roy's command, with Nezumi leading the charge and Gin fighting valiantly.
In just over a year, Gin had risen from a mere soldier to an officer and was now a Second Lieutenant. Nezumi's rise was even more dramatic; thanks to his family background and some strategic maneuvering, he had been rapidly promoted from Second Lieutenant to Major.
Even Roy himself, whose rank had stagnated for some time, had received repeated commendations from his superiors. Considering that branch officers were generally ranked lower than their headquarters counterparts, it wasn't impossible for Roy to eventually become a Commodore with a bit more effort.
Logically, Roy should have developed a favorable impression of William for this. But unfortunately, he wasn't Nezumi.
Before long, the much-derided Major Nezumi was led into the office by Captain Heller. After offering a less-than-perfect salute to Roy, Nezumi sat down in the chair across from Roy's desk at his invitation.
"Speak. What could you possibly have to report?" Roy asked, his tone curt once Nezumi was seated.
Nezumi's face twitched. Roy was known to be domineering within the branch base. While he couldn't do much to someone as well-connected as Nezumi, he had ensured that Nezumi held no real power, keeping him close under the guise of "supervision."
When Nezumi had first been transferred to the 16th Branch, he had thought he was being groomed for a significant role. It didn't take long for him to realize that Roy had brought him in to monitor him personally and strip him of any real authority.
Even now, as a Major, Nezumi still held no actual power. With no responsibilities to speak of, he rarely had anything to report.
Nezumi had considered transferring out, but William, through Tony, had persuaded him to stay. William's influence was primarily concentrated in the waters near the Navia Kingdom, and Nezumi was reluctant to leave the steady stream of benefits William provided.
Suppressing his frustration, Nezumi glanced at Captain Heller, who had not left the room and was now pouring tea for the two of them. Hesitating, Nezumi began to speak vaguely. "Colonel Roy, you see, I have a... friend. He often sails the seas, and as you know, the current environment is quite dangerous. So, he's looking to acquire something for self-defense."
Roy stared coldly at Nezumi, finally breaking his silence. "This 'friend' of yours—you're talking about Stolt, aren't you?"
Nezumi glanced at Captain Heller again, his meaning clear, but Roy remained unmoved.
With no other choice, Nezumi forced a strained smile. "Well, Stolt and his crew could be considered friends of the Marines' 16th Branch. After all, they've provided considerable assistance in our efforts to eliminate pirates in our jurisdiction. Helping him is like helping ourselves."
"Friends, huh?" Roy sneered. "What does he want?"
Nezumi lowered his voice. "The Rokushiki techniques."
Bang!
The moment the words left Nezumi's mouth, Roy grabbed a hefty book from his desk and hurled it at him. Despite his short stature, Roy was surprisingly strong. The book flew fast and hit Nezumi squarely on the nose, causing a sharp pain to shoot through him. Blood and tears streamed uncontrollably down his face, and he nearly fell off his chair.
"You idiot!" Roy roared.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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