Chapter 494: A Plan
Brett found this mildly entertaining.
Even now, even here, Momousagi still didn't trust him.
The reason she had allowed herself to be found, the reason she had tolerated all of this, was entirely because she needed him as a means of reaching Zephyr-sensei. That was the whole of it.
In this woman's mind, his standing had improved slightly from enemy to something more ambiguous. But at its foundation, she still looked at him the way you look at an opponent.
Well.
She was, technically speaking, also an enemy of the Navy herself now.
"Even now, the Government has become my enemy. But whether what you and Zephyr-sensei are doing is right, I can't judge that either." There was some honest uncertainty in Momousagi's voice, but underneath it, something resolute. "What I can do is try to make the Navy understand what the Government actually is."
"And then let Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Tsuru-san make the decision for themselves."
A thin smile moved across her face. "That should be something your side welcomes, shouldn't it."
It absolutely was.
If the Navy actually broke from the World Government, that would be a tremendous development for Brett's side. They didn't need the Navy to stand with them. All they needed was for the Navy to stand against the same enemy. Having more people opposed to the World Government was never a problem.
"If you can genuinely accomplish that, I'd applaud it wholeheartedly." Zephyr's voice carried the particular texture of someone who had considered this carefully. A quiet exhale. "For now, let's leave it at that."
Brett knew how conflicted Zephyr must be.
On one side: Momousagi's actions had directly led to the deaths of tens of thousands of NEO Navy warriors.
On the other: she was his former student, someone he had trained and watched grow, and if she succeeded at what she was proposing, the benefits to their cause would be enormous.
There was no easy answer to that arithmetic.
This was the moment for Brett's particular brand of helpfulness.
He leaned in. "In that case, let Momousagi-san stay on Fish-Man Island for the time being."
"Brett?" Zephyr sounded mildly surprised.
"Wanting the Navy to break away from the Government is one thing. Right now there's no obvious way to make it happen." Brett glanced toward Momousagi. "The entire Navy already thinks you're a traitor."
A complicated expression moved across the striking face of the Fish-Man woman beside him.
"Coming to Zephyr-sensei was probably to get help in the first place." Brett continued. "Zephyr-sensei's situation is a bit constrained right now. So leave it to me instead."
"I'll create opportunities. I'll provide whatever support you need. Until you reach your goal."
Momousagi was quiet.
She could admit, at least to herself, that approaching Zephyr-sensei had been precisely for the purpose of obtaining help. She couldn't just announce the truth and expect the Navy to believe her. The Government's authority within the Navy wasn't something a few words from her could overturn. And by now, the Government had almost certainly manufactured a comprehensive body of evidence demonstrating her betrayal.
She needed help.
But the help she needed was Zephyr-sensei's. Not this man's.
"This is excellent!" Zephyr's enthusiasm was immediate and genuine. "Gion, with Brett's assistance your chances increase significantly!"
"But Zephyr-sensei—" Momousagi attempted to introduce the subject of her ongoing distrust of Brett.
"At minimum, Momousagi-san, there's at least one thing you can trust." Brett smiled. "You can trust that I want to bring down the World Government. Anything that weakens the Government is something I will support without reservation and without interference. That much is guaranteed."
"..."
Momousagi pressed her lips together and turned the calculation over.
A long pause.
Then she let out a slow exhale.
"Fine. If that's how it is."
There wasn't really another path available to her right now.
"Then that's settled." Zephyr's voice carried something that sounded like relief underneath the calm. "Brett, I'm leaving this in your hands."
"I'll continue working to undermine the World Government while we wait." Brett's smile was light. "This fits in naturally enough. Leave it to me."
If the Navy ended up separating from the Government, excellent. If it didn't work out, nothing was lost. Either way, the effort was worth making.
The call ended.
Brett put the Den Den Mushi away and looked at the woman beside him. "So. Momousagi-san. What do you want to do first?"
Momousagi drew in a breath.
Then: "I have no idea."
She gave a rueful shake of her head. "Tsuru-san doesn't believe me. I don't even know where to begin."
Brett considered this. If she had any clear path forward, she wouldn't have been seeking outside help in the first place. She'd have been moving already.
"Then let's think it through together."
A short time later, in the office of the Director of Fish-Man Island's Immigration Bureau, a small group had gathered.
Momousagi. Brett. And Brett's two closest associates.
"What a strange world this is." Tesoro had one leg crossed over the other and was looking at the woman across from him with unabashed appraisal, the kind that had never learned to be subtle. "An enemy sitting down with us as an ally. Didn't see that coming."
Momousagi didn't engage with him.
"Alright, this isn't the time for that." Jinbei had the settled authority of someone who had spent a long time being the person who moved meetings forward. "The situation is serious. If Momousagi-san's account is accurate and Caesar's experiments succeeded, the Government may be on the verge of fielding a significantly more powerful deep-sea military force."
"When that happens, the Navy will figure out who lied to them. But by then, it probably won't matter." Brett shook his head. "There are two things that need to happen. One: stop the Government's plan. Two: expose what they've done and help Momousagi-san make the Navy see the Government clearly."
"Those two things are basically one thing," Tesoro said. "If you can stop the Government from mass-producing these transformed soldiers, you've probably already found the evidence you need to show the Navy."
"The problem is we don't know where the new base is." Momousagi's expression was tight. "And walking into Mariejois to look for evidence isn't an option."
"We need someone on the inside."
Brett rubbed his jaw. "Something we can't do from outside, but someone inside could manage."
"I doubt anyone like that exists anymore." Momousagi's exhale was tired. "If even Tsuru-san doesn't believe me, I don't know who else I could approach."
"Lieutenant Commander Tsuru." Brett tilted his head with a slight smile. "Is she really the person who trusts you most? Because from where I'm standing, there's a fairly well-known story about the two candidates for Admiral. Momousagi and Chaton."
"You mean Kake?"
Momousagi paused. Then she shook her head firmly. "That's not realistic. He's always been completely unreliable."
"How would you know without trying?"
Brett's grin spread. "As I understand it, he is very, very, very, very fond of you, Momousagi-san."
He stacked the emphasis deliberately. Several instances of very, one after another.
Making the point as clearly as possible: Chaton's devotion to Momousagi Gion was not something that could be overstated.
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