Faced with Rowan's question, Colonel Nezumi was momentarily speechless. He opened and closed his mouth several times, but not a single word escaped.
In contrast, Nami, having broken free from the Marines' grasp, dashed to Rowan's side. She pointed a trembling finger at Nezumi and shouted in a fury:
"Grandpa Rowan! It's this guy! For all these years, he stood by and let the Arlong Pirates oppress us. Not only did he refuse to help, but now he's brought his men here to steal our money!"
Directly accused by Nami, Nezumi's panic intensified. He frantically shook his head and waved his hands in explanation. "Vice Admiral Rowan, it's not what she says at all! She is actually a member of the Arlong Pirates. Look at the tattoo on her shoulder and you'll see for yourself!"
"This thief recently stole a massive amount of evidence money that we were holding at the branch base. We are simply here to recover the stolen government property."
Having come up with a semi-plausible excuse, Nezumi's chest puffed out instinctively.
Hah, try to fight me, you little brat. No matter what, I am a Branch Colonel. You're just a 'Little Thief Cat.' Let's see if Vice Admiral Rowan believes a decorated officer or a common thief.
"You... you're lying through your teeth!"
Nami's face paled at the accusation. She looked down at the tattoo on her shoulder—the mark she had been forced to take to save her village—and her eyes flashed with loathing as tears of frustration welled up. This tattoo was her greatest shame, her deepest scar. She never imagined an animal like Nezumi would use it to frame her.
Rowan didn't even glance at the tattoo. Instead, he stared at Colonel Nezumi with a look of utter disbelief.
He had lived in the world of One Piece for nearly a hundred years, yet this was the first time he had met someone as shamelessly brazen as Nezumi. No wonder he had managed to climb to the rank of Branch Colonel despite such pathetic strength. Truly, the thick-skinned are invincible.
To turn Nami's hard-earned savings into "stolen government funds" with a flick of the tongue... if it had been anyone else standing here—some naive officer from the Headquarters—they might have actually believed the lie. After all, a quick inquiry would reveal Nami's reputation as the "Thief Cat," her tattoo, and her history with Arlong.
But Rowan knew exactly who he was dealing with. He had made a grand show of leaving specifically to bait this rat out of his hole and catch him red-handed.
Taking a slow drag of his pipe, Rowan looked at Nezumi and smiled.
"Where this treasure came from, we can set aside for a moment. But since you mentioned the Arlong Pirates, I suddenly recall something Arlong confessed yesterday. He personally told me that you, the Colonel of the 16th Branch, had a very lucrative deal with him..."
Before Rowan could finish the sentence, Nezumi's face turned ghastly. His expression twisted from fear to a mask of sinister malice.
This damn old man has been playing me! He knew everything from the start and just stood there watching me make a fool of myself.
"Men! This old man has conspired with the remnants of the Arlong Pirates! He's an impostor! That's not Vice Admiral Rowan! Charge with me and take down this fraud!"
Nezumi unsheathed his saber and let out a desperate roar. Since the secret was out, there was no more room for games. It was time to sink or swim!
"Oh? I didn't expect you to have that much courage."
Watching the shift in Nezumi's demeanor, Rowan looked genuinely surprised. He thought the man would burst into tears and beg for mercy. He hadn't expected this desperate gambit.
But... even if it was a group of corrupt Marines led by a backstabbing rat, what difference did it make? Even if Nezumi had earned his rank through actual merit, a Branch Colonel was nothing more than an ant to Rowan.
"Die, old man!"
The first to strike was a burly Marine standing beside Nezumi. He wore the standard-issue vest, and the rank on his shoulder identified him as a Second Lieutenant. His exposed arms were thick with knotted, powerful muscle, tanned to a dark, metallic sheen from years of sea sun.
As the brute charged, Nezumi drew a specialized flintlock from his waist, his eyes glinting like a venomous snake's as he waited for a chance to strike.
Do not let his scrawny, wretched appearance fool you. Even if he cheated his way to the top, he had a certain level of lethal cunning. As a recruit, Nezumi had perfected a style of assassination and underhanded tactics. He had made a career out of taking down pirates far stronger than himself through ambush and deceit. That was how he had accumulated the "merit" to reach the rank of Colonel.
Hmph, stupid old fossil. Did you think I was a brainless meathead like Arlong?
Hiding behind the charging Lieutenant, Nezumi's small, rat-like eyes darted around, calculating Rowan's openings. Seeing the old man standing there with such casual disregard, Nezumi sneered inwardly.
This Lieutenant, Kus, was his secret weapon. Only Nezumi's inner circle knew that this man was his strongest combatant, the one responsible for most of his successful "operations." After years of training, Kus's combat power was nearly on par with most other Branch Colonels in the East Blue.
Furthermore, Nezumi had spent the previous night digging up whatever intel he could on Rowan. He found that Rowan had retired as a Vice Admiral but had rarely seen combat in his later years. Based on battle records from decades ago, Nezumi estimated the old man's strength was "decent" but not exceptional for a Headquarters officer.
Nezumi's logic was simple: Rowan was a hundred years old. Even if he didn't look it, his peak was long gone. Nezumi calculated Rowan's current strength to be somewhere between a Headquarters Commodore and a Rear Admiral—strong enough to beat Arlong, certainly, but not invincible.
Of course, Nezumi's intel didn't mention that Warlord Jinbe had also fought Rowan yesterday and had been crushed. If he had known that, he wouldn't have dared to draw his sword.
"Kus, take the high ground!" Nezumi barked when the Lieutenant was within three meters of Rowan.
Kus, perfectly in sync with his master, leaped into the air without a second thought, bringing his long saber down in a heavy vertical cleave toward Rowan's head.
As Kus jumped, Nezumi—who had been stationary—suddenly appeared beneath him. In an instant, it became a pincer attack. Nezumi lunged low, sweeping his saber toward Rowan's legs with a powerful horizontal slash, while simultaneously aiming his flintlock at the old man's jaw and pulling the trigger.
Three lethal threats at once!
Hah! This is what happens when you underestimate a 'rat'! Go to hell!
Nezumi had used this exact combination of moves to kill countless enemies.
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