Chapter 231: Decision
"What else is on the ship besides the wealth?" Axel asked.
As soon as he finished speaking, a soldier answered, "There's also some equipment, tools for entertainment venues, dice, playing cards, and some fine wine..."
Axel glanced at him.
"Where do you think these things are usually used?"
The Marine being questioned was stunned.
He did not know how to answer.
This was clearly a gift, so why was the Rear Admiral asking where it would be used?
If he had to say where, then he knew.
It was...
"A casino," Doberman spoke first.
"Exactly. A casino."
Axel nodded with certainty.
"Looks like another trouble has arrived."
Putting everything together, these were clearly tools used for an underground casino.
If Axel was not mistaken, these things were not Tesoro's assets at all.
They belonged to Doflamingo.
Tesoro was trying to push trouble onto him.
If Axel were Doflamingo and discovered that one of his underground businesses had been plundered, with the assets then sent here, it would be obvious who he would go looking for.
What Tesoro had never expected was that Axel had just repelled Doflamingo.
Under such circumstances, Doflamingo would definitely not come looking for trouble again without preparation.
In other words, Tesoro's attempt to kill with a borrowed knife had merely turned into drawing fire onto himself.
However, the fire was not fierce enough yet.
Axel needed to add more fuel.
"Vice Admiral Doberman, there is one thing I need you to do."
Axel looked at Doberman.
"Or rather, it should be something only you can do."
"What is it?"
Doberman did not agree immediately.
His principle was to understand the matter first before making a decision.
He would never do anything that violated the law or Marine discipline.
"Clear out the underground forces on all nearby islands," Axel said indifferently. "You should be able to do that, right?"
With such an understated sentence, he decided the survival of all the nearby forces.
However, Doberman did not agree at once.
"Why?"
He looked at Axel, his scarred face calm and unhurried.
"Why make such a sudden decision, and why can only I do this?"
Although the essence of these underground forces was evil, even as a Marine, Doberman could not just arrest them at will.
There were too many things involved.
Most underground businesses operated under the cover of officially legitimate shops.
Without a proper reason, he could not directly arrest the people inside.
Moreover, the greatest obstacle was the complicated web of relationships behind those underground forces.
World Government nobles, pirates, and countries across various regions were all involved.
Doberman needed a reason.
He had to know what had caused Axel to make this decision.
Axel understood Doberman's questioning, but he could not reveal his true reason.
So he said, "Because these underground forces actually belong to Doflamingo. Since he gave us a meeting gift, we should repay him."
He looked at Doberman.
"And you are undoubtedly the best candidate."
"With my prestige, I simply can't mobilize these Marines to suppress people who aren't even pirates."
Doberman frowned.
"The Marines are not a tool for revenge. They exist to guard justice."
"Is eliminating these evil underground forces not an act of guarding justice?" Axel asked in return. "The two don't conflict."
Doberman did not answer.
Because he could not.
The reason he fell silent was because Axel was not wrong.
From another perspective, underground forces represented evil, and they were also targets Doberman had always wanted to purge.
It was just that reality did not allow him to do so.
If he agreed to destroy those underground forces now, it might not be guarding justice.
It might bring greater disaster upon ordinary people.
That would not be protection.
It would be destruction.
After a long silence, Doberman said, "If that is the only reason, I don't agree. Nor will I allow you to do it."
"But regarding Doflamingo, I have the leading authority, don't I?"
Axel looked at him.
"And weren't you the one advocating battle when it came to Doflamingo's affairs?"
He sighed softly.
"Why are you shrinking back now? I don't understand."
Axel had thought that Doberman, who believed in Absolute Justice, would not refuse his proposal.
"It's different."
Doberman's tone was firm.
"Even without Doflamingo, those organizations will continue operating. So this matter cannot be blamed solely on him."
"And you still have to listen to me."
"If we rashly attack these underground forces, it will undoubtedly cause chaos."
His voice grew heavier.
"Action can only be taken after full preparation, and only when we can ensure that no unrest will occur."
"Afraid to act?"
Axel's voice became quiet.
"Just like with the Celestial Dragons?"
Doberman's expression froze.
"I really don't understand what the Marines are actually guarding."
The actions of the Celestial Dragons were undoubtedly evil.
Yet the Marines and the World Government turned a blind eye to those atrocities in order to maintain world order.
But was the false justice established under that order truly fair to those who genuinely wanted to guard justice?
The efforts of Zephyr, Ain, Binz, Garp, and countless Marines who upheld justice ultimately served to maintain that false justice.
That could only be called a tragedy.
Doberman did not reply.
He only lowered his head.
No one could see what he was thinking.
No one knew what he was considering.
Axel smiled.
How could he not understand what Doberman was saying?
It was just that if one worried about this and that forever, when would anything ever end?
Perhaps because Axel was not from this world.
Or perhaps because he had never truly been a proper Marine.
He did not carry those concerns.
He did what he wanted to do.
As long as it was not an evil deed, he would not go out of his way to worry about everything.
Moreover, this was also part of his plan.
He could not stop here.
"Are you planning to do it yourself?" Doberman suddenly asked.
His voice was calm and cold.
There was no trace of the earlier feeling that he would never allow it.
It was as if he were merely stating something trivial.
Axel's body shook slightly.
Then he raised his head and looked at Doberman.
Doberman's voice had not been loud.
Only Axel could hear it.
Was he intentionally avoiding the surrounding Marines?
Axel had thought Doberman was only a hot-blooded man of justice.
Later, his impression had shifted slightly, seeing him as someone more rational than expected.
But he had not expected Doberman to see through his thoughts.
It seemed many people were not as simple as they appeared on the surface.
But Axel was also proud.
Since he had been seen through, he had no intention of hiding anything.
He admitted it directly.
"That's right."
Then he added, "You don't need to lower your voice. Within the range of my ability, sound cannot travel out."
Doberman was stunned for a moment.
Then he spoke naturally.
"Your expression reminded me of my former self. That's why I guessed it."
He looked straight ahead.
"Since you can defeat Doflamingo, I believe you should also have a way to handle this matter."
Then his tone became serious.
"However, I have one condition."
"You cannot use the name of the Marines when you destroy them."
Axel shrugged.
Such a condition did not matter to him.
He was not someone who relied on the Marines' reputation to get things done anyway.
It was just that Doberman's refusal had disrupted his original plan.
"Fine."
"Also," Doberman said silently, still looking straight ahead, "if you do anything that violates Marine principles, I will personally lead the Marines to arrest you."
Axel nodded and stopped talking.
He did not care about Doberman's threat.
Because he would only do what he believed was right.
.....
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