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All Branch Base Heads had returned to their respective posts to deal with the large-scale pirate assault. Previously, they had to work together to avoid being overwhelmed and picked off one by one by the invading pirate forces. Abandoning the position wasn't an option.
And yet... for someone still out there to enrage Akainu this much...
Tsuru considered the possibility.
"That brat… did he really escape?!"
Just as that thought crossed her mind, Akainu suddenly composed himself and let out a cold laugh.
"Oh no… I bet you're not planning on coming back either, are you?"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Rowen didn't pick up on the shift in Akainu's tone. He simply assumed the man had figured out his intentions and replied:
"Yeah, I'm not planning on returning for now."
Seated by a makeshift campfire, Rowen tore a piece off the grilled fish and took a bite before asking casually:
"How's the situation out there?"
"Widespread offensive. Headquarters troops have dropped below 30,000. Even with your assassination squads and air force, we're barely scraping together 40,000… But it's still within manageable range."
Glancing at the returning Tsuru, Akainu continued: "Orrick still thinks we're the same Marine of old. He figured he could spread our forces thin with scattered attacks and leave us scrambling. But he's sorely mistaken!"
Back in the day, Marine response was so slow that even disturbances near base waters were hard to assist, let alone anything near Headquarters.
But that was the old Marine!
Ever since Rowen proposed and implemented the Global Village Project, a transportation network had been built around each branch. This had dramatically improved Marine mobility!
With fully-equipped aircraft squadrons, Orrick's forces were the ones caught in the net, split apart and isolated like fish hitting a trawler.
"Good. That puts me even more at ease about not returning."
Akainu snorted.
"Oh? So how long are you planning to stay on vacation?"
"Not sure. Depends on the situation."
Rowen shook his head, chewing on the fish: "Hard to say with behind-enemy-lines work... Besides, I have reason to believe there's a traitor among us. I'd rather not return just yet."
Shwaa!
Akainu's eyes snapped wide open. He glanced at Tsuru beside him.
"What do you mean?!"
"I imagine you've all been extremely busy lately… So you probably haven't had time to conduct any serious after-action analysis of the war with Patrick Redfield and the World Destroyer, right?"
Akainu's frown deepened. Rowen had hit the mark.
He'd barely slept seven hours in total these past few days; when would he have had time to review a battle that had already concluded? At most, Koby and Dante were on their way now, following the Vivre Card to recover Rowen.
"But I had plenty of time."
Locked in a cage with nothing else to do, of course, he had free time.
Rowen rubbed his still-aching wrist and went on: "So I did a little review myself… and I found something interesting."
"What did you find?"
"Aside from me and Admiral Kizaru, the other participants in that battle included Vice Admirals like Momonga, Dante, Chaton, Mozambia, and Dalmatian… Now Mozambia's G-5 branch is known for its advanced technology. Their underwater minefield is so lethal that even our own troops have to be extra careful crossing it."
He paused.
"You probably don't know this yet, but the one who took advantage of the chaos this time was an Admiral under Orrick. A monster who rivals our Marine Admirals in power. Unlike Patrick Redfield's reckless assault, this guy snuck in from below, traveling underwater in a submarine."
Getting past Marine patrols and infiltrating deep behind enemy lines without being noticed?
Even Patrick Redfield couldn't pull that off.
Hissss…!
Akainu sucked in a breath, about to speak, when Tsuru laid a defense diagram in front of him.
A large red-shaded area marked the minefield Rowen was referring to.
"Those mines aren't just floating at the surface; they're layered at different depths like fish. The point is to seal off every possible underwater approach. There are only three entry and exit routes, and only our top brass know them."
Rowen tossed the fish bones aside, his eyes cold and lips curling into a half-smile.
"I already killed that subordinate of Orrick's, so I'm certain it wasn't his Devil Fruit power that let him bypass the minefield."
"Which means there's only one possible explanation…"
"Someone leaked the intel!"
BANG!!
Akainu slammed his hand on the diagram in rage. Molten magma erupted from his palm, igniting the chart and the wooden desk beneath it, leaving behind a scorched, blackened handprint.
"Any suspects?"
"No concrete ones." Rowen replied. "But the only people who had access to the minefield layout were the ones I just named. They should all clearly remember who they passed the plans to. If we trace that line of command… we might dig up something."
His tone wasn't confident, because the scope was just too big. To be precise, the people he listed merely had top-tier clearance. But implementing the actual deployment required execution teams. With all the passing of hands… who knows how many could be involved.
"I see… so you plan to go into hiding, make sure this damn traitor can't track your movements, and use yourself as a hidden trump card."
Akainu immediately understood Rowen's intention and followed the train of thought.
"Understood. I'll announce publicly that you've returned. Since we've got the Clone-Clone Fruit, faking your appearance won't be a problem."
'Yoho... someone's learned to think on their feet!' Rowen stared at the Den Den Mushi, visibly shocked.
"Is this really the Akainu I know?"
["Since When Did My Fleet Admiral Get So Scheming?!"]
"Exactly, that's the plan." Rowen muttered, chewing on his grilled fish. The flavor helped him snap back to focus.
"He'll definitely get word that I escaped, but if we throw up this smokescreen, he might think we're trying to confuse him. In his efforts to decipher our true intentions, he might just slip up. Meanwhile, I can get some things done behind the scenes."
His eyes turned cold.
"If Orrick thinks this ends with me killing a few of his people, then he's being way too naive."
In a clash between armies, the most dangerous threats aren't always on the battlefield, but the arrows shot from the shadows.
Before, neither side had that opportunity. Every move was under tight surveillance.
But now… Orrick had personally handed Rowen the perfect chance. If he didn't use it, even Rowen would feel guilty. He bit into the sizzling fish, grinning, , but just then, a realization hit him like thunder.
Wait a second…
If Akainu didn't know about all this beforehand…
Then why did he say "I bet you're not planning to return either"?
What made him think I wouldn't go back?
"Ma… masaka…!" Rowen glanced down at the telegraph machine beside him, one of the communication devices stored in his ring.
He remembered now, a few days ago, he'd sent a message to Dante…
SHWAAA!
Rowen leapt up in a panic.
"Huh? What's going on over there?" Akainu hadn't quite caught up, frowning at the noise on the other end.
"Nothing! Just got a fishbone stuck in my throat. I'm fine now!"
"Anyway, gotta go, Fleet Admiral! Just pretend I don't exist for a while!"
Before Akainu could respond, Rowen hung up without hesitation.
POI!
Staring at the slumbering Den Den Mushi in his hand, Akainu glanced at Tsuru, grumbling: "That little shit didn't explain anything clearly, then rushed to hang up like that…"
But halfway through his sentence, Akainu's voice trailed off. Suddenly he crushed the receiver in his magma-infused grip. The Den Den Mushi trembled in terror as his face darkened with rage.
"That little bastard tricked me!!"
Watching Akainu angrily try to figure out how to call back using a now-destroyed receiver, Tsuru just shook her head.
"Seriously…" she sighed.
Then, she chuckled.
"Absolutely delightful."
(End of Chapter)