Drake quickly packed up his stall and vanished into the bustling port.
He dared not follow Dragon, not because he feared Dragon's strength, but because he was concerned that rashly tailing him would likely expose his own identity and movements. It was best not to alert the enemy.
Arriving in a secluded alley, Drake pulled out his Den Den Mushi and began contacting his superior at Headquarters.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Vice Admiral Yamakaji, sitting in the Intelligence Division office, yawned, slowly tossed a document onto his desk, and then took a cigar from his drawer. He enjoyed lighting a cigar after finishing work, savoring a moment of downtime amidst the busyness.
On Vice Admiral Yamakaji's desk was a framed photo—a picture of three young men. They looked much younger back then: Diarmuid, Momonga, and himself. The background of the photo was clearly the old dormitory building of the Marine Academy, which had since been demolished and rebuilt. Ah, right, back then it was called the 'Marine Officer Training Camp.'
He, Diarmuid, and Momonga were roommates back then, and the three of them were very close. Their relationships remained strong today, and they had all risen to high positions: Diarmuid was one of the three Admirals, Momonga took over G-7 and commanded the entire Calm Belt, and he, Yamakaji, had become a big shot in the Intelligence Division.
In fact, it wasn't just the three of them. While the 'Marine Officer Training Camp' didn't sound as imposing or official as the 'Marine Academy' that later replaced it, its quality was clearly higher.
For example, the Sixth Batch of the Officer Training Camp, which Diarmuid and Yamakaji belonged to, had a small number of students, only twenty or thirty people. Yet, to this day, anyone still alive and not retired has at least reached the rank of Rear Admiral at Headquarters. These former schoolmates often benefited from mutual support; pushing and pulling each other ensured that they generally rose faster and received more advantages at the same level than those with fewer connections.
This was one of the reasons why Zephyr, despite stepping back for so many years, resigning as an Admiral, and truly retiring, still maintained a strong influence within Marine Headquarters. His students were scattered throughout the high command of the entire Marines.
Frankly, it was only because Zephyr truly had no desire to manage these connections and no interest in power that he willingly stepped down as Admiral. Otherwise, given Zephyr's influence, it was possible for him to sideline the Fleet Admiral if he chose to make a move.
Of course, things were reciprocal. It was precisely because the Fleet Admiral and others knew that Zephyr would never do such a thing and was genuinely uninterested in power that Zephyr was able to maintain his position as Chief Instructor so steadily.
Despite the seemingly excellent relationships, when it came to the balance of power, too much sentimentality was impossible. If Zephyr had ambition, the Chief Instructor position would have likely changed three or four times by now. Because he was unambitious and driven solely by his love for the Marines, he held the Chief Instructor position firmly, with students throughout the entire Marine structure.
"Should I go find Momonga for a drink this weekend when I have time off?" Vice Admiral Yamakaji slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke.
Even though Momonga was at G-7 and Vice Admiral Yamakaji was at Marineford, if he used the currents of Justice, Yamakaji could reach G-7 in half a day. He could have a drink with Momonga, sleep it off, and return the next day.
However, before Vice Admiral Yamakaji could finish contemplating this.
The encrypted Den Den Mushi on his desk suddenly rang.
Vice Admiral Yamakaji's expression immediately became serious. The encrypted Den Den Mushi was restricted to external operatives of the Intelligence Division. It rarely rang, and when it did, it signified the acquisition of major intelligence.
Without overthinking, Vice Admiral Yamakaji picked up the Den Den Mushi: "Encrypted. Word for Nonexistent Agency team, Zero Field Team..."
On the other end, Drake said quietly: "Special Combat Unit, code 1667."
"Lancelot has drawn the spirit sword," Vice Admiral Yamakaji stated, seemingly out of nowhere.
Drake, on the other hand, smoothly responded: "The dragon-slaying youth eventually becomes a dragon."
Only after successfully exchanging the two baffling code phrases did Vice Admiral Yamakaji smile. If Drake had given the response "The devil of Hell is calling for souls," it would have meant he was compromised, and whatever he said next would be under duress. "The dragon-slaying youth eventually becomes a dragon" meant he was safe, there were no unexpected threats, and he simply had information to report.
Since the reorganization of the Intelligence Division years ago, while Diarmuid had set up some messy departments—such as the 'Nonexistent Agency,' which was still barely functional and quite embarrassing—many of his unconventional methods had been retained. The code phrases, for instance. Believe it or not, these seemingly insignificant changes had, over the years, helped the Intelligence Division avoid many serious issues and saved the lives of several intelligence agents.
"Code 1667, Drake, is that right?" Vice Admiral Yamakaji asked with a chuckle.
"Affirmative, code 1667, Marine Headquarters Captain X. Drake, operational codename 'Little Dinosaur.' Please verify," Drake replied, also with a light chuckle.
"Verification complete," Vice Admiral Yamakaji confirmed, then asked: "Has something happened? Any updates on the pursuit of M. Caesar Clown?"
"I have the latest intelligence to report. I tracked M. Caesar Clown from the New World and finally determined that he is currently hiding within the Desert Kingdom, Alabasta. The Headquarters intelligence source was correct. I preliminarily suspect that M. Caesar Clown has had contact with Warlord of the Sea, Sir Crocodile. According to the original plan, because the internal threat level of Alabasta is extremely high, I was prepared to use immersion-style investigation to gather further intelligence. However..." At this point, Drake raised his wrist, looked at his watch, and continued quietly: "I detected an unexpected situation at the port thirteen minutes ago."
Vice Admiral Yamakaji listened to the report via the Den Den Mushi while rapidly recording the details in his notebook. This was one of his main jobs. Although it seemed like the work of a low-level clerk, he was responsible for the Marine's covert operation members. People like Drake appeared to be ordinary informants, but he was actually a Captain in Marine Headquarters. Yamakaji even had several Rear Admiral-level intelligence personnel scattered across the world working under him. Therefore, while the task looked simple, the information it handled was highly critical.
Since Diarmuid had previously ordered the Intelligence Division to quickly investigate Caesar's whereabouts, about two months had passed. Although Diarmuid himself was always wandering outside, Yamakaji never dared to neglect these matters. Hence the story of Drake tracking Caesar.
After recording everything, Vice Admiral Yamakaji said: "Please report."
"The World's Worst Criminal, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon, landed at Port Nanohana in Alabasta fifteen minutes ago—no, it's fifteen minutes now. Therefore, all previous assessments must be discarded and new conjectures made. What if M. Caesar Clown's arrival in Alabasta was not to cooperate with Crocodile but to wait for the Revolutionary Army leader, Dragon? While this is just speculation, Dragon's appearance at this moment may not be a coincidence. I have a strong inclination to suspect that Dragon will have contact with M. Caesar Clown," Drake quickly analyzed and reported.
Vice Admiral Yamakaji was stunned. Dragon... As a veteran Marine, Yamakaji naturally knew and had interacted with Dragon. However, he hadn't received any intelligence on him for a long time. This was because Dragon and Marine Headquarters had a degree of mutual collusion. Headquarters seemed intentionally permissive towards Dragon, and the Revolutionary Army's affairs had always been primarily handled by the CP agencies, having little direct connection to the Marines...
Yet, today he suddenly received intelligence about Dragon, and the suspicion that Dragon might unite with a dangerous figure like M. Caesar Clown?
Yamakaji was silent for a moment, then said: "According to the message given earlier by another one of our intelligence agents in Alabasta, M. Caesar Clown is indeed cooperating with Crocodile in Alabasta. If your sighting is accurate, there are at least two possible conjectures: First, Crocodile, Dragon, and Caesar are forming a three-way alliance and preparing to cooperate. Second, Caesar's cooperation with Crocodile has turned sour, and he is seeking a new partner."
At least two situations. While there were certainly other possibilities, these two were the most likely, so Yamakaji said nothing more.
Drake was initially stunned. There are other agents in Alabasta besides me? But after a moment, Drake understood. Right, the news that Caesar was hiding in Alabasta was first compiled by Headquarters before I was sent here. So it made sense that there were other agents in Alabasta.
As for why that agent hadn't followed up on this matter, Drake didn't know, but it was perfectly normal. Perhaps the other agent's identity made it inconvenient to investigate Caesar, or maybe that person had a different mission, which was why Headquarters had sent him, Drake, to take over?
While Drake was considering these things, Vice Admiral Yamakaji said: "Our Intelligence Analysis Department will log this information and use it to cross-reference with other intelligence for projection. 'Little Dinosaur,' continue your mission."
Drake responded seriously: "Yes, code 1667, codename 'Little Dinosaur' received."
Then, Vice Admiral Yamakaji's tone softened slightly: "Thank you for your hard work, Drake."
Yamakaji was such a strong yet gentle Marine, and he had an excellent reputation at Headquarters.
Drake was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said: "It's all for Justice!"
Then, the two ended their Den Den Mushi calls.
Drake continued his investigative operation in Alabasta.
Vice Admiral Yamakaji quickly compiled the intelligence, which he would then assign to the various analysts in the Intelligence Division.
He took a sip of tea, then picked up a regular Den Den Mushi and dialed. A voice soon came through: "Vice Admiral Yamakaji, your instructions please."
"Is that Rear Admiral Komei? Come to my office. I have a task for you: analyze this intelligence summary," Vice Admiral Yamakaji instructed.
"Yes!" Rear Admiral Komei quickly responded.
Rear Admiral Komei was a native of the Kano Country in the West Blue. He joined the Marines at a young age, but due to his physical condition and related reasons, his strength was somewhat awkward—neither very strong nor very weak. However, he possessed a high intellect. Therefore, when Diarmuid was working in the Intelligence Division, he transferred Komei to the department. At that time, Komei was only a Commander in Marine Headquarters.
In fact, if Diarmuid hadn't appeared, Komei might not have joined the Intelligence Division. He would later be promoted to Vice Admiral and become the Commander of the Naval Base on Fog Island, only to be taken down by the Straw Hat Pirates...
Currently, Tsuru held Komei in high regard because working in the Intelligence Division didn't require formidable strength. One only needed to be smart, good at strategizing, and capable of finding the hidden secrets in the intelligence to break down complex issues. This was enough.
Diarmuid was like this back then. Tsuru had even intended to groom Diarmuid to take over her position someday. Now, Diarmuid was her superior in name, an Admiral. It was quite awkward...