In the early Sea Calendar 1518, the Qilin returned to the First Half of the Grand Line safely without encountering any turbulence during its underwater journey.
It seemed that the Gold Emperor also knew that seeking revenge against Rowen with just a few tricks would be meaningless. Especially now that the Marine’s iron-fisted actions had cleared out many pirates, their morale was high, making it a bad time to act against Rowen.
After several months, the investigation into the Shichibukai temporarily came to an end at the Marine Headquarters.
The results were both expected and unexpected.
Jinbe had become a Shichibukai to safeguard the safety of Fish-Man Island and fight for equal rights for Mermaids and Fish-Men. He had no hidden motives for rebellion and openly accepted the investigation.
After going through the process lazily, Kizaru concluded the investigation on the first Shichibukai without any trouble.
Among the next three Shichibukai, Mihawk, although indifferent to the investigation, had a skirmish with Aokiji due to boredom. The two fought for three days and three nights without a clear winner, and they also stopped the fight due to boredom.
It was reported that during this battle, five islands were completely destroyed, and a sea area of three hundred kilometers was frozen. It remained frozen until now.
Rowen couldn’t help but applaud Mihawk for these actions. As the only member of the Shichibukai who was infatuated with his goal, his reason for fighting was indeed perplexing.
Fighting with an Admiral just because he was bored, why didn’t he go find Kaido for a duel?
It was said that Akainu was furious about this and requested several times to eliminate Mihawk, but Sengoku had always suppressed the request.
On the other hand, the “Pirate Empress” Boa Hancock of the Kuja Pirates faced Tsuru’s Wash-Wash Fruit. Her alluring charm was ignored, and her arrogance led her to angrily try to expel Tsuru and Momousagi from the island, resulting in some friction between the two parties.
As a candidate for Admiral, Momousagi showed her terrifying combat power during this visit. With a single slash, she divided the dense primeval jungle of Amazon Lily into two, leaving an astounding sight!
In the end, for some reason, Hancock didn’t get angry. On the contrary, she openly admired Momousagi’s strength and expressed her willingness to cooperate with the investigation.
As for the third member, “Gekko” Moria…
It was said that he got beaten quite miserably and was almost killed!
Some of the zombies in his zombie force were Nobles whom he lured into Florian Triangle to steal their shadows and turn them into zombies. In a fit of rage, Onigumo almost killed him, but fortunately, Chaton intervened, or Moria would have lost his life.
Naturally, the news of Moria getting beaten up was suppressed, and only those like Rowen, with the rank of Vice Admiral or above, were privileged to know about it. Sengoku raised his assessment of the threat Moria posed, and Rowen and other officers believed that Moria wouldn’t have a good time in the days to come.
Entering the calm year of 1518, Rowen returned to G-10 Marine Branch and called for Dante.
“How is the investigation going with the people you assigned to it?”
…
G-10 Headquarters, Base Head’s office.
Rowen had informed Dante about this mission well before he set off. Now, carrying a stack of documents, Dante walked in and replied, “I’ve identified three suspicious individuals who match the appearance you described. Here are their profiles.”
After speaking, Dante arranged the files neatly in front of Rowen, making it easy for him to review.
Rowen always felt that Dante was somewhat wasted as his Vice-Captain. Not only could Dante efficiently organize the pile of official tasks that gave him a headache within an hour, but he also executed all orders flawlessly.
Furthermore, Dante’s own strength was not to be underestimated, and he was well-liked among the soldiers. He was definitely a talent destined to become a future Captain!
If the Straw Hats appeared a little later in the original plot, say ten years later, by the time Dante reached his peak, he would undoubtedly be an important character with significant screen time, he might even be on par with “White Hunter” Smoker.
Of course, without Rowen, Dante would never have had the determination to train in the Moonlike Stream Murdering Sword, squeezing out his body’s potential day and night, to reach his current standard.
At best, he would have been a Justice warrior waiting to be saved, just an accompaniment to the Straw Hats.
Moreover, Dante knew quite a few of Rowen’s secrets. Even if they were minor secrets, they were still secrets, and Rowen would not let him go.
“Oh? Three of them?”
Rowen was a bit curious as he picked up the files. In his memory, there was only one person who could match the appearance he described. Where did the other two come from?
The first one was from the Seven Stars Island on the Number One Route in the First Half of the Grand Line.
Rowen glanced at the photo of the little giant who probably weighed over 500 pounds, his mouth twitched, and he tossed the file aside.
“I want the ‘Robust Man,’ not this freak!”
The second one…
“Kill this one…”
Before tossing aside the file, Rowen casually added.
And the third one…
“That’s him!”
Having been disappointed twice in a row, Rowen had lost hope, but when he saw the figure in the third photo clearly, his eyes lit up.
The photo was taken at a shabby gambling den, and from the layout, it didn’t seem to be a wealthy place. The gamblers mostly wore patched clothes, and one could even smell the fishy odor through the photo.
A tall and robust man in his fifties sat at the other end of a gambling table, dressed in tattered coarse cloth. He seemed to have just passed through a downpour, with his straw cloak still damp.
It looked like he had lost some money when the photo was taken, as he sighed and shook his head in resignation, searching his pocket to find a few wrinkled Belly.
“Is it him?”
Dante curiously glanced at the photo and thought to himself. ‘An old blind man, or an old gambler. He doesn’t have any special background. What’s so remarkable about him that Vice Admiral Rowen, who is now at the height of his fame, is going all out to find him, arranging a secret mission, and even issuing a severe warning of military punishment if he is disturbed!’
…
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