If Chaton were by Rowen’s side right now, the two would probably have to consider the feasibility of knocking Carina unconscious and taking her away. Fortunately, as the most popular representative of Marine Headquarters No.1, Momousagi’s charm was irresistible, appealing to both men and women!
After Momousagi’s reassurance, Carina gradually calmed down, sitting on the sofa farthest from Rowen, cradling a cup of hot tea in her hands.
“So, you want me to betray Tesoro?” Carina asked.
Knowing that the others wouldn’t harm her, the confident superstar persona returned to Carina. At this moment, a faint smile appeared on her lips, and Carina, with a glint in her eyes, seemed to have an idea.
Momousagi subtly frowned, about to speak, when she suddenly heard Rowen calmly say, “Don’t play your little tricks on me, Carina.”
The cold tone sent shivers down Carina’s spine. She looked up, meeting Rowen’s penetrating gaze.
“For me, your only value lies in the information you’ve gathered about Golden City over the years.”
“You better honestly hand over the information to us. Otherwise… you probably don’t know yet but I’m a person who only values results.”
Only values results? Did that mean he didn’t care about the process? Recalling the experiences from a moment ago, Carina felt a slight pain all over her body and immediately abandoned her clever thoughts, nodding hurriedly.
Seeing this, Momousagi approached her and whispered, “Rest assured, Carina San. As long as you cooperate with our work, I will ensure your safety.”
Having visited Golden City numerous times for missions over the years, Momousagi was quite familiar to Carina. Combined with her innate charisma, Carina breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I… I understand!”
Finishing her words, she lightly tugged on Momousagi’s sleeve, seemingly afraid of being left alone with Rowen.
Observing this, Momousagi cast a deep glance at Rowen.
This guy is indeed cunning!
Playing the innocent card might be an old trick, but the reason it remains effective is that when used properly, its impact cannot be ignored and is not washed away by the river of time.
Momousagi couldn’t help but speculate that Rowen might have had a plan in mind from the moment Chaton urgently contacted him, quietly setting up these means.
As long as Carina harbors a genuine fear, everything falls into place.
Oh, men are too clever; they’re hard to manage!
Taking a moment to mourn for Ain in her heart, Momousagi stood up and said, “Since that’s settled, I’ll take her away now… Also, although I don’t think there will be any problems, Rowen…”
“Yes, yes! I know…” Rolling his eyes helplessly, Rowen sighed, “You guys go first. I’ll intervene as soon as Tesoro makes a move, alright?”
“Why not intervene now?” Momousagi said discontentedly. “Making decisions on a whim is not a safe practice!”
“No, this involves a man’s dignity!” Rowen firmly refused.
Dignity… issue??
Momousagi was first stunned, then seemed to realize something and a blush flew to her pretty pink cheeks. She lightly spat, “Shameless!”
…
At this moment, Tesoro was busy arranging schedules and was still unaware that Rowen had completely duped him.
In the hotel room, Rowen closed his eyes, activating the Heart Network, observing every corner of Golden City.
“Carina being taken away is also troublesome for me… In that case, it’s better to take the initiative!”
Using Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), Rowen found an entrance to an underground passage emitting a faint bloody smell in a corner of Golden City. A slight smirk played on his lips.
Soon, a seductively dressed, drunken woman was discreetly brought to the room by a Thunderclone.
“Who are you?! Do you know who I am?!” The woman, feeling uneasy, looked at him, sobering up halfway.
“Just a destitute Noble who can only afford to buy back-row tickets to watch Colosseum performances. I’m not interested in knowing who you are… I only know that I should kill you. After all what you are to me?”
Under the terrified gaze of the woman, Rowen spread his hand, and thunder roared.
Boom… Crack!
The deafening thunder awakened the entire Golden City. People on the streets below scrambled, avoiding the cement and gold bricks falling from the hotel’s high floors, screaming in distress.
Sensing the intense tremors, hotel staff paused for a second before swiftly rushing to the floor where the incident occurred.
Looking at the room with a half-circular gap blasted open, molten golden liquid flowing on the ground, the group nervously swallowed saliva.
In the remaining half of the room, Rowen, disheveled shirt open, held a bottle of rum, sitting on the surviving sofa, leisurely sipping his drink.
Surroundings turned charred in the thunderstorm, and a dried-up corpse emitting a burnt odor clung to the nearby wall, almost unrecognizable as humanoid.
“S-Soryu… Soryu (Azure Dragon)-sama, I don’t know…”
The hotel manager squeezed through the crowd, sweat streaming down his forehead. He cautiously assessed Rowen’s expression and accompanied it with a smile, “Is there anything not to your satisfaction, Soryu (Azure Dragon)-sama? Please let me know, and I’ll rearrange everything immediately.”
“Oh? Don’t worry; it has nothing to do with you.”
Rowen slowly took a sip of his drink and glanced at the hotel manager. “It’s just that your songstress has a bad temper, and coincidentally, I’m not very patient either. So, I went a bit heavy-handed.”
“Naturally, you can rest assured! Whatever losses we incurred, I won’t dispute!”
“No need to be so formal, Soryu-Sama, you don’t need to do anything!”
The hotel manager knew very well that the person in front of him was a Great Character personally sent by Tesoro, not only possessing a noble status but also renowned as a formidable Sea warrior! Even if he demolished the entire building, the hotel manager wouldn’t dare mention compensation.
It’s just a pity about that songstress…
Glancing at the charred remains on the wall, encased in burnt and carbonized flesh, the hotel manager swallowed nervously.
The famous star Carina… This is something!
Many people desired a close encounter with her, and even Mr. Tesoro himself hesitated due to her popularity and money-drawing abilities, never succeeding.
However, now, if one didn’t know beforehand, who could recognize her from this corpse?
Naturally, it’s none of my business!
The hotel manager decisively chose to distance himself, smiling as he rearranged accommodations for Rowen while discreetly informing “Gold Emperor” Tesoro about the incident.
“Bastard Soryu (Azure Dragon), is he trying to test me again?!”
Learning that his cash cow, Carina, had been turned into charcoal, Tesoro’s immediate reaction was anger. But his anger wasn’t directed at Rowen daring to kill someone and not giving him face; it was the implications behind this incident.
He refused to believe that the fearsome Marine Soryu (Azure Dragon) of the New World would act irrationally just because Carina was disobedient. That woman had some backbone, and having a bad temper was a given.
Considering the series of actions the other party took after arriving in Golden City, Tesoro firmly believed this was another of Rowen’s provocations.
Do you think I’ll lose my temper? I won’t fall for it! She is just a mere songstress, what’s the big deal?
“Send him 10 Billion Belly as compensation, and directly arrange a hundred women for him as a gesture of goodwill!”
After conveying the order, Tesoro smirked.
Wait and see! Once I control more government power, I’ll make you vomit everything with interest!
…
On the other side, Momousagi, accompanied by Carina, heard the news of Carina’s “death” transmitted by Chaton in the middle of their journey. Both of them looked utterly confused.
However, they immediately thought this was Rowen’s doing and hastened their pace.
Especially Carina!
The thought of being “dead” intensified her fear of Rowen. From East Blue to the Grand Line, Carina believed she had encountered quite a few cunning and powerful figures, but no man, like Rowen, had ever exerted this level of pressure on her.
The Sea is truly terrifying!
(End of this chapter)
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