“My main task is escorting pirates, so I need to go and take them over from King of Dressrosa first.”
“Very well. I’ll have Cipher Pol agents quietly investigate this matter and try not to attract the other side’s attention. Since you’re going to see the king anyway, you might as well have him mobilize the kingdom’s army to help us with this.
The kingdom’s troops are more familiar with Dressrosa’s terrain. If there really is a Lunarian hiding on the island, they might actually be able to find them.”
Up to now, they only suspected that someone possibly from the Lunarian race was hiding on the island, and planned to conduct a search first before drawing conclusions.
The agents on the ship removed their black suits and changed into ordinary clothes before landing on Dressrosa.
Those black suits made their identities clearer, but also exposed their profession, so they would not wear them during covert investigations.
Sometimes, in order to achieve certain goals, remaining undercover for several years was not unheard of.
As the agents entered Dressrosa in batches, the Marine Vice Admiral leading the team had already arrived at Dressrosa’s Royal Palace, completed the handover of the pirate prisoners with Doldo, and paid the bounties that were due.
“King Riku, there is a matter that requires Dressrosa’s assistance.”
“What is it?”
“We’ve received information that a Lunarian may have appeared on this island. Please dispatch the kingdom’s army to help us search the entire country and confirm whether a Lunarian has indeed appeared here.”
Hearing this, Doldo’s expression did not change, but his thoughts went to the ‘mummy girl’ by Nereus’s side.
He knew what his old friend was often up to, and Dressrosa itself had taken in some homeless people.
It wouldn’t be strange at all for Nereus to take in a few individuals from rare races.
“Are you certain?”
“Not certain, just a suspicion, which is why we need assistance…”
“I see. I refuse.”
“What did you say?”
“I said I refuse to help you, Vice Admiral Cormac. To mobilize the entire kingdom’s army and disrupt my citizens’ lives over an unconfirmed piece of information is something I will not agree to.”
“King Riku, that is a race wanted by the World Government. For you to do this—”
“If you have an order from the World Government, or sufficiently reliable intelligence, then I can indeed help you. But to use the kingdom’s army over a vague possibility, Vice Admiral Cormac, please do not misunderstand your position.
A Vice Admiral does not have the authority to command the king of an affiliated nation.”
The World Government had more than 170 affiliated nations, and those 170-plus kings essentially represented the voice of the world. The fifty kings with Levely participation held even higher status.
The Celestial Dragons, those world nobles, did look down on ordinary kings, but Marine officers had no authority to command them. Instead, they were responsible for protecting them.
Doldo’s reasoning was sound. Even if Cormac felt dissatisfied, there was nothing he could do.
After all, he could not produce an order from the World Government, and if the matter escalated, neither Marine Headquarters nor Mariejois would support him.
“I don’t care what you do, but don’t disturb Dressrosa. Otherwise, I will lodge a complaint against you at Mariejois.”
“I understand, King Riku…”
Cormac took a deep breath and then withdrew from the Royal Palace.
“Captain of the Guard, go find Scarlett and tell her that it’s not safe outside. Ask her to stop playing around and come back early.””
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As the Marines left the Royal Palace, Doldo also arranged for someone to notify Scarlett. At the moment, Scarlett was playing with Nanamo. He believed she would understand the meaning behind his words.
As for why he didn’t make a call, Doldo was worried that the Marines might have Black Den Den Mushi used for eavesdropping. Some matters were better not brought out into the open.
Yes, an affiliated nation having contact with pirates was not something unacceptable. If anything, it was an open secret.
It wasn’t strange for powerful countries to secretly keep a group of pirates.
Kano Country alone had several naval forces under its banner, including the Happo Navy and the Niho Navy. The leader of the Happo Navy, Chinjao, was even wanted by the World Government, yet that did not prevent him from moving about freely.
Even after being defeated by Garp, he was not arrested like an ordinary pirate, and his son could even appear at the Levely as a guard.
It was just that such things couldn’t be made too obvious. As long as there was no evidence like recorded phone calls, excuses could always be found.
Before long, after King Riku’s Captain of the Guard hurriedly left King’s Plateau to look for Scarlett, Hermes also noticed something amiss.
“Princess Nanamo, something’s wrong. Those people are fishy. They don’t look like merchants, they look like they’re searching for something.
And they seem to have designs on us… no, on Amphy.”
Never underestimate persecution paranoia. To people suffering from it, even a subconscious glance can arouse suspicion, let alone looks that clearly carry a specific intent.
“Cipher Pol agents?”
When it comes to stress-related issues in this regard, Amphitrite actually has it more severe. Hermes merely thought it was a possibility, but Amphitrite was truly experiencing it.
She instinctively reached for the long sword at her waist, but Nanamo stopped her.
“Sister Amphy, don’t get worked up yet. With your current disguise, if they’re not sure of your identity, they won’t make a move in public. This is the territory of an affiliated nation, after all.
Let me contact Dad first. This can be handled easily.”
At the same time, the Captain of the Guard of the Royal Palace also delivered the message.
“What a pity. Let’s stop playing here for today, Scarlett. Next time we meet, I’ll bring you a proper gift.”
“That coral tree is pretty nice.”
“Cough, cough… as long as you like it. I’ll be off first~”
As Nanamo turned to leave, her expression grew dark, even gritting her teeth in anger.
“Don’t let me find out… who was the one that passed this information to the World Government…”
Nanamo wasn’t worried about safety. Nereus had just been traveling with them and was at most a street away. This situation was definitely manageable.
The problem was that her plan to fleece the World Government had fallen apart.
There was no telling how many people were on the island. For all she knew, some ordinary-looking person could be an agent in disguise.
As long as those people weren’t blind, if they noticed Nereus or herself staying by Amphitrite’s side, Amphitrite’s situation would become clear.
Once the World Government realized that Amphitrite was now with Nereus, they certainly wouldn’t invest more manpower or effort for her in the future.
In that case, how was she supposed to fleece the World Government?
Forget several times, she probably wouldn’t even manage it once.
Given the situation, unless Amphitrite becomes her stepmother and brings a younger sibling into the picture, only a Lunarian with an unknown identity like that would have any chance of letting her carry out her plan.
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