"Fire!" Colonel Smoker commanded. The cannons on the warship began to turn, and a barrage of shells flew through the air, their deafening roar echoing across the sea.
"Whizz!" The shells whistled through the air, sending splashes of water shooting into the sky near the Dawn. Occasionally, a few shells that were about to land on the ship were detonated mid-air by small explosive devices launched by Mr. 5.
"Sandstorm!" Rosen waved his hand, and a sandstorm shot into the sky, exploding several shells in the air.
"BOSS, these Marines are really getting on my nerves. I suggest we stop the ship and wipe them out. After all, they were the ones who attacked us first," Daz Bones said coldly.
"Yeah, we've been chased for nearly half an hour. The course is getting off track," Mr. 5 added impatiently. "Although I've got plenty of hair, this kind of long-distance attack is exhausting. What if I go bald?"
"BOSS, have you tried contacting Marine Headquarters? I believe the evidence they have is insufficient to make a real case. As one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, all you need to do is explain the situation to them. It might make these Marines back off," Robin suggested, clearly disturbed by the ongoing attack. She was trying to read, but it seed impossible with all this interference from both pirates and Marines.
"Hm?" Rosen's eyes lit up at Robin's suggestion. It made sense. If things continued like this, it wouldn't end well. If they retaliated and sank the ship, it would be hard to explain the consequences, especially since Smoker, had he not been tricked by Crocodile and locked up in the Seastone prison, would still be a formidable opponent.
The main issue for Rosen was that this battle had no real significance for his safety. If they kept up their speed, they could shake Smoker off eventually, but it would take ti. However, if a single phone call could solve it, that would save ti and effort. After all, if they didn't find a way to stop, Rosen would soon be the one getting frustrated.
Rosen vaguely rembered that the Seven Warlords should have a way to contact Marine Headquarters. However, since he was reincarnated into this world, he couldn't recall the details. So, he decided to start from the basics: "Do any of you know the Den Den Mushi number for Marine Headquarters?"
"I know it," Valentine imdiately responded.
"Great, get the Den Den Mushi and dial Marine Headquarters," Rosen said, not surprised. After all, such information should be public. Otherwise, how could the general population get in touch with the Marines? The Marines were, after all, the official force in this world, and back in East Blue, even the villagers in Nami's village could call them.
Brr-brr-brr-brr... The Den Den Mushi began dialing. Having seen it a few tis before, Rosen was still quite curious about these creatures. Not only could they mimic voices, but they could even imitate human expressions. It was fascinating.
Click… The Den Den Mushi connected.
"Marine Headquarters, Intelligence Departnt. How may I help you?" a Marine soldier answered, busy registering intelligence.
At the Headquarters, they received nurous calls daily. While local Marine bases handled most of the data, so still contacted the Intelligence Departnt directly. The soldiers there registered these reports and forwarded any valuable information to their superiors. The building was filled with Den Den Mushi stations, each with its own connection line, and there were many staff mbers attending to them.
"This is Crocodile, a Warlord of the Sea. Is this a mid-level officer?" Rosen asked into the receiver.
"A Warlord of the Sea... Crocodile?!" The Marine intelligence officer was stunned. He had worked there for a long ti and had never received a call from one of the Seven Warlords.
"Are you really a Warlord of the Sea? This isn't so prank, is it?" Although startled, the officer was still cautious, wanting to confirm the information. The title of a Seven Warlord of the Sea was no joke. It was one of the three major powers recognized by the World Governnt, able to stand toe-to-toe with the Marines and the Four Emperors. A simple call like this was not sothing a low-ranking Marine should be dealing with.
"Check the bounty poster and compare it with the Den Den Mushi," Rosen said, his tone indifferent. He had to admit, things weren't going smoothly from the start.
"Of course, please hold on..." The officer hurriedly confird Rosen's identity by checking the bounty list, and soon notified his superior. Within monts, a Marine officer of the rank of Rear Admiral rushed to the phone.
"Hello, I am Rear Admiral Steelres from Marine Headquarters. Is this the Warlord Crocodile? How can I assist you?" Steelres said in a calm voice, though his mind was full of questions.
"I was sailing from Alabasta when I was inexplicably attacked by the Marines. The officer in charge is one Smoker. I want to confirm if this action is a unilateral move by Marine Headquarters to break the Seven Warlords agreent?" Rosen explained slowly.
The ntion of tearing up the Seven Warlords agreent imdiately caused Rear Admiral Steelres to break into a cold sweat. Unilaterally breaking the agreent with the Seven Warlords was no small matter. Even Marshal Sengoku wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility. After all, the Seven Warlords were a special force recognized by the World Governnt, and despite so opposition within the Marine ranks, they couldn't dismantle the system unless it was formally abolished.
"Please hold on. I will notify Marshal Sengoku imdiately to investigate the truth of the situation," Steelres said quickly. While not a huge issue, the potential ramifications were enough to warrant the attention of the highest authorities.
"I'll wait for your response. If I see the pursuit continues in half an hour, I will consider it a breach of agreent and retaliate by sinking your warships," Rosen warned before hanging up.
"Damned pirates," Steelres muttered angrily, though he had no choice but to report the matter up the chain of command. The audacity of a pirate acting so brazenly just because they held the Seven Warlords title was infuriating.
"Do you think this will work?" Robin asked, surprised. "You didn't even ntion the evidence you left in Alabasta or anything like that."
"It should work. If I'm not mistaken, Smoker has defied orders more than once. The higher-ups won't have a favorable view of him," Rosen replied calmly. "Keep the ship going. It's almost lunchti. Let's have the chef prepare sothing to eat."
"Understood. I'll arrange it," Valentine volunteered.
"How do you know all this?" Robin asked, puzzled. "Not only did you know the na of the officer in charge, but you also knew quite a bit about him. Do you have spies in the Marines?"
Rosen didn't answer, as he knew the answer was tied to the plot, which was not sothing he could reveal.
Smoker, anwhile, was holding a Den Den Mushi that had just started ringing.
"Marine Headquarters?" Smoker asked, confused.
A mont later...
"Not enough evidence... not enough evidence! These guys at Headquarters! It's so obvious! Damn it! This system, this whole system, it's all because of the Seven Warlords..." Smoker growled, punching the mast in anger. His face was grim.
The evidence he had provided was dismissed by Marine Headquarters for lack of substance, and he was ordered to cease the pursuit. To make matters worse, it was an order directly from Marshal Sengoku.
Despite his frustration, Smoker couldn't ignore the command from his superior. He reluctantly issued the order: "All ships, cease pursuit and return to Alabasta. If we need evidence, we'll go find it. Crocodile..."
"BOSS, the Marines behind us have stopped chasing. They're retreating," Mr. 1 reported.
"Mm," Rosen nodded. This was to be expected. Even with solid evidence, if it didn't threaten the interests of the Marines or the World Governnt, they were likely to turn a blind eye.
"Keep the core crew operating the ship. Everyone else should head to the dining hall. Robin, explain the details of the next island to everyone so they can prepare ntally," Rosen instructed. After being chased for almost an hour, everyone was on edge. It was ti to take a break. Besides, Rosen was hungry himself. Ever since coming to the One Piece world, he found himself constantly hungry, and his enhanced physical strength consud a lot of energy.
"Understood, BOSS," everyone replied, relieved. No casualties was always a good thing.
"Nico Robin, you've been with for a few years now, haven't you?" Rosen said, walking shoulder to shoulder with Robin toward the dining hall.
"Yes, why?" Robin looked at Crocodile, unsure of why he was bringing this up.
"I need to ask you sothing. Did I have many enemies before?" Rosen thought carefully before asking. This was important to know. After all, he had already made a powerful enemy in Luffy, but what about the others? With Crocodile's ruthless nature, he was bound to have made plenty of enemies over the years. Even Smoker, who should have been focused on chasing the Straw Hats, had turned his attention to him.
(End of Chapter)
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