Chapter 626 The Eve of the Final Battle

Akainu and Dragon are two men who are both rivals and allies— this has been true both in the past and the present.

One can tell from Dragon's words when he was captured that he and Sakazuki shared an unusually close bond back when they were both in the War Faction.

At first, Akainu regarded Dragon as an adversary in order to surpass him and prove himself. Later, he considered him an enemy simply because Dragon had become the leader of the Revolutionary Army, placing them on opposing sides.

Now, seeing that the Revolutionary Army, built by the very rival he viewed as his lifelong adversary, has been pushed to the brink by Rowen— it would be impossible for Akainu to have no thoughts on the matter.

After all, which Admiral doesn't shine as a once-in-a-generation talent?

Akainu possesses his own pride and principles, and so it's laughable to think that anyone could force him to submit.

Still, Akainu has no criticism of Rowen's achievements; in fact, he has a great deal of respect for them. However, his feelings now are more of regret and frustration.

In short:

I've considered you my lifelong rival, and this is how you end up— defeated by someone else?

What does that make me?

A joke?!

That's pretty much the idea.

Akainu didn't react angrily to Rowen's playful comment, only shook his head, crossing his arms and remaining silent. He needed to steady himself in preparation for the upcoming battle.

"The Revolutionary Army… if they dare show up again, I'll make them understand what Marine justice truly is!" 

Sengoku opened his eyes, and a look of disdain crossed his face.

In this sea, strength rules above all. Without Dragon and Kuma, the Revolutionary Army has no remaining force that could rival the Marines.

At most, they might stir up pockets of rebellion here and there, which, though time-consuming due to their widespread presence, will eventually be rooted out.

Sengoku then scanned the room, addressing everyone.

"Your decision was sound, Rowen," He said.

"As Commander-in-Chief, if you don't even consider the lives of your own men, how can the civilians of the sea trust the Marines to protect them?"

Akainu: "…"

'Say what you will, but stop looking at me like that! And don't think that just because I have my eyes closed, I don't notice!'

Rowen's mouth twitched as he chose to ignore this moment.

Fortunately, Sengoku soon shifted his gaze, continuing, "Our primary adversary in this battle will likely be Whitebeard."

"Next, I'll assign tasks. Before the public announcement…" 

Before he could finish, Rowen suddenly interrupted.

"Apologies, Fleet Admiral, but there's something I've been meaning to tell you all."

Sengoku: "…"

Not even having time to be irritated at being interrupted, Sengoku felt an odd pang of unease.

This troublesome kid— what's he up to now?

"Think carefully before you say anything!" Sengoku shot Rowen a warning glance.

"This is critical information; I felt I shouldn't keep it from you," Rowen replied with an innocent look, shedding his usual casual demeanor. He continued seriously, "After repeated investigations, we've finally confirmed Ace's true identity."

'Shuā!'

The atmosphere in the office immediately grew tense, as serious expressions froze the air, making it hard to breathe.

Staff Officer Tsuru pressed her hand to her chin, her aged face concealing a mind as sharp as ever. "More significant than being Whitebeard's Second Division Commander and Vice Admiral Garp's adopted grandson?"

"Correct!"

Rowen nodded, just about to elaborate when Sengoku cut him off, this time without a hint of retaliation in his tone.

"All right, Rowen… we already know what you're about to say."

Rowen: "Pardon?!"

So, after more than three months of overloading the Assassination Force's intelligence network to gather solid evidence, you're telling me you already knew?!

ヽ(●-`Д-)ノ!

'Who's responsible for this?!'

"Just as Kuma arrived at G-10, 'Blackbeard' Teach passed along a piece of information to the Marines, hoping to negotiate with us, though I refused," Sengoku said calmly, utterly unfazed by the implication of using Teach and then discarding him.

I took the information, but the deal was off.

Teach's face must have been priceless at that moment.

"Initially, we doubted it; after all, it's Blackbeard we're talking about. But since you, the one holding the reins of the Assassination Force, believe it too, the information's authenticity is confirmed."

Sengoku rubbed his tired brow.

"This… about Ace being Roger's son."

"…"

Rowen's eyes narrowed.

"So that's it."

No wonder all three Admirals made it to today's meeting. It seems a lot happened before he returned.

…

After the chaos surrounding Jason, the government didn't prioritize finding Roger's son as much. They'd wait until everyone had mostly forgotten that incident before bringing up such matters publicly. Otherwise, who would believe it if a new "sinful bloodline" suddenly surfaced?

Would Garp really come forward to confirm Ace's identity by claiming that he adopted Roger's son as a dying wish from the Pirate King? What would that mean for the Marines' reputation or the government's authority? A Marine helping such a notorious bloodline escape— betrayal from within?

As the famed "Marine Hero," if Garp admitted to this, the blow to the government's credibility would be no less severe than when Orrick defected! There are three legends in this era, whose brilliance shines so brightly that even Rowen's fame can't overshadow them:

The first is Roger, who started the Age of Pirates.

The second is Whitebeard, a name whispered in children's rhymes as terrifying as a ghost.

And the third…

Is "Marine Hero," "Iron Fist" Garp! The lives of these three have long impacted the world and inspired generations.

And Garp has always represented justice and light.

Now, the entire One Piece world's storylines have shifted, making certain things in the original series less relevant to the current events. The Marines only need to know that their next adversary is Whitebeard—that's enough. Other matters are for higher-ups to deal with.

"'Blackbeard' Teach?"

Soaring high in the air, Rowen's supercharged flight left trails of blue light in the sky. He squinted slightly, a smile playing on his lips.

"Without the original storyline's bargain to gain Shichibukai status, his hopes of breaking into Impel Down to gather pirate crew members are almost impossible. So, will you appear in this war or not?"

Rowen hoped that Teach, a madman whose life was nearing its end, would bring him a few surprises.

In 'his' version of the Paramount War!

…

For now, Ace's capture was kept secret. Kuma and Ace were held in an underground water prison, their hearts removed and guarded by Law, awaiting Zero's return from Century City to escort them. One would likely be sent to the Holy Land, while the other would be transferred to Impel Down.

Returning to G-10 late at night, Rowen appeared in a flash of blue light behind the empty desk in the Base Head's office where Dante sat with his eyes closed, resting. At the sound, Dante opened his eyes.

With a puff of white smoke from his cigar, Rowen raised an eyebrow.

"You crossed swords with him?"

Though Dante had changed clothes, Rowen could still smell the faint scent of blood. For Dante, who ranked second only to Rowen in strength at G-10, there was only one person there capable of injuring him.

"Thirty-seven moves…" Dante's breathing was erratic, his voice alternately icy and savage, like that of a madman.

Yet, he wasn't actually insane. Compared to truly bloodthirsty pirates, Dante was a highly rational, calculated killing machine. His mind was what Rowen valued most about him.

This time, though, he had encountered a particularly intense challenge, throwing him into a chaotic state under the killing intent of the Moonlike Stream Sword Technique.

"If he'd been willing to take some damage, he could've ended it in under twenty moves," Dante replied, gripping his famous blade "Clear Spring" tightly, veins bulging.

This gap in swordsmanship, even more than the skill gap he sensed between himself and Rowen, left a lasting impression on Dante.

"Taking you down in thirty-seven moves without a scratch— that's Mihawk for you…"

Rowen smiled, giving Dante a quick look. "Don't compare yourself to me, Dante. Mihawk became a legend after decades of honing his skill, but he once failed and was once weak, too. The gap between you and him isn't as vast as you might think."

Mihawk had only earned his title as the "World's Strongest Swordsman" after many years without defeat.

Dante's strength now was comparable to Mihawk's earlier days, when he, too, had faced losses.

No one's strength is built overnight, not even Rowen's. Dante would need more time to challenge Mihawk's perfected swordsmanship.

"I know…" Dante smirked.

But really, if you can't offer any comfort, just keep quiet, would you?! What do you mean, "Don't compare yourself to me?" We trained together as recruits— if I don't compare myself to you, who should I compare with?

"When are you starting?"

Grumbling inwardly, Dante changed the topic.

"Tomorrow," Rowen replied, his tone casual, as though discussing tomorrow's breakfast instead of a life-or-death duel testing his convictions.

But the confidence and authority radiating from him were even more startling.

(End Of Chapter)

You can read ahead up to 90 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395