Chapter 158: The Approaching Crisis
Spandam lounged on the sofa, his face freshly treated and wrapped in new gauze.
At a glance, he looked bored.
But the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth was impossible to hide. It bloomed across his face with such force that even the fresh burns beneath the bandages began to ache.
"The higher-ups actually left me in charge of investigating whether the Pluton blueprints were real…"
That meant his chance at promotion had not disappeared.
Not only that, he could use this opportunity to deal with that wretched brat.
What pleased him even more was the Gorosei's new order. Considering Axel's strength, they had temporarily given Spandam authority over CP9.
CP9.
That was the position his father, Spandine, had once held.
Unlike an ordinary intelligence unit, CP9 commanded real elites. It was power in the truest sense. It was also the position Spandam had dreamed of for years.
His smile stretched a little wider.
Then pain shot across his face.
"Hiss!"
Spandam sucked in a sharp breath and hurriedly covered his bandaged cheek. His beautiful dream nearly collapsed on the spot because of a burn wound.
No.
If he wanted that dream to continue, he needed results.
If there were still backup copies of the blueprints, obtaining them would be an even greater achievement than before.
"Investigate that brat at once," Spandam ordered.
Although he now had the authority to command CP9, his original CP5 intelligence network was still under him. Naturally, he would use whatever tools were available.
One of his subordinates hesitated and asked, "Sir… by 'that brat,' you mean…"
Spandam froze.
Then his face twisted.
"Are you an idiot?! Who else could I mean but that brat Axel? Look into his files, his movements, his contacts, everything related to him! And don't ask me how to do it, because I don't know either! Do you understand? If you understand, then move!"
Under Spandam's roar, the surrounding agents scattered at once, afraid of becoming the next target of his temper.
Watching them flee, Spandam pressed a hand to his forehead.
How did he end up with such useless subordinates?
A clever man like him should have clever men serving under him. That was only logical. Yet reality had given him a pack of bootlickers who were good for little besides nodding, flattering, and breathing.
Fortunately, things were different now.
He had better subordinates available.
As for the old ones, they had nearly outlived their usefulness.
At the very least, they could still make one final contribution to his promotion.
Though Spandam looked down on them, his agents were not slow. A few days later, the investigation was complete, and the files were delivered to him.
Spandam was sprawled lazily on the sofa when the report arrived. He sat up, stretched, and accepted the documents from his subordinate. After flipping through only a few pages, he lost interest.
Reading was troublesome.
Listening was faster.
"What did you find?"
The agent immediately lowered his head and began reporting.
"According to the investigation, Axel first appeared suddenly at Marineford. Vice Admiral Garp personally reported that he was his grandson. After that, he entered Instructor Zephyr's training camp…"
"Stop."
Spandam cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand.
"I don't want a biography. Tell me what matters. Anything related to the Pluton blueprints."
"Yes, sir. Based on the available information, there are only two periods during which Captain Axel could have obtained the Pluton blueprints."
The agent continued carefully, "The first was after he left the Judicial Ship without authorization and later appeared in Water 7. During that time, he had contact with Tom."
Spandam's eyes narrowed.
"The second was about a month later, when he returned to Water 7 and had contact with Tom's apprentice, Iceburg."
The agent paused, then added, "At present, the second possibility is higher."
"Why?"
"Afterward, Captain Axel sent Iceburg a strange letter. The contents were: 'I saved Mr. Tom, but I'm keeping him. So, goodbye.' Based on the surrounding circumstances, it is possible that Iceburg used the blueprints to ask Captain Axel to save Tom, but for some reason, Captain Axel went back on the agreement."
Spandam tapped the rolled file against his palm.
"So you're saying the blueprints were most likely in that Fishman's apprentice's hands before?"
"…Yes."
"Then why didn't you find them when I ordered the search?"
The intelligence agent fell silent.
Finding something was far harder than hiding it.
That was simple common sense.
But simple common sense was not something one casually threw at Spandam when he was angry.
The agent lowered his head and endured the scolding in silence.
Spandam glared at him for a while, then clicked his tongue.
"Forget it. No matter how much I scold you people, it won't make you smarter."
He leaned forward. "Does Iceburg still have a backup copy of the blueprints?"
"We considered that possibility and sent professionals to search in advance, but they found nothing. Later, we received word that Iceburg went to Captain Axel to demand Tom's return. He was refused. Captain Axel told him that he could only take Tom back once he became the world's number one shipwright."
Spandam stared at him.
"What does that have to do with my question?"
Seeing his confusion, the agent hurriedly explained, "If Iceburg still had another copy of the blueprints, he could have used it to threaten Captain Axel into releasing Tom. Since he did not do so, we believe the likelihood of there being no backup is fairly high."
Spandam rolled up the documents and waved them wildly in the air.
"What you believe means nothing to me! I want certainty! Certainty! Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Is there anything else?"
"Yes. Within the Marine base, Captain Axel's relationship with Commander Yulia appears to be poor. According to our internal reports, Captain Axel recently forced Commander Yulia to run errands for him. Perhaps we can use that conflict to obtain information from Yulia."
Spandam's eyes sharpened.
"Has it been done?"
"Not… yet."
Spandam's irritation flared again.
"You already have an idea, so why haven't you acted on it?"
The agent kept his head down.
They were intelligence personnel, yes, but matters involving the Marines were not something they could touch casually. Simple searches and reports were one thing. Direct contact with a Marine officer required permission from above.
But he knew Spandam too well to argue.
"Yes, sir. We will handle it immediately."
Seeing the agent still standing there, Spandam snapped, "Then why are you still here? Get out!"
The agent quickly reached into his coat.
"This is the Den Den Mushi for contacting CP9. It was just delivered."
He presented the Den Den Mushi with both hands.
Spandam's anger vanished at once.
He took it with shining eyes.
This was what he had been waiting for.
At the same time, inside the Marine base on San Faldo Island, Commander Yulia sat in silence, his brows drawn tight.
His already aged face seemed even older than usual.
A message had just arrived.
It came through the World Government's channels. He was certain it was genuine, but the contents were harder to believe.
As long as he provided certain materials, once the matter was settled, he would be given the chance to replace Captain Axel as commander of the base.
Yulia did not believe such convenient blessings existed in this world.
The World Government did have the authority to interfere with internal Marine appointments, but under normal circumstances, they would not use it lightly. Many Marines resented that authority. Officers who had climbed upward through military merit would never calmly accept being moved around like pieces on a board.
Yulia did not believe the World Government would exercise that power just for him.
Most likely, someone in the Government wanted to deal with Axel and intended to use him as the blade.
After serving in the Marines for so many years, Yulia understood enough about both the Government and the Navy to recognize the shape of a trap.
He was not stupid.
He would not be the bird that stuck its head out first and got shot.
But he also did not want to let the chance slip away.
As he had said before, he was already past middle age and moving toward old age. If he could not become a captain soon, then he would likely remain at his current rank for the rest of his life.
For a long time, Yulia said nothing.
Then, in silence, he made his decision.
And began preparing.
.....
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