Chapter 224: Sengoku's Decision
Doberman frowned when he heard Axel's words.
From the conversation between Vergo and Axel, he could tell there was more hidden beneath the surface. For someone like Doberman, who believed in Absolute Justice, he naturally intended to continue investigating.
But just as he stepped forward to question Axel, a figure beside him stopped him.
It was Admiral Kizaru.
"Admiral Kizaru, what is the meaning of this?" Doberman asked. "Could this be favoritism?"
"This matter was reported by Captain Axel," Kizaru said lazily. "If there's anything you want to ask, you can ask later."
Then he added, "Besides, my relationship with that kid isn't exactly good."
It would have been better if he had not mentioned that.
The moment Kizaru thought of the boy, he remembered those mocking words from before, and irritation immediately rose in his heart.
However, Axel was now a Marine.
Kizaru was not bored enough to go out of his way to find trouble with him.
Hearing Kizaru say this, Doberman could only suppress his questions for now and escort Vergo away.
Before leaving, however, he turned back and gave Axel a deep look.
If this matter was found to be connected to Axel, he would not let it rest.
Axel simply shrugged in response.
Whether Vergo would betray Doflamingo or not, even if he did speak, Axel could at most be charged with withholding information.
Could he really be convicted because of that?
Perhaps.
But considering his relationship with Garp, he most likely would not receive any substantial punishment.
Kizaru walked past Axel and whispered, "What a terrifying kid. This time, you treated us as your hired muscle, didn't you?"
Thinking through the entire incident, along with what Vergo had just said, it was not difficult to piece together what had happened.
The information Axel had passed along made one thing clear.
He had known about Vergo's identity for a long time, but had not revealed it until now.
And the reason he revealed it this time was to use the Marines as his blade.
What made Kizaru even more annoyed was that, as the Admiral stationed at Marineford, he had no choice but to help this brat who had slandered him multiple times, even while understanding the truth of the situation.
"You must be getting old and overthinking things," Axel said. "I'm clearly a Marine too. How could I possibly use you guys as hired muscle?"
Then he lightly shifted his waist, causing the wooden blade tucked at the front of his belt to sway.
"Look. I even have a wooden blade at my waist. If you guys couldn't handle it, I would have stepped in to help with this wooden blade."
This kid...
If that situation had really happened, would he have stepped forward to help?
Kizaru thought it would already be a miracle if Axel did not just run away.
Moreover, the brat had slandered him again.
But this time, Kizaru had no intention of finding trouble with him.
Setting aside the fact that Axel was now a Marine, just looking at the way the boy used the Marines as his muscle, plotted against the World Government, and had previously attacked a Celestial Dragon, it was clear he was not a peaceful person.
Getting too involved with him would only bring trouble.
And trouble was what Kizaru hated most.
"Say what you want," Kizaru said. "I wasn't planning to make trouble for you over the previous matters anyway."
His tone remained lazy.
"But you'd better think carefully about how to explain this to Sengoku."
Axel naturally understood what Kizaru meant by explanation.
Why had he hidden Vergo's identity?
How had he found out?
What were the specific details?
And after those questions, many others would likely follow.
Axel sighed.
There was no way around it.
Since he had used the Marines as his blade, he had already prepared himself for this.
He had considered dealing with Vergo during the sea voyage, but that method was far too forced.
Setting aside whether he could truly match Vergo's strength, what justification would he have for taking him down?
The other Marines would only see him attacking a Marine Vice Admiral.
In that case, he would most likely be branded with the crime of attacking a superior officer.
That charge would be difficult to clear.
By the book.
A matter involving a Marine Vice Admiral was better left to Marineford.
That was why he had ultimately made this decision.
Solving the problem here was only part of it.
There were still more distant issues to handle.
That was why his final sentence had carried a specific meaning.
Although Doflamingo valued profit above all and could abandon even family members for it, he also deeply cared for his family, treating them as actual kin.
Therefore, Axel's last line, "Tesoro is a businessman. Cooperating with him isn't against the law, right?" had not been meant for the Marines.
On the contrary, it had been meant for Doflamingo.
After all, Vergo carried a Black Den Den Mushi, commonly known as a wiretap.
It was precisely there so Doflamingo could listen in.
On Tesoro's side, Axel had been asked to expose Vergo's identity, and he had succeeded.
This meant that, in Tesoro's eyes, their cooperation was now established.
As long as Doflamingo investigated, the conflict would undoubtedly point toward Tesoro.
Since Axel was stationed at Marineford, he was a target Doflamingo would find difficult to retaliate against.
So that pirate would have no choice but to vent his fury on Tesoro.
This was exactly the result Axel wanted.
He was not cooperating with Doflamingo.
Nor was he cooperating with Tesoro.
The only person he was cooperating with was himself.
So inciting conflict between the two parties was the outcome he desired most.
On the other side, Sengoku was currently suffering from a massive headache over the matter.
Without a doubt, this arrest operation had been far too blatant.
And because it was so blatant, the matter could not be concealed.
This was equivalent to announcing to the world that inside the Marines, who prided themselves on justice, a pirate had actually reached the rank of Vice Admiral.
What did that represent?
It represented a slap to the face of every Marine.
At the very least, the Marines would find it difficult to hold their heads high and claim to be the embodiment of justice.
If even their own Vice Admirals could be pirates, would people not wonder whether other officers were the same?
Sengoku naturally did not want the news to spread like this.
The problem was that the spread of information could no longer be suppressed.
Fortunately, the culprit had been arrested.
Otherwise, the situation might have escalated even further.
However...
Sengoku looked at the slip of paper on his desk.
[The man belongs to Doflamingo. Don't ask me how I know, because I don't know either.]
He pressed a hand against his forehead, feeling a migraine coming on.
This brat had truly washed his hands clean.
Sengoku had called him over for questioning, and Axel had simply handed over this note.
After half a day, Sengoku finally came up with an idea.
"A bastard just like Garp."
His expression darkened.
"But since you want to push all the trouble away, I'll dump this trouble right onto you."
He picked up his pen and wrote an order on the paper.
[For his merit in arresting the criminal Vergo, Captain Axel is promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral and will be responsible for the sea area near Dressrosa.]
After finishing the order, Sengoku's mood improved significantly.
"He's probably the first person in history to become a Rear Admiral at such a young age, right?"
This was exactly the result Sengoku wanted to see.
The matter of Vergo would undoubtedly be overshadowed by Axel's achievement.
And didn't that brat want to push away the matter involving Doflamingo?
Then Sengoku would make him responsible for that piece of maritime scum.
Doflamingo.
"However, with that kid's current strength, facing Doflamingo might still be a bit dangerous."
Sengoku murmured for a moment, then quickly made another decision.
"Let Doberman go along as well."
.....
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