An Alabasta maid was carrying today's afternoon tea, walking down the hallway straight towards Rowan's study.
She placed the tray down and then gently knocked on the door.
"Ancestor, your afternoon tea is here."
"Come in."
Hearing the gentle voice, the maid's mood brightened even more.
She wasn't nervous.
But before this, when she was first assigned to deliver afternoon tea to Rowan, the maid had been very nervous.
She had served King Cobra of the Alabasta Kingdom and felt there was no king more kind and gentle than Cobra.
The maid had no idea what kind of personality their ancestor from eight hundred years ago had.
What if he was very stern or cruel?
Just thinking about it was frightening.
But after a period of interaction, the maid couldn't help but sigh, this country truly was the one she loved.
The ruler of Alabasta—their "gentleness" towards others was passed down through generations.
Even if she made some mistakes while serving tea, their ancestor from eight hundred years ago would only smile gently and tell her not to be too nervous.
What a gentle country!
The maid thought to herself.
She pushed the door open and saw Rowan reading by his desk. She slowly walked over and placed the tea and pastries in her hands on the desk.
Then, she bowed slightly.
"Ancestor, please enjoy."
"Thank you, you've worked hard."
Rowan closed the book in his hands, which was about the development of modern science and technology. It recorded many inventions and their working principles from recent times in great detail.
After taking a sip of his black tea, Rowan suddenly said to the maid, "Speaking of which, Den Den Mushi are truly magical creatures, aren't they?"
Hearing this, the maid visibly paused. She hadn't expected their ancestor to suddenly comment on such a thing.
After thinking for a moment, the maid also smiled and nodded.
"Yes, they are. They're creatures from nature, yet people can raise them and turn them into pet companions that can transmit sound over vast distances. Nature is truly amazing!"
"It's more than just that."
Rowan seemed to get more animated, saying with a bit of excitement, "Do you know? Back in our time, we only had ordinary Den Den Mushi. Even surveillance Den Den Mushi were considered extremely rare, high-tech items!"
He suddenly picked up a Den Den Mushi from the desk and introduced it to the maid:
"I never imagined people would have developed something like this now!"
"This is a Projection Den Den Mushi. It can not only transmit sound, but the image of the person making the call can be input into one of its eyes and then output from another eye of another Den Den Mushi, forming a projection."
"It's a truly amazing thing!"
Hearing this, the maid finally noticed that there were three Projection Den Den Mushi on Rowan's desk, each looking different.
This type of Den Den Mushi was indeed a product combining modern and recent technology. They weren't expensive, but they weren't common either, and ordinary people didn't really need them.
Furthermore, since Den Den Mushi could already mimic the user's expressions to achieve the effect of "face-to-face communication."
Therefore, within the relatively simple Alabasta Royal Family, few people were accustomed to using these Projection Den Den Mushi.
Why did their ancestor have three Projection Den Den Mushi?
The maid blinked with curiosity and reached out to touch one. Rowan, however, handed the Den Den Mushi directly to her and smiled, saying:
"They're very interesting little gadgets. I played with them for a long time the first time I saw them."
His words naturally put the maid at ease.
Young people always liked new and interesting gadgets they hadn't seen before.
The maid thanked him and took the Den Den Mushi. After playing with it for only a few moments, the Projection Den Den Mushi suddenly started ringing.
Ring, ring, ring… Ring, ring, ring…
Not just the one in the maid's hand, but the other two Projection Den Den Mushi also started ringing at the same time.
Ring, ring, ring… Ring, ring, ring…
Ring, ring, ring… Ring, ring, ring…
Suddenly, the entire study became much livelier.
The maid was at a loss, while Rowan remained calm. He gestured for the maid to answer the Den Den Mushi in her hand.
Click!
The maid picked up the receiver of the Den Den Mushi in her hand.
After a short delay, a silhouette emerged from the right eye of the Den Den Mushi, projected in front of the maid.
Then, a deep voice came from the Den Den Mushi's mouth.
"Hello, I'm looking for Ryan Rowan."
The voice was calm, but the maid's heart sank sharply, feeling an immense pressure.
And when she saw the man's appearance in the projection, her pupils suddenly constricted.
Her body began to tremble. She felt as if she had seen something she shouldn't have.
Just then, Rowan's hand suddenly landed on her shoulder, and then another hand reached out and took the Den Den Mushi back from the maid.
"Ah, it seems they are looking for me."
Rowan's gentle voice dispelled the maid's shock and fear.
"You can go now. I'll have someone take the tray back to the kitchen later."
"Yes… Yes, thank you, Ancestor."
The maid nodded repeatedly and, disregarding etiquette, scrambled out of the study.
Even after she had gone a long distance, the terror in her eyes still lingered.
What… what had she just seen?!
Appearing in the projection was none other than Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku the "Wisdom King"!
She had seen that face in the newspapers many times, there was no mistaking it!
Why would the Marine Fleet Admiral be calling their ancestor?
And by the sound of the Marine Fleet Admiral's tone, it seemed like they were there to "discuss" something?
"Hoo…"
The maid took a deep breath and patted her face.
She had been in the Alabasta royal palace for a long time. Even though the Alabasta royals were all approachable, the maid knew very well that some things were simply not to be speculated or spread carelessly.
Therefore, she consciously forgot what had happened in the study and continued with her work.
After all, their ancestor was gentle with everyone, and wasn't that enough?
…
As it turned out, the maid's judgment was undoubtedly correct.
What was happening in the study at that moment was indeed a fact that many at sea would find unbelievable.
Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku the "Wisdom King";
Marine new recruit instructor Zephyr the "Black Arm";
Marine Headquarters Great Advisor Tsuru;
The projections of the three appeared from the eyes of three Den Den Mushi, sharing the same room with Rowan.
Sengoku looked around, confirming the surroundings, and then asked:
"Where did that young girl go just now?"
"She's gone to attend to something."
Rowan stroked his chin and grinned, "The door is closed, and the soundproofing is excellent. Speak freely."
As soon as he said this, combined with his calm demeanor, the three Marines present immediately concluded that Ryan Rowan had absolutely anticipated this situation long ago!
As expected…
The three of them sighed inwardly, their scalps tingling.
After a brief headache, it was replaced by a sense of "anger."
"You… are exploiting Baro's trust in you."
Zephyr's face was grim, and he said in a deep voice:
"You tricked Baro into starting a conflict in Wano Country, all to provoke a direct confrontation between the Marines and the Four Emperors!"
Then, Tsuru spoke.
She sighed softly, "Emperor from eight hundred years ago, you shouldn't be this kind of person."
Sengoku remained silent, awaiting Rowan's answer.
Rowan smiled and nodded slightly.
"Grandmother Tsuru, you see people very accurately. I truly am not this kind of person."
"Hmm?" The three Marines were taken aback.
Rowan continued slowly:
"If you truly don't want the Marines and the Four Emperors to engage in a direct conflict, then Baro and the g-t branch will have to leave Alabasta temporarily."
At this moment, Rowan's expression was also very serious.
"Because—"
"The Four Emperors are coming."
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