Of the three heavyweight Marines, the first to show a strong emotional reaction was Zephyr, also known as "Black Arm".
Zephyr had every reason to be angry.
Baro was one of Zephyr's most admired and liked students, and Zephyr had placed great hopes on him.
When Baro was appointed as the base commander for the Special Marine Branch, Zephyr wrestled with the decision for a long time.
This was not a task that just anyone could take on.
After all, this was a special Marine branch established in "Alabasta," the home of the Four Seas Alliance, and it meant operating right under the nose of Ryan Rowan, known as the "Golden Dawn."
Only two types of people could handle this crucial responsibility.
One type would be individuals like Tsuru or Sengoku, whose minds and talents were as sharp as the front lines of the sea.
With their intelligence, they would be capable of standing their ground against Ryan Rowan on behalf of the Marines.
But unfortunately, even within the Marine force, which was full of talent, such individuals were exceedingly rare.
If it weren't for this rarity, there wouldn't be only one "Marine Headquarters Grand Advisor" and one "Master Strategist" in the world.
Among the Vice Admirals qualified to be the commander of the Special Marine Branch, there was no one suitable.
To deal with Ryan Rowan, mere "experience" as an old-guard Vice Admiral would be far from enough.
After all, in terms of seniority, no one on this vast sea could possibly carry more weight than an "Emperor from eight hundred years ago."
Therefore, the Marines could only choose the "second type of person" for the Special Branch commander position.
— That is, those who didn't pay much attention to Ryan Rowan.
This was actually not difficult to understand.
Because, looking at the surface situation, this was merely a "normal" operation for the Marines to establish a special branch within a World Government member nation.
For those who could only see the surface, the Four Seas Alliance and Ryan Rowan meant nothing.
They simply kept moving forward on their chosen path, undisturbed.
A Marine branch to be established in Alabasta?
Then just focus on doing your own job.
No need to compete mentally with Ryan Rowan, nor to vie for power with the Four Seas Alliance.
As long as they remained stable, if the other side made the first move, then the fault would lie with them, and they would be in the right.
Meet force with stillness!
These were actually two extremes.
Either, their mental level was so high that no flaws could be found;
Or, their minds were so pure, without a single dishonest thought, that it would be difficult for others to act against them.
When a person's nature is pure to a certain extent, they naturally become unassailable!
Baro was exactly that kind of person.
Zephyr was almost certain that there was virtually no one in this world who could "influence" Baro on a psychological level.
But Zephyr clearly hadn't anticipated the current situation.
Somehow, Ryan Rowan had tricked Baro into leading the entire Special Branch to Wano Country to investigate weapon smuggling!
This was clearly an act intended to provoke conflict between the Marines and the Four Emperors!
But these were not the things that made Zephyr the angriest.
As Baro's teacher, Zephyr knew very well that his somewhat simple-minded student deeply respected Ryan Rowan!
The establishment of Fishman Village, the diplomatic ties with Skypiea, the formation of the Legion of Outcasts...
And so on.
When his fool of a student called him to chat, his words were full of praise for Ryan Rowan!
And now, Ryan Rowan had actually turned around and used Baro's trust, making him the vanguard to instigate conflict between the Four Emperors and the Marines!
Such an action was completely inconsistent with the "Ryan Rowan" his student spoke of!
...
"You shouldn't have done this, Ryan Rowan..."
Zephyr's deep voice hid a fierce rage.
This gentle and elegant Marine instructor hadn't exhibited such strong emotions in a very long time.
The whole matter was too outrageous.
If Sengoku and Tsuru hadn't restrained him, he would have gone to Alabasta himself to confront Ryan Rowan!
But what Rowan said next made Zephyr's expression freeze.
...
"If you truly do not wish for direct conflict between the Marines and the Four Emperors, then Baro and the Special Branch will have to temporarily leave Alabasta."
"Because —"
"The Four Emperors are coming."
...
This statement... how should it be evaluated?
In a sense, this statement did indeed calm down the three heavyweight Marines present.
Because the amount of information it contained was simply immense.
Firstly, Rowan already knew what the three Marines were worried about.
In their view, Baro and his Special Branch were completely being used as pawns by Rowan to instigate conflict between the Marines and the Four Emperors.
But the truth seemed to be otherwise.
Rowan also didn't want direct conflict between the Marines and the Four Emperors, which was why he made the move to send Baro away from Alabasta!
But what was puzzling was, why?
Even more puzzling was the "answer" Rowan provided.
— Because the Four Emperors are coming.
Coming?
Coming where?
The Four Seas Alliance? Alabasta?
Why would they come?
Who would be coming?
Big Mom? Whitebeard? Red-Haired Shanks?
Or... Kaido of the Beasts, who rules in Wano Country!?
In an instant, several conjectures and questions flooded the minds of the three Marines.
In the end, even they had to admit that they were a bit out of sync with Ryan Rowan's train of thought.
Zephyr, being the most direct of the three, simply asked, "What exactly do you mean?"
Rowan countered, "Most pirates in the New World, and even some small countries, dare not defy the Four Emperors, right?"
The three Marines nodded.
Rowan continued, "What is the reason for this?"
Zephyr replied, "Because they fear retaliation from the Four Emperors."
This answer was indeed correct.
Rowan nodded in agreement, "The Four Emperors will launch terrible retaliation against those who defy them, possibly even causing their forces to be wiped out."
"The Four Seas Alliance eliminated the Donquixote family in the North Sea, cutting off the underground world supply chain that Kaido of the Beasts had just established."
"Therefore, Kaido naturally wants to retaliate against the Four Seas Alliance."
"But have you considered, why would the retaliation of an Emperor-level threat only be a minor 'arms shipment'?"
Baro had already reported the matter of special weapons circulating in the waters near Alabasta, so these three Marines could understand what Rowan was talking about.
Because of this, Sengoku, who was skilled in battlefield strategy, was the first to react.
His pupils narrowed sharply, and he said in a low voice:
"You mean, the so-called 'arms shipment' isn't Kaido's retaliation at all?"
"Correct."
Rowan nodded. "The retaliation from Kaido of the Beasts would undoubtedly be more direct."
Sengoku finally understood Rowan's intention and knew the plan of the "Golden Dawn."
With a grim expression, he directly asked, "How many people do you think will come?"
"I don't know, I'm not a prophet."
Rowan grinned, tapping his chin lightly with his finger. "But in any case, the Four Seas Alliance is going to war with the Beasts Pirates."
"And I — do not intend to lose."
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