As a marine headquarters vice admiral, Dalmatian had borrowed and read it several times before.
Although he had become a Devil Fruit User of the Zoan-type Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Dalmatian years ago, he still paid attention to these matters. Every additional Devil Fruit meant another potential source of power for justice.
"The location is Drum Island? That place is a member nation, right? From the looks of it, an agreement must have been reached with the King of Drum Kingdom—Wapol."
Dalmatian shifted his gaze to the other images.
Unsurprisingly, the remaining two images were also photographs of Devil Fruits. It was somewhat surprising to him that a single auction would feature one Logia type and two unknown Devil Fruits.
"I should report this and see if the Marines can secure these three Devil Fruits."
Dalmatian checked the date and found that the auction was set to begin in ten days.
After thinking for a moment, he tucked the invitation into his pocket and took out a den den mushi to report. However, he didn't report directly to headquarters but first called his close friend.
The current Admiral—Akainu!
"Drum Island... three Devil Fruits... I've received word of this as well."
"But it came from the New World side. Those information brokers in the underground black market really know how to cause trouble."
"That pink-feathered bird Doffy has already sent his subordinates because of this. Getting those three Devil Fruits won't be easy."
After a brief exchange, Akainu said in a low voice, "I will handle this matter. You can report it to headquarters later."
"Alright."
Dalmatian hung up the phone.
Calling Akainu first was natural, as they were comrades who shared the same philosophy of practicing Absolute Justice.
Within the Marines, although all acted for the sake of justice, there were clearly different inclinations among them.
The three Admirals at headquarters each had different styles of conduct, which in a way meant that the middle and lower ranks also had different leanings.
Absolute Justice, Lazy Justice, and Unclear Justice.
And he was a practitioner of Absolute Justice.
After hanging up, Dalmatian stood up, preparing to attend an invitation from a merchant guild.
But just as he rose, the den den mushi began to clamor.
"Who is it?"
Dalmatian was startled, only to realize after picking up that it was actually Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
"The situation has changed, your mission is canceled. Because Moria is dead, killed at the hands of Sea-Cleaving Swordsman Hiroto."
As soon as the call connected, Sengoku's words left Dalmatian stunned.
Gecko Moria, one of the long-established Seven Warlords of the Sea who had run rampant for years, was dead?
Killed by Hiroto, who, in theory, was inferior to Moria in both bounty and strength?
"How is that possible?!" Dalmatian blurted out.
He had come to the East Blue specifically to prevent Moria from going on a rampage. Should anything happen, he was to suppress Moria, giving Marineford time to react and gather forces to eliminate him.
This alone illustrated Moria's power.
As for Hiroto, his initial assessment was that Hiroto would die at Moria's hands.
But this news was so absurd it felt like someone had slapped him across the face.
"The information from the surveillance ship says exactly that. No matter how unbelievable it is, Moria indeed died at Hiroto's hands."
"According to the surveillance ship's report, Hiroto didn't use any tricks, he defeated Moria head-on."
"Of course, there are hidden details. Looking at the report sent back by the surveillance ship, Moria's strength had declined severely. After losing to Kaido, he likely lost his spirit. In the battle with Sea-Cleaving Swordsman Hiroto, he didn't use Haki once until the moment he died."
"In other words, the one Hiroto defeated wasn't the formidable Moria we knew, but a hollow shell whose strength had severely withered after losing his spirit, and who has now been exposed."
"Is that how it is?"
Dalmatian's expression shifted slightly. He hadn't expected the Moria he remembered as being so difficult and powerful to have such a downfall.
He immediately asked, "Then is my next mission to pursue Sea-Cleaving Swordsman Hiroto?"
Sengoku replied, "The current situation is very complex. I've looked over his file, Sea-Cleaving Swordsman Hiroto is a terrifying monstrous genius."
"As of now, he has Armament Haki, and his attainment is not just at an introductory level. He is at least at a level where he can proficiently use Haki in combat."
"However, since he hasn't possessed Haki for long, its quality shouldn't be too strong yet."
"Observation Haki... while there is no corresponding report, I personally believe he must have learned it already."
"Unsurprisingly, he's also a Devil Fruit User, making him extremely difficult and troublesome."
"The most crucial thing is that this man originally wanted to become a Warlord."
"My original intention was to go with the flow, using Hiroto's hand to eliminate some troublesome pirates and then planting a Marine pawn among the Warlords."
"But now the situation has changed, Hiroto wants to take the initiative. Instead of cooperating with the Marines, he has shifted to demonstrating his destructive power. To put it simply, he has now set his sights on you."
Sengoku let out a long sigh, a hint of a headache audible in it. "My view is that Hiroto has already shown quite a strong streak of defiance."
"Even if he becomes a Warlord, he would be a highly unstable factor. For someone like him, the best choice is to stifle him in the East Blue, giving him no time or room to grow."
"But the problem lies in the fact that there is a very strong Devil Fruit User by his side—the one who caused Moria to come to the East Blue for revenge."
"The swordsman with the cane?"
Dalmatian immediately thought of what was mentioned in the previous mission report.
This unknown Devil Fruit User's first recorded action was the attack on Moria, using a meteorite to destroy Moria's castle and leave him heavily injured.
The second time was when he stepped in to save Smoker and the others after their defeat by Hiroto, during which his attitude toward the Marines was decent.
But now, from Sengoku's tone, there seemed to be a different development.
"Yes, unsurprisingly, it was he who helped Hiroto find Moria in such a short amount of time."
Sengoku's voice was low. "Although I don't know why he is acting with Hiroto, there is clearly a connection between them, which makes pursuing the Hiroto Pirates a very difficult task."
"In other words, my position is actually an opportunity?" Dalmatian quickly realized.
"Who else will be coming to assist me?"
"Garp. He has already arrived in the East Blue and is on his way to Loguetown."
"I understand."
Dalmatian said immediately, "No matter what happens, I will stall the Hiroto Pirates."