Chapter 185: Meetings on Both Sides
Inside the conference room, the base's officers had already gathered.
The one who had called them together was none other than their captain, Axel. He had not told anyone the reason in advance, but no one dared to ignore the summons. After the battle with CP9, Axel's position in the base was no longer supported by rank alone.
Strength had a language of its own.
The officers stood quietly, waiting for the small figure on the platform to speak. More precisely, they were wondering what kind of issue could be serious enough for someone like Axel to summon every officer in the base.
Axel did not make them wait long.
"I called everyone here because we're going to launch a direct strike on Enies Lobby."
The room went silent.
A direct strike on Enies Lobby?
For a moment, everyone thought they had misheard him. No matter how they considered it, this mission was far too absurd.
Levi, who had always acted more cautiously than the others, was the first to lose his composure.
"Captain, we can't do that! That would be a crime!"
"It's not a crime," Axel said calmly. "It's an exercise."
"But no matter how you phrase it, this is going too far!"
Levi had spoken what everyone else was thinking.
Even if Enies Lobby had sent people to their base under the pretext of an exercise last time, that was still different. A Marine base could be attacked by pirates at any time in this era, so using one as an exercise site could at least be justified as preparation.
But Enies Lobby was different.
It was the court of the World Government, a symbol of its authority and justice. Using such a place as an exercise site was not merely risky. It was practically begging for trouble.
"But think about it," Axel said, spreading his hands. "Our base was wrecked like this. Shouldn't we show them a little appreciation in return?"
Put that way, it did sound reasonable.
Some of the officers even felt a faint, guilty satisfaction.
From the standpoint of fairness, returning the favor did not seem entirely wrong.
The problem was...
Wasn't most of the damage caused by you?
If they had not personally seen Axel's sword energy tear through the base, they might have really believed Enies Lobby had been responsible for all of it.
Axel did not give them much time to object. He waved his hand, cutting off the rising murmurs.
"Good. It's decided. Go back and prepare. I'll issue the formal notice in a few days."
Levi opened his mouth, still wanting to say something, but Axel gave him no chance. One by one, the officers were ushered out of the conference room.
Just as the last few were leaving, Euleia's voice drifted over.
"What exactly are you planning?"
Axel turned his head.
Euleia was standing near the doorway, wearing the same composed expression as always. That calm face had fooled countless people before, hiding the sharp mind beneath it.
"Planning?" Axel tilted his head. "Isn't this just revenge?"
Euleia smiled faintly.
"If you don't want to say it, then forget it. I'm not that interested. You really do enjoy putting on an act, Captain."
Axel returned the smile.
"That phrase isn't quite right. Life is like a play. In the end, everything depends on acting skill."
Euleia shook his head at the strange remark and walked out.
Even now, he still could not fully understand this child's way of doing things.
After Euleia left, Axel was the only one remaining in the conference room.
The playful look on his face faded.
"The plan is about to begin."
Things were exactly as Euleia had suspected.
Axel's goal was naturally not revenge. He did not have the leisure to waste time on something that meaningless.
However, for this plan, he had to do it.
Because this was perfect bait.
A lure that would both divert the World Government's attention and draw it directly toward him.
From the other side's perspective, if Axel had just refused the summons and then immediately launched an exercise against Enies Lobby, it would be no different from slapping the World Government across the face.
It was reckless.
It was provocative.
And that was precisely why it would draw their eyes.
Such behavior would force them to think deeper.
Was this child merely refusing to be investigated?
Or was he someone who could not be pushed too hard?
If he truly possessed the Pluton blueprints, then what would happen if the World Government forced him into a corner?
Would he make the blueprints public?
Would he hand them to someone else?
Would he use them as leverage?
The more they thought, the more hesitation would creep in.
That hesitation was what Axel needed.
Enies Lobby was one of the World Government's eyes and ears. If he stirred up enough commotion there, the Government would not need to send another group to watch him. Their attention would naturally gather around him.
CP9 had already come once. Axel did not know whether even more troublesome enemies would appear next.
So he had to move quickly.
Divert the World Government's gaze.
Then strike where it hurt.
Only when the World Government became anxious because of him would the real plan begin.
"Now that the bait is cast," Axel murmured, "I just need to wait for them to bite."
With that, he left.
The large conference room fell silent once more.
...
"What exactly are the Marines from San Faldo trying to do? They actually applied for another exercise? Didn't they win the last one?"
Inside the Marine quarters at Enies Lobby, heated discussion filled the room.
The news that had just arrived was strange no matter how they looked at it.
"Could it just be revenge?" one officer suggested. "We went to their base for an exercise last time and caused quite a bit of damage. Maybe they want to return the favor."
That explanation did not convince everyone.
Someone immediately slammed the table and retorted, "If anyone should be getting revenge, it should be us! Not only did we lose, we even had to pay a mountain of repair fees! No matter how you look at it, we're the ones who suffered!"
That was true.
Axel had been extremely generous when demanding compensation from Enies Lobby and the Marines stationed there.
Far too generous, in fact.
"But if it isn't revenge, what is it? Anyone can see that two exercises happening this close together is abnormal. Besides, do we even need exercises in this era? There are pirates everywhere. If we really have so much spare time, we might as well compete to see who can capture more pirates."
"That suggestion is useless," another officer replied. "Our duty is to defend Enies Lobby. We can't just run off to hunt pirates."
At that moment, Captain T-Bone spoke.
"What we should be considering now is how to respond to this exercise."
The room quieted slightly.
T-Bone's face remained stern and solemn.
"Since we were the ones who proposed the previous exercise, we cannot reject their proposal outright without reason. Courtesy aside, refusing would make us look afraid. Therefore, there is only one thing to consider."
His gaze swept across the room.
"How do we face it head-on?"
Face it head-on.
That was certainly in line with T-Bone's character.
But could they really face it head-on?
The officers present could not help recalling the massive sword energy that had filled their vision during the previous exercise. They remembered the child who had torn through a Marine base as if he were cutting paper.
A chill ran through the room.
Yes, Axel was a child.
But no one there still saw him as merely a child.
They were not on the same level at all.
Against someone like that, numbers meant very little. In this world, battles were often decided by the strength of the top combatants.
Did they have anyone who could match him?
Perhaps Lucci had counted as one.
But Lucci was nowhere to be found now.
"If their Captain participates with that kind of strength, how are we supposed to win?" someone muttered.
The conference room fell into silence.
"Maybe... we should just refuse."
The timid suggestion sounded weak, almost shameful for a Marine.
Yet this time, no one immediately rebuked him.
After a while, the officer responsible for receiving messages broke the silence.
"There is one more point. The opposing Captain proposed the exercise, but he also attached a condition. He will not personally participate in the battle. However, the rules of the battle must be set by him."
The officers began to think.
"If that is the case, then victory may actually favor us."
If both sides had to follow the same rules, then it did not matter who set them.
They refused to believe that elite Marines stationed at Enies Lobby would lose to branch Marines from a small island.
"No," another officer said cautiously. "We should learn the rules before deciding."
That opinion quickly gained the majority's agreement.
Unknown rules meant unknown risks. They were Marines, not fools rushing to volunteer for a beating.
"There's one more thing," another officer added. "We should request a change of location. Enies Lobby cannot be used as the exercise site."
The meeting continued for a while, but no better conclusion was reached.
In the end, the discussion settled on two points.
First, clarify the rules.
Second, change the location.
Only if those two conditions were met would they consider accepting San Faldo's proposal.
With that, the meeting came to an end.
.....
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