Chapter 198: The Mission
"You've been flipping through that for so long. Did you find anything?"
Zephyr walked back in from outside, beads of sweat sliding down his forehead under the scorching sun. Clearly, he had been out for quite a while.
Axel had known Zephyr was back the moment he heard the footsteps. He did not even raise his head.
"There's nothing wrong with this file."
Zephyr immediately remembered what Axel had said earlier and could not help grumbling.
"If there's nothing wrong, why did you read it for so long? Didn't you just say I was stupid for not seeing what was special? Looks like you're pretty stupid too."
Axel did not argue.
Instead, he said, "That's exactly why I said you're stupid."
He rested one hand lightly on the desk and shook the file in his hand, as if he were holding something completely worthless.
Because in Axel's eyes, that was exactly what it was.
The data inside this file was fake.
Seeing Axel say that, Zephyr did not rush to question him. He walked to the side, poured himself a glass of water, drank it, then turned back.
"What's your reason?"
He had long since grown used to Axel's mockery and naturally would not take it to heart. More importantly, Zephyr knew Axel would not say something like this without reason.
"It's simple."
Axel tapped the file.
"Look at the reports inside. Don't they seem a little too normal?"
Zephyr frowned.
"And that is precisely what's unreasonable," Axel continued. "If you were a civilian and knew that pirates were frequently active nearby, what would you do? Stay indoors and wait for death? Live as usual? Bet your life on the incoming pirates being kind-hearted saints?"
Three questions in a row made Zephyr's expression grow serious.
He was not stupid. Once Axel pointed it out, he immediately realized the problem.
Ordinary island residents, whether they had Marine protection or not, could not possibly remain completely normal after learning that pirates were moving nearby.
It was like someone living in a house guarded by security. Even if guards were present, once that person knew someone was watching them from the shadows, it would be impossible to stay calm.
Seeing the change in Zephyr's face, Axel knew he had understood.
"If anything can reveal the true situation on an island, it's Berries."
Axel flipped the file open.
"And in this document, whether it's capital movement or resident surveys, the flow of Berries is too normal. So I can say with certainty that this was artificially created."
"Artificially created?" Zephyr's eyes sharpened. "Are you saying the investigating Marines forged this?"
His voice grew heavier.
"That's impossible. The Marines responsible for intelligence investigation are righteous individuals who have been carefully screened. At least on that point, there is no doubt."
"I'm not sure," Axel said. "The problem might not be with the Marines. It could be with the residents, the pirates, or even the World Government."
He paused, then added, "But if what you said is true, then the amount of money needed to make this file look real would not be small."
Axel had originally wanted to say that the human heart was unpredictable.
But seeing how certain Zephyr was, he held it back.
In his view, the possibility of a problem within the Marines was actually rather high. This was not merely prejudice, or at least, not prejudice against the Marines.
His real prejudice was against the World Government.
To maintain the extravagant lives of the nobles above them, the World Government could do anything, no matter how unreasonable.
The reason he suspected the Marine side this time was entirely because of the file itself.
This report covered an entire sea area with more than a dozen islands. To make the economic activity of every island look balanced and normal would require an enormous amount of money. At the very least, several hundred million Berries, perhaps more.
That was why, in Axel's opinion, the possibility of a problem on the Marine side was higher.
Of course, it was also possible that the World Government had ordered them to cooperate.
But even if Axel explained that to Zephyr now, given Zephyr's blind trust in the Marines, he probably would not believe it.
"So what do we do now?" Zephyr asked.
"What else?" Axel said casually. "We go inspect it in person."
At a time like this, no matter how many guesses they made, nothing would be as accurate or as fast as a direct investigation.
"When do you set off?"
"I... set off?"
Axel pointed at himself, his expression saying, Are you joking?
"Why should I set off for your business?"
"Didn't you say you'd help?" Zephyr asked calmly. "Of course I have to assign you a task."
His tone carried an obvious sense of "isn't that only natural?"
It was as if he had already made up his mind the moment Axel raised the issue earlier.
"I am busy with official duties," Axel said. "I'm afraid I don't have much time to play around with you."
Busy with official duties was naturally just an excuse.
At San Faldo, because of Axel's current prestige, the Marines rarely dared throw work at him unless it involved major matters. Axel was perfectly happy to enjoy that leisure.
Originally, he had intended to help Zephyr.
But that help only meant guiding Zephyr onto the right path. It did not mean he planned to handle every small, troublesome matter himself.
He had no interest in spending days drifting across the sea for an investigation.
Sailing on the ocean was not as interesting as it looked in anime. Most of the time, it was dull and boring. Worse, very few chefs aboard Marine ships were truly qualified. Most ship meals barely counted as edible.
For Axel, whose palate had already been spoiled, that was torture.
"Don't worry," Zephyr said. "Sengoku has already arranged someone to take over your work there."
"..."
So this had been decided before they even called him back.
Axel suddenly felt like he had been discarded after serving his purpose.
He had worked so hard for so long, yet his job had been stripped away with a single sentence.
No wonder so many Marines defect.
Axel complained inwardly, but he did not say it out loud. If he did, Zephyr would probably argue with him again. The old man was still very protective of the Marines.
"Tomorrow, I'll arrange personnel to go with you for the investigation."
"Tomorrow?" Axel immediately raised his voice. "That soon? I just got back, got scolded by that old man Sengoku, and then got dragged over by you. I haven't even had a proper rest yet. This is child abuse. I protest."
"Don't bring up that Child Protection Act nonsense," Zephyr said without hesitation. "After you left, I specifically checked the regulations of the Marines and the World Government. There's no such thing. You'd better just get to work. That's more practical."
Axel collapsed lazily onto the table.
Then he suddenly remembered something.
"Where are Ain and Binz?"
"They're responsible for leading the recruits. They should be at another location right now."
Leading recruits?
As expected, joining the training camp a year early had caused many things to change.
"What are you thinking about?" Zephyr asked.
"Nothing. I just haven't seen them in a while, so I miss them a bit."
"Don't worry," Zephyr said. "They'll be going with you on the investigation tomorrow. They're still quite immature, so joining this investigation can count as tempering for them."
Although Zephyr called Ain and Binz immature, anyone could see the smile on his face.
He was clearly more than satisfied with them.
"Stubborn old man," Axel muttered.
Then, with a whoosh, he slipped out of the room and headed home.
Because of the meeting with Sengoku, and considering Tom's identity, Axel had not brought Tom along. He had left him at home and notified Theodore, who lived in the same district.
He wondered how things were going now.
Moving quickly, Axel returned home in only a few moments.
But before he even entered, the sound of an argument came from inside the house.
"Installing steel plates here clearly increases the ship's burden and hinders its turning ability at the same time."
"But installing steel plates here improves the ship's overall defense. You could say it raises durability by at least thirty percent, and it plays a decisive role in protecting the hull."
"At sea, mobility is clearly more important!"
"Defense is more important!"
.....
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