One Piece: The True Codex

"Ideals are still worth having..." Captain Heller muttered softly, clearly unconvinced.

"A few months ago, I painstakingly sifted through news and clues, spending over ten days to write a detailed research report on the Seven Warlords of the Sea. I sent it to headquarters, but I've heard nothing back. I suspect the people at headquarters tossed it straight into the trash. Maybe it's because I'm just a commander of an East Blue branch, daring to comment on matters of the Grand Line—they probably didn't even bother to read it. And what's more, my report opposed the entire policy," Roy said indifferently.

"Before that, I'd written other reports as well, but none of them ever got a reply. You think I have no ideals? I used to have them, but my ideals sank into the abyss along with those reports."

"Do you know why I'm so wary of Stolt?" Roy asked, seemingly intrigued, as he continued, "Barbarossa was nothing more than a wild dog without any real plans or ambitions. Sure, he was vicious and clever, but still just a dog—his threat level was pitifully low. He had no potential for growth. But Stolt? What he's doing now is practically a replica of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and his actions bear a striking resemblance to Crocodile's."

"The Marine high command naively hopes to use the power of pirates to restrain or even intimidate other pirates. But in my view, this is nothing more than raising a tiger that will eventually turn on its master. They're only recruiting a group of ambitious schemers who quietly build their strength under the banner of the World Government and Marines. Sooner or later, the Marines or the World Government will suffer a massive loss because of this policy," Roy sneered, openly mocking the higher-ups in the Marines and the government. "That Stolt, who operates in our jurisdiction, is likely one of these figures. But unfortunately for him, I'm not one of those fools in the World Government or Marine headquarters."

Heller lowered his head. He understood his superior well. Roy held himself in high regard but, due to his strength and personality, was often overlooked and carried a significant grudge against Marine headquarters and the World Government.

Regarding the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Roy might have a point, but Heller believed that the higher-ups in the Marines and the World Government were likely aware of these risks. They had simply weighed the pros and cons and made their decision accordingly.

While Roy and Heller were conversing in the office, Nezumi had already exited the gates of the 16th Marine Branch base.

The base was stationed in a small town. Looking disheveled and bloodied, Nezumi didn't go home. Ignoring the pointing fingers of the townsfolk, he headed straight for a relatively upscale tavern in town.

Tony had rented two rooms here for himself, Manny, and Angie to use as a base for contacting Nezumi and Gin.

Tony was seated on the first floor, leisurely drinking with his two companions, when he spotted the bloodied Nezumi push open the tavern door. Tony's expression changed drastically, and he rushed over, shouting back at Manny to quickly fetch a doctor.

When he reached Nezumi, Tony put on a concerned expression, helping him over to a nearby table to sit down.

"Upstairs, to your room," Nezumi muttered in a muffled voice.

With Angie's help, Tony supported Nezumi upstairs to his room. Once the door was closed, Tony asked, "Major, who dared to hurt you like this!?"

Angie fetched a towel, dampened it, and began attentively wiping the blood off Nezumi's face.

"Who else could it be?" Nezumi squinted, leaning back against the chair and letting Angie tend to him. "Of course, it was Captain Roy!"

"Captain Roy? But why...?" Tony asked, puzzled.

"I just asked about the 'Rokushiki' techniques on your captain's behalf, and Roy went berserk! He grabbed a book and smashed it into my face," Nezumi grumbled. "I don't even know what your captain did to provoke Roy. He's guarding against your captain like he's some kind of thief."

Tony's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a calm demeanor. "You know what kind of person our captain is, don't you? He's the most generous and loyal friend anyone could have. How could he possibly provoke Captain Roy for no reason? Over the past year, hasn't Roy gained plenty of benefits and accolades thanks to us?"

"Here's what we'll do, Major. Please wait a moment," Tony said, pulling out a box containing a Den Den Mushi. "Let me consult with our captain."

Nezumi hesitated, but Tony had already left the room.

In another room, Tony dialed William's number. The line connected within seconds, and upon hearing William's voice, Tony quietly relayed what had happened with Nezumi.

Judging by Nezumi's appearance, Tony didn't even need to ask to know that the matter of Rokushiki was a bust. However, this had been within William's expectations. What intrigued William more was the attitude Roy had inadvertently revealed toward him.

"What should we do next?" Tony asked for instructions.

"Take 5 million Belly from your stash and give it to Nezumi as a first-class reward," William said calmly.

Tony paused briefly before asking, "Five million Belly? He didn't even get the job done. Why give him so much?"

"He needs to know that as long as he works for us, we won't treat him poorly," William explained. "Also, drop a hint to him that if he had succeeded, I was planning to reward him with a grand prize of 20 million Belly. Let him know that this reward was ruined because of Roy."

"I see your point," Tony said. "But isn't 5 million Belly too much? I'm worried it'll make Nezumi greedy."

"I'm counting on his greed. The greedier he is, the more he'll crave our money, and the bolder he'll become. The deeper he sinks, the better for us," William chuckled on the other end of the line. "Money is just paper printed by others. It only has value when it can be exchanged for something truly useful. Think long term."

"...Understood," Tony replied in a serious tone.

After hanging up, Tony rummaged under the bed in the room, pulling out a suitcase. He opened it, checked its contents, then carried it back to the living room where Nezumi was waiting.

In the living room, Nezumi was sitting in a chair, tilting his head back as Angie worked on stopping the bleeding. Tony placed the suitcase heavily on the table beside Nezumi, the thud drawing his attention.

Nezumi cautiously turned his head, just in time to see Tony open the suitcase and angle it toward him.

Stacks upon stacks of neatly arranged cash instantly widened Nezumi's eyes. He hadn't expected much after failing the task. Even if William's crew decided to pay him, he assumed it wouldn't be much. But reality had completely exceeded his expectations, prompting an involuntary exclamation: "This much?!"

Tony smiled and said, "Originally, you were supposed to get 2 million Belly. But when our captain heard you got hurt because of us, he added another 3 million Belly."

"Your captain is truly a generous man," Nezumi said, his eyes gleaming. He hadn't expected to earn 5 million Belly just by saying a few words. What was a book to the face compared to this? If getting hit with a book could earn him this much, he wouldn't mind getting hit every day until he dropped dead.

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