Super Card System

Chapter 554: Astonishing Bounty

Sengoku was now unable to understand Ian’s intentions, so he simply said to Gion, “Alright, I understand. I will handle this matter. You can return to your post for now.”

However, Vice Admiral Gion stood at attention and saluted. “Admiral Sengoku, I request to be transferred to the Edd War area to participate in this battle.”

“Hmm?” Sengoku was taken aback. “Why?”

“This is my first failure mission!” Gion said with some reluctance. “And I failed so easily. Ian escaped under my watch, so it’s necessary for me to capture him personally. Since there’s speculation that he might intervene in this war, I plan to wait for him to appear on the battlefield!” 

Sengoku immediately understood upon hearing this.

Vice Admiral Gion, being from a prestigious naval family and possessing considerable strength herself, had always had smooth sailing. Even her career advancement had never encountered any obstacles. This time, however, she finally encountered the first setback in her life, such a thorough failure, naturally leaving her feeling unwilling to accept it.

If it were anyone else making such a request, Sengoku might have immediately agreed. But considering Vice Admiral Gion’s status, he had to carefully consider it.

The war with the Whitebeard Pirates was definitely a major battle. Now, not to mention the Navy, even the other Four Emperors seemed to be stirring. Sengoku didn’t know what kind of risks might arise on the battlefield. If Gion made any mistakes in the midst of it, he wouldn’t be able to explain it to former Fleet Admiral Kong!

So after some thought, Sengoku had no choice but to refuse, “No need. The defense of the Marine Headquarters is also weak right now. You should stay here and strengthen the defense of the headquarters. Remember, behind Marineford, there is a small town where the families of the Marines reside. It’s the spiritual support for the soldiers fighting abroad. We can’t afford any accidents!”

Although Gion knew that Sengoku’s reason was an excuse, she couldn’t oppose it at all, so she had to reluctantly agree.

However, just as Gion was about to leave, she suddenly heard a commotion outside.

Peeking out the window to take a look, she found that a large number of journalists had gathered outside the base’s gate at some point!

The Marines were currently holding them back. Although the journalists didn’t dare to barge in, they bombarded the Marines with questions. There were too many people, and the noise was deafening, so Gion couldn’t hear what they were asking. She could only see the Marines sweating profusely, looking nervous.

“What’s going on!?” Sengoku also got up and went to the window to take a look.

Fortunately, a Marine lieutenant commander soon came in panting to report. However, the news he brought was not good for Sengoku.

“Sir Fleet Admiral! It’s bad news!” The lieutenant commander said anxiously, “I don’t know how, but the news of the breach of Impel Down has somehow reached the journalists. The reporters outside the base gate have all come to interview about this matter, and it seems that more journalists are continuously arriving…”

“What!?” Sengoku couldn’t help but pound the wall and shout, “What’s going on!? Who leaked this out!? Is there no sense of secrecy at all!?”

The breach of Impel Down, the prison riot, such a major event, the Marines surely had to keep it under wraps. Otherwise, it would cause panic among the general public! You see, inside were all the infamous pirates and criminals. People could only feel safe when they were locked up…

But now, who knows which link was neglected, leading to the disclosure of the Impel Down riot.

Sengoku was furious at this point, itching with anger.

After he calmed down, he started thinking about how to handle the aftermath of this incident. He returned to his desk, sat down on his chair, closed his eyes for a while, then looked at Vice Admiral Gion and said to her, “Gion, you go out and deal with these journalists. Tell them that the Impel Down incident is real!”

“Huh!?” Gion looked at Sengoku in surprise, not understanding why he would do this.

Sengoku rubbed his forehead with a headache, “This matter can’t be kept hidden. Since it’s leaked now, it’s better to just make it public. Keeping it hidden will only cause greater panic. So, let’s just push all the blame onto Ian’s head. It’s a good opportunity to release the news about stripping Ian of his Warlord title!”

Yes, when Ian escaped from Marine Headquarters, although the Marines had already stripped him of his Warlord title, there wasn’t a corresponding excuse to announce it publicly at that time. After all, the title of Warlord was given by the World Government. Without solid evidence or an excuse, it wasn’t easy to strip someone of their Warlord status, as it would make the world think that the World Government was inconsistent and losing credibility.

Now, Sengoku had official evidence to announce to the public: Ian attacked Impel Down, causing the inmates to riot. With such a reason, he believed it would be convincing enough for the world.

Gion nodded, saying, “So, since Ian’s Warlord title has been revoked, it means he will once again become a wanted criminal. If the journalists ask, should we use his original bounty?”

“…No!” Sengoku considered for a moment, reclining in his chair and sighing, “If the journalists inquire, tell them that the current bounty on Black Dragon Ian is… one billion berries!”

“One… one billion!?” Even Gion couldn’t help but feel stunned upon hearing this amount.

How long had it been since the Marines last issued such a staggering bounty? Three years or four?

A bounty this extraordinary wasn’t a good sign; it meant the Marines had gained an incredibly powerful enemy.

It took Gion a while to snap out of her daze. She asked Sengoku with some concern, “Fleet Admiral, do you think Ian could be the next Shanks?”

“A Yonko?” Sengoku pondered, shaking his head, “I’m not sure. In fact, I’ve been suspecting all along whether Ian’s involvement in this war between the Marines and Whitebeard is about his relationship with Whitebeard or if he’s coveting Whitebeard’s position as one of the Four Emperors…”

“What!? Is that even possible!?” Gion was even more surprised.

“That’s why I think it’s best to pray it’s the former!” Sengoku said with a headache, “If it’s the latter, then it’s troublesome. Perhaps even if the Marines defeat Whitebeard, it will only be paving the way for Ian…”

“This…” Gion didn’t know what to say.

“You go and explain this to the reporters!” Sengoku said somewhat helplessly to Gion, “Also, if the reporters ask about the mastermind behind this prison break, tell them it’s two people, one is Ian, and the other is the pirate Buggy!”

“Buggy!? Why is that?” Gion asked, puzzled.

“Because the pirate Buggy was once on Gol D. Roger’s ship!” Sengoku sighed, “We just found out through investigation. Not only was he one of Gol D. Roger’s crew, but he’s also Red-Haired Shanks’ associate… How many prisoners with such deep backgrounds are hidden in Impel Down?”

Gion was bewildered by this series of astonishing news. She couldn’t even figure out how she managed to get out, surrounded by reporters. She merely passively answered their questions, revealing what Sengoku had instructed her to disclose.

Watching the stunned reporters outside the base gate as they absorbed Vice Admiral Gion’s account, Sengoku felt a sense of powerlessness enveloping him. In fact, he had another piece of news he hadn’t told Gion yet: just yesterday, there was unsettling news from the Edd War region. Teach, who had recently become a Warlord, had also disappeared under the noses of a group of Marines, and nobody knew where he had gone.

Sengoku’s intuition told him that Teach’s disappearance certainly concealed some unknown conspiracy…

Now, regarding the outlook of this war, Sengoku was truly at a loss. After this war, he had no idea which direction the world would take…

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