Chapter 55: Seeking Follow-up Reads! Colonel Harros's Quick Wit and Decision!
South Sea, Watermelon Island, 194th Branch Base.
The Major ignored the salutes of the Marines along the way.
He hurriedly pushed open the door without even knocking.
Upon entering the room, he immediately rushed towards Colonel Harros, who was sitting behind his desk and had just looked up, and shouted, "Base Commander, Rear Admiral Dragon has sent an Order, requiring us to arrive at the Tutmos Kingdom Sea Area within two hours to cooperate with a capture operation!"
"Hmm? Wasn't it said that those two 'Cats' had already been caught?"
The Major's words were a bit rushed.
Colonel Harros didn't react immediately and was a little confused.
But he quickly realized the crux of the problem.
"Tutmos Kingdom Sea Area!"
He suddenly stood up from the sofa, placed both hands on the desk, and asked in shock, "Why go there? And you just said capture operation, capture who?"
In his heart, the Colonel actually had a vague guess, and an ominous feeling surged into his mind.
"The explanation from their side is to capture the 'Slave King' King Taklama of the Underworld, and thoroughly investigate the entire Tutmos Kingdom, arrest all armed personnel, and if there is resistance, permission is granted to kill on the spot!"
The Major's face looked very pale, and beads of cold sweat were seeping from his forehead.
Colonel Harros's expression changed constantly.
But in the end, it turned into a sigh as he said, "So, something still happened... Am I really that unlucky?"
The previous Base Commanders had all smoothly made enough money to get promoted or retire.
How could it have completely blown up when it came to him? Wasn't this just bad luck?
"Unexpected, truly unexpected, the Fleet from Marine Headquarters wasn't here to catch any 'Cats' at all. Rear Admiral Dragon was targeting the Tutmos Kingdom from the start!"
"We were all deceived by him, and I imagine King Taklama's side is probably the same..."
The Major asked in panic, "Colonel, what do we do now? Should we immediately notify King Taklama to prepare?"
"No!"
Colonel Harros's quick wit kicked in.
Although his physical aptitude wasn't high, his mind was still good, and he quickly thought through various details.
"This time, Marine Headquarters is clearly well-prepared. Rear Admiral Dragon's 'Smoke Bomb' earlier also shows that they are suspicious and wary of us Branches in the South Sea."
"At this moment, someone might already be monitoring the Den Den Mushi nearby, just waiting for us to call!"
"Most importantly, our 194th Branch is closest to the Tutmos Kingdom Sea Area, and we will most likely be regarded as the focus of attention."
"We absolutely cannot be reckless at this time, and even more so, we cannot have any further contact with that side. Moreover, King Taklama is finished, completely finished. What's the point of notifying him?"
But the Major was a little confused and asked, "Completely finished? That's unlikely, right? As far as I know, this 'Slave King' has very strong Strength and Influence."
"For decades, he has been a Big Shot in the Underworld. Although the Fleet from Marine Headquarters is strong, only two Rear Admirals have come this time."
"Hmph, I say he's completely finished because his Identity has been completely exposed. Marine Headquarters is clearly going to take harsh measures to deal with him."
"Compared to the World's Strongest military organization, what is a Slave King?"
Colonel Harros looked at the Major disdainfully.
"A Big Shot of the Underworld is of course terrifying when they are in the shadows, but once exposed to the sun, they are just meat on the chopping board!"
"Even if Taklama has the ability to defeat Rear Admiral Dragon's Fleet, what will happen when Marine Headquarters sends even stronger, larger-scale Combat Power in the future? Not to mention anything else, what if Vice Admiral Garp comes?"
After speaking, Colonel Harros said meaningfully to the Major, "Between the Slave King who is about to be finished and Marine Headquarters, which side to stand on, I think the Choice shouldn't be difficult."
"And I can be sure that even without us, there will be idiots who call to warn the Tutmos Kingdom, perhaps even now, and these people will become our scapegoats!"
The Major calmed down after hearing this explanation.
Then, he asked his last question, "If we are already suspected, then we will definitely be held accountable. What should we do, Base Commander?"
"The possibility of being held accountable is very high, but it's not a capital crime. We've only been here for a few years. If we really investigate, the previous Base Commanders will all have to be investigated one by one."
"On the contrary, if we still try to help King Taklama now, we will be buried with him!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Colonel Harros tidied up his Suit and Justice Coat, then picked up the Den Den Mushi, and solemnly issued an Order, saying, "Issue the order, the entire Fleet prepare to set sail immediately, and be sure to arrive at the Tutmos Kingdom Sea Area within the specified time!"
Then he quickly walked past the Major towards the outside, and the latter quickly followed behind him.
"Base Commander, how many troops should we send per Warship this time?"
A Branch's Warship can normally carry three hundred people, and five hundred when fully loaded. The specific number of people to send depends on the situation, and the remaining Marines are responsible for guarding the Base.
"Full load!"
Colonel Harros answered decisively.
Now that he was determined to continue standing on the Navy's side, he had to show the greatest sincerity.
He felt that this was the best way to save himself at this moment.
"Understood!"
Ten minutes later, the eight Warships of the 194th Branch, which were already prepared.
Fully armed, they quickly sailed out of Watermelon Island and headed towards the Tutmos Kingdom.
At the same time.
The Marine Headquarters Fleet led by Dragon was less than three hours away from the Tutmos Kingdom.
Rear Admiral Evan walked out of the Ship Cabin and onto the Deck.
"Rear Admiral Dragon, you guessed correctly. Just now, people from CP2 sent Intelligence, Branch 242 and Branch 289 immediately notified the Tutmos Kingdom after receiving our Order."
"But strangely, Branch 194, which is the closest in terms of distance, has no movement at all. Instead, it has dispatched all Warships with a full load of troops."
Originally, Dragon had no change in expression when he heard the first part, and was still silently gazing at the distant Sea Surface.
But after hearing the latter part, his Eyebrow subconsciously raised, and he turned his face to look at the other person.
"I remember the Base Commander of Branch 194 is Colonel Harros, right?"
"That's right."
"It seems this Colonel Harros is very smart."
Dragon's mood was slightly complicated at this moment.
Originally, he was thinking of reporting to Marine Headquarters afterwards and cleaning up all these corrupt Navy personnel who colluded with the 'Slave King'.
But now Harros's performance made things a bit difficult.
Because he was in stark contrast to the other two Base Commanders.
In this way, he believed that the higher-ups in Marineford would not make things too difficult for him after they knew about it.
At most, most of the bribed assets would be confiscated, his Military Rank would be downgraded, and he would be transferred from his position.
On the contrary, those two Base Commanders would have to take a trip to Enies Lobby.
"It seems I really have to meet this Colonel Harros then."
Immediately afterwards, Dragon looked at Rear Admiral Evan and asked, "How are those Pirates doing?"
"The injuries of those who survived are not serious, and the onboard doctors have already treated them."
"The two 'Cat' Captains are still in a coma, and their injuries are considered the most serious."
"However, the doctor said they shouldn't die. After all, they are Zoan-type Devil Fruit User, and their Vitality is inherently different from Ordinary People."
After speaking, Rear Admiral Evan asked curiously, "Judging by your meaning, you are not planning to send them to Enies Lobby Trial?"
"Yes, I want to take them back to Marineford and imprison them in the prison there first."
Dragon didn't hide anything, and appeared very open and upright, directly saying, "Judging from the fact that these Pirates don't attack Civilians, I don't think they can be considered extremely evil people, and it's not necessary to send them to that hellhole Impel Down. I'm considering recruiting them into the Navy and bringing them along myself."
"So that's how it is. Two Zoan-type Devil Fruit User indeed have considerable value. If trained well, they will be good Combat Power."
Rear Admiral Evan nodded and didn't feel too shocked.
There are many Officers in the Navy who, after capturing Pirates, would recruit them into the Navy as subordinates if they took a liking to them.
Generally speaking, as long as they are not major criminals of the World Government, the higher-ups also turn a blind eye to this.
But if something goes wrong afterwards, then this Officer will be held accountable.
Thank you to the reader with the screen name "..." for the 200 Reward! Thank you, thank you!
(End of Chapter)