Assassinate the Princess!

The weather was clear, and the sea sparkled beneath the sun.

Upon the azure ocean, three warships sailed in a triangular formation, churning through the seawater like scissors tearing open a curtain as they raced across the waves.

Warships held immense deterrent power in the East Blue.

There were no excessively powerful figures who defied common sense, so the advantage of equipment could be brought fully into play.

Cannons were controlled weapons. Aside from Great Pirates with influence everywhere, ordinary pirate crews only had a few shabby blades and swords as weapons.

Furthermore, warships were far faster than ordinary pirate ships. Once targeted, few vessels could withstand a round of concentrated fire.

It was not that they encountered no pirates along the way. Rather, whenever pirates saw a formation of three warships—especially with two nimble, agile smaller warships accompanying them—they fled from afar.

Fortunately, with an escort mission on their shoulders, the Marines would not waste their strength pursuing them.

"Three days have passed. They should be here soon, right?"

Inside the cabin, Lowett withdrew from the Soul Sea. The sharp glint in his eyes slowly faded away.

Putting himself in their shoes, if he had a secret that needed to be kept, yet someone who knew about it appeared openly before the world, he would not allow that person to live for long either.

This was not some common flaw among clever people. It was human instinct.

People simply chose the way of living that benefited themselves.

Therefore, Kuro's assassination attempt was bound to come during this voyage!

Standing by the bedroom window, Lowett blew on the scalding tea in his cup and took a small sip.

"Even taking a step back, apart from having three warships, this voyage is no different from when Branch 153 was massacred last time in terms of numbers and strength."

So Kuro could not possibly be afraid!

Remembering that fleeting glimpse from that day, that bizarre speed... Lowett felt his heartbeat quicken.

"It's been so long... since I last fought someone to the death."

He could not help trembling all over with excitement.

"Black Count" was Number One Under the Ten Saints. Everyone in the Mage World knew that.

In other words, aside from existences like the Holy Ten, no one could defeat him in a one-on-one fight. Naturally, there was not much fighting to speak of.

Moreover, he was a genius who had mastered all five major branches of necromancy. Even among Necromancers, he ranked among the most troublesome. Under the same circumstances, outsiders would rather grit their teeth and suffer some losses than fight someone like him.

"I hope you can give me some... memories worth savoring."

A crimson haze swirled through his eyes. No wind could be heard, yet something dangerous brushed over his body and stirred his hair.

Knowing that battle was near, Lowett had been carefully adjusting his condition these past few days.

He did not have much spiritual power left. His ability to cast one-star spells was limited, and he honestly was not certain whether Crimson Fury could turn the situation around.

He might die!

But he was not afraid.

Just like when he had tried to use illegal means to open the gates of the underworld, even knowing there was only a "possibility," he had boldly let go and done it.

Death was not terrifying.

For a Necromancer, that was even more true.

Once one lost that mindset, a Necromancer's path was more or less at its end.

"But what is Kuro waiting for? Branch 16's territory lies ahead. Once they receive support from them, his chances will be even slimmer."

After passing through the waters under Branch 16's jurisdiction, the warships could reach Loguetown in a day.

If he still did not make a move...

Thinking of Smoker's feat of utterly overwhelming the Straw Hat Pirates in the original story, Lowett did not believe Smoker would be like Crocodile, restrained by liquid and defeated in humiliation.

"A direct assault is possible. For safety's sake, we haven't made forced night marches, so they have enough time to catch up."

"Have I been too focused on safety?"

Just as he frowned in thought, a scream suddenly rang out from outside.

"Ah!!!"

"Protect the Princess!"

Monka's furious roar shook the deck. Footsteps immediately thundered throughout the warship. Through the cabin door, it sounded as if countless rats were scrambling through cracks in the walls.

In an instant, Lowett's eyes lit up.

"What a plan!"

"As expected of the man Oda personally designated as the smartest character in the early stages!"

Sally Nandecanette had been stabbed!

The shocking news swept across all three warships like a gale. By the time Lowett reached the front of the deck, the area was already surrounded by people.

The soldiers had encircled Monka and the others in several layers. When they saw Lowett arrive, they were briefly surprised before making way for him.

"Nandecanette, Nandecanette, don't scare me!"

At the center of the crowd, Princess Nandecanette of the Kingdom of Goa lay unconscious on the ground. Her fiancé, Sterley, held her in his arms, his face filled with terror.

It was genuine terror!

His qualification to inherit the throne came from being the Princess's fiancé, making him an heir acknowledged by the old king. If Nandecanette died, who would still recognize his position?

His adoptive father, Outlook III, certainly would not spare him!

"Mm..."

While unconscious, the Princess let out a faint groan. Blood had stained the pale yellow decorations on her white dress red, pooling across the deck.

A dagger had been plunged into the edge of her kidney. It had come within a hair's breadth of killing her on the spot!

With such brutality, the culprit's identity was obvious.

"Damn pirates!"

Sterley already looked wretched, but anger twisted his face into something even uglier.

He raised his head, fury blazing. "How are you protecting the Princess? You actually let pirates sneak aboard the ship!"

"Trash! You're all trash!!"

"I'll tell my father and have every last one of you buried with her!"

Monka's face flushed red as he clenched his fists.

In truth, if he had not rushed over the moment he heard the scream, the murderer would have driven in a second blade and completely extinguished Nandecanette's life.

But none of that was an excuse. Since someone had been attacked while he was in command, he could not escape responsibility.

At that moment, Lowett squeezed through the crowd and spoke softly.

"Leaving aside whether anyone recognizes your calling him Father when you have not formally married the Princess, merely blocking the doctor from treating her right now makes me wonder... what your true intentions are."

"Lieutenant Lowett, this is not your place to speak!"

Major Aiden was startled and quickly rebuked him.

If not for Monka's consideration, Lowett, as a lieutenant, should have been on the perimeter standing guard rather than coming to the center.

However, Lowett held no authority and had no soldiers directly under his command, so no one could find an excuse to stop him.

"You!!"

Sterley was startled.

He truly had not noticed that the doctor had arrived. He had been too focused on what would happen to his throne if Nandecanette died, leaving him distracted and unsettled.

"Ahem, Lord Sterley, let the doctor examine her quickly."

Monka coughed and interjected.

"Oh, right, hurry up, Doctor! If you can't save her, I'll have your life!"

Sterley abruptly came to his senses. He rose with a panicked expression, yet still did not forget to act arrogantly.

Bullying an idiot really was beneath him.

Lowett shook his head and moved closer to Monka, asking quietly.

"Colonel, where is the murderer?"

Monka's expression darkened further at the question.

"We killed one and let one escape. One kept watch while the other acted. They stole our rescue boat."

It really was Kuro!

If he had merely suspected it before, Lowett's deduction was now confirmed.

Someone had to escape for him to complete the next stage of his plan.

A true assassin was usually a suicide agent, and a suicide agent had no need for a lookout in order to survive.

"This is troublesome..."

Lowett sighed.

"One of the murderers escaped. Forget whether that idiot will let this go, the Kingdom of Goa will not let it rest either. If we fail to catch them... we'll all be in trouble."

Major Aiden was alarmed, no longer caring who Lowett was calling an idiot.

"Then what do we do?"

What could they do?

Naturally, they had to send people after them and bring the murderer to justice!

But...

Who could guarantee that there were only two assassins aboard the ship?

If they gave chase, would they fall for the enemy's trick of luring the tiger from the mountain?

If something happened to Sterley too, there would be nothing left to say. They might as well all head out to sea and become pirates together.

The World Government would never spare Branch 153 after such a blunder. Even Sengoku could not protect them.

Lowett did not answer. He believed Monka already had an answer.

"Colonel, let me take a warship and pursue them!"

Lieutenant Colonel Jordi handed his command duties to his adjutant and came to the flagship.

The enemy had slipped away right under their noses. If they had not needed to prioritize the royal family's safety, that assassin would not have gotten far.

The sudden chaos and the principle of prioritizing the royal family had given the enemy enough time to escape safely.

But that safety was only relative... A warship's speed was not something a mere lifeboat could compare to.

"No! The enemy is hidden while we are exposed. If we withdraw defensive strength and the enemy launches a large-scale attack, it will be even more dangerous."

Monka rejected the proposal decisively.

No one knew the enemy's true goal—assassination or luring the tiger from the mountain.

They had relied on the overlapping firepower network formed by the three warships to deter enemies throughout the journey. Removing one would undoubtedly give the enemy a greater chance to launch a frontal assault.

"What? The culprit escaped?!"

At that moment, Sterley's face twisted with malice as he slapped Major Soxie across the face. His untrained hand hurt sharply, but the viciousness in his eyes did not diminish.

"I don't care what excuses you have. If you can't catch the culprit, then just wait for death!"

A dignified major had been slapped by an outsider in front of his soldiers. Fury and humiliation made Soxie's face flush red, and his whole body trembled.

Seeing the soldiers' murderous gazes, united in hatred, Monka took a deep breath.

"Can I trust you, Lowett?"

Lowett froze at his words.

He had already been considering how to take this trouble upon himself, yet Monka had actually brought it up first...

He truly had not expected that!

Raising his head, Lowett met Monka's calm gaze.

Actually...

There was a third option in this matter.

That was to throw out a sacrificial pawn to take the blame!

The nobles' anger needed an outlet, and the government's accountability needed someone to bear it. That target could be all of Branch 153, or it could be...

A single person who had failed in pursuit!

Monka's refusal to withdraw defensive forces for the royal family's safety made sense.

Therefore, sending a small force to capture the murderer also made sense.

However, if that small force failed to catch the culprit, then...

That would not make sense!

At that point, all fury and accusations would fall upon the person responsible for capturing the murderer. Branch 153 would bear some fault, but not a grave one, and could preserve itself through this.

Monka naming Lowett clearly meant for Lowett to play that role.

If he caught the culprit, that would naturally be cause for celebration. They could even use it to establish Lowett's authority within the branch and resolve its increasingly prominent conflicts. If he failed, then it would simply mean Lowett had handled the matter poorly.

"I guarantee I'll complete the mission, Colonel!"

Lowett's decisiveness exceeded Monka's expectations.

But Monka did not hesitate and nodded.

It was good that he had agreed.

"Go. Pick twenty men. You should be able to catch up!"

"Yes!"

With that, Lowett turned and left.

After he departed, Lieutenant Colonel Jordi frowned and hesitantly spoke. "Colonel, Lieutenant Lowett's past... If you send him after them, perhaps he will..."

"Wouldn't that be even better?"

Monka looked at him coldly, sending a chill through Lieutenant Colonel Jordi's heart.

He lowered his head.

"Yes!"