My blood had been fired up, and then you chose none of the three options. You wanted to return to Impel Down. I suspect you're insulting my Inspire-Inspire Fruit, but I have no proof.
Vice Admiral Doug pushed up his glasses and stared straight at Figo.
Figo explained, "A real man doesn't necessarily have to set his sights on the sea. If everyone yearned for the vast ocean, who would do jobs like guarding a prison?
"For the past eight years, I really was afraid of the loneliness and isolation of Impel Down. I deserted my post there, and I don't think that was right."
Why did that sound so familiar? Doug looked a little confused. "So..."
"The captain of the Laughing Pirates couldn't even be transported to Impel Down. The title of the world's greatest underwater prison doesn't quite fit anymore. I'm more familiar with the work of guarding it, and more suited to the job. Besides, Impel Down is a good place to focus and improve my strength. So after careful consideration, I've decided to go back for a few more years!"
Doug was speechless.
Figo's desire to return to Impel Down really was the result of careful consideration, but the reasons he gave Doug were certainly not the real ones.
Back on Huoyu Island, after capturing the Giant race members who had escaped from prison, Figo discovered that the Prison Archives awarded participation credit for recapturing escapees. That had made him consider returning. He felt there was a lot of room to work with that in Impel Down. He'd been thinking too small before; it was still the most convenient place for him to improve his strength.
But eight years in Impel Down had honestly been stifling. With his current strength, hunting pirates outside wouldn't be too dangerous, and he wouldn't make progress too slowly, either. So he'd still been wavering.
Then, in the early hours of the morning, he learned that the Celestial Dragons were each "Pirate Emperors"—treasures waiting for him to uncover. That was what finally made him determined to return.
Figo wasn't someone who couldn't tolerate the slightest stain. The three CP9 agents each had a Crime Index of over ten, but he didn't think they had to die for it. Their identities mattered, after all, and after eight years as an Impel Down jailer, Figo couldn't guarantee that he himself had no Crime Index.
Unless he saw the three of them doing something vile with his own eyes, he might not intervene.
It was a matter of out of sight, out of mind.
But the Celestial Dragons were different. Their existence violated Figo's moral bottom line. Their own brutality and stupidity, along with the slave trade they had given rise to, meant that countless Sapphires appeared every day in the world of pirates!
Once he acted in a fit of outrage, there would always be a second time. And they happened to be worth an immense amount to him. Figo knew he'd find it hard to stop himself from targeting them.
Keep hunting geese, and sooner or later one will peck your eye out.
Once or twice, perhaps no one would find him. Disguises, alibis, and his one-of-a-kind Fish-Man Power would all help him stay well hidden.
But if an organization like the World Government acted with all its might, its power would be immense.
The Celestial Dragons had maintained their supreme position for seven hundred years. They couldn't possibly be without trump cards; otherwise, the lawless pirates would have secretly killed them all long ago.
Figo didn't even dare guarantee that he could defeat every slave group surrounding a Celestial Dragon.
One mistake would leave Figo with almost no chance of survival! Going straight to the Holy Land to dig up treasure was even more out of the question!
Figo needed greater strength!
The strength of an Admiral! Strength that would let him kill Celestial Dragons in secret without too many worries! Strength that would let him escape with ease even if he were exposed!
And Impel Down was the fastest way for Figo to cross the enormous gap between Vice Admiral and Admiral!
Besides, the Giant Power he'd gained on this trip had extended his lifespan by at least ten years. So what if he spent all ten of those years in Impel Down?
Figo could afford to wait. There was no rushing it, anyway.
Doug had no idea what Figo was thinking. He seemed to want to persuade him, but held back. Then he suddenly remembered something. "Figo, is this because of what Xiaoya said yesterday...?"
Figo shook his head. "No, Teacher. What happened to that little girl really enraged me, but it didn't leave me disheartened. If I'm transferred back to Impel Down, I could always choose to go to the New World or the Four Seas instead, somewhere farther away from those disgusting Celestial Dragons."
"She wasn't exactly a little girl. If she were still alive, she'd be about your age now." Vice Admiral Doug corrected him, then continued, "I can tell you didn't make this decision on impulse. All I can do is support you and believe in you.
"When you walk out of Impel Down again, you'll surely be an even stronger Marine, and you'll have your name carved into the history of the Marines!
"I, Doug, have absolute faith in that!"
After his customary words of encouragement, the old man's expression drooped. "You really won't think it over again?"
The next morning, Doug arrived at Marshal O's office, looking troubled.
"O, what did you call me here for?"
Marshal O, who had only recently returned from the Holy Land, asked Doug, "Doug, the afternoon before last, you mobilized a warship for no apparent reason. You prepared to set sail, but in the end you didn't. What were you doing?"
"You're going to question me about that too? I was just running through our preparations for setting sail. What's wrong with that?"
"Good thing you didn't actually set sail." O said, "Late that night, Saint Cassilia was attacked on his way back to the Holy Land. The culprit still hasn't been found, and the World Government is furious!"
Doug's eyes widened. Then he suddenly burst out laughing. "Good! He deserved to die! It was someone from the Laughing Pirates, right? Good riddance!"
"Keep your voice down." O furrowed his brow in warning, then said, "It wasn't the Laughing Pirates. They've already been defeated. If we don't investigate this properly, it probably won't be over anytime soon.
"If someone could attack a Celestial Dragon once without anyone noticing, they could do it a second or third time. For the time being, CP0 intelligence agents will be watching every Celestial Dragon's movements, and we'll have to waste Marine resources protecting them both openly and in secret!"
"Tch." Doug grunted in annoyance, but soon couldn't help laughing again. He laughed so hard his eyes watered, took off his glasses, and wiped them. "O, you have no idea what that Celestial Dragon did. To tell you the truth, O, I mobilized a warship that day because I wanted to go kill him myself!"
O was startled. "Have you gone mad?!"
"I nearly did." Doug pulled over a chair and sat down. "I never thought someone would do what I ultimately didn't have the courage to do. If I knew who it was, I'd thank him properly!"
O frowned deeply, glanced at the tightly shut door, then studied Doug's expression.
"What did that Celestial Dragon do?"
"I don't want to relive it. This coward who lacked the courage to act had only just managed to calm himself down with the Inspire-Inspire Fruit and remind himself he was a Marine Vice Admiral," Doug said.
"So that's why you looked so troubled just now?" O asked.
"Not quite," Doug said. "It's because my student, who just got out of Impel Down, actually wants to go back."
"Figo?" O was taken aback.
"Yeah." Doug explained Figo's reasons for wanting to return to Impel Down, then sighed. "That boy really has grown a lot. His mind is made up, and my Inspire-Inspire Fruit can barely affect him. I can't talk him out of it. You help me persuade him, O. With his talent, staying in Impel Down would be such a waste."
"No." O smiled. "In fact, I've been wondering how to persuade Figo to return to Impel Down and guard it for a few more years..."
He told Doug about the plan to make Impel Down independent from the Marine system and establish the position of Director. "This position is important. We can't let someone from the World Government take it. That would turn Impel Down into a market where the Celestial Dragons could pick out slaves!"
Doug sucked in a breath, looking troubled. In the end, he waved a hand and left. "Forget it, forget it. I can't persuade him anyway. You talk to him."
"Give it a few days. First, tell him about the changes coming to Impel Down. For the next few days, even if it's only for appearances, I have to cooperate fully with the investigation into Saint Cassilia's death."
"Ah, don't investigate too seriously." Doug reached the door, then paused. "Please!"
Please? O furrowed his brow.
What was wrong with the old man?
A few days later, at Mary Geoise.
"Still no leads?"
"The underwater team has carefully searched the likely locations where Cassilia might have been attacked, but we still haven't found the exact place where he was killed."
"No suspicious targets."
"This doesn't warrant deploying the Divine Army."
"Is Marine Headquarters really doing everything it can to cooperate with the investigation, Saint Mendsbin? Aren't you being a little too lenient with O?"
"I've always said that when choosing a Fleet Admiral, we can't just consider ability. We also need someone obedient!"
Because of Saint Cassilia's death, the Five Elders had gathered for the third time, but in the end, they still failed to reach any conclusions and dispersed hastily.
In truth, they weren't too concerned about the death of a Celestial Dragon. Something like this happened once or twice every few decades. What concerned them more was that they couldn't find any trace of the culprit this time.
Saint Mendsbin was questioned over his attitude toward O, and he stormed back to his residence.
Four idiots. What the hell do you know?
He had all the haughtiness of a Celestial Dragon and looked down on even his four fellow Five Elders.
What use was there for worthless fools who only knew how to obey?
The disobedient were the ones with vitality. And the fun lay in using our wits to make the disobedient obey us, even getting them to cooperate without realizing it.
At the entrance to the residence, Peslo and the other two CP9 agents whose mission had failed were finally granted an audience. They knelt on one knee, awaiting Saint Mendsbin's judgment.
"Lord Five Elder!"
Saint Mendsbin gestured for them to stand.
"Throughout this mission, the Giant race never learned your true identities. Only Figo and that Lieutenant Colonel knew. Is that right?"
"Yes!"
Saint Mendsbin pondered for a moment. "Starting today, the World Government will erase every trace of you. You're no longer CP9!"
"...Lord Five Elder?"
"You used to be human friends of the Giant race. After your attempt to rescue the Giant race failed and you were captured, you had no choice but to join the World Government to save the lives of the seven of you. Only after two years of training did you become CP9 agents!"
The three were stunned. Another two years of training? Peslo was the first to react. "Do you want us to take Yamauba's place?"
"You can't take her place completely. The details will need to be worked out gradually. I need you to become honored guests of the Giant race in two years," Saint Mendsbin said. "This operation is top secret. Gaston Figo and that Lieutenant Colonel will keep it confidential."
As soon as he finished speaking, the miniature Den Den Mushi attached to his arm began to ring.
After answering, he smiled faintly.
I knew it, O. Once you heard that Impel Down was becoming independent, you'd persuade Gaston Figo to return and take the position of Director. Now, I only have to transfer that Marine Lieutenant Colonel to the World Government.
The Giant race won't escape my grasp!
Before you continue