Countermeasure!

Kuma's affair did not cause much of a stir within the New Marines.

For the upper ranks of the New Marines to be involved in such a scandal, they would do everything possible to keep it under wraps no matter how one looked at it. Embarrassment was only one aspect; an incident like this dealt far too great a blow to the authority of the New Marines' leadership.

Fortunately, those handling the matter at the time were all young elites who had gone to sea alongside Kuina and Zoro for training. The communications officers present in Issho's office to witness the surveillance footage had also reached a certain rank, and their loyalty and sense of belonging toward the Marines were beyond question.

Thus, for the New Marines, sealing off the information was not difficult.

However, while Kuma's betrayal of the New Marines could easily be concealed, the great battle that took place above Cake Island could not possibly be hidden.

Whole Cake Island had always been fashioned by the New Marines into an open nation. Different races could live there in harmony, while forces from all over the world could coexist peacefully upon that land.

Yet this open environment had also made Whole Cake Island a mixed bag. Although the waters around Cake Island were heavily guarded, there were still some exceptionally capable intelligence agents who could use certain methods to monitor New Marine Headquarters.

Dragon had used such an ostentatious ability to attack the New Marines. To fend off Dragon's assault, Mihawk had gone all out, while Issho had supported him with his own ability. Naturally, the strange phenomena that appeared above Cake Island had been witnessed by quite a few outside forces.

As a result, by the day after Cake Island was attacked, intelligence regarding that battle was