Spandine at Your Service!

When a flower bloomed on two branches, each branch had its own tale to tell.

That sharp-tongued dead woman Maffie was discussing with Somaz whether Viking's inexplicable decision to become a pirate had been influenced by the Donquixote Family's deranged nature.

Meanwhile, the two CP-9 agents had already been brought before Saint Saturn.

As an intelligence agency, Cipher Pol and Marine Headquarters were, in fact, parallel organizations of equal rank within the World Government's administrative system.

The director of Cipher Pol, for instance, was generally stationed permanently at Mary Geoise and held a status no lower than that of the Fleet Admiral of Marine Headquarters.

The commander of CP-0 held a status no lower than that of a Marine Admiral.

The position of Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's entire military was often rotated between Cipher Pol and Marine Headquarters in order to keep them in balance.

At the same time, the World Government continuously provoked conflicts between Cipher Pol and Marine Headquarters, ensuring that the two maintained competition and confrontation while keeping their overall relationship healthy.

That was perfectly normal. After all, if the world's largest intelligence agency and the world's largest violent organization got along like they wore the same pair of pants, the masters of Mary Geoise would not be able to sleep peacefully!

Still, the Marines had more backbone. Though they were also raised by the Celestial Dragons, they retained some of a military's nature.

Cipher Pol, on the other hand, had far fewer airs.

The moment Bazzar and Spandine saw Saint Saturn, neither hesitated in the slightest before kneeling directly before him.

They did not even dare look upon Saint Saturn's august face.

Without waiting for them to introduce themselves, Saint Saturn spoke directly. "Bazzar, how is the covert investigation into the Roger Pirates progressing?"

Clearly, as the Warrior God of Science and Defense, Saint Saturn was no stranger to the head of CP-9.

"Reporting to Saint Saturn, over the past two years, we have continuously intensified every aspect of our investigation into the Roger Pirates, and we have indeed made considerable progress," Bazzar said steadily.

He looked nothing like he had when trembling before Saint Garling earlier.

In truth, Bazzar did not regard Garling's assignment as much pressure. In a sense, he was currently helping the Five Elders handle private business.

Yes, private business. None of his investigations into the Roger Pirates had ever entered Cipher Pol headquarters' archives. Even today's audience with Saint Saturn was not being held at Pangaea Castle, but at God's Residence!

Inside Saint Saturn's private bedchamber!

That undoubtedly made Bazzar feel that he was now Saint Saturn's confidant. As long as he maintained that status, how could Saint Garling truly dare kill him?

Saint Saturn said nothing, and Bazzar did not dare delay. He promptly reported, "Since the God Valley Incident, the Roger Pirates have been active in both the West Blue and the South Blue. The latest intelligence indicates that they have reentered the Grand Line. Not long ago, confirmed sightings of them were reported at Rapeseed Flower Port in the Kingdom of Alabasta."

"We conducted an in-depth investigation into the Roger Pirates' route and discovered that, starting from the West Blue, they had been searching for ancient ruins, ancient documents, and Poneglyphs. In the Flower Country of the West Blue, they obtained information on at least two Poneglyphs. Yet when we arrived in the Flower Country, the Poneglyphs had vanished without a trace. We suspect the Roger Pirates were deliberately concealing the Poneglyphs as well. Meanwhile, at the ruins of the Bynila Kingdom in the South Blue, there were also signs that a suspected Poneglyph had been moved and subsequently disappeared. In Ohara of the West Blue, their crew member Jaygo Vikengam participated as a scholar in an archaeological research symposium that lasted nearly a month. Though there was no record of him making any speeches, according to several people present, this Roger Pirates scholar who had suddenly emerged after God Valley possessed exceptionally extensive knowledge of Ancient Language studies and history, earning the deep admiration of many long-established scholars," Bazzar recounted solemnly.

Upon hearing the name "Jaygo Vikengam," Saint Saturn's brow furrowed slightly. Looking at Bazzar, who knelt in the distance with his head lowered as he delivered the report, Saint Saturn felt somewhat puzzled.

Vikengam's existence was not particularly secret. He had lived in Mary Geoise for eighteen years and appeared in public quite often. People in the Holy Land had even spread rumors that he was my most favored junior. Viking had even worked with Cipher Pol before in the operation to capture Professor Clover.

Logically speaking, he had merely used an alias—he had only shortened his surname before joining the Roger Pirates. As the commander of CP-9, it was unlikely that Bazzar did not know the identity of the person he was talking about, was it?

As for whether this man was deliberately pretending not to know in front of him?

Impossible. Unless he truly wanted to die.

So the most likely possibility was... Bazzar genuinely had no idea who Vikengam was!?

That struck Saint Saturn as rather strange. Then, thoughtfully, he shifted his gaze to the deputy commander beside Bazzar.

Afterward, Bazzar gave a detailed account of many of the Roger Pirates' movements. It could be said that, aside from a handful of concealed ancient ruins, Cipher Pol had followed the Roger Pirates' footsteps almost exactly.

It showed just how terrifyingly capable the world's largest intelligence agency was!

"Based on this intelligence, I suspect the Roger Pirates intend to investigate the history of the Void Century. The reason they are doing so may very well be the immense pressure they feel from the chaotic pirate wars in the New World. Thus, they seek another path, hoping to find traces of the Ancient Weapons capable of destroying the world within these ancient legends," Bazzar said gravely.

Saint Saturn did not ask about the Ancient Weapons. Instead, his tone sharpened as he asked, "Do you believe their scholar has mastered the ability to decipher the Ancient Language? Can he read the records on the Poneglyphs?"

After giving the matter some thought, Bazzar answered, "He should possess that ability."

It was neither exaggerated nor particularly unbelievable.

In fact, in this era and over the preceding several centuries, all sorts of oddballs capable of reading Poneglyphs frequently emerged across the world.

Just as Dragon would later establish the Revolutionary Army and begin rebelling, similar rebellions had not been isolated cases over the course of those centuries.

Saint Saturn had released Professor Clover after capturing him, then captured him again after releasing him, several times over. There had indeed been an intention to use him as bait. Later, whether Professor Clover was foolish or truly making a desperate gamble, no one knew.

Over the course of those decades, his legendary experiences had subtly shaped him into the "leader of archaeological scholars." He later settled in Ohara, the cultural holy land of the West Blue, and gradually attracted large numbers of archaeologists from all over the world through his own prestige.

He gradually formed his own circle and turned Ohara into an "archaeological holy land."

It could be said that because the World Government had continuously treated him "leniently," many people assumed he had powerful backing. This lured those scholars who did not know the truth, gathering around him all the people across the world who secretly possessed the ability to decipher the Ancient Language and bringing them to Ohara.

Only a very few clever people had not shown themselves, such as the Kozuki Family.

The World Government later carried out the complete destruction of Ohara, which to a great extent wiped out those scattered "oddballs" who had previously been difficult to find. This resulted in the catastrophic disappearance of Ancient Language deciphering ability in the original story.

Those who showed themselves were eliminated, while the clever ones who had not shown themselves became even less willing to expose themselves.

"Is that so? Has Viking already mastered that ability?" Saint Saturn suddenly murmured softly.

Those words jolted Bazzar's heart, as though he had realized something.

Why had Saint Saturn sounded so intimate when mentioning that scholar?

And Bazzar's unusual reaction, contrasted with the utterly calm Spandine beside him, had already made Saint Saturn understand something.

With a soft sigh, he said, "Used as a specimen to display someone else's abilities without realizing it. What a fool. And fools have no value to me."

As his words fell, Bazzar abruptly raised his head, intending to say something. But before he could, his head exploded into a mist of blood.

Red and white sprayed everywhere, staining the luxurious palace with filth.

"What is your name?" Saint Saturn asked softly.

Blood and rotten fragments of flesh slid down from the hair at his temple.

Spandine remained kneeling there. Without raising his head, he replied, "Reporting to my lord, I am Spandine, deputy commander of CP-9."

"Very good. From today onward, you are the commander of CP-9," Saint Saturn said calmly.