Spandine had indeed treated his superior, Bazzar, as a sample to demonstrate his capabilities.
And the capability he demonstrated was not that he had thoroughly investigated many of the Roger Pirates' movements.
That required no demonstration; it was simply a capability Cipher Pol ought to possess.
What he demonstrated was the ability to silently erase Saint Vikengam's past from a series of investigations, to bury a person beneath the waves and dust.
To the point that even his superior, after investigating the Roger Pirates for so long, did not know that the crucial scholar was actually a junior favored by Saint Saturn.
It could be said that accomplishing such a thing was extremely difficult.
Although Vikengam was not widely known, he could still be considered a prominent figure in the Holy Land. Yet Spandine had somehow used every means at his disposal to make his superior "fail to recognize" such a person. It was outrageous!
Cipher Pol was the Celestial Dragons' watchdog, after all!
Spandine had messed with Bazzar so thoroughly that he could not even recognize his own master. Wasn't that impressive enough?
"You are quite capable. How far can you take something like this?" Saint Saturn asked as he looked at Spandine.
Spandine had clearly prepared extensively for this, so after Saint Saturn asked, he immediately replied, "If the young master does not deliberately reveal or announce his identity, and if you permit it, then I am confident that within two years, I can eliminate Cipher Pol's identification of the young master's identity."
"Is that so?" Saint Saturn raised a hand to stroke his chin, a trace of appreciation appearing in his eyes as he looked at Spandine. "It seems you are very confident in your abilities."
At the same time, it should be noted that Spandine addressed Vikengam as "young master," a form of address that only servants of the Jaygarcia Family were qualified to use.
For someone of Spandine's status, that was clearly an overstep.
Yet Saint Saturn had not punished Spandine for it. What did that mean?
It meant that Spandine's demonstration of his capabilities had earned Saint Saturn's acceptance of that overstep, representing that he could henceforth regard himself as a servant of the Jaygarcia Family.
Spandine had not claimed that he could completely erase Vikengam's identity and background. He had only said he could achieve this within Cipher Pol, which was already impressive enough.
If he dared claim that he could alter the Navy's understanding as well, that would have been absurd.
But for Saint Saturn, that was enough. The Navy would never take the initiative to publicize or spread Vikengam's identity as a Celestial Dragon; otherwise, they would have countless reservations when acting against the Roger Pirates. Even now, only a very small number of senior Navy officers knew about Vikengam's circumstances.
As for Mary Geoise, if Spandine, a dog raised by the Celestial Dragons, dared claim that he could do such a thing there, he would essentially be declaring that he could deceive the Celestial Dragons themselves. Wouldn't that be courting death?
Not to mention that he could not do it. Even if he could, he would not dare show it.
As for Mary Geoise, Saint Saturn had long ago ordered that it end there. Ordinary Celestial Dragons did not care about Vikengam at all; they spent their days indulging themselves. And elite Celestial Dragons like Garling no longer spoke publicly about Vikengam very often either.
So there was nothing more to say about Mary Geoise.
In the end, Vikengam had merely been a Celestial Dragon with some renown in Mary Geoise during his first eighteen years. He was not someone particularly important to the world.
If the Navy, Mary Geoise, and Cipher Pol all kept silent about his identity, then as long as Vikengam did not recklessly reveal it himself, most of the other forces on the seas would not learn his true identity.
As for whether Vikengam would blurt it out?
He would not go around telling everyone, but if that identity could bring him benefits, he would not mind revealing it.
Spandine had thought Saint Saturn would have him begin handling this matter.
But Saint Saturn gave no such order. Instead, he said, "I am very tolerant of intelligent and capable people, so this will be the only time. If you play clever again in the future, Bazzar will be your fate. Viking's identity need not be publicized, but neither does it need to be deliberately concealed."
Spandine felt a slight chill in his heart, but he remained composed on the surface as he replied, "This subordinate was being presumptuous. Thank you for your forgiveness, Lord Saturn."
But the next second, Saint Saturn added, "From now on, none of the information about Viking within your Cipher Pol is to be entered into the archives, and the notion of him being a scholar must be erased. Whatever he does, whatever the Roger Pirates do, you are still to investigate it and report it to me. But only between you and me. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Saint Saturn." Spandine took a deep breath and answered in a grave voice.
He knew he was walking a tightrope again. Doing this kind of private work made it seem as though the Five Elders valued him highly, as though he had become one of their own, perhaps even a servant.
But if the slightest deviation occurred, he would certainly be the first one silenced, just like his headless superior, Bazzar.
Still, if he wanted to climb higher, how could he avoid paying a price?
Though their contact had been brief, Spandine had keenly noticed one thing: Saint Saturn was exceptionally attentive and lenient toward the young master, Saint Vikengam.
Vikengam had become a pirate, and Saint Saturn had chosen to shield him.
Now he had even begun researching Poneglyphs, the Void Century, and the Ancient Weapons. Combined with the Roger Pirates' situation, they were very likely planning something huge.
Even under such circumstances, Saint Saturn had still chosen to shield him.
What did that mean?
It meant that the young master held an extraordinary place in Saint Saturn's heart. In that case, if he could find a way to cling to the young master's thigh as well, perhaps he would not be casually silenced in the future?
Without saying anything more, Saint Saturn soon dismissed Spandine.
Afterward, only Ah Fu and a corpse remained in the vast reception hall.
Saint Saturn paid no attention to the corpse at all, and Ah Fu did not dare mention cleaning it up at this moment. He merely stood quietly at Saint Saturn's side.
"A scholar? It seems you truly know how to increase your stakes and weight in your grandfather's heart, Viking..." Saint Saturn murmured softly.
Back then in Mary Geoise, Saint Saturn had personally instructed Vikengam not to continue learning the Ancient Language.
And Vikengam had agreed.
Now, it was obvious that Vikengam had broken his word, something that should have made Saint Saturn angry.
Yet at this moment, Saint Saturn instead admired Vikengam even more.
Over the past two years or so, no matter how much trouble Vikengam had caused on the seas, what kind of pirate he had become, or how many billions of Beli his bounty had reached, in Saint Saturn's eyes, it could all be considered "having achieved nothing."
Only the fact that he had mastered the ability to decipher the Ancient Language, truly become a scholar in this field, and was following the Roger Pirates in exploring the Void Century—perhaps even preparing something huge—
made Saint Saturn feel that he had not wasted his time, that he was doing proper work, that he was seizing fate by the throat!
After a moment of silence, Saint Saturn spoke again. "When Viking approaches Mary Geoise again, contact him. Tell him his grandfather misses him a little, and that if it is convenient, he should come home for a visit."
Ah Fu secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that, then replied, "Yes, Lord Saturn."
Before you continue