The Traitor Could Be Anyone but You / Ship Zuizui: Speak Up for Me!

After a while, it was Mammon's turn.

The two nodded to Mammon, indicating that he needed not worry.

Upon entering, Mammon first saw an interrogation table, behind which sat a middle-aged man.

The man, dressed in a black suit and navy cloak, and wearing sunglasses, gave a slight smile when he saw Mammon enter.

"Please have a seat, Captain Mammon. I am Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, Director of the Marine Criminal Investigation Bureau, codename 'Black Horse' Tensei."

"Hello, Vice Admiral Black Horse."

Mammon nodded in greeting and then sat down opposite him.

He noticed a scientific instrument on the table. The whole instrument looked like Den Den Mushi machine. When the Navy issued a bounty, it used a similar machine to send the rubbings to the World Economy Newspaper Headquarters.

Seeing his gaze fall on the machine, Vice Admiral Black Horse smiled and said:

"This is a lie detector developed by the Marine Science Unit. Its accuracy is quite high. Our investigation bureau only recently acquired it."

"Can it detect lies? The power of science is truly amazing."

"Its principle is very simple: it detects whether someone is lying by checking their pulse. To be honest, it's not very useful. Truly skilled people can control their own pulse, so having it or not makes no difference to them."

Vice Admiral Black Horse looked at Mammon, but instead of asking questions, he started chatting as if they were old friends.

"Captain Mammon, I've heard of you before. I was really surprised when a rookie who ate Mythical Zoan Vampire Fruit suddenly joined the Navy."

Mammon appropriately showed his confusion.

Black Horse explained, "About 300 years ago, one of our navy Admiral, codenamed 'Black Bat,' ate your Vampire Fruit, and that Admiral was my ancestor."

Black Horse, Black Bat.

Your family even has code names passed down through generations?

Mammon looked surprised; this time he wasn't acting, he was genuinely a little shocked.

How come family relationships are everywhere within the Navy? The Ed family is like that, and so is the Black Horse in front of us.

If Dimon were here, nothing would have happened.

As any large organization evolves over time, its personnel will naturally tend to change in this direction; this is a natural law of social development.

Take Garp for example. His son was a Marine, and he also planned for his grandson to become a Marine, but some unexpected things happened along the way.

Mammon a demon that has only recently Animation, and he doesn't know much about human affairs yet.

Are you surprised?

Black Horse smiled and said, "Before the routine questioning, Captain Mammon, I have a suggestion for you to consider."

"Please speak."

"I have a niece, about your age. Would you be interested in marrying into our family?"

Chapter 84 The Traitor Could Never Be You

The Vice Admiral Black Horse has a well-thought-out plan.

Mammon's potential is undeniable; as long as Undying along the way, he will eventually become the next Marine Admiral.

The wise thing to do is to act now, before the opponent gains power.

This routine inquiry wasn't something he, as the bureau chief, needed to do in person; it was just to meet Mammon alone.

Faced with this unexpected situation, Mammon was stunned for a moment.

Does this person mean they want to marry the other person's niece?

If I refuse, will it affect my undercover mission?

As he pondered how to answer, Vice Admiral Black Horse, seeing his silence, immediately took a photograph from his inner pocket, placed it on the interrogation table, and handed it to Mammon.

Mammon's thoughts were interrupted by this action. He looked down and saw a young woman with long, wine-red hair in the photo.

"This is a photo of my niece; her contact number is on the back," Vice Admiral Black Horse said with a smile. "You don't need to rush to answer. Contact her when you have the chance; you young people should get along well."

Having said all that, there seemed to be no room for refusal, so Mammon had no choice but to accept the photos.

"Vice Admiral Black Horse, let's begin our routine questioning. I will tell you everything that happened that night, and what I did in detail."

"Haha, no need. I already know your situation from your teacher. It's impossible for you to be the traitor."

Black Horse chuckled and waved his hand. "I'll have someone write the detailed inquiry report. You can leave now. Remember to keep in touch with my niece."

Mammon then left the interrogation room.

He felt his earlier worries were unfounded; the navy had never doubted him from beginning to end, wasting all the rhetoric he had prepared beforehand.

"However, this means I'm safe within the Navy for now. I need to find a way to get my hands on a copy of the 'Devil Fruit Encyclopedia' as soon as possible."

After leaving the interrogation room, Mammon met up with Ain and Binz.

"I told you, it's just a routine matter," Binz pointed to the ceiling. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku knows you're back and just contacted me, asking you to go to his Fleet Admiral's Office."

"Okay, I'll go right now."

Mammon nodded and quickly arrived at the Fleet Admiral's Office on the top floor of the fortress.

Before even entering, I could hear the sounds of arguing coming from inside; it was Zephyr and Sengoku.

"... This is against the rules. He's already a captain right after joining the navy; it takes at least three years to be promoted to captain."

"What kind of ridiculous rule is this? With his abilities, he's more than qualified to be a 'Admiral Candidate,' but they only gave him the rank of captain. Don't you find that laughable?"

"It's not like a special case like World Military Draft where you can be promoted out of turn. There has to be a reason, right? The navy isn't my personal fiefdom!"

"Isn't the reason simple? During the Punk Hazard incident, he stopped a member of the Seven Deadly Sins and protected Vegapunk. Isn't that enough of an achievement?"

If that's how you put it, there's nothing I can do about it.

"In short, you must promote my disciple! Otherwise, you'll regret it!"

"Zephyr, I am the Fleet Admiral!"

The Sengoku was clearly furious. This bastard had already retired, yet he still wouldn't stop causing trouble with this kind of thing.

Zephyr didn't press the matter further. He had already conveyed his meaning: whether or not Sengoku was willing to promote him was Sengoku's business.

He turned to leave the office and saw Mammon standing at the door.

"Teacher Zephyr."

"Take a trip to the hospital; did they find any hidden injuries?"

"No, I'm in great shape, and my injuries have fully healed."

Upon hearing this, Zephyr couldn't help but marvel at the Mythical Zoan. He chuckled and patted Mammon on the shoulder.

"Go in and see Sengoku. I'm going back. Remember, don't neglect your training in Haki!"

"Yes, teacher."

Watching Zephyr leave, Mammon's goodwill towards him grew. Unfortunately, their positions were different; Zefa was an undercover agent, so their mentor-disciple relationship could only go so far.

Upon entering the Fleet Admiral's Office, Mammon approached the desk and gave a standard military salute.

"Fleet Admiral."

"You've come."

Sengoku's Observation Haki had already detected him outside the door, so his expression showed no surprise.

He also had high hopes for Mammon, a Mythical Zoan Fruit user, seeing him as a seed for the future of the Navy.

Recalling Zephyr's earlier words, Sengoku pondered for a moment before finally speaking:

"Your teacher just asked me to promote you. Your performance in Punk Hazard was indeed heroic; being able to single-handedly hold off a member of the Seven Deadly Sins is remarkable!"

That's a member of the Seven Deadly Sins. Although he's not the same person as Samael, whom Kizaru faced, they're both members of the same organization, so their strength is probably roughly the same.

Mammon shook his head. "I lost. Those people were just too lazy to kill me."

"No need to be modest. You're still young, and you've only just begun to cultivate your Haki. You've already done a great job."

Sengoku took a document from the drawer, handed it to Zephyr, and then said:

"Now that you've been discharged from the hospital, it's time to assign you your next task."

Mammon glanced at the document, which required him to carry out a transport mission.

"Escorting the Heavenly Tribute?"

"Consider it a vacation. When you return from your mission, I will award you the rank of major; that's in accordance with the rules."

"Clear!"

Mammon had no choice but to bow and leave with the documents.

He returned to his naval quarters, and a voice suddenly rang out.

"Looks like you're going to be sent abroad, Mammon."

Mammon's expression changed, and he immediately used his Observation Haki to scan the surroundings.

Don't worry, there's nobody around.

"Ain, I've told you before, don't speak unless absolutely necessary."

"No one could spot me; I just circled the main fortress."

"What did you say?" Mammon was taken aback. "Your real body has come?"

"It was my master's mission, and I've already completed it. I just happened to see you, so I thought I'd say hello."

Ain's tone was indifferent; in fact, he had been outside the Fleet Admiral's Office earlier, when Mammon was there.

"What you're doing is dangerous!" Mammon said sternly. "Don't think that others can't detect you. The reason they can't detect you is because they don't have the concept that 'the wind is an eavesdropper' in their minds."

Once such a thought takes hold, it's not impossible for Ain to keep it completely hidden.

"Don't worry, whether we find it or not, it's not a big deal."

After saying this, Ain's true form quietly disappeared.

Mammon was speechless for a moment. This guy had been by his master's side the longest, and his behavior and habits were starting to resemble his master's.

At the same time.

Sabaody Archipelago, Area 39, Sabaody Park.

Dimon sat leisurely on a bench, sipping local specialty bubble tea while listening to Ain's report.

[Master, the investigation has been completed.]

[Currently, 28 Affiliated Nation have submitted their lists of tributes to the Heavenly Tribute, but Devil Fruit are not included.]

"No one?"

Dimon was surprised; it seemed Devil Fruit were even rarer than he had imagined. He then asked, "Are they on the lists from previous years?"

[Yes, three Devil Fruits were offered as tribute last year, five the year before, and two the year before that. Records beyond that are unavailable.]

It looks like we'll have to wait a few more days.

Dimon nodded knowingly. There are more than 170 Affiliated Nation worldwide, and the number is still growing. The fact that the current 28 countries are not included does not mean that the remaining Affiliated Nation are not included.

"Your main body will remain at Marine Headquarters for the time being, and you will continue to monitor this matter."

[Understood, Master!]

[By the way, Master, Mammon passed the Navy's investigation and has now been assigned to escort the Heavenly Tribute. He may be promoted to Major afterward.]

"Knew."

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

The Wave-Breaking Warrior approached the waters near the Land of God the Sky Island.

Chapter 85 Ship Zuizui: Speak Up for Me!