Chapter 554: Staggering Bounty
Sengoku was now unable to discern Ian's intentions, so he could only say to Momousagi, "Alright, I understand. I'll handle this matter. You may return to your post!"
However, Vice Admiral Momousagi stood at attention, saluted, and said, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I request a transfer to the Edd War waters to participate in this battle!"
"Huh!?" Sengoku was taken aback, asking, "Why?"
"This is the first time I've failed a mission!" Momousagi said with some reluctance. "And I lost so easily. Ian escaped from my hands, so I feel it's necessary to personally capture him. Since we suspect he might intervene in this war, I intend to wait for him on the battlefield!"
Upon hearing this, Sengoku immediately understood.
Vice Admiral Momousagi, being from a distinguished Marine family and possessing formidable strength, had always had smooth sailing. Even her promotions had never encountered any obstacles. Now, she had finally faced her first setback in life, failing so completely, so of course she was unwilling to accept it.
If it were anyone else making such a request, Sengoku might have agreed immediately, but for Vice Admiral Momousagi, he had to consider it carefully.
The war with the Whitebeard Pirates was bound to be a massive conflict. Now, not only the Marines but even the other Four Emperors' forces seemed to be stirring. Sengoku had no idea what dangers might arise on the battlefield. If something happened to Momousagi, he wouldn't be able to answer to Fleet Commander Kong!
So, after thinking it over, Sengoku had to refuse, saying, "No need. The defense of Marine Headquarters is already quite thin. You stay here and strengthen the base's defensive forces. Remember, the town behind Marineford houses the families of Marines—the spiritual support of our soldiers fighting abroad. No accidents can happen there!"
Although Sengoku's reason was clearly an excuse, Momousagi couldn't argue against it, so she reluctantly agreed.
However, just as Momousagi was about to leave, she suddenly heard a commotion outside.
Looking out the window, she saw that at the main gate of the base, a large crowd of reporters had somehow gathered!
Marine soldiers were currently blocking them outside. Although the reporters didn't dare to force their way in, they were bombarding the soldiers with questions. The noise was overwhelming, so Momousagi couldn't make out what they were asking from here. She could only see the soldiers sweating profusely, looking tense.
"What's going on!?" Sengoku also got up and walked to the window to look.
Fortunately, a Marine major soon rushed in, panting, to report. However, the news he brought was not good for Sengoku.
"Fleet Admiral! It's bad!" the major said in panic. "Somehow, the reporters found out about the Impel Down prison break! The reporters outside the base gate are all here to cover this incident, and it seems more are on their way..."
"What!?" Sengoku couldn't help but slam his fist against the wall, shouting, "What the hell is going on!? Who leaked this!? Is there no sense of confidentiality!?"
With such a major incident as the Impel Down prison break and prisoner riot, the Marines naturally had to cover it up. Otherwise, it would cause panic among the common people! After all, the prison held notorious pirates and criminals. Only when they were locked up could people feel safe...
But now, due to some oversight in some link, the news of the Impel Down riot had been leaked.
Sengoku was furious and vented his anger for a while.
After he calmed down, he began to consider how to handle the aftermath. He walked back to his desk, sat down in his chair, closed his eyes, and thought for a long time before looking at Vice Admiral Momousagi and saying, "Tsuru, go deal with these reporters. Tell them that the Impel Down incident is true!"
"Huh!?" Momousagi looked at Sengoku in surprise, not understanding why he would do this.
Sengoku rubbed his temples, looking troubled, and said, "This matter can't be hidden. Now that it's leaked, we might as well make it public. Hiding it will only cause greater panic. Instead, we should pin the whole thing on Ian. This is a good opportunity to announce the revocation of Ian's Warlord title!"
Yes, when Ian first escaped from Marine Headquarters, the Marines had already revoked his Warlord title. But at that time, there was no suitable excuse to announce it publicly. After all, the Warlord title was granted by the World Government. Without solid evidence or a reason, it wouldn't be easy to strip a Warlord of their status, or else the world would think the World Government was going back on its word and losing credibility.
But now, Sengoku had official evidence to announce: Ian attacked Impel Down and led the prisoners in a riot. Such a reason would surely convince the world.
Momousagi nodded and said, "So, since Ian's Warlord title is revoked, he'll become a wanted criminal again. If the reporters ask, will we use his old wanted poster?"
"...No," Sengoku considered, leaning back in his chair and sighing. "If the reporters ask, tell them that the bounty on Black Dragon Ian is now... ten billion Berries!"
"T-ten billion!?" Hearing this amount, even Momousagi was momentarily stunned.
How long had it been since the Marines last issued such a staggering bounty? Three years? Five years?
A staggering bounty was not a good thing. It meant the Marines had gained an incredibly powerful enemy.
It took Momousagi a while to come back to her senses. She asked Sengoku worriedly, "Fleet Admiral, do you think Ian could become the next Red-Haired Shanks?"
"One of the Four Emperors?" Sengoku thought about it and shook his head. "I'm not sure. In fact, I've been wondering whether Ian's intervention in this war between the Marines and Whitebeard is due to his relationship with Whitebeard, or if he's coveting Whitebeard's position as one of the Four Emperors..."
"Ah!? Is that possible!?" Momousagi was even more shocked.
"So I think it's best to pray it's the former," Sengoku said with a headache. "If it's the latter, then it's trouble. Even if the Marines defeat Whitebeard, we might just be paving the way for Ian..."
"This..." Momousagi didn't know what to say.
"Go ahead and explain this to the reporters," Sengoku said helplessly to Momousagi. "Also, if the reporters ask about the mastermind behind the prison break, tell them there were two people: one is Ian, and the other is the pirate Buggy!"
"Buggy!? Why is that?" Momousagi asked, confused.
"Because the pirate Buggy was once a member of Pirate King Roger's crew!" Sengoku sighed. "We just discovered this through investigation. Not only is he one of Pirate King Roger's crewmates, but he's also a brother to Red-Haired Shanks... Just how many prisoners with such deep backgrounds are hidden in Impel Down..."
Momousagi was overwhelmed by these successive shocking revelations. She didn't even realize how she walked out and was surrounded by reporters, passively answering their questions and revealing what Sengoku had instructed her to say.
Watching from the window as the reporters outside the base gate were stunned by Vice Admiral Momousagi's account, Sengoku felt a wave of powerlessness wash over him. In fact, there was another piece of news he hadn't told Momousagi: just yesterday, bad news came from Edd War. The newly promoted Warlord, Blackbeard Teach, had also disappeared right under the noses of a group of Marines, and no one knew where he had gone.
Instinct told Sengoku that Teach's disappearance must involve some unknown conspiracy...
Now, regarding the prospects of this war, Sengoku was truly lost. After this war, he had no idea what path this world would take...