# Chapter 599: The Intersection of Fates
"Hmm!?" Ian immediately perked up upon hearing Drake's words.
He asked somewhat eagerly: "Are you serious? You really served in the Marine Science Unit and even reached the rank of Rear Admiral?"
Ian had seen many Marines from various branches, but when it came to the Marine Science Unit, he had only ever encountered one person — Sentomaru. Although the Marine Science Unit was nominally under the jurisdiction of Marine Headquarters, Ian rarely saw personnel from the Science Unit there. He understood clearly that the Marine Science Unit was a fairly secretive force, possibly even independent from Marine Headquarters. The true controller of the Marine Science Unit should be the World Government, not a subordinate organization of the Marines.
Ian's understanding of the Marine Science Unit was currently limited to the Pacifista Project. During the Battle of New Edd War, Ian's three Pacifistas had all been damaged in combat. He only had three, but the Marines had eight, plus Kuma himself as the original. It would have been strange if those three Pacifistas had come through unscathed.
After returning, Waldo had been trying to repair those three Pacifistas, but even now, it still wasn't complete.
Now, suddenly hearing the term "Marine Science Unit" from Drake's mouth, Ian's interest naturally surged.
"Yes, that's right! I was indeed a Rear Admiral in the Marine Science Unit!" Drake nodded in confirmation. "Although this Rear Admiral position had little authority, it still took me over ten years of careful maneuvering to climb to this position."
"Tell me in detail, what exactly is going on?" Ian didn't stand on ceremony either. He picked up the wine bottle on the table, poured himself a glass, and waited for Drake to speak.
Drake pondered for a moment, organizing his words, before finally speaking: "Actually, the reason I joined the Marines stems from my father. My father, Diez Barrels, was once a Marine officer..."
He also sat down on the sofa across from Ian, leaned forward with his hands on his knees, and wore a nostalgic expression as he said: "When I was young, I always admired my father. I always felt he was my idol. I even dreamed of growing up to become a Marine like him... But about fourteen years ago, everything suddenly changed."
"I still remember that day. When I was home alone, my father suddenly stumbled back. He should have been on duty, but he burst through the door with a panicked expression. Without even time to explain, he grabbed me and carried me away from home!" Drake recalled with a gloomy expression. "And as soon as we left Marine Headquarters, he took me onto a small boat and fled directly from Marineford!"
"I didn't know what had happened at the time. I only knew that my father had fled with me in panic..." Drake said. "He didn't explain anything to me either. He took me far away from Marine Headquarters and from then on became a pirate on the sea."
"He gathered a group of men and made me live a life of robbery and murder from then on... I hated that kind of life, but I hated his abnormal attitude toward me even more! Because from that day on, he was constantly drinking, and every time he got drunk, he would take out his anger by beating me..."
Ian listened silently, saying nothing.
"I didn't understand what had happened to make him like this. Before this, he had been a very gentle-tempered person, but after his defection, he became like a different person — greedy, rough, no different from a real pirate!" Drake lowered his head, speaking through gritted teeth. "At that time, I was already eighteen, so I remember these scenes clearly. My admiration and worship for him gradually turned into disgust. I thought about how to escape his control, but he watched me very strictly, so I never had the chance."
"Until a year later, an opportunity appeared!" Drake said. "By chance, when my father and his men were robbing a village, they unexpectedly discovered a Devil Fruit. It was a heart-shaped Devil Fruit, very peculiar. My father didn't know what ability this Devil Fruit had at the time and was planning to reward it to his capable subordinate."
"But before he could act on that, a mysterious figure came looking for him!" Drake recalled. "It was someone wearing a mask. At the time, I didn't know who he was, but looking back now, it should have been someone from CP0. Only they would hide their faces behind masks... I don't know how they got the news so quickly, but after he found my father, he said he was willing to represent the Marines in purchasing this Devil Fruit from him."
"My father appeared very angry at the time, but the CP0 person offered a price he couldn't refuse — five billion Berry!" Drake said with a mocking tone. "My father was very surprised. I could tell he hated dealing with the Marines, but the huge amount overcame his reason, and he agreed to the transaction."
Hearing this, Ian understood. This fruit was the Surgery Fruit — this was the Surgery Fruit transaction incident! An intersection of fates between Drake and Law...
"Originally, my father planned to gain enormous wealth from this transaction, but things didn't go as he expected! Before the transaction could take place, someone attacked the camp, and then the Donquixote Pirates appeared. My father was killed by them, and the Devil Fruit was snatched away!"
Ian shook his head inwardly. That Devil Fruit wasn't taken by Doflamingo — it was taken by Rosinante and fed to Trafalgar Law... Doflamingo was clearly just taking the blame.
Drake continued: "The Donquixote Pirates routed my father's crew, burning and looting on the island. But for some reason, the Marines suddenly appeared at that time. Perhaps Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had been pursuing Doflamingo, discovered their movements... In any case, because of the Marines' sudden appearance, I was saved. Doflamingo used a sharp thread to seal off the entire island. I happened to be isolated outside at the time, escaping the disaster, so I ran to the seaside to seek help from the Marines."
It wasn't that Vice Admiral Tsuru had been pursuing Doflamingo — that incident was actually a trap! The Marines used Doflamingo's desire to seize the Surgery Fruit to set up an ambush, intending to wipe out the Donquixote Pirates in one fell swoop... But Ian didn't plan to explain this to Drake. Rosinante's undercover identity was only known by Law and Sengoku. These were classified matters that Ian shouldn't know about, and bringing them up would arouse Drake's suspicion.
"The Marines took me away from the island at that time, and I finally managed to escape from my father!" Drake said somewhat desolately. "And the Marines didn't know my identity. They thought I was just a survivor from the village on the island. To avoid arousing the Marines' suspicion, I didn't dare to reveal the Barrels surname, afraid they would connect me to my father. I changed my name, falsely claimed to be called Drake, and successfully joined the Marines."
"I later heard that everyone on the island had been killed by Doflamingo's people, so no one knew my true identity. I stayed in the Marines using the name Drake all along!" Drake said. "At first, I was very happy. I felt lucky not only to have escaped my father but also to have joined the Marines I had always dreamed of. But as time passed and things settled down, I gradually became suspicious about why my father had defected and become a pirate."
"I began secretly investigating my father's records. Because my Zoan-type ability was quite rare, it also attracted the attention of higher-ups, causing my career to advance relatively quickly. As my status continued to rise, I gradually discovered some clues..." Drake took a deep breath and said, "And then I was shocked to find that my father had originally been in the Marine Science Unit!"
Hearing this, Ian was also somewhat surprised and pressed further: "So you found a way to join the Marine Science Unit?"
"Yes!" Drake nodded. "Many of my father's records had been destroyed, as if someone like him had never existed. But I still found some clues. So to find out the reason why my father had defected back then, I found a way to transfer to the Marine Science Unit."
"Coincidentally, at that time, the Marine Science Unit was also very interested in my Ancient Zoan ability. So just after I was promoted to Rear Admiral, they sent a transfer notice, hoping I could go there to cooperate with some research..." Drake laughed bitterly. "At the time, I thought I was quite lucky, feeling like my wish had come true. But looking back now, I wish I hadn't had that kind of luck."
"What exactly did you see in the Marine Science Unit?" Ian pressed further, understanding that Drake was about to reveal some shocking truth...