"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, we'll take our leave now." Vice Admiral Momonga spoke in a deep voice.
"Very well." Sengoku nodded.
The numerous vice admirals bid their farewells and departed. Most returned to Marine Headquarters. Only a few went off to carry out missions.
Among them was a middle-aged man wearing a checkered coat, sunglasses, and with lightning-shaped sideburns. He didn't follow the main group, instead heading off in his own direction.
This was Vergo.
Outwardly, he was the commander of Marine G-5 Base.
In truth, he was the highest-ranking executive of the Donquixote Family, taking orders from Warlord Donquixote Doflamingo while infiltrating the Marines. Through sheer strength and efficiency, he had spent fifteen years climbing to the rank of vice admiral.
He had earned the Marines' complete trust!
For this operation, he had volunteered to come.
The Marines trusted him implicitly and agreed, Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to be here at all.
Once his battleship had moved a sufficient distance away, he calmly made a phone call.
"Moshi moshi?"
From the other end of the Den Den Mushi came a wild, unrestrained laugh.
"Fufufufufu... Vergo, more Marine intelligence, I presume?"
It was his young master, Doflamingo!
"Doffy, I've got significant news!" Vergo spoke gravely. "Recently, through covert means, I've heard rumors of a new human weapon appearing among the Marines!"
"Hmm?"
On the other end, Doflamingo immediately sat up straight upon hearing this. His eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.
"Tell me more!"
Vergo continued "At first, I only heard scattered whispers. But they say this new human weapon bears the racial characteristics of the Lunarians and bears an uncanny resemblance to Admiral Kizaru as a child..."
"I thought it was just baseless rumors, but just now, I saw it with my own eyes!"
Hearing this, a glint flashed in Doflamingo eyes.
"So this human weapon is stronger than the Pacifista, is it?"
It was no surprise Doflamingo would ask this.
If it wasn't at least comparable to the Pacifista, Vergo wouldn't have bothered making this call!
"The exact capabilities are unknown, as I've never seen it in action. But the fact that Fleet Admiral Sengoku is taking it so seriously, mobilizing so many elite Marines to build laboratories and factories..."
"Moreover, Kizaru personally instructed us to keep it confidential and Sengoku witnessed this without objection. Clearly, the Marines are trying to keep this under wraps!"
"From this, we can infer this human weapon must be formidable—most likely stronger than the Pacifista!" Vergo explained.
Doflamingo fell silent for a moment before letting out another "Fufufufufu."
"The Marines... truly impressive!"
"But I heard Vegapunk has his own research island. Why would they need to build new labs and factories?"
Vergo expression grew more serious. "Doffy, that brings me to the second crucial piece of information! This new human weapon wasn't created by Vegapunk!"
"What?" Doflamingo face registered shock. "If not Vegapunk, then who?"
This was truly earth-shattering news. The appearance of a human weapon potentially stronger than the Pacifista—and it wasn't Vegapunk creation... That naturally meant... The emergence of a genius scientist who was, at the very least, no less talented than Vegapunk!
You must understand, While there might be debates about who the strongest individual on the seas was, when it came to the most powerful faction... That title undoubtedly belonged to the Marines!
This was beyond question and Vegapunk technological prowess had played an extremely crucial role in the Marines' strength.
Yet now... there was another genius scientist who rivaled Vegapunk! If this continued... the Marines' power would likely become unprecedentedly strong.
"Doffy, you need to mentally prepare for this. Regarding this scientist, all current clues point to one person..."
Hearing Vergo words, Dofflamingo grew serious. He remained silent, listening intently.
"That person is... the younger brother of Marine Admiral Kizaru..."
"Leon!"
"Leon?" A flicker of confusion flashed in Doflamingo eyes. "I've never heard that name before!"
"Indeed, he only appeared recently. It was Marine Admiral Kizaru who brought him into the Marine Science Division, which caused quite a stir at the time."
"Just earlier, it was Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself who escorted him here and asked for his opinion on the newly constructed laboratory..."
"Hmm..." Doflamingo eyes flickered uncertainly.
"It seems highly likely it's him... the younger brother of Admiral Kizaru..."
"These brothers are truly extraordinary—one becomes a Marine Admiral and the other possesses such terrifying scientific prowess..."
"However..." Vergo tone shifted. "The reason we can't be certain is that this Leon..."
"His achievements are simply unbelievable for his age."
Doflamingo frowned. "Is he very young?"
"Yes, only eight years old!"
"Eighteen??" Mingo was stunned, then reflexively questioned.
"Doffy, not eighteen—eight!"
"E-eight years old?! Impossible!"
Doflamingo was utterly dumbfounded.
Inventing something so powerful would be astounding even for an eighteen-year-old, let alone an eight-year-old! At the mere age of eight... Could he really have invented a Humanoid Weapon even more formidable than Vegapunk Pacifista?
Doflamingo found it hard to believe.
"Vergo, are you absolutely sure? And is he really Kizaru younger brother? The age gap between them is far too large."
Even the usually flamboyant and unrestrained Dofflamingo was shocked this time.
"It's confirmed. This was verified when Kizaru first brought him here—it even became a topic of gossip. As for his scientific skills and this newly invented Humanoid Weapon... all evidence currently points to him..."
"Of course" Vergo continued. "We can't rule out the possibility of the Marines using misdirection... but then again, if they really wanted to hide a scientist, why use such an obvious and unbelievable child?"
Vergo reasoning made sense. For a moment, Doflamingo fell silent.
"Hmm... Vergo, keep an eye out. If anything happens, contact me immediately!"
"Understood!"
***
After hanging up the call...
Doflamingo sat alone in his chair, his expression shifting between dark and uncertain, as if deep in thought... After a long while, Doflamingo finally let out his signature laugh.
"Fufufufufu... It seems the tides of this sea are about to change..."