"That’s Vice Admiral Seuss’s ship, heading to Water 7 for investigation. You know there’s been a lot going on there recently, right?" the Marine replied, seeing no classified information in the question.
The Marine glanced at Alucard, then asked, "Which Admiral’s subordinate are you? You don’t seem to be under Vice Admiral Seuss."
A Marine Vice Admiral commanded thousands of subordinates, so it was impossible for everyone to know each other. However, at a time of deployment, asking where the ship was going did make one suspect that this person wasn’t part of the team.
"To be honest, I’m thinking of requesting a transfer to a different leader, so I’m looking around during my shift. What do you think of Vice Admiral Seuss?" Alucard chatted casually, his expression unchanged.
"Oh, I see. But you shouldn’t talk about things like that so casually, or you’ll be in for trouble," the Marine now understood.
Indeed, the number of Marines dissatisfied with their superiors and looking to transfer could be described as "countless."
The most famous example at the moment was the newly appointed Marine Vice Admiral, Sakazuki, a Magma-Magma Fruit user. He was so strict with his subordinates that it bordered on abusive.
This management style led many soldiers to rebel and collectively seek transfers, even escalating to Admiral Sengoku’s attention.
Sengoku decided Sakazuki needed to change his ways, so he temporarily placed him under Garp’s command to temper his sharp edges.
"Please, come over here and tell me more specifically," Alucard pulled the Marine into a corner. After all, how could one discuss superiors in public?
"Vice Admiral Seuss... he’s strict, but not bad. It’s tolerable under him," the Marine replied.
"Is that so? Thanks for the info."
"Transferring isn’t simple, so don’t act recklessly. Alright, I’m off. We’re about to set sail..."
The Marine turned to leave, but suddenly, a blade condensed from the Blacklight Virus pierced his throat from behind.
The Blacklight Virus unleashed its power, consuming him into Alucard’s body. In less than five seconds, Alucard emerged from the corner, his face now completely different.
Just then, the call to action blared. A Marine Warrant Officer stood at the bow of the warship, shouting, "Vice Admiral Seuss is preparing to deploy! All hands! Prepare to board!"
Alucard smiled faintly and boarded the warship.
Six hours later, the government personnel finally lost their patience and went to Marine Headquarters to inquire about the situation.
However, Yamakaji, who was responsible for receiving CP0, was utterly confused upon hearing this.
Hadn’t he already left? Even if he walked, surely he would have made it back in six hours? If they followed normal reasoning, that CP0 agent had been missing for six hours.
Yamakaji pondered, realizing the gravity of the situation. He immediately turned and went upstairs to meet Fleet Admiral Kong, reporting the incident.
"A CP0 agent, missing for six hours? Why are you only reporting this now!" Kong slammed his desk in fury.
"Fleet Admiral, you know the strained relationship between the government and the Marines. They probably don’t want to get too involved with us," Yamakaji nearly bit through his cigar.
A CP0 agent, and a Chief Officer at that, going missing at Marine Headquarters—the seriousness of such an event was unimaginable.
"Immediately initiate a Level 2 alert! Order all personnel to conduct a search. Notify the surveillance team to thoroughly check every monitoring location. Report any issues immediately!" Kong commanded, waving his hand.
Soon, a fierce alarm blared throughout Marineford, and all personnel went into search mode. However, Kong’s first thought was Dr. Vegapunk, who had met with the CP0 agent after him. He immediately dispatched someone to question him.
Marine Chief of Staff Tsuru quickly led her team to Dr. Vegapunk. After sending the others away, before Tsuru could even ask, Dr. Vegapunk preemptively said, "This isn’t about the CP0 agent who just came here, is it?"
"You knew?" Tsuru asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Yes, I’ve dealt with CP0 several times. While I can’t claim to know them intimately, I do have some discernment. The CP0 agent who came here just now felt a little different from before." Dr. Vegapunk was clever; he deliberately revealed some issues, thereby perfectly deflecting suspicion.
"What did you discuss with him?" Tsuru asked again.
"Some issues regarding CP0’s failed mission in Water 7. Much of the rest is confidential; I won’t say more."
Tsuru asked a few more questions, but ultimately, with Dr. Vegapunk’s evasiveness, she couldn’t extract any more information and had to give up, returning to report to Kong.
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