"Then how about this. If any navy member collects Saul's body, I win. Otherwise, you win. How about it?", Rosse smiled.
"Sure!", Sakazuki nodded without hesitation and agreed to Rosse's wager.
It had nothing to do with the stakes, this was a matter of his dignity as a Marine.
If a Marine were to collect the corpse of Saul, a Marine traitor, the Marines would become the laughingstock.
"Refreshing," The smile on Rosse's face grew deeper, "The stake isn't high. If I lose, after this Buster Call, I'll recommend you to the Five Elders as the new Marine Admiral, to replace Zephyr."
Hearing this wager, a trace of temptation flashed through Sakazuki's eyes.
Just that recommendation alone would allow him to avoid enduring several more years of building qualifications.
Even if he couldn't be promoted in one step, he could at least rely on the war achievements from this Buster Call to become an Admiral candidate ahead of time.
Once he became an Admiral candidate, the subsequent promotion would be a nailed-down certainty. Only a matter of time.
"If you lose, the request is also not high. Publicly admit that you're not as good as me, and punch yourself with full force. How's that for a wager?", Rosse referenced his previous experience defeating Guernica to tailor this wager specifically for Sakazuki.
As for the outcome, from the moment he spoke, he didn't think he would lose.
With Kuzan's personality, it was impossible for him not to come take one last look at Saul.
If Kuzan really didn't show up, then Rosse would simply admit he was wrong about his sense of justice. It would only confirm that from top to bottom, there wasn't even a single good person left in the Marines.
"Fine! I'll go stand watch over Saul's corpse right now," Sakazuki responded decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
If he won, it would be a huge gain.
Even if he lost, it was just a superficial loss.
The mere fact that a Marine would come to collect a traitor's corpse was already shameful enough. This wager wasn't even much by comparison.
Besides, Sakazuki had never valued face that much anyway.
He immediately turned and walked toward the place where Saul was hiding.
Borsalino would handle things here later, it didn't require his involvement. All he wanted now was to see whether any Marine would commit such a foolish act before the Buster Call destroyed everything.
Once Sakazuki had gone far, Zephyr, who had remained silent the whole time, suddenly spoke, "Based on what I know of Kuzan, he will definitely go."
"Then you're saying Vice Admiral Sakazuki is bound to lose this wager?", Gion asked curiously.
"The moment the wager started, he already lost," Zephyr shook his head in lament.
"Eh?", Gion didn't understand.
Zephyr glanced at his foolish student, then patiently explained, "Win or lose, Sakazuki will be marked by Saint Rosse. To Sakazuki, that mark is both a heavenly protection and a restrictive shackle."
"So that's how it is!", Gion wasn't stupid. Zephyr only needed to hint a little for her to suddenly understand.
Even if Rosse lost, since he had recommended Sakazuki to the Five Elders as the new Marine Admiral, that act alone left Sakazuki with no way out in the Marines.
An Admiral nominated by a Celestial Dragon, his identity was already defined.
And if Sakazuki lost and publicly admitted he was inferior to Saint Rosse, wouldn't that mean he was openly bowing his head in submission?
No matter which path, the outcome was the same.
Thinking of this, Gion looked at Rosse with both admiration and a trace of fear.
Luckily he was on their side, or she'd really be afraid of being schemed against…
Wait, hadn't she already been schemed into becoming one of "their people"?
Thinking of that, Gion's expression stiffened slightly, and she lowered her head in a bit of dejection and social withdrawal.
"Alright, let's look at the main event of this visit," Rosse didn't care about the conversation behind him. He was in a great mood right now.
The wager wasn't just to mark Sakazuki, it was also about the reward he'd gain from defeating Sakazuki.
Just this alone might be enough to instantly push him to B-rank, giving him the strength of a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral.
In a good mood, Rosse took Gion to find the historian who had turned himself in.
———
"Saint Rosse!", Upon seeing Rosse's figure, the surrounding Marines all bowed respectfully to him.
If they hadn't seen it often these days and known Rosse didn't like people kneeling before him all the time, these Marines would have normally knelt on the ground in greeting.
"Hmm!", Rosse just lightly nodded to indicate they could rise, then turned his gaze to the people surrounded in the center.
Among those surrounded, there were clearly two distinct circles.
One larger circle with dozens of people, men, women, young and old, all dressed like commoners, likely those who were informed.
The other circle had only a handful of people: a pair of nervous elderly parents, a young and handsome couple, and finally a girl about 10 years old.
Rosse noticed that the One Piece world generally had pretty high appearance standards. At least this young couple stood out.
The woman was as beautiful as a flower, with a curvy figure. The man was tall and muscular, with a resolute and unyielding expression.
'These must be the historians who turned themselves in, along with their related family members.'
"You're the ones who turned yourselves in?"
Rosse looked over the young couple, and evaluation information appeared before his eyes.
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[Doyle · Lina]
[Comprehensive Rating: G+]
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[Doyle · Verlan]
[Comprehensive Rating: D+]
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Seeing Verlan's rating, Rosse's gaze immediately locked onto him.
Based on his own perception, he could tell Verlan didn't possess high-level strength. At most a bit stronger than an average Marine soldier.
At that level, he'd be a D- at most, there was no way he'd be rated D+.
The rest of the rating most likely represented Verlan's prestige in the historian world. He was probably a well-known historian, likely also on the wanted list.
"Saint Rosse. I am Doyle Verlan, a historian from Ohara's Historical Research Institute, a scholar who studies history," Verlan stepped in front of his family, knelt on one knee, and saluted Rosse.
As a student of history, just hearing the suffix of Rosse's name was enough for Verlan to know Rosse's identity.
"Uncle Verlan...", Robin cried out in surprise, clearly recognizing Verlan.
But Verlan never even glanced at Robin, acting as if he didn't know her.
Only those historians knew, Robin was also one of their own.
Regardless of whether this Celestial Dragon knew Robin's identity, it wasn't his place to say.
"Verlan?", Rosse softly repeated the name, not because it rang any bells.
But rather...
"Saint Rosse," Gion sensibly leaned in close to Rosse's ear and provided an explanation, "Verlan is on the wanted list, with a bounty of 20 million. His reputation at sea is not inferior to Olvia's. He's known as a 'historical insider.' However, his appearance on the wanted poster is quite different from now—it's more plain-looking."
"This is your real appearance?"
Without needing Rosse to ask, a Marine nearby who had prepared in advance handed him Verlan's wanted poster.
Rosse compared Verlan's current handsome face with the average-looking one on the poster. Indeed, the difference was quite large. No wonder no one recognized him.
"That's right. When going out, one always needs to be cautious. Your Highness might not recognize my real face, but you should know this mark."
As he spoke, Verlan extended his right hand, revealing the mark of the Tree of Knowledge on his arm.
Gion continued whispering in Rosse's ear, "The bounty poster did mention that Verlan had the Tree of Knowledge tattoo on his right arm."
Just this tattoo alone was enough to prove Verlan's identity.
Not to mention Robin had already called out who he was. She wouldn't have had time to coordinate, and given her current emotions, she wouldn't be thinking that far. The man's identity was beyond doubt.
Still, Rosse was really curious, 'Why did this Verlan choose to turn himself in?'
Since no Marines knew his true face, he probably could've slipped by undetected. There was no need to drag his family into this.
Rosse could tell, Verlan cared deeply about his family. If it weren't absolutely necessary, he wouldn't put them in danger.
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