Chapter 337: Jonathan’s Retreat and Countermeasure

Chapter 337: Chapter 337: Jonathan’s Retreat and Countermeasure

Chapter 337: Jonathan’s Retreat and Countermeasure

Axel looked completely at ease, as though the fact that his companions had been arrested was nothing worth worrying about.

To the surrounding Marines, that attitude bordered on arrogance.

Anger simmered beneath their restraint.

Still, no one acted without orders.

The Marines were an organization built on discipline, and the men stationed at G-8 had enough combat experience to know better than to underestimate a criminal with a bounty exceeding one hundred million Berries.

It did not matter that Axel looked young.

It did not matter that his body seemed slender.

A bounty of four hundred million was warning enough.

Jonathan studied him.

"Even for you, finding your companions won’t be easy if you don’t know the layout of this fortress."

That was not an idle boast.

Navarone Fortress was enormous and complicated enough that even Marines stationed here needed years to become fully familiar with every route.

Its corridors, towers, bridges, underground sections, storage areas, and defensive passages formed a maze.

No matter how strong Axel was, strength alone would not tell him where the prisoners were being held.

Axel nodded.

"That is troublesome."

Jonathan’s mustache twitched.

"You don’t sound troubled."

Axel smiled.

Then he flicked one finger.

The soup remaining on one of the plates rose into the air.

Jonathan’s expression changed slightly.

The liquid spread across the tabletop in thin lines, moving under Axel’s control like ink guided by an invisible pen.

A map took shape.

Corridors.

Buildings.

Bridges.

Towers.

The structure of Navarone Fortress appeared piece by piece.

Jonathan’s wry smile deepened.

If Axel had merely reproduced a rough blueprint, Jonathan would not have been especially shocked.

There were several ways someone might obtain structural information about a Marine base.

But then Axel marked one particular location.

The prison.

Jonathan stared at the spot.

"How did you know?"

The answer was actually simple.

Axel had known beforehand.

He remembered enough about the fortress to know that the prison lay beneath a tower near the central area, beyond a bridge.

Only one section of the base matched those conditions.

His former position as a Marine helped as well.

Prisons inside fortified bases were not something commanders could simply relocate on a whim.

Security routes, architecture, guard rotations, official records, and logistics all depended on the existing structure.

Jonathan could certainly choose to hold prisoners somewhere else temporarily.

But Axel doubted there was anywhere safer than the actual prison.

Jonathan scratched his head.

"Right."

He sighed.

"That was a stupid question."

Axel said nothing.

Jonathan thought about it for a moment and smiled at himself.

Asking an enemy how they had discovered sensitive information was hardly professional.

If he had waited longer before revealing Axel’s identity, perhaps he could have extracted something useful instead.

Oh well.

He looked at Axel again.

"How about a trade?"

Axel raised an eyebrow.

"I answer one of your questions."

Jonathan continued.

"And you answer one of mine."

The surrounding Marines clearly disliked the idea of casually exchanging information with a criminal.

But Jonathan had his reasons.

Most questions Axel could ask would reveal little that truly endangered G-8.

Axel’s answer, on the other hand, might expose a weakness in the fortress that Jonathan had overlooked.

Axel shook his head.

Instead, he picked up a plate containing meat and handed it to Jonathan.

Jonathan accepted it out of reflex.

Then looked at him strangely.

Axel’s expression said everything.

Payment received.

Jonathan frowned.

"You haven’t answered anything."

"You already answered my question."

"I did?"

Jonathan looked genuinely confused.

"I don’t remember doing that."

"You told me my companions had been arrested."

Axel pointed toward him.

"That was enough."

Jonathan’s smile faded slightly.

Axel continued.

"If I’m right, the people you caught were Vivi and the others."

"As an independent Marine branch, your intelligence network should be competent."

Jonathan listened quietly.

"You would know Vivi’s identity."

"You would also know what happened recently on Drum Island."

Axel’s crimson eyes remained fixed on him.

"Put those things together, and connecting Vivi to me isn’t difficult."

Jonathan stared at the untouched meat in his hand.

His usual relaxed smile remained, but the amusement had left it.

He felt much more tense than he looked.

Axel was exactly the kind of opponent Jonathan hated dealing with most.

Intelligent.

Observant.

And powerful enough that mistakes could not be corrected through brute force.

Fighting someone clever was manageable.

Fighting someone overwhelmingly strong was also manageable, depending on the circumstances.

Someone who possessed both qualities was another matter.

Jonathan knew the strength stationed at Navarone well.

Even if every soldier in the fortress fought together, victory was far from guaranteed.

After a short silence, Jonathan asked,

"What do you actually want here?"

Axel answered immediately.

"A sea chart."

Jonathan’s expression became serious.

A sea chart.

On the Grand Line, reliable nautical charts were valuable military resources.

Log Poses guided individual routes, but detailed Marine charts contained far more.

Locations.

Routes.

Fortifications.

Nearby islands.

Safe passages.

Supply points.

If such information fell into the wrong hands, islands without strong Marine protection could suffer badly.

Jonathan looked at Axel.

"Why?"

He paused.

"Or at least tell me where you intend to go."

"Alabasta."

That answer came just as easily.

Jonathan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Alabasta."

One of the major powers of the Grand Line.

A vast desert kingdom with a standing army numbering hundreds of thousands.

Considering Vivi was traveling with Axel, the destination was hardly surprising.

"What are you going there for?"

Axel thought for a moment.

"Food."

Jonathan stared at him.

"...Food?"

"Yes."

Jonathan’s expression became blank.

Alabasta was currently suffering from drought.

Political unrest was spreading.

Rebellion simmered throughout the country.

Of all the reasons Axel could have given...

Food?

Jonathan decided the answer was not worth analyzing.

"I’ve heard Impel Down serves meals too."

He smiled.

"Why don’t you go there instead?"

Axel looked at him.

"Your wife’s cooking is pretty good."

He gestured toward the dishes.

"Why don’t you come with me?"

Jonathan answered without hesitation.

"Jessica’s cooking is mediocre."

He spoke with complete seriousness.

"Barely edible."

Of course, he was thinking specifically about the vegetables.

A voice came from behind him.

"Oh?"

Jonathan froze.

"Is that so, dear?"

A bead of sweat rolled down his temple.

Drake had never seen the Vice Admiral look this nervous in front of an enemy.

Jonathan turned very slowly.

Jessica stood there.

Her expression was calm.

Far too calm.

Jonathan immediately corrected himself.

"Of course not."

He smiled stiffly.

"I was joking."

Jessica stared.

"The food you make is naturally the best."

"Is that so?"

Her tone became even more dangerous.

Jonathan nodded quickly.

"Absolutely."

Drake coughed several times.

"Ahem."

Everyone turned toward him.

He had decided that watching the commander’s marital crisis continue was accomplishing nothing.

"Commander."

His expression hardened.

"Please issue the arrest order."

The Marines immediately tightened formation.

Drake continued.

"We are soldiers of Navarone."

"We will not shrink from an enemy."

The Gale Force was already ready to move.

Rifles remained trained forward.

Every Marine waited.

Jonathan looked at them.

Then at Axel.

He made his decision.

"If I give you the sea chart, will you leave?"

The Marines stared at him.

Axel nodded.

"You also give me my people."

"That’s reasonable."

Jonathan spoke calmly.

"Princess Vivi, the duck, and the raccoon dog are not criminals."

Chopper, somewhere in the prison, would probably have objected violently to that description.

"We were already planning to release them."

Axel paused.

Vivi.

Karoo.

Chopper.

No Wapol.

Interesting.

He had expected Wapol to be the easiest one to capture.

Given his size, personality, and general lack of subtlety, Axel would have guessed he had been arrested first.

Jonathan noticed the slight change in his expression.

"Something wrong?"

"No."

Axel dismissed the thought.

Then gestured toward the Marines behind Jonathan.

"But are they going to accept that?"

Drake looked like he was barely restraining himself.

Several Gale Force members were just as angry.

Jonathan did not even turn around.

"I’ll handle my subordinates."

Then he looked back at Axel.

"I’ll have someone take you to where the sea charts are stored."

Axel considered him for a moment.

"That works."

Almost as if Jonathan had prepared for this exact outcome, a Marine stepped forward from the rear.

His face made it very clear how unhappy he was with the order.

Guiding a wanted criminal through the fortress violated every instinct he had as a Marine.

Still, he saluted.

Then looked at Axel.

"Follow me."

Axel glanced at Jonathan.

Something smelled wrong.

Not literally.

Jonathan’s sudden cooperation was too convenient.

But Axel chose not to expose it.

Schemes were only useful when the person trapped inside them lacked the strength to break out.

He did not believe anyone stationed at G-8 could overpower him.

Drake finally snapped.

"Commander!"

Jonathan looked toward him.

"You’ll be court-martialed for this!"

The Gale Force Major stepped forward as well.

"Commander!"

"Our unit is ready to fight."

Jonathan waved one hand.

"That’s enough."

The authority in his voice stopped them.

The Marines remained furious.

But they obeyed.

Axel walked through their formation as casually as though he were leaving a restaurant.

Before departing, he stopped beside Jessica.

"The food was good."

Jessica frowned.

Axel continued.

"It’s been a long time since someone made me this hungry."

She showed no pleasure at the compliment.

A strange ghost stealing food was one thing.

A wanted criminal openly praising her cooking after infiltrating the fortress was another.

Axel did not seem offended by her reaction.

Instead, he looked thoughtful.

"It does make me curious, though."

Jessica looked at him.

"What?"

"What Sanji’s cooking tastes like."

Jessica frowned.

"Sanji?"

She searched her memory.

No one working under her had that name.

Axel licked a trace of sauce from his thumb.

"An excellent chef."

Then he turned and followed the Marine guide.

After Axel disappeared from sight, Drake faced Jonathan immediately.

"Commander."

"Why did you stop us?"

Jonathan’s expression became quieter.

"Because we couldn’t arrest him."

The words settled heavily over the room.

Several Marines looked down.

Others clenched their fists.

Drake’s jaw tightened.

"You don’t know that."

Jonathan looked at him.

"If we fought, every person here could die."

A shadow passed across the gathered soldiers.

To them, the statement sounded almost like a lack of faith.

Drake stepped forward.

"We still have to try."

"How can Marines simply watch a wanted criminal walk away?"

Several soldiers nodded.

The Gale Force Major agreed.

"Even if we lose, Commander, I want him to understand the spirit of G-8."

Drake added,

"We have more than a thousand Marines stationed here."

"If we mobilize everyone, even a criminal with a bounty of four hundred million isn’t impossible to capture."

Jonathan shook his head.

If only it were that simple.

"When I said everyone could die..."

His eyes moved across the room.

"I meant everyone in this fortress."

The room fell silent.

Drake stared.

"Is someone with a four-hundred-million-Berry bounty really that dangerous?"

"No."

Jonathan answered directly.

"If it were almost any other criminal with that bounty, I would still attempt an arrest."

Then his expression became grim.

"But Axel is different."

"His strength far exceeds the number printed on his bounty."

Jonathan looked toward the doorway Axel had left through.

"And because all of you are soldiers under my command, I have no intention of throwing your lives away for pride."

Drake clenched his fists.

"So we simply give him what he wants?"

Jonathan smiled slightly.

"Not quite."

Drake frowned.

Jonathan folded his arms.

"Arresting a criminal is a lot like fishing."

"If the fish is too strong, pulling harder can snap the line."

"So you loosen it."

"Let it swim."

"Let it waste its strength."

"Then reel it in when the time is right."

He paused.

"And if the fish turns out to be a Sea King..."

Jonathan’s smile sharpened.

"Then you call for help."

Drake’s eyes changed.

He understood.

...

"Damn old man."

Axel stood inside a vast library.

Bookshelves stretched across the room in every direction.

Thousands upon thousands of books filled them.

There was only one problem.

Nothing was organized.

The labels originally written on the shelves had been crossed out.

Books from completely unrelated categories had been mixed together.

Navigation records sat beside medical texts.

Military reports were buried among history books.

Charts were scattered somewhere inside mountains of useless material.

Axel stared at the mess.

Jonathan had prepared this in advance.

Most likely while Axel had been sleeping and raiding the cafeteria.

There was no way a library of this size could have been scrambled so thoroughly in a few minutes.

The message behind it was obvious.

The sea chart is here.

You want it?

Find it yourself.

An open trap.

No deception required.

That was what made it irritating.

Axel looked toward the entrance.

The Marine who had escorted him here was already gone.

So were the guards who would normally be stationed nearby.

The entire library had been deliberately abandoned.

No one remained for Axel to question.

No one remained to help him search.

Jonathan had calculated that too.

Axel’s eyes narrowed.

What was he buying time for?

Reinforcements?

Another trap?

Something else?

Whatever the answer, Axel still needed the chart.

He raised one hand.

Books began sliding from the shelves.

One.

Ten.

Dozens.

They opened in midair around him.

Pages flipped rapidly under invisible force, each book suspended like a screen.

Axel’s eyes moved across them.

Information poured into his mind.

Titles.

Maps.

Reports.

Useless material.

Rejected.

The books closed and another batch replaced them.

Again.

Again.

Again.

With dozens being processed simultaneously, Axel could eliminate an entire book every few dozen seconds.

For an ordinary person, that speed would have been absurd.

For this library, it was still slow.

There were tens of thousands of books.

If he somehow had to inspect every single one, it could take more than ten days.

Axel looked across the endless shelves.

His expression darkened.

Surely his luck was not bad enough for the sea chart to be hidden in the very last book.

....

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