"Yes, Mr. Rowan!"
Upon hearing Rowan's acceptance, Momonga couldn't help but shoot boastful, triumphant glances at his friends. Seeing his punchable, "cat-that-got-the-cream" expression, the other Vice Admirals who were close to him gnashed their teeth, inwardly beating their chests in frustration.
Mr. Rowan actually agreed!
Dammit, why didn't I step forward just now? If I had spoken up a second before Momonga, this sweet assignment would have been mine! Now that brat gets to enjoy this massive windfall for free. Argh, it's infuriating!
This was a golden opportunity to execute a mission alongside Mr. Rowan!
Sengoku watched Momonga's rare display of smugness with a hint of surprise, but he didn't comment. He simply announced, "Since there's nothing else, today's routine meeting is adjourned. Everyone, back to your duties."
With that, Sengoku slipped out of the office without looking back. He moved with a speed that suggested he was terrified Rowan might actually follow through on his threat to "share the pain" of his fame with him.
Rowan didn't pay much mind to the fleeing Sengoku or Garp. His mind was occupied with thoughts of Caesar and Doflamingo. Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Momonga—now officially Rowan's adjutant—finished gloating to his peers and approached Rowan, face flushed with excitement. He saluted crisply. "Mr. Rowan, I am fully prepared and ready to deploy. When do we set out?"
Rowan nodded. "Not today. I have a few things to prepare on my end. We move out first thing tomorrow morning."
Momonga immediately snapped to attention. "Understood!" He didn't linger, heading straight out to organize the troops.
After Momonga left, Rowan spent some time chatting with Zephyr and Tsuru before finally making his own exit.
The next morning, as the first light of dawn touched the sky, Momonga had already assembled a force of over a thousand subordinates at the inner bay pier.
Even though they had been standing at the port for over twenty minutes after finishing their preparations, not a single face showed any sign of impatience. From Vice Admiral Momonga down to the colonels, lieutenants, and ordinary sailors, everyone stood with impeccable posture and resolute gazes.
They weren't waiting because their superior was late—they were waiting because the entire unit had arrived early! They were waiting for Vice Admiral Rowan, the living legend of the Navy. Knowing that Rowan was the commander for this mission, they were far too excited to harbor a single complaint. They all knew this once-in-a-lifetime chance had been secured only because their commander, Momonga, had been "shameless" enough to ask for it.
"He's here!"
Suddenly, Momonga's eyes lit up at the front of the queue. An old man in casual clothes was approaching rapidly, accompanied by two youngsters.
Vice Admiral Rowan had arrived. However...
At this moment, Rowan showed none of the poise of a legendary Marine. He looked more like a typical, grumpy grandfather, scolding Luffy as they walked.
"You brat! I told you to go to bed early last night, but you sneaked out for a midnight snack again! Now you've made the Old Man late!"
Luffy, whose face was swollen into the shape of a pig's head (likely from a "fist of love"), muttered piteously, "Great-Grandpa... I didn't want to... but I didn't get enough to eat at dinner..."
"You ate all that and you still weren't full?!" Rowan glared.
As the boy's training intensity increased, his appetite followed suit. Every ounce of stamina consumed had to be replaced with food. Furthermore, Luffy's natural aptitude for "Life Return" meant his metabolic consumption was far beyond what anyone could imagine. If he hadn't sneaked into the kitchen and eaten until the early hours of the morning—causing them to overslept—they wouldn't be running late now.
As they reached Momonga's formation, Rowan finally ceased his lecture.
"SALUTE!"
Before Rowan could even settle into a walking rhythm, Momonga barked the command and offered a deeply respectful salute. Behind him, a thousand Marines snapped to attention and saluted in perfect unison, their expressions filled with reverence.
"Ahem... good work, everyone." Faced with a thousand saluting men, Rowan returned the gesture and cleared his throat. "Is everyone present? If so, let's depart immediately."
"Yes, Vice Admiral Rowan!" Momonga responded with a disciplined roar before turning to the troops. "All units, board the ship! We move out!"
A thousand men moved as one, boarding the vessel in an orderly fashion via the gangplanks. Rowan nodded in approval at the display of discipline. Then, his gaze shifted slightly toward the main Headquarters building, looking a bit guilty.
Good... that girl didn't follow us...
Yesterday, when Gion heard he was heading out for a mission, she had insisted on coming along. It had taken a significant amount of effort to persuade her to stay behind. He was going on a mission, not a vacation; bringing her along wouldn't look right.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Rowan saw that the soldiers had finished boarding. He beckoned to Zoro and Luffy. "Alright, let's get on."
The ship they were using for this leg of the journey wasn't Momonga's personal warship, but a specialized transport vessel. Marineford was located in the first half of the Grand Line. To reach Punk Hazard in the New World, they had to cross the Red Line.
There were only two ways to do so. One was through Fish-Man Island, ten thousand meters below the sea. The other was through the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
The path through Fish-Man Island was treacherous and time-consuming. As Marines, Rowan's group naturally chose the route through Mary Geoise. Sengoku had already filed the paperwork with the World Government the day before, so there would be personnel waiting to receive them at the Holy Land.
Furthermore, another warship was already waiting for them on the other side of the Red Line. This was the logistical advantage the Navy held over pirates—to enter the New World, all they needed was a formal report. No expensive coating fees, no dangerous underwater voyages.
While the route through Mary Geoise was significantly faster and safer, it was still nearly noon by the time Rowan and his men reached the other side. The sheer scale of the Red Line was truly magnificent.
Throughout the transit, the World Government officials assigned to guide them acted like programmed robots. Aside from a few necessary instructions, they didn't utter a single word of small talk. Interestingly, the World Government made no mention whatsoever of Rowan's previous incident involving the assault and intimidation of a Celestial Dragon.