Soon, in the Fleet Admiral's office, Spandine and Fleet Admiral Kong completed the handover of documents.
As for Kaido and the others, the CP-9 personnel could just go to the prison to collect them themselves. There was no need for everyone to go together.
With Spandine's business concluded, Finn and his group had nothing else to do, so they all left the Fleet Admiral's office.
"Why are you following me instead of escorting Kaido?" Finn glanced at Spandine beside him and said with a smile.
Spandine smiled obsequiously and said quickly, "It's been a while since I last received your guidance, Admiral. You know I'm from the CP Agency. Even though CP-9 has a good relationship with Marine Headquarters, it's not convenient for me to come to Marineford on regular days. I finally have the opportunity to come here this time, and of course I want to get closer to you, Admiral..."
"I don't have much to teach you. You look despicable, but you're actually quite good at getting things done. You have both skill and... a certain kind of character. You've learned well from Stussy..." Finn teased with a smile.
Spandine didn't care at all about being called "despicable." He knew that was exactly what he was.
And because of this, he understood better that people like him had to rely on powerful figures to climb higher. At the same time, he needed a strong enough backer to stand firm.
He didn't think about personal strength or anything like that. He didn't have the talent, and after so many years of training, he was still just mediocre.
Therefore, what he could display was his ability to get things done. As long as his ability to accomplish tasks was strong enough, the right approach was to find a powerful person to depend on.
Before this, Spandine had relied on Stussy's faction.
Thanks to his 'pseudo-sibling' relationship with Stussy, he'd received considerable care.
And now, he even knew certain secrets. For instance, his patron, Lady Stussy, currently relied on the youngest Admiral of Marine Headquarters.
In other words, Finn was the boss of his boss. What else should he do if not quickly curry favor with him?
As for selling out information about the relationship between Stussy and Finn, he'd never even considered it.
Because that would be completely stupid. Although Spandine's character wasn't admirable, he wasn't a fool.
He'd relied on Stussy to reach his position in the CP agency, so how could he possibly betray her? He had no connections with other big players. CP-9 was the legacy left by Stussy, which was no different from the relationship between G-7 and Finn.
He already bore Stussy's label, so how could he possibly betray her? That wouldn't serve his own interests.
On the contrary, the stronger Stussy was and the higher her status rose, the more benefits Spandine would gain.
From what he could vaguely discern about the connection between Finn and Stussy, there was no doubt this guy was a close confidant of Stussy's.
This made betraying Stussy even more impossible.
"Admiral, you're absolutely right. I have indeed learned a great deal from Lady Stussy," Spandine responded with a smile.
This was to say indirectly: I'm a die-hard supporter of Lady Stussy, so please rest assured!
Finn didn't comment, just nodded casually. After walking a few steps, he asked again, "What has CP-9 been doing lately?"
This question was rather pointed. Logically speaking, Spandine would never tell anyone else. After all, it was inappropriate, not to mention the Marines.
But when Finn asked, this guy had no intention of hiding anything. He looked around and found that only Vice Admiral Gion was following behind. He also knew Vice Admiral Gion was definitely a die-hard supporter of Admiral Finn, so there was no need to be coy about anything.
"If anyone else were to ask, I certainly wouldn't be able to tell them. But since it's you asking, Admiral..." Spandine paused briefly before adding, "We at CP-9 have been investigating something related to Ancient Weapons."
"Ancient Weapons?" Finn raised an eyebrow, then said, "Didn't that matter end with the destruction of Ohara?"
"It should have been like that, but some developments occurred afterward. Speaking of which, it's because we, CP-9, were responsible for the Ohara incident that the higher-ups handed over all subsequent matters regarding Ancient Weapons to me," Spandine said with a smile.
"Tell me about it," Finn said, his interest piqued.
"You should know about Water 7. After all, most of your warships are manufactured there," Spandine said.
"Well, you're looking for Pluton, right?" Finn had already thought of something and spoke.
Spandine's eyes flashed with surprise, but he nodded quickly. "Indeed. I didn't expect you, Admiral, would also know these things."
"Although our Marines' intelligence capabilities aren't as extensive as yours, we do know some things, right? As for Water 7, it's said that the Ancient Weapon Pluton was manufactured in that place. Therefore, with Ohara destroyed, Water 7 is the island most likely to possess the secret of Ancient Weapons. What you're looking for there can only be Pluton..." Finn said.
"Admiral, you're absolutely correct," Spandine nodded without hesitation and flattered him, then continued, "In fact, we already have leads. After Ohara, the wind direction has changed somewhat."
"What do you mean?" Finn asked.
"Before Ohara, the higher-ups' intention was to cover up the existence of Ancient Weapons. But now, due to the tide of the Great Pirate Era, the situation has deteriorated rapidly. Although it's improved slightly in the past two years due to the promulgation of the Seven Warlords of the Sea system, it's still not enough for the higher-ups. What they've always wanted is to calm the chaos of this era as soon as possible. It was in this environment that the wind direction from the higher-ups changed, from originally covering up the Ancient Weapons to now..." Spandine said softly.
"Now, they want to find the Ancient Weapons and place them in the World Government's hands, right? To use them to deter the Great Pirate Era, or even to suppress it?" Finn raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, that's the primary reason," Spandine nodded.
"Primary reason?" Finn smiled, his eyes gleaming with knowing light. "So there's a secondary reason, right?"
"That..." Spandine hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm reluctant to mention it."
"Don't worry. I consider you half one of my own. Just tell me what you want to say," Finn patted Spandine on the shoulder.
Spandine hesitated for a moment, but finally whispered, "According to speculation within our CP, part of the reason is that the higher-ups are worried the Marines will become too powerful to control. Therefore, the Ancient Weapons aren't just meant to deter external threats. They may also be used internally to... deter the Marines."
"Hahaha..." Finn gave a cold laugh, then said, "That's not unexpected."
The World Government couldn't have failed to notice the change in the Marines' attitude over the past two years, but both sides were somewhat cautious. Since they were still nominally united, the underlying tensions weren't particularly obvious.
But if you claimed the World Government was completely confident in the Marines, Finn would never believe it.
The Five Elders wouldn't be such mediocre people. It would be impossible for them to simply let the Marines go. Due to the situation, they had no way to suppress the Marines through other means. Such an approach would even harm the World Government's own interests.
So how could they ensure their dominance over the Marines and prevent any incidents?
The answer seemed obvious: maintain a certain advantage, possess the means to restrain the Marines, and simultaneously hold the power to deter them.
In the past, this kind of power could barely be placed on the CP agency, but now, they seemed to have a better option.
Ancient Weapons...
Once they could master Ancient Weapons, it would definitely be an effective means of controlling the Marines.
After laughing, Finn looked at Spandine. "You're quite bold in saying this."
Spandine quickly said, "After all, I firmly stand on your side, Admiral."
"Perhaps," Finn nodded.
Finn didn't have enough trust in Spandine. Unlike Stussy, who was now tied to him in a relationship where they'd prosper or suffer together, Spandine's position, while currently aligned with Stussy's faction and therefore with Finn's, was different.
But if he had the opportunity to choose another path, or if greater benefits beckoned to him, with this guy's moral character, there was no need to wonder what choice he'd make.
Finn didn't dwell on the pointless question of Spandine's loyalty. After careful consideration, he asked, "Spandine, do you think the World Government already possesses any Ancient Weapons?"
Spandine was stunned for a moment, then said, "It's hard to say..."
"Hard to say..." Finn nodded, not surprised at all.
Poseidon was in the bloodline of the Neptune royal family of Fish-Man Island. Every few generations, a mermaid princess with the talent to command Sea Kings would emerge, able to control all the Sea Kings in the world.
It had to be said that although Sea Kings seemed easily killed individually, if one could control all the Sea Kings in the world, they'd truly possess the power to destroy civilization.
Even now, Finn couldn't understand it. The racial advantages of Fish-Man Island were obviously superior in this world, and they had an Ancient Weapon passed down through generations. How had they squandered their trump card so badly and ended up in such a miserable state?
Not to mention Poseidon. As for Pluton, it had also been confirmed to be a massive ancient warship with tremendous destructive power.
Only Uranus, the third Ancient Weapon, had no news whatsoever.
Because there was no information, Finn had always suspected the World Government was hiding and suppressing news about Uranus. The reason they'd do this was because Uranus might be in their hands.
Judging from Spandine's answer, it probably wasn't just the Marines who had such speculation. CP also had the same suspicion.
But there was no evidence, and the World Government had made no statement on this matter.
In the end, he didn't dwell on it further. Finn said, "You just mentioned that Pluton has shown some signs?"
"That's right. We believe the shipwright who once built the ship for the Pirate King Roger, a fish-man named Tom, is very likely to possess the design blueprints of the Ancient Weapon Pluton. Although we cannot locate the actual Pluton vessel, currently sleeping in an unknown location, it will obviously serve the World Government's interests if we can obtain the blueprints," Spandine said.
No one knew where Pluton's ship was hidden, but to the World Government, even if they found it, it would just be one ship.
But if they could obtain the blueprints, that would be far more valuable.
With the World Government's financial and material resources, they might be able to build eight or ten such vessels...
So in the eyes of the World Government, perhaps the Pluton blueprints were more valuable!
Don't underestimate it because it was a ship. The so-called ability to sink an island with one shot wasn't as immediately terrifying as Poseidon's ability to control all Sea Kings instantly.
But the critical difference was that Pluton was replicable!
If they gave you an entire Pluton fleet, wouldn't that be terrifying?
"The interests of the World Government..." Finn sighed, then gave Spandine a meaningful look. "You must work hard for the World Government, Spandine. As a member of the World Government apparatus, I'll be keeping a close eye on you."
Spandine swallowed, smiled somewhat nervously, and said, "Yes, Admiral."
"Get out of here now. Stop hanging around me and go take care of your own business," Finn didn't say anything else and just waved his hand dismissively.
Spandine then laughed again and nodded. "Then I won't bother you further, Admiral."
After saying this, Spandine nodded to Gion as well, gestured respectfully, and then turned and left.
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