Silence filled.
The air still carried the faint scent of black tea, mixed with the scorched smell left behind by the short but intense clash.
Diamante was curled up under a sofa like a dead, his eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.
Meanwhile, Rosinante's voice, filled with shock and panic, still echoed in the carriage.
Aiden was in no hurry to answer.
He casually pulled over an intact chair and sat down in front of Rosinante. He rested his hands on his knees and leaned forward slightly. There was obvious amusement in his dark eyes as he looked this ridiculous "golden retriever" up and down.
"So, you can talk after all?"
Aiden raised an eyebrow. His tone was as natural as if they were back in the Marineford training camp, but it still made Rosinante break out in a cold sweat. "I thought you were going to keep pretending to be mute."
Rosinante: (·□·;)
Rosinante opened his mouth, but his throat felt blocked.
Looking at this familiar face, his brain almost stopped working.
It was not because he feared the famous "Reaper." It was because this was Aiden. His best friend, the one who had been scolded with him under Instructor Zephyr, survived on a deserted island with him, and fought by his side at Ohara.
And now here he was, wearing a feather coat like some crow, covered in weird makeup, and hiding among a group of mafia men. He had been caught red-handed.
Shame.
A wave of shame rushed straight to his head. Rosinante wished he could dig a hole and bury himself on the spot.
"What? Are you so happy to see an old classmate that you can't even speak?"
Aiden looked at his blank face, and the smile on his face widened. He tapped the armrest of the chair with his finger, making a steady tap, tap sound. "But you've really surprised me, Rosinante."
"You left the Marines and joined the Donquixote Family? I heard it clearly just now. Those people were calling you 'Corazon' very respectfully."
Aiden deliberately slowed his words, his eyes full of mischief. "So what's the plan? Are you going to become some grand pirate young master?"
Those words hit Rosinante like lightning.
"No, it's not like that!!"
Rosinante finally found his voice, but it cracked from panic.
He was sweating so much that the paint on his face began to smear, leaving black and red streaks that made him look even worse.
"Aiden! Listen to me! It's not what you think! I..."
He instinctively reached out, wanting to grab Aiden's arm and explain, but halfway through, he pulled his hand back.
He could not say it.
This was a top-secret mission personally given to him by Admiral Sengoku. Other than him and Vice Admiral Tsuru, almost no one in the Marines knew he was undercover. It was something he absolutely could not reveal.
But if he said nothing...
Aiden hated pirates the most. If he really thought Rosinante had turned evil, would he kill him right here to clean house?
On one side was secret military discipline. On the other was the disappointed look of his best friend.
Caught in the middle, Rosinante's face twisted with panic. His mouth opened and closed, but in the end, all he could make were confused "aba aba" sounds while his hands flailed in a sign language nobody could understand.
Seeing this "golden retriever" on the verge of tears, Aiden felt greatly satisfied.
Just as he was about to push him a little more...
Stomp, stomp, stomp.
A mess of hurried footsteps, mixed with the sound of guns being cocked, came from the hallway outside the connecting door.
Aiden's eyes instantly sharpened, and the joking look on his face disappeared.
It was the Roka Kingdom hijackers outside.
Because of Diamante's interference and that scream from earlier, they had already started suspecting that something had gone wrong inside. Now that they heard no more movement, they were gathering again.
"It's quiet inside!"
"They probably all passed out! Quick! We're almost at the engine!"
The hijacker captain's low growl came from outside, his voice full of the desperation of a man with nothing left to lose.
Rosinante heard it too. He instinctively looked at Aiden as if asking, What do we do?
Aiden did not panic at all.
He raised one finger and put it to his lips in a quiet "shhh" gesture.
Then he pointed at the door, then at the mess on the floor, and finally at Rosinante.
The meaning in his eyes was clear.
I'm more interested in what these hijackers are trying to do. Cooperate with me and keep pretending to be unconscious.
Rosinante understood at once.
Even though he had a thousand questions and a stomach full of things to say, he did not hesitate at all. Out of absolute trust in Aiden, and out of old habit, his body moved before his brain did.
Thud.
Rosinante tilted over and dropped back to the floor, returning to that terrible-looking unconscious pose. He even remembered to straighten his crooked sunglasses.
Aiden nodded in satisfaction.
Then he dropped onto a comfortable leather sofa, and his breathing quickly became long and steady.
The very next second after both of them "passed out"—
Bang!
The door was kicked open.
A dozen hijackers in torn gray military uniforms rushed in with guns raised.
"Check them. See if anyone is still awake."
The captain gave the order in a low voice without shouting.
Several men quickly spread out and pointed their guns at every unconscious person in the carriage.
After confirming there was no threat, the captain let out a sigh of relief. "Looks like the sleeping gas we bought works well. Fine, forget these people. Our target is the engine! As long as we control the cockpit, we'll have a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Black Steel Empire!"
"Yes, sir!"
The hijackers did not stay in the carriage. They hurried through the aisle.
As one of them passed Aiden, his eyes accidentally swept over Aiden's high-quality black shirt, and his steps paused for a moment.
"Huh? This shirt style..."
He instinctively touched the expensive lighter in his pocket, the one he had stolen from the middle carriage earlier. The owner of that lighter seemed to be wearing the same clothes, and hadn't that man fainted back in the middle carriage? Why was he here?
Still, back then, the man in the middle carriage had a thick book covering his face completely. He had not seen his face at all.
Maybe it was just a coincidence. After all, rich young masters all liked to dress like this.
"Stop standing around! Move!"
A companion ahead turned and pulled him.
"Oh, coming!"
The hijacker had no time to think further and quickly followed the team, disappearing behind the connecting door leading to the engine control room.
Click.
As the engine room door slammed shut and locked, the noble carriage returned to that strange silence.
A few seconds later.
Aiden slowly sat up.
He looked at the closed engine room door, a smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Looks like the show is finally reaching the best part."
Rosinante, who was still on the floor nearby, also sprang up like a ghost.
He tore off his sunglasses, no longer caring about his image. He rushed to Aiden, grabbed his sleeve, and stammered in a panic, "Ai... Aiden! Listen to me! It really isn't what you think! I didn't betray the Marines! I didn't turn evil! I..."
The more nervous he became, the more mixed up his words got. His ridiculous clown face was full of panic and sincerity, and his eyes were already turning red.
He truly cared about what his former best friend thought of him.
Aiden looked at him and knew the joke had gone far enough. If he kept pushing, this "golden retriever" really might have a heart attack.
"That's enough."
Aiden raised his hand and cut off Rosinante's explanation. The playful smile on his face faded, and his expression turned calm. "Stop acting. I know you're undercover."
?!!
Rosinante's voice jumped an octave. He froze on the spot, his jaw almost hitting the floor.
"Y-you know?"
He looked at Aiden in disbelief. "How is that possible? This is a top-secret mission personally given by Admiral Sengoku. Other than him and Vice Admiral Tsuru, even Vice Admiral Garp might not know. How could you..."
"Who do you think I am?"
Aiden calmly straightened his cuffs, his tone full of natural confidence. "I'm Captain Aiden from Headquarters, and both Vice Admiral Tsuru and Admiral Sengoku value me highly. A secret like yours isn't really a secret to someone at my level."
This was a lie.
Aiden knew nothing through official channels. He only knew because of what he remembered. But to calm Rosinante down and save himself the trouble of explaining, using Tsuru's name was the easiest way.
Besides, Rosinante would never go ask Tsuru about it.
And as expected, it worked perfectly.
Because of his unconditional trust in his old friend, Rosinante did not doubt him in the slightest.
After all, this was Aiden.
If Aiden said it, then it had to be true. That was the only thought in the simple-minded "golden retriever's" head right now.
Rosinante stood there in a daze for a few seconds, then his face showed sudden understanding, followed by a long sigh of relief.
"So that's it... thank goodness..."
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The look in his eyes when he looked at Aiden immediately became full of admiration and pride. "As expected of you! You've already reached that level! I really thought you misunderstood me!"
Now that the danger had passed, Rosinante relaxed completely and returned to his usual slightly airheaded self.
"By the way, I still haven't asked, why are you here?"
Rosinante was about to continue, but Aiden suddenly raised a hand in a stop gesture.
His gaze shifted past Rosinante and landed on the closed engine room.
His Observation Haki had already clearly picked up the signals coming from inside.
"We'll catch up later."
Aiden raised an eyebrow. A hint of interest flashed in his eyes, and the corner of his mouth curved up. "Aren't you curious what those hijackers are trying to do? They went through all this trouble just to get into the engine room."
"What are they doing?"
Rosinante stopped and looked at him.
Inside the engine room, in the cockpit.
The atmosphere had become tense to the extreme.
The hijacker captain was covered in sweat. He tightly held the receiver of a military Den Den Mushi. The people around him all stared nervously at the snail. It was their only hope.
They had already taken control of the train and forced the conductor to connect them to the direct line of the Black Steel Empire's Capital Defense Command. After that, they knocked the conductor out so he could not interfere.
After a chaotic series of transfers and reports, the voice on the other end finally changed.
A majestic and cold voice came from the Den Den Mushi and echoed clearly in the narrow cockpit.
"This is Friedrich."
Just those three words made every hijacker feel suffocated.
That was the man who had invaded their homeland. The king of the Black Steel Empire.
The captain gritted his teeth and forced down the fear and hatred in his heart. He shouted into the receiver, "Friedrich! Do you hear me? I am the captain of the Roka Kingdom Resistance!"
"Your train is now under our control! We've checked. This train doesn't just carry your citizens. It also has foreign guests and important merchants!"
"I demand that you immediately stop hunting the Roka survivors at the front lines and promise to withdraw your troops! Otherwise..."
The captain looked at the scenery flying past the window. His voice was firm, but deep inside, even he felt uncertain. "We will blow up this train! Your citizens and those nobles will be buried together with your ambition!"
This was their last bargaining chip.
By normal logic, any ruler, when facing a hijacking involving foreign nobles and the risk of international trouble and huge casualties, would at least choose to negotiate or buy time.
However.
The other side was silent for a few seconds.
There was no anger.
There was no panic.
"You called just to say that?"
A contemptuous sneer came from the Den Den Mushi.
"What?" The captain froze. "What did you say?"
"I said you went through all this trouble, caused such a big scene, and even risked your lives, all for such a ridiculous demand?"
Friedrich's voice was chillingly calm. "For the rise of the Empire, every piece of steel and every commoner can become fuel. This is a necessary cost."
"If you managed to hijack the train, that only proves the soldiers assigned to protect it are useless. Useless people have no value in living. If they die, they die."
"As for those so-called nobles, dying for the glory of the Empire is their highest honor."
"Didn't you say you wanted to blow it up? Then do it."
"I will hold a funeral for them."
Beep, beep, beep.
The call was cut off without hesitation.
The cockpit fell into dead silence.
All the hijackers froze, their eyes full of disbelief and despair.
They had imagined many possibilities. They thought the other side would negotiate, or stall for time, or set a trap.
But the one thing they never imagined was that the king simply did not care.
"H-he's a madman..."
The captain collapsed to the floor, and the receiver slipped from his hand.
The truth was that they did not even have enough explosives to blow up the entire armored train. Their earlier threat had only been a bluff for the negotiation.
The few homemade bombs they had left had mostly already been used just to blow open the carriage doors.
"Captain, what do we do now?"
One young team member's eyes were red, and his voice sounded close to tears. "That tyrant doesn't care at all! We..."
"What does that make us? Then what was the point of our sacrifice?"
"Damn it! Since he's heartless, then don't blame us for being ruthless!"
Another emotional team member suddenly stood up and rushed toward the control panel. "If we can't blow it up, then let's force the speed to the limit! There should be a curve ahead soon! As long as we don't slow down, the train will definitely derail!"
"If we're all going to die anyway, then let everyone on this train be buried with our Roka Kingdom too!"
"Stop!"
The captain suddenly rushed over and punched the emotional team member to the ground.
"Captain?!" The man covered his face and looked at him in disbelief. "They treated us like that! Why are we still..."
"If we do that, if we kill innocent people and drag commoners down with us..."
The captain's voice was hoarse and exhausted. He looked at the faces around him, all full of hatred and despair, and gave a tragic smile. "...then what would be the difference between us and those beasts from the Black Steel Empire?"
Silence fell over the cockpit once again.
They were trapped.
The negotiation had failed, and dying together would go against everything they still believed in. They were like trapped beasts inside a speeding steel cage, waiting for a hopeless ending.
"Is there really no way left?"
Just as everyone had run out of options and the entire cockpit was drowning in despair—
Knock, knock, knock.
A soft, steady knocking suddenly came from the connecting door behind them.
Then a somewhat lazy voice drifted through the thick iron door.
To Be Continued
---------------------------------
https://www.patreon.com/c/LIZBETH1242
40 chapters available in advance!