115. The Revolutionary Army Takes Action
"Robin, history is the treasure of all mankind. No one has the right to bury it," Robin remembered Dr. Clover saying.
The World Government hinders the world. What truth are they hiding? Why was the history of that one hundred years buried, and why did the huge kingdom that existed in that lost century make the World Government so afraid?
"In short, just remember that the Shiki's alliance may be stronger than the Cross Guild," Marco reminded.
"Fortunately, we secured the Poneglyph from Cake Island, so we don't have to confront the Shiki now," Nami sighed in relief.
"Isn't Luffy aiming to become the Pirate King?" Marco asked, his face full of doubts. "As long as Luffy's goal is the One Piece, you're destined to face Shiki again. That man's ambition is immense, and among the pirates of the old era, Shiki has the most disdain for the Great Pirate Era started by Roger. He hates the newcomers after the Great Pirate Era the most."
Nami groaned, covering her face. "Shiki, Kaido, BIG MOM. Their alliance far surpasses the Cross Guild in terms of forces and the number of strong men. Moreover, the Cross Union didn't even use their full strength against us."
"Shiki? I heard he's a great swordsman with two swords," Zoro said with an interested smile.
"In the current sea, among the three great swordsmen standing at the top of the world, Mihawk is a pure one-sword style, Shiki is a two-sword style, and I am a three-sword style," Zoro added. "This is very interesting."
"For the World Government, the most dangerous among the new Four Emperors is the Golden Lion Shiki's alliance," Marco pointed out, indicating a spot in the newspaper.
The so-called new Four Emperors refer to the four most dangerous new pirate forces in the New World. Ranked by risk, the first place is the Golden Lion Pirates Alliance, the second is the Cross Guild that has absorbed Kaido's territory, the third is the Straw Hat Pirates plus their allies, and the fourth is the only remaining original Four Emperors, the Red Hair Pirates.
However, after the news of Cross Union's defeat by the Luffy got out, this ranking might change quickly.
"And this, it turns out the two unfamiliar Marine powerhouses before are newly appointed Admirals," Marco said, looking at the back of the newspaper. Marine's world conscription was over, and two new Admirals were appointed: the blind middle-aged man Fujitora and Admiral Aramaki, who was directly killed by Luffy.
"With these two Admiral-level powerhouses, Marine's strength has been greatly enhanced," Marco noted solemnly. "The two new Admirals are no joke. Previously, the Marines had three Admirals. Even if Sengoku retires and Akainu or Aokiji takes the top position, they will still have four Admirals. With the addition of the older generation of Marine strongmen, their strength is terrifying."
"And that Fujitora's gravity ability is hard to deal with," Marco added.
"It doesn't matter. That's what makes it interesting, hahaha," Luffy laughed. "Whether it's the Shiki or Marine, it's becoming more interesting."
"The previous Four Emperors were too weak. Now, it will be more challenging. If they dare to come, let's cut them down," Zoro said with a smile.
Since his fight with Mihawk, Zoro had been transforming. Even without a breakthrough limit, he needed more battles, more experience, and evolution to fill his current self.
"Sail away, Zou," Luffy yelled, sticking out his fist.
New World, Whole Cake Island.
"You can do it, Straw Hat," Kaido said, holding a newspaper. This newspaper was different from the one Luffy and the others read a few days ago; it was the latest edition.
"The Straw Hat Pirates defeated the Cross Union. Straw Hat Luffy defeated Douglas Bullet, and Roronoa Zoro drew with the former Warlord Mihawk."
"Roronoa Zoro's bounty increased to 3.8 billion berries, Black Leg Sanji's bounty increased to 3.5 billion berries, and Fishman Jinbei's bounty increased to 2 billion berries."
"Has even a monster like Bullet been defeated by the Straw Hat?" Kaido didn't show any disdain for the Straw Hat Pirates.
If it was before, he wouldn't have acknowledged this fledgling crew, but now, he had to be extremely vigilant about the Straw Hat boy's strength.
Because he fought Bullet before, Bullet's body was as strong as an awakened Zoan fruit user, and his combined fruit ability amplified his terrifying power.
The battle between Kaido and Bullet didn't last long, as Mihawk and the rest of the World dealt with the Beasts Pirates quickly. But this didn't affect Kaido's judgment of Bullet's strength.
Bullet was a real monster-level existence. But such a monster lost to the Straw Hat boy.
This made Kaido wary of the Straw Hat Pirates. After all, he was defeated by the Cross Union and left Wano in despair.
The Straw Hat Pirates defeated the Cross Union, proving they were much stronger than his Beasts Pirates.
Moreover, Kaido looked at BIG MOM beside him and saw her fists clenched tightly.
"Straw Hat Kid," BIG MOM growled. In the previous battle, BIG MOM saw it as a huge disgrace. Someone destroyed the cake she wanted to eat and defeated her.
"It's just a new-era pirate, kid. Time to play house is over," Shiki said disdainfully. No matter how strong Luffy and his crew were, to Shiki, they were products of the Great Pirate Era set off by Roger—a group of kids playing pirate games.
"Has Black Leg Sanji's bounty increased to this level?" Katakuri looked at the newspaper, frowning. The newspaper didn't mention Sanji's record, but his bounty rose rapidly, second only to Zoro.
But Zoro had a tie with the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk. Mihawk was enough to rival the Four Emperors. Something must have happened to cause Sanji's bounty to increase to 3.5 billion berries.
"What are we going to do next? Shall we go to war with the Straw Hats?" Kaido glanced at Shiki. He didn't have a deep friendship with him, having been just a trainee crew member.
But he didn't deny Shiki's strength, which is equal to Whitebeard.
"Don't worry. Don't you want the ultimate secret treasure?" Shiki smiled, smoking a cigar.
"The ultimate secret treasure," Kaido and BIG MOM's eyes lit up simultaneously, but they quickly recovered.
"Do you know where Raftel is, Shiki?" Kaido asked.
"Even if we have the Poneglyphs, we only have two. We can't find Raftel," BIG MOM added.
There are four Poneglyphs needed. Kaido had one, and BIG MOM had another, leaving two more.
"I don't know, but someone does," Shiki smiled. "Whitebeard must know the whereabouts of the Poneglyphs. After all, Kozuki Oden was the captain of the second division on his ship."
"The Straw Hats are now allied with Whitebeard's remnants. When they gather the Poneglyphs, that's when we'll act. We can win the treasure and teach these new-era pirates a lesson. Isn't it interesting? Hahahaha," Shiki laughed.
Kaido and BIG MOM also smiled knowingly.
Only Katakuri frowned at the three of them. He felt that even with these three Four emperor-level beings joining forces, it would be difficult to defeat the Straw Hat Pirates. That pirate group was full of miracles.
Momoiro Island, Headquarters of the Revolutionary Army.
"Hey, Dragon, why are you calling us in such a hurry? Is the plan ready to be implemented?" asked Belo Betty, commander of the Eastern Army.
Belo Betty was the only female among the four major commanders of the Revolutionary Army. She wore revealing clothes, behaved wildly, and carried a large flag in her hand. Although her strength wasn't the greatest, her ability to inspire people with her Encouragement Fruit was considered highly dangerous by the World Government. She could inspire people's courage and lead them to resist tyranny.
Next to Belo Betty were Lindbergh, commander of the Southern Army, Morley, commander of the Western Army, and Karasu, commander of the Northern Army. All four major commanders of the Revolutionary Army were gathered, except for the Grand Line Army Commander Ivankov, who was still in Impel Down, and Bartholomew Kuma, who was in the hands of the World Government.
"Look at this first," Dragon said, placing a newspaper on the table.
"What is this?" Belo Betty raised her sunglasses and looked at the newspaper.
It reported that Luffy the Straw Hat had defeated the Cross Guild.
"I remember this Straw Hat boy. Is he your son, Dragon?" Belo Betty asked.
The information that Luffy was Dragon's son was originally known to very few people, but after the Summit War, Morgans revealed Luffy's lineage. Dragon's full name is Monkey D. Dragon, and Luffy's full name is Monkey D. Luffy, making it easy for Morgans to piece it together given the close ties to the World Government.
"If this is about showing off your son, we already know that, Dragon. There's no need to say it again," Lindbergh joked.
"You guys are really dull," Dragon said. "The New World is already in chaos. You've seen it—the birth of the new Four Emperors. The World Government and Marine's frantic military expansion is a response to the increasingly powerful pirate forces. The balance of the sea has been completely broken, and our plans have been disrupted. We don't have the luxury of waiting for the right opportunity step by step."
"Or maybe now is our best time," Dragon continued.
"Did something happen?" Belo Betty took off her sunglasses, looking at Dragon with encouraging eyes. Without her sunglasses, her demeanour changed from a gang leader to a saint leading people forward.
"Yes," Dragon said seriously. "Vegapunk is almost overwhelmed. Due to the serious imbalance in the world situation and the strong pirate forces, the World Government is desperate to gain more power from Vegapunk. Before, the government compromised by not entering Egghead Island because of Vegapunk's value. But now it's different."
"The power of the pirates has panicked the corrupt nobles. Although the Five Elders haven't given direct orders, CP agents have started to forcibly enter Egghead. Even with some Marine support, Vegapunk can't hold out for long."
"Is the Iron Giant still not operational?" Belo Betty asked.
The Iron Giant that attacked Mariejois two hundred years ago was a technology Vegapunk had been researching, but it hadn't made a breakthrough yet.
"Time is too tight. If Vegapunk could complete the Seraphim, we would have a better chance of winning," Lindbergh said heavily.
Their original plan was to launch their operation at the World Summit two years later, taking advantage of the gathering to explore Mariejois, the holy land of the Celestial Dragons, and uncover the secrets of the world's nobles. But now, with the situation changing, they had to act sooner.
"There isn't much time left, but the timing isn't too bad," Dragon said. "The World Government and Marine are currently preoccupied with the pirates, which is more conducive to our actions. If the plan goes well, we should achieve a huge breakthrough."
"How do we proceed, Dragon?" Morley, commander of the Western Army, asked in his shy tone despite his giant stature.
"Go to Impel Down and rescue Ivankov. They've been dormant there for long enough; it's time to come out," Dragon decided.
"The Great Prison of Impel Down? Given the current situation, the Marines don't have the extra strength to guard it. With Morley's ability, rescuing Ivankov shouldn't be too difficult," Belo Betty said.
Ivankov's imprisonment was part of their plan. Otherwise, Ivankov, with his powerful kingdom of monsters, would have been treated like Kuma. Impel Down was the best place to hide, and they had always been prepared to rescue Ivankov.
"Belo Betty, you take Morley and the others to handle this. I'll leave the rescue of Ivankov to you," Dragon ordered.
Among the four commanders, Belo Betty might not have been the strongest, but her wisdom and leadership were unparalleled.
"Understood, we will succeed," Belo Betty and the other commanders responded in unison.
"And me, Dragon? What about me?" Sabo quickly pointed to himself. He also wanted to rescue Ivankov, who had saved his life.
"You have a more important task, Sabo," Dragon said with deep eyes.
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