"Do you... realize what you're saying?" Sengoku's gaze suddenly turned icy.
"Garp..."
"Enough, don't give me that look. Do you really need to question my loyalty to the Marines?" Garp rolled his eyes.
"But you need to understand—I have only ever been loyal to the Marines... not to the World Government."
With that statement, Garp made his stance perfectly clear.
Sengoku felt somewhat helpless.
The people around him—one after another—were either causing trouble...
Or on their way to cause trouble!
Couldn't they just settle down a bit?
"So, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"If—and I mean if—the Marines could break free from the control of those bastards in the World Government, wouldn't we be able to truly pursue so-called 'justice'?" Garp shrugged, speaking half-jokingly.
"After all, a government that forcibly collects 'Celestial Tribute' to support the Celestial Dragons, disregarding the people's suffering, has no justice to speak of."
"...You've spent too much time with Michael."
"Come on, Sengoku. Ever since the Ohara incident and the search for Roger's orphan, you've long stopped blindly trusting and obeying the World Government." Garp smirked.
"Otherwise, why didn't you report Ace's identity to the World Government after figuring it out? It's simply because you don't trust them."
"...So, you're here to persuade me?" Sengoku looked at Garp's weathered face and suddenly seemed to realize something.
"You... knew about Michael's identity all along, didn't you?"
"I neither confirm nor deny. If you insist on thinking that way, I can't help it."
Garp mimicked Michael's infuriatingly nonchalant tone in his reply.
"Hmph!" Sengoku turned and headed downstairs. "Get out! All of you, get out! Even you, the so-called 'Hero of the Marine'!"
Garp immediately scurried after him and slung an arm around Sengoku's shoulders.
"Now that won't do. I've got no interest in the Revolutionary Army or whatever." Garp laughed heartily.
"You're my brother, Sengoku. How could I leave you alone?"
"...You just don't want to join the Revolutionary Army and end up taking orders from your son and Michael, do you?"
"...Ah, Sengoku-san, no need to say the quiet part out loud."
...
No one knew what exactly Sakazuki and Kuzan discussed during their week together in the intensive care unit—from arguments to debates.
No one knew how much Sengoku and Garp's candid conversation would alter the future.
And no one knew where the former Grand Inspector of the Marine, who had once stirred up storms, was now.
But time marched on relentlessly.
In the year 1513 of the Sea Calendar, the Whitebeard Kingdom was officially established.
The captain of Whitebeard Pirates' first division passed the evaluation of the SWORD Classified Special Forces and became the final member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
The following year, 1514 of the Sea Calendar, Whole Cake Island was officially established.
After these two so-called "Emperors of the Sea" formally founded their nations, pirates across the seas began to grumble.
They knew that although Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin hadn't abandoned their pirate identities, they were no longer part of the same world.
But for the civilians living under Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin's rule, these developments were cause for celebration.
Meanwhile, Doflamingo seized the opportunity while the World Government and the Five Elders were preoccupied with the two newly emerged nations.
In a lightning-fast operation, he hijacked the Celestial Tribute en route.
Using this as leverage, he successfully forced the World Government to recognize his legitimate claim to the throne of Dressrosa.
Doflamingo had planned to stir up trouble using Dressrosa and the increasingly prosperous Pleasure District, but he was betrayed by his own younger brother.
After defecting, his brother brought the SWORD Classified Special Forces into Dressrosa and established their New World branch office there.
Under the heavy-handed oversight of the SWORD forces, Doflamingo was compelled to become a diligent, hardworking, and exemplary king.
The deposed Riku family was so moved by Doflamingo's transformation that they pledged their loyalty to him and became the prime ministers of Dressrosa.
Within just six months, the title "Wise King of Dressrosa" spread throughout the New World.
The Marine was satisfied.
The World Government was satisfied.
The people of Dressrosa were satisfied...
Only Doflamingo, the born villain, was left weeping internally.
Being called the "Wise King" was like being forced to eat two pounds of chocolate that tasted like shit.
In the year 1516 of the Sea Calendar, the World Conference was convened once again.
This time, nearly all nations of the Grand Line agreed that the Revolutionary Army would become the greatest future threat.
However, Alabasta, the Drum Kingdom, the Germa Kingdom, and major kingdoms across the four seas remained silent on the matter—a facade of unity masking deep divisions.
Time marched forward to 1517 of the Sea Calendar.
That year, "Empress" Boa Hancock was officially promoted to Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, while "Swift" Boa Sandersonia and "Heavy Hammer" Boa Marigold were promoted to Rear Admirals.
"Hina the Black Cage," "Smoker the White Hunter," "T-Bone the Ship Cutter," and "Shu the Rust Tide" all entered a period of explosive growth in combat prowess and achievements, each rising to the rank of Vice Admiral shortly after Hancock.
Meanwhile, "Nico Robin the Thousand Hands" was promoted to Rear Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, stationed at Sabaody Archipelago with oversight over all personnel movements between Sabaody and Fish-Man Island.
It was at this moment that the Revolutionary Army finally made its move.
Through their operational bases in the Drum Kingdom and the ports of Alabasta, a fleet silently entered the first half of the Grand Line.
Their target was the kingdom that, in the original timeline, had been obliterated by the humanoid nuclear weapon Imu—the Lulusia Kingdom.
The Revolutionary Army chose this location for one simple reason...
First, the King of Lulusia was cruel and indifferent, with the royal family wallowing in luxury while squeezing the populace dry through excessive Celestial Tribute, leaving the citizens in abject poverty.
Clichéd reasons, clichéd villains.
Secondly...
It was relatively close to the Kamabakka Kingdom.
"Heeee—Ha! Feels great to be heading home soon!"
Standing at the bow of the flagship, Ivankov tilted his large face and exclaimed loudly.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Ivankov. Before we go home, we still have work to do."
"Ah, of course, my dear Chief of Staff, Michael."
Ivankov turned around, and standing behind him was none other than Michael, who had been discharged from the Marines and gone missing four years ago.
Now, he had long since traded his Marine uniform for a loose white robe, paired with two pairs of Wings on his back, making him look almost like a pure angel.
"But I still don't understand—why didn't we act immediately after you left the Marines? Why wait several years?"
"Do you really enjoy charging headfirst into gunfire, Ivankov?" Michael's lips curled slightly.
"Back then, the Revolutionary Army was at its peak, but it was also when the Marines were most vigilant... If we had acted then, we would've likely clashed heavily with both the World Government and the Marines."
"But don't forget—our goal has always been liberation, not war."
"Leading the Revolutionary Army alongside Dragon to liberate the world is my duty."
"Minimizing casualties from the revolution is my obligation."
"And in the near future, the Revolutionary Army and the Marines will be one family."
"Why would we fight among ourselves?"
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