Before long, the sound of soldiers running approached.
Sengoku shouted toward the door:
"Come in."
Crash—
The office door was pulled open.
A soldier rushed inside:
"Report, Fleet Admiral!"
"One of the Three Emperors of the New World, the BIG MOM Pirates' captain, Charlotte Linlin."
"She's gathering her forces and moving out. The suspected target is the Red-Hair Pirates."
Sengoku frowned slightly:
"Red-Hair again…"
"Just like Roger."
"Have you found out the reason?"
The soldier hesitated, a little unsure:
"Uh… it seems the Red-Hair Pirates might have attacked one of BIG MOM's subordinate forces."
"It all happened so suddenly. We haven't gathered more information yet."
"We only know the personnel stationed on BIG MOM's Candy Island were completely slaughtered."
"The Red-Hair Pirates were on the island at the time."
"The entire New World already knows about it."
Sengoku pondered for a moment:
"Something that happened suddenly but spread across the whole New World, huh…"
"I understand."
"Right, go investigate the movements of the other pirates in the New World."
"If Red-Hair provokes two Emperors in a row and still manages to escape unharmed this time…"
"Then there will definitely be no shortage of people wanting to follow him."
The territories of the Three Emperors in the New World are generally well-defined, but due to geography, some remote islands remain outside anyone's control.
The environment may be harsh, but it's a place where pirates unwilling to submit to the Three Emperors cling to life.
After all, joining BIG MOM means paying tribute every month, and every six months handing over part of your lifespan… Who wants to shorten their own life?
Joining the Steam Pirates means mandatory missions every month since they run the entire New World's underground trade.
If you have enough strength, you can earn plenty of money. But for those pursuing freedom, that's hardly an ideal place.
And the Beasts Pirates only care about strength. The weak become cannon fodder; the strong might fare better.
But by this stage, few pirates are lone wolves. They can't just abandon their crews, let them die as cannon fodder while they themselves become captains.
That's why Red-Hair, who's been causing a stir in the New World recently, seems like a perfect choice.
No oppression like the Steam Pirates, no obsession with lifespan like BIG MOM, no war frenzy like the Beasts Pirates.
A free and unrestrained style—that's exactly what many pirates seek… And with his immense power—
As long as you join him, you don't have to cling to life on some remote island; you can sail openly across the New World.
If Red-Hair escapes unharmed this time, then becoming the next Emperor will only be a matter of time… Even if he doesn't want the title, the pirates will push him into it…
The soldier responded loudly:
"Yes, sir!"
"Any other orders, Fleet Admiral?"
Sengoku glanced at the documents on his desk, thought for two seconds:
"Call Garp here."
"Go."
The soldier saluted:
"Yes, sir!"
He turned and ran out.
...
Before long—
Crunch—crunch—
The sound of someone munching on senbei came from outside.
Garp walked in carrying a bag of senbei.
With his mouth full, speaking unclearly, he said:
"What is it, Sengoku?"
"BIG MOM, huh? You want me to deal with her?"
"Ahahaha!!!"
Sengoku gestured for him to sit:
"Nothing like that. I just suddenly thought about that kid, Dragon."
"How many years has it been since we've seen him?"
"He doesn't even bother coming home to visit."
"Still no sign of him?"
Garp sat on the sofa, casually eating senbei:
"Yeah."
"He's only called me a few times."
"No idea what he's up to. All secretive."
Sengoku grunted lightly:
"Probably busy with the Revolutionary Army business."
Garp chewed his senbei:
"Hm? How do you kno—"
Suddenly he covered his mouth.
Whoosh—
At some point Sengoku had appeared right in front of him, grabbed him by the collar, and roared with a ferocious expression:
"Bastard!!!!"
"I knew it!"
"So it is Dragon!!!"
Garp turned his head aside, waving his hand with an awkward smile:
"Don't mind that stuff!"
"Ahahahaha!!!"
Sengoku shouted furiously:
"How can I not mind?!"
"Do you have any idea how much trouble he's causing?!"
"He wants to overthrow the World Government!!!"
Watching Garp still laughing awkwardly, Sengoku, enraged… snatched the senbei and poured the entire bag into his mouth in one go.
Garp grabbed his head, dumbfounded:
"Ah! My senbei!!!"
After finishing, Sengoku tossed the empty bag back at him:
"Tell me straight."
"What exactly is Dragon planning?"
"The Revolutionary Army's activities across the four seas are growing larger and larger."
"If this keeps up, it won't be long before the Marines have no choice but to take action."
"Don't blame me then if father and son end up as enemies. Hmph."
Garp turned the bag upside down, shook it—nothing left. He sighed:
"I don't know either…"
"You know what Dragon's like."
"Stubborn since he was a kid, keeps everything to himself."
"Overthrowing the Government…"
"Well, those bastards can be overthrown, so what? No big deal."
Sengoku snorted coldly:
"You really dare to think, and he really dares to act."
"With so few people, he can't even beat the Marines, and he wants to overthrow the Government?"
Garp sighed slightly:
"What can I do?"
"Stop him? Tell him everything he's doing is pointless?"
Sengoku fell silent… There was no way to say it.
Garp was his father, and Sengoku had watched Dragon grow up since childhood.
Could they really tell him this nearly hopeless truth—that everything he's doing is futile… That the Government's power is beyond his imagination…
Sengoku turned and sat back at his desk:
"Tell Dragon to lay low for the next few years."
"He's reaching too far. The member nations are the Government's main focus right now."
"Many nations with Revolutionary Army influence have already been exposed."
"If this continues, the Marines will inevitably mobilize."
"And then there will be no holding back."
Garp laughed loudly:
"Don't worry, don't worry!"
"Relax! That kid Dragon is great at staying alive!"
"You could die, and he'd still survive!"
The veins on Sengoku's forehead bulged.
Bang—
The desk trembled violently, creaking:
"Bastard!!!"
"That's not the point!!!"
"If the Marines and the Revolutionary Army clash—"
"Have you thought about the consequences?!"
The Revolutionary Army's network had spread too far, though there hadn't yet been direct conflict.
The Government's intelligence departments already had mountains of files on the Revolutionary Army. If a full-scale war broke out—
Those bases would be wiped out one by one.
The Revolutionary Army's weapons came from underground arms dealers through smuggling.
Call them Revolutionary Army if you want, but they were essentially militias. What could they use to fight the Marines' rifles, cannons, and warships?
That's what gave Sengoku his headaches.
What to do? Should they really give the order to slaughter people who weren't even pirates…
Looking at the furious Sengoku, Garp became slightly serious:
"Got it."
"Don't worry, I'll tell him."
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg. 414 chapters in total