Sakazuki snapped back to his senses just before his chair was truly burned through, extinguishing the searing heat and flames.
He shoved the newspaper into Onigumo's hands and barked, "Move! Lock down every newspaper at the port. Detain everyone who's received a copy. This news cannot be allowed to spread like this. If it does, the Marines will fall into chaos immediately!"
As a Marine Admiral, Sakazuki wasn't as hotheaded as Doboman. His first instinct was order.
Whatever responses might follow, the Marines could not be allowed to descend into disorder right now.
Onigumo rushed out with the newspaper, issuing commands as he ran, his eyes scanning the pages. At first, he hadn't fully understood Doboman's rage. But after reading the report, he understood all too well.
Damn it… those animals.
The images showed Celestial Dragons with their faces hidden under hoods, casually firing guns at fleeing, desperate civilians. Their brutal smiles, their arrogance, that utter contempt for human life—it was all laid bare.
Onigumo crushed the newspaper in his fist, teeth clenched as he snarled, "What's so amusing? What's so funny? You animals… what do you think life is supposed to be?!"
For centuries, the Marines have fought across these seas, hunting pirates, shedding blood. Is this the kind of trash we've been protecting?
What do those beasts take the Marines for?
What do they take justice for?
…
Inside the command tent, Sakazuki had already placed a call to Borsalino through a Den Den Mushi.
"You've seen the news?" Sakazuki asked in a low voice.
There was a brief silence on the other end before Borsalino replied, "You know me. When I've got nothing better to do, I like reading the papers…"
"Then I won't waste time," Sakazuki said curtly. "Issue the order from headquarters. Effective immediately, the entire Marine force is under lockdown. Cut off all external communication channels. No one is allowed access to outside media. Confiscate all newspapers and related information. No matter what comes next, the Marines cannot be allowed to lose control."
"Understood," Borsalino replied calmly. "Everything on the headquarters side is already in place. I was just about to relay the orders to the Four Seas…"
Sakazuki hung up the Den Den Mushi, and almost immediately, Aramaki hurried into the tent.
"Admiral Akainu!" Aramaki called out, clearly flustered.
Sakazuki lifted his head to look at him, his gaze cold and unyielding. "What is it?" he asked flatly.
"The newspapers… the newspapers…" Aramaki swallowed, his voice tight with nerves under Sakazuki's stare.
"I've already ordered all units to cut off external information channels, confiscate every newspaper, and immediately detain any Marine below admiral rank who's already read them," Sakazuki said, forcing down the anger simmering inside him. His tone was controlled. "Things won't spiral out of control for now."
Hearing this, Aramaki finally let out a breath of relief. He forced a smile and added, "I've already contacted Mary Geoise. Everything reported in those papers is just rumor—slander fabricated by the Revolutionary Army. You know how they operate. That's the only trick they have…"
Sakazuki said nothing. He simply stared at Aramaki, his expression colder than stone.
Do you think an excuse like that can fool the people below, and that I'd be stupid enough to buy it too?
Aramaki noticed Sakazuki's gaze growing colder by the second. He swallowed the words he was about to say, forced an awkward laugh, and spoke carefully. "Admiral Akainu… the Sakon Kingdom colluded with the Revolutionary Army back then and failed to pay the Heavenly Tribute. It was already slated to be struck from the World Government's records… how should I put this… the Marines only protect member nations, don't we? So, legally speaking… they don't have human rights…"
Aramaki's views were extreme. He had always believed that people survived by standing above others. Member nations had to discriminate against non-member nations to live at ease, to feel secure, to feel happy.
Any country that wasn't a member nation fell outside the protection of World Government law. Its people had no human rights, and therefore could hardly be considered people at all.
From the World Government's legal perspective, Aramaki's argument… wasn't entirely without logic.
But there was no way Sakazuki could accept such reasoning. He might be ruthless, and in extreme circumstances he would issue harsh, even cruel orders, but all of it was meant to protect greater safety and peace. Never for entertainment.
In the end, Sakazuki didn't respond to that line of thought. Instead, he changed the subject.
"Ortoren has already departed from G-3 by ship. He'll arrive here within two weeks. Make your preparations."
Seeing Sakazuki steer away from the topic, Aramaki finally let out a breath of relief. He forced a smile and said, "Yes, understood. No matter how this incident develops, we still need to get our own house in order first. As the saying goes, you have to stabilize the inside before dealing with threats from outside…"
He muttered a few more words, but seeing that Sakazuki clearly wasn't interested, Aramaki scratched his head awkwardly and left the tent.
The Marines were, after all, a system with a complete structure and strict hierarchies. Orders could be carried out quickly and efficiently. Sakazuki's response had been fast enough to barely keep the situation within the Marines under control.
But beyond the Marines, the seas as a whole had already descended into chaos.
The very next day, newspapers swept across the entire world. By the third day, the North Blue and the nations of the New World were the first to respond.
"The current King of Dressrosa, former Holy Land Mary Geoise Celestial Dragon and Vice Admiral Donquixote Doflamingo, gives a painful confession: 'These atrocities can no longer be described by simple numbers. For centuries, the Celestial Dragons of Mary Geoise have trampled on life and justice!'"
"Vice Admiral Flamingo states that his family was driven out of Mary Geoise precisely because they refused to go along with the Celestial Dragons there!"
"King Vinsmoke Judge of the Germa Kingdom in the North Blue issues a public declaration, condemning the World Government's brutality and deception, and announces immediate withdrawal from the member nation system!"
"The Queen of the New World kingdom Totto Land, Charlotte Linlin, issues a public declaration: 'I originally reformed myself and joined the World Government to better benefit the New World. Now it is clear that the World Government is not worthy of trust,' and announces withdrawal from the World Government's member nation system!"
"Vice Admiral Tokikake of Marine Headquarters, currently stationed in the North Blue, and the North Blue Admiral jointly sign a statement declaring that the North Blue has entered a state of total war. All Marine bases in the North Blue are fully mobilized. Marine Headquarters and Mary Geoise are no longer trustworthy. From this point on, they will only accept orders from former Marine Admiral Benn Ortoren!"
"All Marine bases in the New World jointly declare that Marine Headquarters and Mary Geoise are no longer trustworthy, and that they will obey only the orders of former Marine Admiral Benn Ortoren!"
"After the first twelve North Blue member nations announced their support for the North Blue Marines' resolution, another sixteen member nations have followed suit!"
"The Kingdom of Goa in the East Blue declares that this incident is highly likely a plot by the Revolutionary Army, calling on all sides to remain calm and wait for the truth to emerge."
"Revolutionary Army uprisings erupt in four South Blue nations, with seventy percent of royal forces defecting!"
"Revolutionary Army leader Monkey D. Dragon appears in the Sorbet Kingdom of the South Blue, meeting with rebel leaders from across the region and announcing the formation of a new South Blue United Government!"
"Reports reveal that six member nations in the South Blue have secretly joined the Revolutionary Army–led New United Government!"
News broke out one after another from the East Blue, North Blue, the New World, and the South Blue.
The East Blue remained largely loyal to the World Government. For centuries, the Celestial Dragons had never pulled this kind of stunt there. Its ruling classes had been bound to the World Government through shared interests for hundreds of years. Betrayal was almost unthinkable.
The South Blue, on the other hand, erupted on all fronts and became the most chaotic region of all. While many there remained staunch supporters of the World Government, the South Blue had long been a stronghold of the Revolutionary Army. Rebel forces and insurgents were everywhere, and now the entire region had plunged into turmoil.
Especially after Sakazuki ordered a full military lockdown, the South Blue Marines stayed holed up inside their bases and refused to move. This only further allowed the situation in the South Blue to deteriorate.
As for the North Blue, there was hardly anything left to say. It was entirely dominated by Ortoren's people. Over the past decade, World Government loyalists there had already been thoroughly purged. With the North Blue Marines entering a state of total war, what country would dare refuse to support them? One after another, they openly threw their lot in with the New World Marines. Multiple nations had already publicly announced their withdrawal from the World Government's member nation system.
The West Blue, however, was eerily silent.
No one stepped forward to declare loyalty to the World Government, nor did anyone openly move to side with the New World Marines or any other faction.
It seemed the West Blue intended to play the neutral, fence-sitting role. Whichever side gained the upper hand, they would simply follow along and add their support at the end.
Outwardly, the West Blue appeared quiet, but internally it was anything but. Major mafia organizations and kingdoms had already begun fighting among themselves, hoping to seize greater benefits within the West Blue amid the chaos. That way, when the time came to pledge allegiance, they would have more bargaining chips.
...
Exactly one week after the Revolutionary Army ignited this storm of public opinion and news erupted across the world, a new shockwave followed.
Spandine, former senior agent of the World Government's CP headquarters operations division and former commander of the CP9 unit, publicly announced that the crimes exposed by the Revolutionary Army were true. He stated that he could no longer tolerate the darkness of the World Government. In the name of justice, he had abandoned his high-ranking position and generous benefits, fled Mary Geoise, and sought political asylum at the G-1 Marine Base. He further declared that starting the next day, he would conduct a worldwide live broadcast to expose even more classified secrets of the World Government.