When Spandine announced he'd be doing a worldwide live broadcast the next day, the World Government reacted immediately, cutting off broadcast channels in a lot of places.
But the world was far too vast, and those channels weren't all in the World Government's hands.
In the original story, when Vegapunk was about to reveal certain truths, the Five Elders were right there on-site. Even they couldn't shut down every broadcast channel across the entire world. In the end, all they could do was try to solve the problem at the source.
So even though Mary Geoise scrambled into action, they still had no way to stop Spandine's stream.
Sea Circle Calendar 1507, July 26.
Inside the conference room at G-1 Marine Base, the broadcast setup was fully in place.
Spandine was wearing a black suit. He held his speech notes with a helpless look on his face and glanced over at Vice Admiral Strawberry beside him.
"You really want me to go on?" Spandine asked, giving the pages a little shake.
"The news is already out there. Am I supposed to do it instead?" Strawberry shot back. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. No matter how it ends, historians are going to write you into the record for sure. Make the most of it, Spandine the Just."
He wasn't wrong. Spandine had only made his public declaration in the papers yesterday, yet in a single day his name had already spread through all four seas.
A former high-ranking World Government official and senior figure in the CP organization, Spandine had thrown away status, wealth, and all the comfortable benefits that came with them simply because he could no longer stomach the World Government's darkness. He chose to step into the light of justice, to be a lamp in the dark.
That alone earned him admiration from countless people around the world.
And that was why, outside, he was now being called "Spandine the Just."
Just as Spandine's nerves started to creep up on him, a Marine Captain hurried over and reported to Strawberry, "Vice Admiral, Admiral Benn's warship has arrived at the port!"
That's right. A week ago, Ortoren had told Sakazuki he'd finished resupplying at G-3, and that he would pass by G-1 and head straight on to rendezvous with him.
But plans never survive the real world.
Just as Ortoren was about to set out, the Revolutionary Army happened to drop that massive bombshell in the newspapers. And just as Ortoren happened to reach the waters near G-1, Spandine the Just happened to be preparing for a global live broadcast.
With the seas already this chaotic, and with so much dirt on the World Government spilling out, wouldn't it be perfectly reasonable for Ortoren, a senior Marine officer and a standard-bearer of justice, to adjust his course and respond accordingly?
Who could call that disloyal?
Before Strawberry could even say anything, the operator testing the equipment called out from across the room, "One minute to live! Everything's been calibrated, no issues!"
Strawberry gave Spandine a firm pat on the shoulder. "I need to go down to the port and greet our Admiral. This is on you. Do your best."
Spandine gave a bitter smile, then steadied himself and stepped up onto the podium.
He'd seen plenty of big scenes before. He'd also spent years among the powerful. He wasn't about to freeze up and embarrass himself now.
Still, he understood exactly what today meant. Once this broadcast ended… no, the moment his statement hit the papers yesterday, he'd already become the World Government's mortal enemy. From this point on, his only shelter was Admiral Benn.
Otherwise, he'd die horribly.
Fortunately, he'd made arrangements in advance. The subordinates loyal to him, along with his son, his wife, and other relatives, had already been sent to the New World. At least he didn't have to worry about them anymore.
"It's come to this," Spandine muttered to himself. "Then I'll become the real 'Spandine the Just.'"
The broadcast equipment lit up.
Spandine straightened his expression, cleared his throat, and spoke into the live Den Den Mushi.
"Good afternoon to everyone watching around the world. My name is Spandine. Many of you may not recognize me, and some of you may never have even heard my name. But I'm sure there are also many who do know me and understand who I am.
"I am the former Commander-in-Chief of the World Government intelligence agency CP9, and I also served as Director of the Special Operations Division at the World Government's CP headquarters. In terms of administrative rank, my status, pay, and benefits were equivalent to what most of you would recognize as the Marine Headquarters admiral-candidate level."
A CP-9 commander was the equivalent of a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral.
As Spandine had said, the position of head of the Special Operations Division at CP Headquarters did, in terms of administrative status alone, truly match that of an Admiral candidate at Marine Headquarters. What's more, Spandine had once been one of the candidates "expected to take over" the position of CP Director.
He then produced his credentials and identification documents, putting his identity beyond any doubt.
That single move sent countless viewers watching the live broadcast into a frenzy. This was a genuine high-ranking official of the World Government, a heavyweight within CP who had climbed to a level comparable to a Marine Admiral candidate.
In an instant, the credibility of the World Government's previous attempts to dismiss those dark rumors rose sharply.
After finishing these introductions, Spandine began to methodically lay out the many shadowy secrets hidden within the Holy Land. His main focus was the "Human and Intelligent Species Hunting Tournament" held by the Celestial Dragons once every three years, an atrocity previously exposed by the Revolutionary Army.
As he spoke, Spandine presented a large number of classified intelligence files, photographs, and even audio and video recordings he had accumulated over the years, providing irrefutable proof of the World Government's crimes.
Once that was done, Spandine went even further, revealing the slave system of the Holy Land in detail, along with the existence of slave factories.
After that came evidence of all manner of corruption among World Government officials, as well as proof that critical sectors such as military production had been outsourced to groups like the Beast Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates, both of which had been pirate crews at the time.
He also exposed operational documents showing how, over the years, CP agencies had carried out the persecution of idealistic individuals across the world under secret orders from the World Government.
Good grief. You wouldn't realize it without looking, but once you did, it was terrifying. Had the World Government really descended to this extent?
"Beyond the scandals and incidents I've already exposed, shortly before I fled Mary Geoise, the World Government carried out multiple political persecutions. Once they realized that the Revolutionary Army had already grasped a large amount of their hidden crimes and dark secrets, they immediately placed the Commander-in-Chief of the entire military, Steel Bone Kong-sama, under house arrest in Mary Geoise. After that, one of the Five Elders, Saint Saturn, personally went to Marine Headquarters and, under the pretense of discussing military funding, deceived and lured Fleet Admiral Sengoku-san to Mary Geoise. As of now, Fleet Admiral Sengoku-san has also been placed under house arrest there!"
Spandine spoke heavily, his gaze fixed on the live broadcast Den Den Mushi.
This revelation instantly detonated across the seas.
There had been rumors before, whispers claiming that Fleet Admiral Sengoku had been captured or even executed. But those had always remained nothing more than rumors.
Now, however, a senior World Government official, and one from the intelligence apparatus no less, had personally revealed the truth. Those long-circulating rumors were effectively confirmed.
"Not only that," Spandine continued, "Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp-san of Marine Headquarters, the man known as the Hero of the Marines, was also secretly arrested by CP agencies on suspicion of leaking World Government classified intelligence to the Revolutionary Army… I strongly suspect that it was precisely because of the scandals and crimes previously exposed by the Revolutionary Army."
At this point, Spandine's expression hardened. He straightened his back and lifted his head.
"After realizing the World Government's brutality and darkness, guided by my own sense of justice, I once attempted to rescue Commander-in-Chief Steel Bone Kong, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and Vice Admiral Garp in Mary Geoise. However, due to the extreme security and various other factors, I failed. That said, my actions were not entirely without result. Before escaping Mary Geoise, I secretly made contact with Fleet Admiral Sengoku-san, who entrusted me with delivering a genuine order from the Fleet Admiral!"
These words seized the attention of everyone watching the live broadcast.
The World Government was vast, that much was true. But its most powerful force, the one that dominated the four seas and suppressed all opposition, known as the "Overlords of the Sea," was the Navy.
And now, after countless obstacles, an order from the Fleet Admiral himself was about to be made public.
"All Marines, hear this order!"
"In the name of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Navy's highest command is hereby issued. Admiral Benn Ortoren of Marine Headquarters is ordered, effective immediately, to act as Fleet Admiral and assume overall command of all Marine forces. For more than eight hundred years, the Navy has been deceived by the World Government. Our actions, falsely proclaimed as justice, have been riddled with crimes, too numerous to record. Bearing guilt that cannot be denied, we now stand at a critical moment. We must step forward as the vanguard, allow criminals to atone for their sins, return to our roots, and resolutely uphold the Navy's righteous stance without wavering. Admiral Benn Ortoren is ordered to lead the entire guilt-laden Navy, using disgrace as motivation, and ensure that justice is carried out across these seas… to the very end!!!"
After Spandine finished reading the supreme order from the Fleet Admiral, the live broadcast Den Den Mushi was manipulated to slowly sweep across the conference room.
The figures of the G-1 Marines came into view.
In that instant, every one of them snapped to attention, standing perfectly straight as they raised their hands in unison for a Navy salute, their voices ringing out together.
"Yes! For justice, and loyalty!!!"