Hina and the Marines by my side... Issho, and even those on the other end of the Den Den Mushi were unable to utter a single word after hearing Bege's report.
It was an unthinkable atrocity—no, it was likely a complex mixture of thoughts: "How could they?" and "I knew it."
Honestly, I feel the same way... but judging from my conversation with Kizaru when we fought...
They've probably been running rampant for ages, only managing to keep it hidden through thorough suppression and cover-ups until now...
That is precisely why, in an emergency like this, they accidentally let their true colors slip. Moreover, right now, there is no force capable of acting as a stopper, like the Revolutionary Army was in the original story.
"Come to think of it," I broke the silence, my voice grim, "there were clues as to what the enemy—Golden Lion and those around him—were aiming for."
"Clues?" Bege asked over the speaker.
"For example, during the Pirate Alliance Incident. The Marine ships that were commandeered by pirates and went missing. We recovered some, but not all of them."
...Two were sunk. No, were those stolen too?
"When we liberated Mogwa Kingdom," Bege recalled, "two of the stolen Marine ships were missing."
"Right. In total, seven ships are unaccounted for. I had assumed they were sunk during the battle with the Alliance, but..."
"You think they were taken using Golden Lion's ability?"
"Most likely," I affirmed.
If you hoist the World Government flag on a magnificent ship protected by the Marines, it looks like a Government ship to anyone. Few would doubt it—civilians, in particular, would hardly be able to tell the difference.
"There's one more thing," I continued. "There was an oddity during the Holy Land Raid Incident I told you about."
"Golden Lion?"
"No, the zombies."
"?" The snail fell silent, prompting me to explain.
"I didn't give you the details, but the zombie army used in the Holy Land raid was ordered to charge toward Pangea Castle. In fact, they did nothing but charge intently toward the castle."
Yes, this is it.
This is absolutely it!
Failing to notice this and overlooking it was a fatal mistake!
"And yet, right after fighting Golden Lion, at the exact timing when zombie soldiers started breaching the Marine defenses, I engaged a stray zombie soldier acting independently. I didn't pay it any mind at the time, but..."
Zombie soldiers were basically militia made from the shadows of kidnapped civilians. Not enough time had passed for them to be fully obedient, so they likely couldn't follow detailed orders yet. That means the one moving alone likely had the shadow of a pirate loyal to Shiki put into it, just like the guides from back then.
If it was moving at that time, in that place, there must be a clear reason.
It's just a guess, but—
"That zombie was probably... searching to see if there were any corpses of Celestial Dragons."
If they found any, they intended to retrieve them. Shiki had fled to higher ground by then, but we're talking about corpses and zombies. Even jumping from the high Holy Land, recovery isn't impossible if they had something prepared.
"A user who can manipulate corpses, having access to Celestial Dragon corpses. And stolen Marine ships," Bege summarized, his tone heavy. "...They were planning a false flag operation?"
"I believe the initial plan was to pose as a Celestial Dragon party and openly pillage some large affiliated nation. Rather than the main objective, I think it was meant as a spark in the unlikely event the Celestial Dragons remained docile..."
"So, as a result, the Celestial Dragons did exactly what the enemy hoped they would do, all on their own."
"...If it had ended there, it would have been manageable."
If that were all, we could have managed. No, it is the worst of the worst scenarios, but at least there were still moves to play.
"But this time," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose, "the situation has become even more complicated."
"Complicated?"
"Daz," I called out, "when did the Marines make their move?"
"...Five days ago," Daz gruff voice replied.
"Then it's almost the same timing as here." I exhaled a long breath. "...Things just got infinitely worse."
–
[North Blue, Spider Miles]
The Pirate Alliance Incident. No, the crew that had been pulling the strings from behind the scenes since the Marine Slave Incident prior to that was laughing as they listened to the intercepted transmission.
"Behehehehehe! 'Black Cat' has backed himself into a corner again! He should just hurry up and throw away those hypocritical ideals!! Behehehehehehehe!!!!!!"
"Oi, Trebol! Don't get close to me when I'm drinking, you're sticky!!"
To be precise, it was only some of the executives laughing. Doflamingo was smiling, but not laughing out loud. He drank with his advisor amidst the group, staring blankly at the interception Den Den Mushi.
"Worse? Is it not just the Celestial Dragons messing up?" Doflamingo mused aloud, listening to the wiretap.
Then, he heard the voice from the receiver. "...Bege, when was the Superior Kingdom attacked?"
The panic from earlier had vanished from the voice of the pirate isolated in the distant New World. Was it because the event had already transpired? or perhaps—
"Ah, the attack was a few days... no, my bad," Bege's voice came through. "To be exact, it was seven days ago. The day before the war with the Marines."
"...Has that information leaked to the surrounding countries?" Kuro asked.
"More or less. Though, as expected, the Government is doctoring the information. The reasons vary, but it's framed as treason against the World Government."
"When did the information start circulating?"
"Around three days ago... give or take. If you really want to know exactly where and how it spread, give me time, Kuro."
"No, that's fine. I understand the gist of the important parts."
It was a simple exchange of information. However, during this exchange between the pirate 'Black Cat' and Bege, the frizzy-haired man sitting next to Doflamingo—'Master of Festivities' Buena Festa—stood up with a dumbfounded look on his face.
Doflamingo looked up suspiciously. "What's wrong?"
But the 'Master of Festivities' did not answer immediately. He stared at the Den Den Mushi in shock.
"One last thing, Bege," Kuro's voice continued on the tap.
"Yeah."
"...Do you think this will stop at just the West Blue?"
"Kuro, while you were in the Holy Land or afterwards, did the Celestial Dragons go out to various places?"
"Yeah. ...While I was there, they went to Human Shops and pro-Celestial Dragon affiliated nations."
"Then it's settled. They definitely messed up."
"I see. ...You're right."
On the other end of the call, 'Black Cat' let out a deep sigh. As if reacting to that sigh—
"Gh, so... that's what it means!!!!" The Master of Festivities, the world's greatest instigator, screamed with eyes wide.
"Oi Festa, what do you mean? The plan is going exactly as scheduled."
"Yes, it's all exactly as scheduled! The Celestial Dragons scattered as planned, exposing their ugliness everywhere! If Golden Lion's intel is correct, affiliated nations being eaten alive are popping up here and there around the world! But—!!"
Festa clutched his head. "Damn, this is bad... this is bad!!"
"It's too early...!!"
–
[A certain Marine Base in the West Blue]
Most of the supplies—nay, everything from charts to documents—even hastily written notes had been taken away. In a corner of this stripped Marine base, inside a sickbay prepared for high-ranking officers, the voice of the man who had devised the strategy that led to this situation echoed quietly.
Admiral Akainu, whose wounds were relatively light, sat in a prepared chair. 'Black Arm' Zephyr, who was finally beginning to recover, lay on a bed. Listening to the words of the man who had displayed abilities unlike a pirate in the Holy Land, the officers—who had some knowledge of the Marine organization—were turning pale for reasons entirely different from their plummeting morale.
"Daz. From here on, this is purely deduction," Kuro's voice came through the snail Daz Bonez was holding. "But use it as a guideline for command until I return."
Hearing the pirate's voice regain its composure, Akainu recalled the time at the district headquarters, and Black Arm recalled the exchange with the pirates in the Holy Land. At the same time, they were convinced.
He's going to move.
This voice belonged to someone who had grasped a certainty and was taking the first step toward resolving the situation.
Akainu remembered it. The voice of 'Silent Step,' who had infiltrated his office alone and revealed himself.
Black Arm remembered it. The voice of 'Black Cat,' who had rebuilt the Marines via a single transmission when their chain of command was severed and morale was beginning to crumble.
"Unspeakable chaos is about to erupt all over the world... However, the West Blue likely won't reach the critical level you're thinking. If you hunker down and deal with the problems in front of you without panicking, it shouldn't be hard to solve."
"Your basis for that?" Daz asked sharply.
"Time."
"...Time," Daz muttered, pondering the word.
Faintly, a girl's voice mixed into the transmission, asking, "What do you mean?"
Hina was likely right next to Kuro. Just as she always was in the Holy Land.
"If they wanted to pin me down for sure, they shouldn't have let me leave the Holy Land in the first place. ...Well, I sensed that vibe, so I set a cap on my reconstruction work and left..."
Akainu aside, Black Arm knew the circumstances well. He remembered Spandine, the man accompanying Kuro, looking shocked as the workload was increased to levels that would have caused a normal department to collapse.
"Because I set a work limit with the Navy side—Sengoku-san—and declared my return, the Government probably panicked."
"Based on what was said earlier," Daz noted, "there was quite a gap in time between the Captain departing the Holy Land and the attack on Mopuchi..."
"Right. The priority was likely the West Blue. As I explained to Hina, I surmise the Government was trying to reset the situation in the West Blue. Specifically, they aimed for a 'reset' of the regions inflamed by the Marine Slave Incident."
"...Eliminating those likely to oppose them?"
"Including such methods... to hide or justify their shady actions requires massive personnel. But if they acted slowly, you guys in the West Blue would notice the Government's betrayal—unlike us, isolated in the New World."
"So the time between the Captain departing the Holy Land and the attack was their preparation period?"
Black Arm, who had been watching the Government's movements in the Holy Land until Kuro set sail, recalled that the number of government officials had dropped significantly at one point. Thanks to that, Kuro's workload increased massively, but so did his authority, so none of the Marines had paid it much mind, but...
"Exactly," Kuro replied. "But that means—"
His voice dropped a register. "It means they brought a significant amount of their movable personnel from other seas to the West Blue."
–
[Black Cat Mansion - Grand Conference Room]
In the Grand Conference Room of the Black Cat Mansion, while listening to me speak, the Guards and soldiers were running around preparing to gather information from various regions. Taking the place of Amisu, who had left to take command of the emergency patrol units, Miakis was in charge, rushing the organization of additional investigation units.
"Bege," I asked, "so the rumors regarding Superior were inconsistent?"
"Yeah. Ranging from the Government intervening due to an internal rebellion, to an investigation being launched after signs of unjust military intervention in other countries."
"...Most likely, the original order was to create a pretext for suppressing Mopuchi and to tarnish Black Cat's reputation. But then the sudden atrocity by the Celestial Dragons reached their ears, and it seems each of them scrambled to control the information on the fly."
"Hard to call it 'control' when it's that disjointed," Bege scoffed.
"They must have been quite panicked. It's understandable. In any case, Government personnel will have to run around cleaning up after the Celestial Dragons from now on."
This cleanup of the chaos would likely suppress the populace, who might otherwise run somewhat wild, even if not completely. Seeming somewhat convinced by my words, Tesoro and the others in charge of political affairs were having materials regarding the Old Area A—where the attacked Superior was located—gathered. These were items Galdino and Crocodile had recovered from the Marine base. They were writing things onto maps and roughly handing written papers to others.
"There might be some fabricated information circulating about us or Mopuchi, but it won't reach the level of a problem. I'll leave the handling of that to you—"
"—What will happen?"
The movements of Robin and the others, who were frantically taking notes on my statements, and Perona, who had been sipping cocoa with a cool expression, stopped.
"Hey, what's going to happen outside of the West Blue!!?"
At the sudden shout from the girl who spoke over me—Hina, who had formed a reasonable friendship with the executives and the Guard—the face of her former superior, Taki, grew grim.
Because he could vaguely foresee what lay ahead.
"Kuro!!"
"...As I said earlier, they forcibly transported a significant amount of personnel to the West Blue to suppress us, 'Black Cat.' ...In reality, they likely sent the people who were on standby in the Holy Land to the West Blue and scraped together replacements..."
My words were not as crisp as before. Those who knew the closeness between the Marine girl, Hina, and myself to some extent guessed the reason for my hesitation. I was reluctant to say something that would hurt the feelings of a girl with such a strong sense of justice.
"The Celestial Dragons have scattered to various regions. There are many of them, and while they may have guards and attendants, the number of personnel capable of conducting covert operations in an emergency is inevitably low."
"If only they had stayed in one place..." I muttered quietly, my voice mixed with disgust. "If they rampage everywhere just like they did in Superior, blocking that information is practically impossible."
In fact, Bege's subordinates, who had been keeping an eye on the movements of foreign countries despite the war, had caught wind of it, albeit late.
What would happen in other seas where information was even easier to leak?
Although they were pirates, those who sought to protect the West Blue turned pale as they imagined the worst-case scenario in the other seas.
–
"The Celestial Dragons will undoubtedly visit pro-Celestial Dragon nations in this situation," I explained, trying to keep my voice steady. "They assume that nations which have been lavishing tribute on them until now will surely hand over everything they desire. ...If that flares up, the World Government's face—and the face of the Marines, their public facade... their legitimacy will be completely crushed."
Hina's face was pale.
It's no wonder. I did say that what comes next is just speculation, but I see it as a high probability. After all—
"When that happens, affiliated nations will start desiring a defense force other than the Marines, who are pawns of the World Government. ...I deduce that was Golden Lion's aim."
Us 'Black Cat,' the World Government, the Marines, and above all—
"Selling military power to nations seeking their own armed forces, and creating bases for anti-government activities in various places. If you grasp the core of their military power, taking over later won't be difficult."
Ah, if the Government hadn't been idiots, it probably would have turned out that way. It's the worst route. But even so, the baton was still in the enemy's hands.
But that...
Dammit! Now that it's come to this, there isn't a single faction left that can control the situation!
Most likely, the baton is no longer in anyone's hands. Even Golden Lion's camp probably didn't expect this level of chaos!
"The enemy has researched the World Government thoroughly; they know it inside out. They likely formulated their plan by simulating where and how the Celestial Dragons affected by the Holy Land Raid would act, and how the World Government would try to hide it."
"But, you said earlier that they pulled personnel from other seas..." Hina stammered.
Yes, exactly. Of course she'd realize. That's exactly it.
"Right. There is a definite shortage of people who can control information. Information is leaking everywhere, and the confusion is spreading far beyond what Golden Lion's forces anticipated. Probably in every sea."
I'm begging you, Sengoku-san.
You're listening, right? Use this as ammunition to somehow tighten the leash on those idiots in the Government. It's probably like spraying mist on magma at this point, but if you don't make a move, the world's order will seriously collapse.
The Government collapsing can't be helped—no, really, it can only be said that it can't be helped, but...
"If things proceed like this... what will happen?" she asked.
"The general flow won't change. However, the speed and scope will be on a different level."
At this rate, terrible things are going to happen to many civilians. I wonder if the East Blue is okay. How far will countries like the Goa Kingdom go with their blunders...?
"Suspicion toward the World Government will spread among nations, leading to a rapid military buildup. If they can fight, they'll even pull in pirates."
"Even if they hire pirates, they're bound to run away if they're up against Government ships!"
"Yeah, if it's just hired forces, they would indeed run away from the Government or the Marines. —But," I paused, looking her in the eye, "what if it's another nation?"
"...Eh."
If other Celestial Dragons are messing up at similar timing...
Probably... it's about time for it to start...
–
[East Blue - A Certain Small Village]
"P-Pirates!!"
"No way, why!? We've never had pirates in a place like this before...!!"
"Hurry, run!!"
"Run where!?"
It was a certain small village in the East Blue. This small island, which had never been attacked by pirates and had nothing of value to take, could only panic at the sudden crisis.
"You guys know what to do, right!?" the pirate captain roared.
"We know, Captain! Leave nothing behind, right!!?"
"Take the men and women who can move as slaves; use the elderly for target practice or whatever!"
"What about the brats!?"
"There's plenty of uses for 'em! Don't let a single one escape!"
The pirates chatted greedily as they rampaged.
"The nobles of the Goa Kingdom are paying 1 million Berries a head! That's double the market price!"
"What about Superior!? They started collecting slaves too, didn't they!?"
"They're only paying 700,000; stingy bastards! If we wait a while, they might panic and start raising the price!!"
"Hahahaha! Thank God for the Celestial Dragons!!"
"Oi, if there's a woman you fancy, you can take her back with you! We won't be hurting for food money for a while!!"
"Don't kill them! Keep them alive and steal everything! Plunder, rape, and sell them off!!"
"From now on, it's the era of us pirates! No need to hold back!! Gyahahahahahaha!!"
Those who tried to resist with weapons were cut down, and those fleeing in confusion were caught in nets and bolas, then forcibly dragged onto the ship. Some maidens were pinned down on the spot, their clothes torn away.
It was a tragedy. A common tragedy occurring everywhere in this era that was destined to become turbulent.
It was merely one example of that which was rapidly spreading across the seas of the world at this very moment.
–
[Back at Black Cat Mansion]
"True, there will be nations that feel antipathy toward the World Government due to this incident," I continued, "but at the same time, there will definitely be nations that snuggle up to the World Government even more. Especially those who have used the backing of the World Government to taste the sweet life."
Hina still looked dumbfounded, perhaps not yet fully comprehending.
"They will likely think this: If they are going to suffer massive damage for failing to meet the Celestial Dragons' expectations, they just need to scrape together enough from outsiders to meet those expectations."
"But! If they do that, they'll surely be expelled from the World Government... That's why pirates!"
"Exactly. Or maybe bandits. They'll have pirates they contracted under the table conduct the looting, and receive the plundered goods in exchange for some high amount of Berries. ...As tribute for the Celestial Dragons."
"If the pirates talk about that... No, it's no use. It won't serve as evidence."
If they feign ignorance, that's the end of it. Unless... unless we catch them in the act of the handover or transaction, but I doubt the Marines have the authority to cut in that deep...
Above all, even if the Marines could do it, dealing with each case would take too much time.
...I've calculated it a few times, but it's no good. Even if we strengthened the Marines' authority a little, it wouldn't even serve as a deterrent.
"Those purely trying to leave the World Government, those trying to find reasons to loot such nations, and the non-affiliated nations being attacked helplessly... The Marines will be swayed and dragged around by these countries."
This is the key point. There are powerful pirates, sure, but the movements of that sort are unreadable.
"Each faction will possess and expand its own military, either for looting or for defense. Control will no longer be possible. Even within the Marines, the Four Blues are often rooted in the local regions. There will likely be units that go their own way."
".....The Captain is right," Daz's voice cut in over the snail. "The report was delayed, but in the previous battle, nearly two thousand Marines led by Taki defected to our side."
.................Wh-wha-wha-what!?!?!?????!!!!!????
Two thousand!!? Eh, not two hundred!? No, even two hundred would be shocking!!
Commodore Taki... I had a vague hunch about Taki-dono, but...!!
"...Is it about the Seaman Recruit Fuse matter?" I asked, trying to hide my shock.
"Gh, you knew about my granddaughter?" Taki, who was standing nearby, gasped.
"'Black Cat' is, in a sense, an organization that rose upon the victims of that Slave Incident," I replied, looking at him. "...As the Captain, that is not a name I can forget."
I had intended to talk to Taki-dono about her once, but since he didn't bring it up, I kept missing the timing.
"But, I see. Perhaps it's because this is the West Blue, where the Marine Slave Incident particularly flared up..."
"Kuro, then if that happens in other seas..." Hina asked, her voice trembling.
"...Fortunately, in the West, we, 'Black Cat,' served as a receptacle. But there are no organizations like ours in the other seas. If they harbor rebellious intent, they have no choice but to act independently."
Normally, it wouldn't have gotten this rough. It's disgusting, but if the original personnel were there, a certain degree of cover-up would have been possible...
"Whether they side with some country or become independent, what awaits at the end is a force with new military power—in other words, the rise and proliferation of local warlords..."
I looked out the window, imagining the flames spreading. "From here on out, in each sea, rival warlords will start to carve out their territories. It won't stop now."
Whether it's Golden Lion or whoever was behind him, they probably didn't expect it to flare up this quickly. Even if they had laid the groundwork in some countries, the surroundings are too chaotic for them to move carelessly.
If I had stayed in the Holy Land and kept my authority... No, even then, unless I made the Celestial Dragons discard their privileges to some extent, the situation wouldn't settle, and could I have actually done that...?
"...Why."
Hina?
"Why does it have to end up like this!!!!" she screamed, her voice cracking with despair.
--
Very Very Very BIG Chapter.