[Scene: Doflamingo and Buena Festa]
"Doflamingo, getting straight to business—there's been movement in the North Blue, too," Buena Festa said, his voice grave. "Nations are scrambling to reach out to pirates. And besides that—"
"Germa as well, I assume? Festa," Doflamingo cut in, anticipating the news.
"Yeah. Requests are flooding in without pause."
"A war will start soon," Doflamingo mused.
"Yeah," Festa agreed. "The North Blue will be split in two... no, that's not it. It's going to be a massive war that scatters everything into pieces."
— Kanan Kingdom, a World Government affiliated nation in the North Blue. Food supplies were requisitioned by the Celestial Dragons, resulting in the killing and injuring of numerous civilians.
Following that sudden report of bad news, reports of other victims of the Celestial Dragons began popping up in various nations. This news became instantaneous, spreading to every region—no, spreading throughout the entire world.
"The nations in these nearby waters are also secretly gathering bounty hunters and pirates behind the scenes," Festa continued his report.
"To oppose the World Government? Or perhaps as looters to gather the necessary tribute?" Doflamingo asked rhetorically.
"That part doesn't matter. The problem is the speed," Festa grumbled. "With the fire spreading this far, things won't go according to the original plan."
If this were simply a battle between affiliated and non-affiliated nations, the situation might have been balanced in a sense. However, the reality was a political attack utilizing underhanded maneuvers where affiliated nations merely dragged each other down.
Taking advantage of this confusion, the Navy—or rather, former Marines and pirates—were skillfully winning over non-affiliated nations to secure land as bases, attempting to rise as a single power. And then there were the revolutionary forces rising up in various places, fueled by anger at kings who tried to survive by sacrificing their people.
Even with the skills of Buena Festa, known as the Festival Master, it was becoming difficult to correctly grasp the situation as the fires of war were being cut loose here, there, and everywhere. In some places, it had already begun.
"It doesn't matter," Doflamingo said dismissively. "Now the Government will desire military power more than ever. Power enough to silence the nuisances."
"Fuffuffuffu."
"But Mister, there are problems too," Festa warned. "The Seven Warlords system will likely change shape. Drastic revisions will be needed."
"I suppose so. That is exactly why powerful pirates have become entities they want so badly that their hands are trembling."
"...For the Government lot, pirates who do as they're told if you pay them are more convenient than Marines who act on 'Justice'," Festa muttered.
"That's exactly it," Doflamingo grinned. "Fuffuffuffu...!!"
None of his executives were present right now. They were heading toward neighboring affiliated nations that were in chaos due to uprisings. Disguising themselves as rebel soldiers, they went to boldly and secretly kidnap royalty and soldiers who would fetch a high price as slaves.
"First, we gather money," Doflamingo declared. "The World Government cannot stop this flow. In that case, they'll want to at least handle the deals and looting behind the scenes as much as possible."
"In this situation, they prioritize their own greed over settling the matter?"
"That is why they are Celestial Dragons, fu... fufu..."
The pirate, Donquixote Doflamingo, raised his voice and began to laugh.
"That is exactly why! That is exactly why this guy came out into the world!"
Buena Festa quietly watched the raucous laughter, a sound even the pirate's veteran executives had never heard.
"The world has heard it! His voice!"
Doflamingo swung a knife. It was nothing special, just a cheap table knife. He wiped the blade, covered in meat grease and sauce from his meal, on the tattered jacket he was wearing, and pinned a wanted poster to the table.
"The world has known it! This man!"
The man pinned down was a pirate known to everyone in the Donquixote Family. Some underestimated him, thinking him a fool playing at being a good person. Some were wary, knowing he was a pirate that the Golden Lion had his eye on. Some showed respect, recognizing him as an extraordinary figure who had become one of the world's leading great pirates.
"From here on out, the world will move around this guy! His movements will move the world itself!!"
Above all else, the man who was the leader of this pirate crew acknowledged this man the most. To the extent that he wanted to kill him with his own hands.
"That is exactly why! There is no need for restraint anymore!!"
There was a Transponder Snail in front of the table. Already connected to somewhere, a voice leaked from the snail.
'When the Festival Master reached out to me, I wondered what it was about...' (TL/N: the text in ' ' here is the voice coming from the snail)
It was a voice that no one—not even the executives, no one other than Doflamingo and Festa—knew.
'Interesting! He certainly is interesting!'
'—You're sure about this!? Joker!'
"Yeah," Doflamingo confirmed.
'I can dig up everything about this man?!'
"As you wish."
'I can mess with it however I like and spread it all around!!?'
"To your heart's content...!" Doflamingo whispered, his grin widening. "From this point forward, this world is, yes—"
"It's your live stage...!!"
At the declaration of the pirate who hid his real name under the alias Joker—Doflamingo, the man on the other side of the Transponder Snail began to laugh.
'Kwahahahaha!!!'
–
South Blue, Sorbet Kingdom.
A country governed by a king notorious as a "Dog of the Celestial Dragons" and a World Government affiliated nation, was currently under attack by a certain force.
In addition to offering tribute to the Celestial Dragons, the King had launched a foolish policy to reduce the traditional Heavenly Tribute by declaring the southern half of the country to be outside the national borders. Now, a powerful group supporting those who opposed the King had suppressed the dungeons holding many rebels and was liberating them.
"Hee-haw! You were safe-ble! Kuma! Ginny!" Ivankov shouted enthusiastically.
"Bro! Thank you, you saved us!"
"Iwa-chan!? It's been a long time... but why are you here?" Ginny asked, surprised.
An armed group that began to be talked about around the same time as the Buster Call on Ohara. The organization that rose as a military force based on a group that called itself the Self-Defense Army is now called the "Revolutionary Army."
"While you were captured, the world has changed greatly-ble!" Ivankov explained. "The Holy Land was attacked by a certain pirate, causing immense damage. Because of the fallout, many Celestial Dragons descended to the seas and committed acts of extreme cruelty everywhere."
Standing before the gentle-looking man called Kuma, who stood out conspicuously among the captured rebels against the foolish King Bekori due to his height of over 6 meters, another man appeared. Though not as large as Kuma, he was still a large man with a tattoo on his face, extending his hand.
"You are... I've seen you in the newspaper," Kuma stammered. "If I recall, the Self-Defense Army's..."
"That's right," Dragon confirmed. "We have changed our name; we now call ourselves the Revolutionary Army."
Kuma, having his shackles removed by the man... woman... human called Bro, or Iwa-chan, took the hand of the tattooed man—the man named Dragon—while still on one knee.
"So you are one of those who decided to rebel against this world and lead an army," Kuma said.
"...Judging by how you phrased that, it seems there are others..."
"Yeah, there are," Kuma answered immediately. "Or perhaps, he didn't desire a major revolution..."
Naturally, Kuma turned his gaze toward somewhere far away. Beyond the faintly visible sea in the distance, and even further beyond that. Far, far away, across the Calm Belt, to the Grand Line, and to the sea across yet another belt.
The West Blue. The sea that was beginning to obtain a peace rivaling the East Blue, which was known as the symbol of peace... The Sea of Pirates.
"Dragon-san, it's terrible!"
Just as the large-faced man... woman... human called Iwa-chan was about to speak, the shout of a soldier rushing in from outside interrupted him.
"What is it? We had reports that King Bekori had barricaded himself in the castle," Dragon asked, turning to the soldier.
The root of the tyranny that, in a sense, caused this situation. King Bekori, the puppet of the Celestial Dragons, had taken his soldiers and entered a siege strategy. Seeing that they lacked the manpower, if not the combat power, to suppress them, the Revolutionary Army had made it their tactical goal to force the cancellation of the national division policy. To that end, all of the Revolutionary Army's forces were moving to besiege the royal castle.
"Yeah! He's still barricaded in as always, but now ships have come from the sea! At least twenty of them!" the soldier reported breathlessly.
"Navy warships?"
"No, wrong!" the soldier yelled. "It's pirates! It's probably the lot that was raiding nearby countries; having finished a job, they intend to strip this place bare next!!"
"It seems more are gathering rapidly! What do we do!?"
The Revolutionary Army had decided to fight to oppose the tyranny of the World Government—and by extension, the Celestial Dragons—and drag them down. But having just risen up, they still lacked both the troops and the funds to support them.
Those who sought to change the era were also being tossed about by the rapid currents of the times.