Another morning dawned.
The Marines had already begun withdrawing from the island in stages according to plan.
Most of the pirates had been driven into a hopeless situation.
Even hiding underground would not allow them to escape Marine judgment.
The Marines had not followed the pirates' expectations by storming the tunnels and fighting them to the death.
Instead, their powerful officers and soldiers had located every exit and sealed them one after another.
The pirates' defeat was now inevitable.
Raleigh's next task was to finally lay his cards on the table with the World Government.
He had been preparing for this moment for a long time.
Pluton, commanded by Sakazuki, had already reached the designated position.
Meanwhile, the secret weapon that Raleigh and Vegapunk had spent years developing was also ready on the moon.
While Raleigh was concentrating on the Celestial Dragons' final trump card, a Marine soldier suddenly rushed inside and reported nervously.
"Fleet Admiral Raleigh, we've discovered a suspicious group."
...
Thirty nautical miles from the Red Hair Pirates' former base, five Marine warships had tightly surrounded a wooden vessel.
Judging by its design and decorations, it clearly was not a merchant ship.
More importantly, the Marines had already designated this entire region as restricted waters. Any vessel that entered would be subjected to a thorough inspection.
Monkey D. Luffy stood frozen on the deck.
He had never imagined things would turn out like this.
The moment he learned that the Marines were about to launch an offensive against Red-Hair, he hurried from the Grand Line toward the New World.
For some inexplicable reason, his group had managed to pass through Fish-Man Island and enter the New World without incident.
Since the Marines had already wiped out most of the pirates there, the Straw Hat crew encountered no trouble as long as they kept their pirate flag hidden.
Their luck had finally run out.
They had not known that no ships other than Marine vessels were permitted to enter these waters, so the moment they crossed into the restricted area, they were immediately spotted.
Had they been flying a pirate flag, the warships probably would have destroyed them on sight.
The only reason the Straw Hats remained unharmed was because Luffy had invoked Garp's name.
In this world, pirates had already been slaughtered in enormous numbers. The Marines had completely cleared the Four Blues and Paradise, the first half of the Grand Line.
The Straw Hats themselves had never committed acts of pillage or slaughter, so neither the World Government nor the Marines had issued bounties for them.
Officially, they were still ordinary civilians.
Of course, that was only how the general public understood them.
When Raleigh learned that Luffy had come so close to his position, he felt surprise but little else.
Things had already progressed far beyond anything that one or two Devil Fruits could resolve.
Besides, the Sun God Nika had not experienced the trials necessary for his growth, leaving him far weaker than he should have been.
To the current Raleigh—and to the Marines as a whole—Monkey D. Luffy posed no threat whatsoever.
Raleigh could not even be bothered to deal with someone so insignificant personally.
"Cleveland, a few little rats have wandered in. Bring them back."
"Make sure they're alive."
From the corner of the conference room, Cleveland acknowledged the order and rose to leave.
For him, this assignment was almost insultingly easy.
Had it not been for Monkey D. Luffy's identity, Raleigh might have sent someone else entirely.
...
On the turbulent sea, Nami was attempting to negotiate with the Marine Vice Admiral, hoping to use Luffy's connection to Garp to bluff their way out.
By now, they understood that entering the Red Hair Pirates' base was impossible.
Their only choice was to leave first and think of another plan later.
Suddenly, Zoro, who had remained silent until then, stared sharply at the sky.
A moment earlier, he had felt a profound sense of hostility.
His entire body trembled, as though a savage beast somewhere above was watching them.
As a swordsman determined to become the greatest in the world, Zoro chose to trust the instincts sharpened through his blade.
Shing!
He drew all three swords in a flash and immediately entered a fighting stance.
"Something's coming, Luffy!"
Luffy and the others stared blankly at Zoro's sudden movement.
Only Sanji, who understood him well, reacted immediately. He assumed a combat stance and scanned their surroundings.
The next second—
Boom!
The Going Merry shook violently, and the deck cracked beneath the force of the impact.
It was as if a meteor had fallen directly from the sky and struck the ship.
The confusion vanished from Luffy's face. His expression hardened as he stared into the thick smoke spreading across the deck.
The Straw Hat crew's three strongest fighters were now prepared for battle, waiting for the figure inside the smoke to emerge.
"So it really is you little brats."
A cold voice came from within.
When the smoke cleared, Cleveland stood before Luffy and his companions.
"Who are you? Have we met before?"
Luffy stared at the unfamiliar man in confusion.
From Cleveland's uniform, he could only tell that this was yet another Marine Vice Admiral.
"It's only natural that you haven't met me."
"But I know a great deal about you and your companions."
"Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. Roronoa Zoro, the vice-captain."
"Am I wrong?"
The moment Cleveland finished speaking, Luffy and Zoro visibly tensed.
They did not understand why this Marine Vice Admiral knew their names, but his tone made one thing obvious.
He was their enemy!
"Nami, Usopp, Chopper—find a chance to get out of here."
"You can't take part in this fight."
Faced with an opponent like this, Luffy abandoned his usual carefree smile and spoke to his companions with rare seriousness.
"This guy is strong."
Cleveland frowned and interrupted him.
"Sorry, but none of you are going anywhere."
Whoosh!
Cleveland disappeared from their sight.
When he reappeared, he was already standing directly in front of Luffy.
"Luffy!"
Zoro swung his swords from one side while Sanji attacked from the other with a powerful kick.
With his life in immediate danger, Luffy rapidly stretched out his right arm.
"Gum-Gum—"
Before he could finish, an iron hand coated in Armament Haki closed around his throat and crushed the words in his mouth.
At the same time, Cleveland raised his right leg to stop Zoro's blades and casually lifted his left arm to block Sanji's kick.
"So this is the man who supposedly inherited Roger's spirit?"
"Not very impressive."
Faint contempt flickered in Cleveland's eyes.
He felt no particular reverence toward Pirate King Roger.
After all, Gol D. Roger, whom Luffy and his companions regarded as one of the world's greatest figures, had still died at the Marines' hands.
"If you had stayed obediently in Foosha Village, perhaps you could have lived a normal life."
"Unfortunately, you chose to leave."
A trace of regret entered Cleveland's voice.
When Raleigh had first ordered him to watch Luffy, he had made one condition clear.
As long as Luffy never left Foosha Village, the Marines would not act against him.
But now Luffy had not merely left the village. He had traveled all the way into the depths of the New World.
He had clearly made his choice.
Cleveland's fingers tightened.
Just as Luffy was about to suffocate, Cleveland swung his right hand down and smashed him into the deck.
Boom!
The impact sent Luffy straight through the wooden planks and deep into the Going Merry's interior.
"Luffy!"
"You bastard!"
"Hundred and Eight Pound Phoenix!"
Zoro erupted in fury.
All three swords slashed toward Cleveland as a spiraling wave of sword energy surged forward like a tornado.
"Three-Sword Style? Nothing but a flashy trick."
Cleveland drew the famous blade at his waist and thrust it simply toward the center of the vortex.
Drip… drip…
The scene seemed to freeze.
Zoro's three swords were all pointed toward Cleveland, the closest blade stopping less than a foot from his face.
But a gleaming sword extended from Cleveland's hand and had pierced straight through Zoro's right chest, its sharpened tip emerging from his back.
Thud.
When Cleveland pulled the blade free, all strength left Zoro's body, and he collapsed face-first onto the deck.
"Luffy! Moss-head!"
After witnessing what had happened to Luffy and Zoro, Sanji's body trembled with fear.
Even so, he forced himself to attack.
"Why struggle?"
"Wouldn't it be easier to come quietly?"
Cleveland shook his head helplessly and vanished.
Marine Six Powers—Soru.
He appeared behind Sanji and struck the back of his head with the hilt of his sword, knocking him unconscious with ease.
"Luffy! Zoro! Sanji!"
The three remaining crew members screamed in despair.
If even the strongest fighters among them could be defeated so casually, then the rest of them posed no threat at all to this Marine.
Cleveland captured every member of the Straw Hat crew without difficulty.
"Vice Admiral Cleveland, are you taking these people with you?"
The Vice Admiral responsible for guarding these waters approached.
Cleveland glanced at him and nodded.
"Fleet Admiral Raleigh specifically requested them. I'll be taking them back."
"Also, burn this ship."
The Going Merry's spirit had concealed itself well, but Cleveland had sensed something unusual about the vessel from the moment he stepped aboard.
Given his cautious nature, he ordered the surrounding Marines to destroy it completely.
...
At Mary Geoise, the strange calm between both sides was about to end.
The agreed time was almost over.
Dragon's position had not changed.
The Revolutionary Army was continuing to secure the territory it occupied while actively treating its wounded.
The World Government, meanwhile, had transferred part of its army from nearby regions of the Grand Line.
The Five Elders did not place much value on those soldiers.
They had gone years without real warfare and had only occasionally suppressed poorly armed peasant uprisings. Their combat strength was negligible.
Both sides would still have to rely on their strongest fighters and the original forces that had entered the battle.
Just as they were about to abandon all restraint and resume the war, a massive net packed tightly with something fell from the sky and landed in the center of the battlefield.
Thud.
The net burst open upon impact.
Its contents rolled across the scorched ground like loose stones.
But they were not stones.
They were corpses dressed in the traditional clothing of the Celestial Dragons.
Everyone who had been preparing to fight was left staring in disbelief.
The Five Elders, the God's Knights, and the Cipher Pol agents on the World Government's side.
Dragon, Sabo, and the Revolutionary Army.
Even the Red Hair Pirates watching from the shadows.
Thud…
Thud…
One body after another rolled across the blackened earth.
These people had once considered themselves the noblest beings in the world.
Now their corpses lay scattered in the dirt.
After witnessing the scene, everyone seemed to lose the ability to process what had happened.
No one could speak.
Only after a long silence did a voice filled with unimaginable rage finally erupt.
"Bastards!"
"Who did this?!"
"I'll grind them into dust!"
The short, stout Elder's roar dragged everyone back to their senses.
"Mr. Dragon… it seems our mission is already half complete."
Sabo spoke with uncertainty.
There were so many Celestial Dragon corpses that no one needed to count them to understand.
These had to be all the remaining Celestial Dragons.
The Revolutionary Army's original objective had been to overthrow the World Government and abolish the privileges of the Celestial Dragons.
They had not accomplished the first half of their mission.
But the Celestial Dragons themselves were undeniably gone.
"Was this your doing?"
Raleigh's face suddenly flashed through Dragon's mind.
"It seems I've cleared the path for you once again."
Ever since cooperating with Raleigh, Dragon had repeatedly wondered what Raleigh had gained from their partnership.
Only much later did he realize that Raleigh had benefited far more than Dragon ever had.
And now, he finally remembered someone else.
Belo Betty, the former queen of the Eryoku Kingdom whom Dragon had appointed as one of the Revolutionary Army's commanders.
Knowing Raleigh, Dragon had always suspected he would plant an informant inside the Revolutionary Army.
That person would most likely have come from one of the Four Blues.
Dragon turned toward Belo Betty, who stood some distance away.
"You've been reporting everything to Raleigh all this time, haven't you?"
Belo Betty had blended quietly into the crowd until Dragon suddenly called her out.
Her body stiffened instinctively, but she soon relaxed and smiled.
"As expected of our leader. You discovered me so easily."
The people around Belo Betty immediately drew their weapons and aimed them at her.
Their voices filled with anger.
"Belo Betty, how much did the Marines pay you to betray us?"
A faint smile remained on her face.
"More than twenty years ago, Fleet Admiral Raleigh avenged my homeland with the lives of an entire kingdom's corrupt nobles."
"That is my reason."
"If I had encountered the Revolutionary Army first, perhaps I would have devoted myself to it completely."
"Unfortunately, by the time you found me, it was already too late."