Chapter 15: Baltigo
Year 1516 - Baltigo, Revolutionary Army Headquarters
Baltigo was hidden.
Not just geographically—though its location in an uncharted section of the Grand Line helped—but conceptually. The island existed in the spaces between Marine patrols, in the blind spots of World Government surveillance, in the gaps of official knowledge.
As the Hakusetsu approached, Aiko understood why the Revolutionary Army had survived for so long. The island was fortified not with walls or cannons, but with intelligence, secrecy, and the absolute loyalty of people who believed in Dragon's cause.
"Quite the setup," Isra observed, watching Revolutionary lookouts track their approach. "They've got observation posts covering every angle, Den Den Mushi networks I can't even intercept, and I'm detecting at least three different layers of defense."
"They're fighting the entire World Government," Sadi said, pride evident in her voice. "They have to be this careful. One mistake, one breach in security, and Buster Call destroys everything."
The Hakusetsu was guided to a hidden harbor carved into the island's cliff face. As they docked, Aiko saw Revolutionary soldiers everywhere—not the chaotic pirates or desperate rebels he'd expected, but trained, disciplined forces that moved with military precision.
"Welcome to Baltigo," a voice called out. A woman descended from the dock—middle-aged, competent-looking, with a commanding presence. "I'm Belo Betty, Eastern Army Commander. Dragon is waiting for you in the central command. Follow me."
As they walked through Baltigo's underground passages, Aiko saw the true scope of the Revolutionary Army. Training grounds where soldiers practiced not just combat but propaganda, intelligence gathering, community organizing. Medical facilities that treated wounded from across the world. Communications centers that monitored every Marine base and World Government operation.
This wasn't just a rebel group. This was a shadow government preparing to replace the existing one.
"Impressive," Aiko said to Belo Betty. "How long have you been building this?"
"Twenty years, give or take. Dragon started small—just him and a few followers who believed the World Government had become irredeemably corrupt. Now we have operatives in every Blue, contacts in most kingdoms, and the support of millions who've been oppressed by Celestial Dragons and their policies."
"And yet the World Government still stands."
"Because we're patient. Because we know that violent revolution without popular support just creates new tyrants." Betty looked at him appraisingly. "Which is why Dragon is interested in you, Snow Admiral. You're doing something we haven't managed—making people inside the system question it. Making Marines choose conscience over orders."
They reached a massive chamber carved from the island's stone heart. Inside, maps covered every wall—not just geographical maps but political ones, showing power structures, supply lines, vulnerable points in the World Government's apparatus.
And standing before the largest map, studying it with intense focus, was Monkey D. Dragon.
The World's Worst Criminal turned as they entered, and Aiko felt the weight of his presence. Dragon's Conqueror's Haki wasn't aggressive like Akainu's or controlled like his own—it was vast, patient, like a storm that knew it would eventually break everything in its path.
"Danzo Aiko," Dragon's voice was deep and thoughtful. "The Snow Admiral. The Marine who chose principles over promotion, who stood against an Admiral to protect innocents, who broke out of Impel Down to save both enemies and allies." He smiled slightly. "You're either the most principled man I've met, or the most reckless. Perhaps both."
"Dragon," Aiko replied, not sure what protocol applied when meeting the world's most wanted man. "Thank you for the invitation. And for sending Kuma."
"Kuma speaks highly of you, which is notable—he rarely speaks highly of anyone. But I didn't bring you here for pleasantries." Dragon gestured to the maps. "I brought you here because we're fighting the same enemy, and we need to decide whether we're doing it together or separately."
"An alliance."
"A partnership. The Revolutionary Army has infrastructure, intelligence networks, resources. You have something we've never managed—the ability to inspire people within the system itself. Marines who see you and wonder if they're serving justice or tyranny. Citizens who see you protecting them and question why their government doesn't."
Isra spoke up from behind Aiko. "And what do you want in return for this partnership?"
"Honesty." Dragon's eyes were sharp. "Your commitment to justice as you define it, not as we dictate it. Your independence as a force that challenges the World Government from a different angle than we do. And your help with specific operations where your unique position would be valuable."
"You want us to be your Marine insiders," Sadi said, understanding immediately. "To undermine the system from within while you attack from without."
"I want you to be exactly what you've been—a living example that another way is possible. That Marines can choose differently. That the World Government's authority isn't absolute." Dragon walked to a specific map—one showing Marine base locations. "The World Government's greatest strength is the belief that it's inevitable. Unchangeable. That their system is the only way to maintain order. You threaten that belief simply by existing and succeeding."
Aiko studied the maps, thinking. An alliance with the Revolutionary Army would provide resources they desperately needed. But it would also tie them to Dragon's agenda, his methods, his war.
"I need guarantees," Aiko said finally. "First, we maintain operational independence. We're not your subordinates—we're partners. We can refuse missions if they conflict with our principles."
"Agreed."
"Second, any intelligence we gather about the World Government's inner workings—anything about the Celestial Dragons, the Five Elders, anything classified—we share equally. No secrets between allies."
Dragon hesitated, then nodded. "Agreed. Though I warn you—some truths are dangerous to know. The World Government has secrets that date back eight hundred years. Secrets that, if widely known, would shatter the world order."
"Like what?"
"Like the true history of the Void Century. Like what the D. clan really represents. Like the existence of—" Dragon stopped himself. "That's information for later, when you're ready to hear it and equipped to survive knowing it."
Aiko felt a chill. Dragon spoke as if knowledge itself was a weapon, dangerous enough that just possessing it could get you killed.
"Third condition," Aiko continued. "We protect civilians first, always. I won't participate in operations that sacrifice innocent people for strategic gain. Not even to hurt the World Government."
"That's always been our policy," Belo Betty interjected. "We're revolutionaries, not terrorists. We fight to liberate people, not oppress them."
"Then we have an agreement." Aiko extended his hand, and Dragon shook it—a moment that represented the formal alliance between two forces that the World Government feared most.
"Now then," Dragon said, releasing Aiko's hand and returning to the maps. "Let's discuss strategy. You've made powerful enemies, Aiko. Not just Marines, but forces at the highest levels of the World Government. Forces that most people don't even know exist."
"The Five Elders?"
"Beyond them. There are layers to the World Government's power structure that even most Marines never learn about. Cipher Pol Aegis Zero—the actual CP0, not the assassins but the intelligence division. The Celestial Dragons' personal guard. And..." Dragon paused, choosing words carefully, "someone above even the Five Elders. Someone who has ruled from the shadows for centuries."
"That's impossible. No one lives for centuries without Devil Fruit powers or—" Aiko stopped. "You're saying there's someone with immortality? Someone who's been controlling the World Government for eight hundred years?"
"I'm saying there are things about the world's power structure that would sound insane if I told you directly. Things you'll have to discover yourself, piece by piece, until the full picture becomes undeniable." Dragon pulled out a folder—thick, classified, stamped with Revolutionary Army seals. "This contains everything we know about the World Government's upper echelons. Study it. Share it with your crew. But understand—once you read this, you become a greater threat than you already are. Because you'll know too much."
Aiko took the folder. It was surprisingly heavy.
"One more thing," Dragon said. "You freed seventy-three prisoners from Impel Down. That's impressive, but it also gave the World Government something they've been lacking—a way to track you. Those prisoners will lead back to suppliers, allies, safe houses. You've inadvertently created a trail they can follow."
"You think the breakout was a trap?"
"I think the World Government is willing to sacrifice prestige for intelligence. They let you escape because tracking seventy-three people is easier than tracking nine. Eventually, they'll identify everyone in your network. And when they do..." Dragon's expression was grim. "They'll strike with overwhelming force. Buster Call might be the minimum response."
Isra swore quietly. "So what do we do?"
"Scatter," Belo Betty suggested. "Break into cells. Make tracking you as difficult as possible."
"Or," Dragon countered, "you do the opposite. You become so public, so visible, that hiding becomes irrelevant. You become a movement large enough that attacking you creates martyrs. Large enough that the World Government has to negotiate rather than eliminate."
"That's a dangerous game," Aiko said.
"You're already playing it. The question is whether you play it consciously or stumble through hoping for the best." Dragon gestured to his command center. "This is what we offer—not just resources and intelligence, but experience. We've been fighting this war for twenty years. We know how the World Government responds to threats. How to survive their retaliation. How to turn their strength against them."
A Revolutionary officer entered, saluting Dragon. "Sir, urgent intelligence. Marine fleet movements in West Blue. Three admiralty-class vessels, course suggests they're converging on..." He checked his notes. "Ohara's former location. They're searching the ruins."
Aiko's blood went cold. Ohara—the island where the World Government had executed a Buster Call sixteen years ago. Where the scholars had been researching the Void Century.
"Why would they return to Ohara now?" he asked.
"Because someone told them you might be interested in what the scholars discovered." Dragon's voice was tight with anger. "They're anticipating your moves. Setting traps based on what they think a rebellious Marine seeking truth would investigate."
"They're hunting me specifically?"
"They're hunting the questions you represent. And they'll destroy anyone who might help you find answers." Dragon turned to Aiko directly. "This is what you're truly up against. Not just military force, but an eight-hundred-year-old conspiracy to hide the truth about the world's history. A conspiracy so vast that they'll burn entire islands to maintain it."
Sadi spoke up, her voice passionate. "Then we expose it! Find the evidence they're trying to hide and broadcast it to the world!"
"That's exactly what the Ohara scholars tried," Belo Betty said sadly. "And they were all killed for it. The only survivor was a eight-year-old girl who escaped, and she's been hunted ever since."
Aiko remembered hearing about Ohara during his Marine training—officially listed as destroyed for harboring criminals. But reading between the lines now, with everything he'd learned about the World Government's corruption...
"They killed scholars. Researchers. People seeking knowledge." His voice was quiet but hard. "How is that justice?"
"It's not," Dragon replied. "It's control. The World Government doesn't want justice—they want obedience. Order maintained through fear and ignorance. And anyone who threatens that order, whether through violence or knowledge, is eliminated."
He placed a hand on Aiko's shoulder. "You've chosen a hard path, Snow Admiral. Harder than you probably realize. But know this—you're not alone. The Revolutionary Army stands with you. And across the world, there are millions who've been waiting for someone like you. Someone who proves that change is possible."
A warning bell suddenly echoed through Baltigo's command center. Revolutionary soldiers immediately moved to defensive positions.
"What is it?" Dragon demanded.
The officer from before returned, his face pale. "Sir! We've detected a Marine fleet approaching! Five ships, including—" He swallowed hard. "Including a ship bearing Admiral colors. Yellow and black."
"Kizaru," Isra breathed. "They sent Borsalino."
Admiral Kizaru. The Pika Pika no Mi user who could move at light speed. The fastest man alive. The Marine who could theoretically cross an entire battlefield before opponents could react.
"How long?" Dragon asked, his calm unbroken despite the threat.
"Twenty minutes, maybe less if he uses Soru combined with his light speed."
Dragon looked at Aiko. "They followed you here. Used your arrival to find our headquarters. This is exactly the kind of trap I warned about."
"Then I'll lead him away," Aiko said immediately. "My crew and I leave now, draw Kizaru's attention. You evacuate Baltigo, preserve your network."
"That's suicide. Kizaru is—"
"I held off Akainu long enough for everyone to escape. I can do the same with Kizaru." Aiko was already moving toward the door. "Isra, get everyone to the ship. We leave in five minutes."
"Aiko—"
"That's an order, Commander!"
Dragon caught Aiko's arm. "Wait. If you're determined to do this—and I can see you are—at least let us help. We'll create diversions, split Kizaru's attention. And here." He pressed a small Den Den Mushi into Aiko's hand. "Direct line to Revolutionary command. If you need extraction, if you need support, call. We protect our allies."
"Thank you." Aiko pocketed the Den Den Mushi. "And Dragon? That folder about the World Government's secrets? I'll read it. Learn it. And eventually, I'll expose every truth they've been hiding."
"I believe you will. That's why you're dangerous." Dragon smiled grimly. "Go. Lead the Yellow Monkey on a chase. And survive—we're going to need you for what comes next."
The Hakusetsu - Five Minutes Later
The ship cast off as Revolutionary forces began their own evacuation—a well-practiced drill that suggested this wasn't the first time they'd abandoned a base.
Aiko stood at the helm, his crew assembled, the freed prisoners who'd joined them ready for battle.
"Kizaru is coming," he announced. "He's faster than anyone we've fought. His Devil Fruit makes him nearly untouchable. And he's been ordered to eliminate us by any means necessary."
"So how do we fight him?" Yuki asked, her hand on her katana.
"We don't fight him. We survive him. Long enough for the Revolutionaries to escape, long enough to break contact, long enough to—"
A beam of light struck the water beside their ship, instantly vaporizing it into steam.
"Ohhh my," a lazy voice drawled from above. "Snow Admiral Danzo Aiko. Finally caught up with you. This has been such a troublesome chase~"
Admiral Kizaru floated above them, his body composed of light itself, his hands in pockets despite defying gravity. Even his relaxed demeanor was terrifying—the casual superiority of someone who knew he couldn't lose.
"You've caused so much trouble, young man," Kizaru continued in his slow, deliberate speech pattern. "Breaking out of Impel Down~ Allying with terrorists~ Making the World Government look foolish~ That's very naughty~"
His finger pointed at Aiko, and at its tip, a point of light began to concentrate.
"I'm afraid I'll have to take you in~ Dead or alive~ Either works really~"
The beam of light fired with the force of a cannon, aimed directly at Aiko's heart.
And the final battle of the Baltigo arc began.
END OF CHAPTER 15
Next Chapter: "Light Speed - The Untouchable Admiral"