"As for the user of the Smelt-Smelt Fruit, there's no trace of him for the moment. Once we find him, we'll send it over."
Shaka nodded. "Understood, Mr. Carlo."
Beside him, Lilith took the bag of Devil Fruits with curiosity. She reached in and pulled out the Slow-Slow Fruit, turning it in her hands. "So this is the one that can emit unknown particles, right?"
Carlo chuckled softly. "Unknown or not, I can't say for sure. But its beam can certainly slow a person down several times."
Lilith's eyes sparkled. "Mm... that's amazing."
Holding the fruit, she turned to walk toward the experiment table, but Shaka quickly stepped forward and snatched it away from her grasp. "Don't mess with it, Lilith. Wait for the main body to come back."
Lilith frowned in frustration. "That'll take a long time!"
Carlo shook his head at the sight of their antics. "Alright, I'll take my leave. Send my regards to Dr. Vegapunk."
Shaka turned and replied, "Of course, Mr. Carlo."
Carlo smiled.
Whoosh!
He vanished on the spot.
* * *
Late at night.
Vegapunk yawned as he walked into the underground lab with Enel. "There's still never enough time."
Enel followed with his hands behind his head, looking relaxed. "Even with two clones?"
Vegapunk sighed. "I feel like even ten wouldn't be enough."
Enel smiled helplessly but said nothing. After casually greeting Shaka and Lilith, he noticed the collection of Devil Fruits neatly arranged on the table. "Looks like Big Brother Carlo's already been here."
Shaka confirmed it with a nod. "Yes. He brought these fruits over, rested for a bit, then left."
Enel picked up a few of the fruits and read the tags on them. "Hot-Hot... Hard-Hard... Missing the Smelt-Smelt Fruit. Still, with the Munch-Munch Fruit, we can start construction already."
Vegapunk walked over and examined them too. "Indeed. These will make things much easier. We can start gathering materials now."
Lilith suddenly interrupted. "Hey, main body! Let's study this one first!" She raised the Slow-Slow Fruit excitedly. "There are unknown light particles inside this thing!"
* * *
Holy Land of Mariejois.
Mars lowered the secret report in his hand and looked at the others. "Are we certain?"
"Almost," Nusjuro answered. "We just don't have solid proof. A few photos alone aren't enough to convict him."
Peter snorted coldly. "Utterly ridiculous. A king of a member nation siding with the Revolutionary Army? He's digging his own grave."
Warcury spoke up. "Then that means... the Queen Dowager of Sorbet Kingdom, all that traveling around the world... she's covering up for him?"
Mars nodded. "Most likely. He's her son, after all. With the Queen Dowager traveling everywhere, it's only natural for Bartholomew Kuma to be by her side. That's why photos alone can't prove anything. Even if we showed them, they could easily claim coincidence or say he disembarked earlier. Most are just back or side profiles anyway."
Nusjuro furrowed his brow. "Troublesome… and that's only what we've discovered. What about the ones we haven't?"
Peter shook his head. "He's just a special case. But the nature of kings across the world is well-known. Let's start gathering more evidence first. The Sorbet Kingdom has a strong reputation among the people after generations of rule, and it's one of the key nations of the South Blue. Too many ties are involved."
Nusjuro agreed. "Yes, there's no other choice. But we'll have to investigate them all carefully. There are plenty of these so-called beloved kings among the people... just like that traitorous clan."
Peter narrowed his eyes. "Indeed…"
* * *
Grand Line, Baltigo.
The endless wind and sand swirled across the land day after day. While the place was barren, it was ideal for reflection on life if one had the patience.
On the rooftop of the Revolutionary Army's headquarters, Dragon stood quietly by the railing, gazing into the storm of sand, lost in thought.
Tap, tap, tap…
Footsteps approached from behind as Kuma walked over. "What are you thinking about?"
Dragon came back to his senses and let out a soft sigh. "The future."
Though calm, Kuma could hear something uneasy in his tone. He frowned slightly. "That's not like you. What happened? Why are we suddenly withdrawing troops?"
Dragon thought for a moment, then asked back instead, "How much do you know about the World Government?"
Kuma's brows furrowed. "Not much. I've always hated the government. My understanding of them is limited. But I can ask my mother. She might know more. What exactly are you trying to find out?"
Dragon looked off into the distance. "Queen Dowager Conney, huh... Never mind. It's nothing. I'm just looking for a breakthrough. Something that can shatter the government's control."
Kuma fell silent. 'A breakthrough, huh…'
Dragon narrowed his eyes, still gazing into the distance, his mind turning over ways to break the deadlock.
Ever since that call from Marineford, with that endless list of exposed bases, he had broken out in a cold sweat. The government's intelligence power was far greater than he had imagined. For days, his mind had been clouded, struggling to find a solution.
No one is a god who can foresee everything. Even the man worshiped as the symbol of resistance, the Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon, had his moments of helplessness.
The movement had hit a bottleneck. Though still standing strong, its sheer size was now its greatest threat. If they didn't find a way to release the internal pressure, it would implode on its own.
That was why the plan to ignite a worldwide revolution during the next Reverie could not be stopped.
But even with just a glimpse of its true power, the World Government had shown the capability to crush nearly half of the Revolutionary Army's bases across the world.
Many of those bases were small and scattered. Some Dragon hadn't even heard of until he investigated them himself. That fact alone spoke volumes. It meant he could no longer see the whole picture.
The Revolutionary Army had grown too vast, with too many members. Even if Dragon did nothing, the movement itself would keep pushing him forward, unstoppable.
That's what it meant to be caught in the tide of fate.
Now, all he could do was stand at the front and steer as best he could, while searching for a way to break through the overwhelming might of the World Government before the revolution truly began.
* * *
A few days later.
Grand Line, aboard a marine warship sailing on the sea.
Sakazuki frowned as he read the latest report on the Revolutionary Army.
"Why have they gone silent all of a sudden…?"
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