Grand Line.
A marine warship was chasing two pirate ships. At first it had been three. They wanted to hunt a marine ship to raise their bounty, but under the warship's overwhelming cannon fire, one ship sank before it even got close.
The other two turned tail immediately, but the warship stuck to them like glue, sending volleys of cannon fire whenever it pleased.
On one of the pirate ships, several sharp whistles sliced through the air, followed by explosions.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The Iron Bird Pirates' captain wiped blood from his face and shouted at the helmsman, "Dammit! How long until we get there?!"
He glared at the warship behind them. It stayed right on them but never closed the distance, almost toying with them like a cat with mice.
The helmsman's voice held excitement. "Almost there! I can already see the outline of the island!"
The captain drew his sword and cut down two incoming cannonballs. "Full speed ahead! Tell the people on the island to stay hidden! Don't reveal yourselves! I want every last one of those marine bastards dead!"
Time flew by fast.
Of the two fleeing ships, only one remained. The other had been blown apart during the chase.
On the warship behind them, sailors watched the last pirate ship reach shore. A crowd poured onto the island, rushing inland.
The second-in-command turned to the scar-faced Vice Admiral Doberman. "Vice Admiral, should we land and fight on the island?"
Doberman used Observation Haki, sensing the pirates waiting in ambush. "No need. Bring out the special missiles from the science division. Fire."
* * * *
A lookout hid in a corner of the beach and peeked out. He saw the warship motionless on the sea, soldiers faintly moving on deck.
He turned toward the nearby captain. "Captain, the warship stopped. Do you think they noticed something?"
The captain of the Brady Pirates frowned. "Impossible. Iron Bird only just escaped back. And we've been hidden here since this morning. There's no way we were exposed. Keep watching."
The lookout kept his eyes on the ship. "Yes!"
Not far away, the battered captain of the Iron Bird Pirates hid behind a house. Several captains from other crews mocked him.
"Hahaha. Look at you, Iron Bird. Weren't you so proud yesterday? Three ships down to one."
"You better prepare our payment."
"That warship is ours."
His expression was dark. "No problem. As long as we deal with the Marines, you'll get your share."
He looked down on these men, but things had changed. Yesterday they were riding high. Half a day later, Doberman's warship nearly wiped them out. He was forced to run back and ask help from people he never respected.
Both sides cooperated on the surface, but each was already thinking about how to get rid of the other afterward.
Suddenly, one of his men called out, "Captain! I think they fired a cannon!"
He frowned. Cannon fire? But there was no sound.
He leaned out for a look and saw something trailing white smoke arc through the air and land on the sand not far away.
The object flashed with sparks.
Boom!
A wave of electricity ripped across the beach, followed by a towering mushroom cloud. The whole island shuddered.
On the warship, Doberman closed his Observation Haki when he sensed no life left on the island. He lowered his telescope and coldly ordered, "Land."
* * *
New World, Doan Island. Within the territory of one of the Emperors, Knox.
The Red Hair Pirates had just finished resupplying. On the lookout post, Yasopp yelled down, "Hey! Boss! That crazy woman is coming again!"
Shanks looked miserable. "Already? We just shook her off."
Beckman grinned beside him. "We've been resting here for a few days."
Shanks sighed, then flashed a bright smile. "All right, boys! We're running!"
In the distance, a ship flying the Big Mom Pirates' flag sped toward the island.
Soon after Big Mom reached shore, Knox couldn't sit by and joined the battle later.
A three-way fight erupted. In the end, Big Mom retreated when the other two joined forces.
After the battle, the Steam Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates formed an alliance. Voices calling for a new Emperor in the New World grew louder.
* * *
Elsewhere.
Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, only realized how high his influence had become after Sabo pointed it out. Under his orders, the revolutionaries finally stopped expanding and began dividing and organizing their territories in detail.
Relieved for a moment, he launched a sweeping reform.
Instead of the original four armies plus the Grand Line's fifth army, the territory was reorganized into dozens of regions based on central locations. Each region was led by one revolutionary commander. All of them answered directly to Dragon.
The uneven bases were brought under tight control. While quietly rooting out those with hidden motives, he tightened preparations for war without drawing suspicion.
No one knew that while he planned to strike outward… he was also preparing to cut away from within.
* * *
Holy Land of Mariejois, the Room of Authority.
Mars frowned over the confidential report. "What is happening? What is Sengoku doing? With all this going on, he still hasn't moved."
The Revolutionary Army's massive restructuring, changing leaders and shifting bases, had rendered most of their intelligence useless.
Nusjuro snorted. "Useless trash. Still clinging to that pathetic bottom line. Tell Kong to find him. If this drags on, all of this intelligence will turn to scrap."
* * *
Marineford, Marine Headquarters.
Kong returned without warning. Soldiers at the port recognized him, wanting to salute, but his grim expression kept them frozen in place.
Before anyone could inform Sengoku, Kong was already flying toward the Fleet Admiral's office with Geppo.
Clack.
The wooden door slid open. Sengoku looked up in confusion, then stood at once.
"Commander-in-Chief Kong, why are you here?"
Kong frowned, closed the door, and sat on the sofa. "What is going on, Sengoku? The Revolutionary Army is making huge moves, yet you've done nothing."
Sengoku let out a helpless breath. "The government's orders were to monitor them closely, so…"
Kong scoffed. "Do you take me for a fool? I want the truth. You mean to tell me the Fleet Admiral won't act without a government order?"
His stare was harsh. Sengoku knew he was truly angry. After a sigh and a sweep of Observation Haki, he said bitterly, "The Revolutionary Army's leader is Dragon…"
Kong furrowed his brows. "I know Dragon leads the Revolutionary Army. What about him?"
Sengoku forced a smile. "Garp…"
Kong stiffened. "Garp… Dragon… Garp…"
His eyes widened. "You don't mean!"
Sengoku nodded. "Yes…"
Kong's face flushed with anger. "Dragon… I should have realized! Where is that bastard Garp?!"
Sengoku sighed. "He slipped away long ago…"
With nowhere to vent, Kong turned back to Sengoku.
"Forget Dragon. Issue the order to attack the Revolutionary Army. The Elders are furious. If this continues, every piece of intelligence they collected will be worthless."
Sengoku hesitated, closed his eyes, then replied, "Commander-in-Chief… they aren't pirates."
Kong froze, then after a long pause said, "It's an order from the government."
Sengoku stared at him, stayed silent for a long time, then nodded. Inside, his trust in the government shattered.
* * *
Time passed.
As each force developed in its own strange way, the balance eventually broke.
Marine branches in the Four Blues stopped hunting pirates and spent months destroying confirmed Revolutionary Army cells under Sengoku's command.
The revolutionaries endured without striking back, building strength under Dragon's orders. Not long after, when the Reverie convened, they began a full global uprising.
The conflict exploded and spread across the world.
The pirates didn't stay quiet either. In the New World, Shanks, captain of the Red Hair Pirates, rose to become the fourth Emperor with only one arm, earning the title of World's Strongest Swordsman.
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