The Red Line, Mary Geoise.
After returning to the Room of Authority, the Five Elders took their respective seats, their expressions frighteningly grim.
Their scheme targeting the Revolutionary Army's cloaked man had failed once again. This was already the third time, yet they still had no idea where exactly they had gone wrong.
Just as Rowan had said during their previous conversation when he invaded Mary Geoise, it wasn't as though no one in this world had ever thought about resisting the World Government.
Under such oppression, in a world where being alive was worse than being dead, there had never been a shortage of people willing to cast aside their fear of death and unite against the World Government.
For eight hundred years, people who wanted to rebel had appeared one after another.
The scholars of Ohara were by no means an isolated case. Organizations similar to the Revolutionary Army had existed as well.
Yet in eight hundred years, no one had ever succeeded. And no one had ever caused the Room of Authority as much trouble as the cloaked man.
Multiple troublesome abilities, complete resistance to the countermeasures of P-Matter. Seastone was useless against him, and seawater likewise couldn't restrain him.
In truth, although the power of his flaming blade was formidable, what the Five Elders truly found troublesome was his teleportation ability.
He could come and go freely. Aside from Mary Geoise, where Lord Imu resided, there was practically nowhere else where they could completely surround him.
"Another one is dead."
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter spoke.
"The God Knights will come to question us again. Anything outside Mary Geoise is our responsibility."
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro slammed the scabbard of his sword against the floor and said angrily, "The fact that our coordinates were discovered isn't our responsibility. From beginning to end, this operation was within his plans. It was an operation that could never have succeeded in the first place."
Saint Topman Warcury shook his beard. The charred wound on his forehead was already barely noticeable, having long since recovered.
"According to the plan we discussed previously, we've already placed quite a number of suspected Revolutionaries under surveillance. But compared to the intelligence gathered by the CP agents in the East Blue, that number is still insignificant compared to the Revolutionary Army as a whole."
With that, Warcury looked toward Saint Jaygarcia Saturn.
"Should we implement the plan? Arrest everyone suspected of being members of the Revolutionary Army, then have Morgans publish news of their public executions in the next issue of his newspaper."
Saint Marcus Mars looked over. "Their numbers aren't large, are they? The resolve of those people is frighteningly strong. After arresting them, we'd also have to prevent them from committing suicide. And there's another problem whether the cloaked man would take the bait."
"After this operation, he already understands our intentions. Using the lives of the Revolutionary Army to prevent him from teleporting away and setting a trap based on their childish sense of loyalty he already knows all of this."
The Room of Authority fell silent for a while.
Saturn closed his eyes and thought for a long time.
"Don't carry out the arrests for now."
"Based on the number of Revolutionaries the CP has discovered in the East Blue, the portion we've been monitoring is insignificant."
Saturn sighed.
"The bones of these people are too hard. Their convictions are strong enough to make them completely fearless of death. The suffering and pain they've endured in the past are precisely what allowed that conviction to endure."
"Because they... have seen hope."
His final words were spoken in an exceptionally low voice.
Mary Geoise did not want the people of the world to see hope. It concerned the balance of the world, as well as the stability of their rule.
Hope for those insects?
The Five Elders exchanged glances.
In truth, they understood very well why those Revolutionaries were capable of treating life and death with such indifference.
Although they couldn't empathize with insects, their long lives had given them enough wisdom to understand.
Parents killed by the exploitation of the Heavenly Tribute, fiancées captured and sold into slavery, children taken from the seaside while playing and sold at the Sabaody Archipelago, villages slaughtered by pirates.
Yes. Even when it came to pirate raids, the fundamental responsibility still lay with the World Government.
They deliberately allowed it to happen. Without pirates, who would be willing to pay such enormous sums to become an affiliated country?
Without pirates, how would the Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise live their extravagant lives? How would they ride on top of these insects and do whatever they pleased?
"Perhaps... we need to obtain more intelligence on the Revolutionary Army."
Mars looked toward the other four. "All this time, because we considered them nothing to worry about, our attention has always been focused on the cloaked man. We only regarded the Revolutionary Army as bait to restrain him."
"But now... those never-before-seen weapons on Baldigo, along with the Revolutionary Army members' willingness to fight without fear of death. These are things we need to start taking seriously."
The other four's expressions became solemn.
Warcury looked toward Saturn. "Could what you speculated on the island earlier actually be true? Although that fellow gave an explanation because he wanted to stall for time."
Saturn raised his head slightly. "That island, Baltimore, represents wisdom the wisdom of technology. Vegapunk was born on that island, and the Brain-Brain Fruit also appeared there."
"Many years ago, there really was an old man on that island who possessed terrifying insights into technology, even surpassing Vegapunk. But by the time I learned anything about him, he was already dead."
"When the cloaked man mentioned Baltimore, he clearly knew about that old man as well. In that case, it wouldn't be difficult to understand how the Revolutionary Army happened to acquire the technological power he left behind."
"Finally, even if the Revolutionary Army really did kidnap Vegapunk, we currently have no way of bringing him back, do we? Those stinking rats hiding in the gutters will be even less likely to show themselves after this."
The other four Five Elders' expressions darkened, because what Saturn had said was the truth.
The Red Line and the Calm Belt separated the Four Seas.
Combined with the strange magnetic fields of the Grand Line, communication between different regions was already extremely difficult. Even the World Government was no exception.
If not for the Seastone technology left behind by Vegapunk, their warships would still have great difficulty crossing the Calm Belt. At the very least, they would need one or two high-level combatants to escort them.
Under such circumstances, properly investigating the Revolutionary Army's development across the Four Seas and the Grand Line would require a very long time, and they were unwilling to wait.
Time passed second by second.
The five people in the Room of Authority frowned as they contemplated, trying to find a way to kill the cloaked man and destroy the Revolutionary Army.
After a long while, Saturn spoke.
"Actually, compared to the original plan, I'm more interested in finding out the cloaked man's identity in public."
Saturn paused before continuing. "Saint Sammit was tortured to death at the Sabaody Archipelago. At the time, his mention of 'fifteen years' allowed us to learn the cloaked man's identity. After that came teleportation, changing his appearance, ice..."
"That fellow isn't stupid. So these are things he deliberately wants us to see."
"And from the first time Saint Sammit was killed at Sabaody, to the six Celestial Dragons he has killed in total since then, including today, it seems that every operation and every plan has been focused on the Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise."
Nusjuro looked over. "The orphaned survivor of God Valley's former inhabitants. With the hatred carried by that identity, isn't it perfectly normal for him to keep targeting the Celestial Dragons?"
"It's not normal!"
Warcury suddenly raised his head.
"If he were nothing more than a lone individual, then it would be possible for hatred and revenge to consume his entire being and become the strongest conviction in his heart."
"But... he isn't alone. Considering the timing, he should even be one of the founders of the Revolutionary Army."
Saturn said, "That's precisely what I've been thinking about. In the past eight hundred years, there have been many people who rose up in rebellion against this world. But none of those leaders were people who allowed hatred to cloud their minds."
"Even the heads of mafia families in the West Blue would charge forward for their goals. They wouldn't lose themselves to hatred."
"So... when he invaded Mary Geoise last time and revealed that clone, did he already possess the ability back then, or was it an ability he acquired later?"
"The most important thing... the balance of the world is beginning to shift. We once speculated that he might be the first to awaken. If that is true, then it goes without saying who is behind all of this."
"Clang."
The First Generation Kitetsu fell to the floor with a loud sound, but no one in the Room of Authority paid it any attention.
Even Saturn himself, all five of them stared deeply into the distance, their hands tightening slightly.
It was as though the final sentence of those words contained something so enormous that even they found it frightening.
"Phew..."
After a long while, Saturn exhaled. "For now, it's still only speculation. After all, even we have never truly seen it, have we?"
Ju Peter said solemnly, "We must... we must find him."
Warcury continued, "If he already possessed the ability to create clones, then the fact that he never exposed it before invading Mary Geoise means he clearly has a public identity and one that needs to be concealed."
Mars frowned. "If he needs to conceal his identity, then what he's plotting must be enormous. And because teleportation cannot be used in Mary Geoise, he had his clone infiltrate the place for safety while keeping his real body hidden."
The cloaked man's public identity must hold a fairly high position. Otherwise, he wouldn't be acting so cautiously.
When Saint Sammit died, he had deliberately exposed his teleportation and shape-shifting abilities. That was itself a form of cover.
After his clone was exposed, his true identity was likely hidden even deeper.
High-ranking position, swordsmanship, three types of Haki...
It couldn't possibly be Sengoku or Garp, could it?
Their ages didn't match at all.
[Note: As a Marine, Rowan's Conqueror's Haki has only been used once so far, during his clash with Big Mom. Kuzan was the only ally present at the scene, Sakazuki was unconscious, and Big Mom had yet to realize that this was a secret.]
Saturn narrowed his eyes slightly...
The disposition of a king. Someone with such qualities would never be content to remain beneath others for long.
The consequences of placing people with the disposition of kings aboard the same ship had already been demonstrated by the Rocks Pirates the likes of Big Mom, Newgate, and Rocks himself.
Under these circumstances, there were only two people in the entire Marine organization who possessed such qualities: Sengoku and Garp.
One was the Fleet Admiral, while the other had his own childish convictions.
Saturn paused at that thought.
No.
Whether it was the CP organization or the Marines, if their hearts were already committed to the ideals of the Revolutionary Army, then they didn't truly belong to the Marines in the first place. In that case, the idea of being content to remain beneath others was irrelevant.
Besides, if Conqueror's Haki was deliberately concealed, it was entirely possible for it to go unnoticed.
Then... only three things remained: high status, swordsmanship, and age.
"With the cloaked man's ability to change his appearance, even his age can't be used as a reliable reference."
Warcury had reached the same conclusion.
Nusjuro nodded slightly. "He already possessed the ability to change his appearance when Saint Sammit was killed at Sabaody. Given the Revolutionary Army's cautious style of operation, changing his apparent age and appearance is entirely possible."
Saturn said, "Then only two points remain. His high position is inferred from the way he operates. As for swordsmanship... he may not necessarily use the flame ability, but he must be a swordsman."
Mars suggested, "Have the CP organization compile everyone on record who meets these two conditions and bring the list to us."
"Agreed."
"I concur."
"Creak..."
At that moment, the door to the Room of Authority opened.
After receiving a report from the guards, a middle-aged man with red hair and a Western-style sword at his waist walked inside.
Perhaps because they shared the same.
Perhaps because they were on the same level, the Five Elders stood up and exchanged greetings with him.
"Saint Figarland Garling."
The newcomer nodded. "I heard your operation failed once again this time?"
Saint Saturn replied, "There were extenuating circumstances. He already knew about the marking ability from the previous Mary Geoise incident."
Saint Figarland Garling frowned slightly.
"Although I didn't personally pursue him that time because we wanted his clone to reach his real body, the Knights of God reported the details of the situation to me. The clone dispersing on its own doesn't mean he knew about the marking ability. From beginning to end, he was merely suspicious."
"Using the Door-Door Fruit user as bait to confirm the location of the Revolutionary Army's headquarters was an excellent opportunity. Yet not only did you fail, you also allowed him to infiltrate Mary Geoise again and kill another Celestial Dragon."
Hearing this, Saint Nusjuro, who was standing behind the others, spoke up.
"So you're questioning us?"
Garling remained calm and slowly replied, "Your responsibility is politics. You control the authority of the Room of Authority. Yet in these two incidents, you failed to protect the lives of the Celestial Dragons. As a result, the Donquixote family and two other families have already come to me."
Saint Nusjuro was about to say something, but Saint Saturn's voice suddenly stopped him in his mind.
Saint Saturn asked, "So this is a reprimand from that person? The girl wasn't brought back. He had placed such high hopes on that woman."
Garling remained silent.
After a moment, Saint Warcury replied, "At present, the Revolutionary Army still hasn't reached the point where the Knights of God need to mobilize. As for that Cloaked Man who is suspected of having achieved the First Awakening, his ability isn't restrained by P-Matter either. I'm sure you understand what that means, Saint Garling."
"First Awakening..."
Those words were heavily emphasized.
Garling frowned, as though he had thought of something.
"If that's the case, then this will be troublesome. According to the records, that first pirate from eight hundred years ago..."
He stopped himself before finishing the sentence.
Garling pondered for a moment, then gave a slight bow before turning around and leaving the Room of Authority.
The Five Elders exchanged glances and sat down again.
The first pirate from eight hundred years ago.
That fanciful man.
The man who wanted to bring laughter to the world.
"Ever since Roger turned himself in, the once-peaceful sea has been thrown into turmoil, and the scope of its influence is growing wider and wider."
"The world is about to undergo a cleansing. Isn't that precisely the reason we exist?"
"This generation's Revolutionary Army is far too different from those of the past. We must take these rats hiding in the gutters seriously."
"Saint Nusjuro, will Wano Country open its borders? We need to know the moment it does..."
"Understood."
At the same time, at the Revolutionary Army's new Sky Island headquarters.
The first expanded meeting following the relocation was being held. Those participating included Vegapunk, the head of the Research Institute and also the controller of the Sky Island headquarters.
Revolutionary Army Leader: Monkey D. Dragon.
Revolutionary Army Logistics and Transportation Captain: Bartholomew Kuma.
Revolutionary Army Grand Line Army Commander: Emporio Ivankov.
Revolutionary Army East Army Commander: Ginny. Deputy Commander: Belo Betty.
Revolutionary Army South Army Commander: Lindbergh.
Revolutionary Army North Army Commander: Karasu.
Revolutionary Army West Army Commander: the giant Morley.
Revolutionary Army New World First Division Commander: Kaido.
Revolutionary Army New World Second Division Commander: Olvia.
And finally, the Mentor who also served as Chief of Staff: Mr. Spark.
In fact, this expanded meeting was also the first gathering in which the only people within the entire Revolutionary Army who knew the location of the headquarters had assembled after today's events.
With the exception of Belo Betty, almost everyone present was at commander level. Belo Betty was the exception because she had been present for the relocation operation, which was why she had been allowed to join the meeting.
Lindbergh was currently pestering Vegapunk with question after question, with every other sentence revolving around his latest ingenious weapon designs.
Vegapunk, however, had no interest in any of that.
What he wanted to know most was when Mr. Spark would finally make his move and bring back that enormous mechanical soldier for him.
After all, nearly seventy percent of the Research Institute's current projects were waiting for the giant energy source problem to be solved. Once that was done, they could finally enter their final stages.
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