On the other side of the sea, opportunistic rogues and reckless cutthroats began surging out of the woodwork. Some hoisted sail and set out into the open waters, desperate to indulge in wild debauchery during what seemed like their final hours on earth.
They sought to do everything they had previously desired but lacked the courage to attempt.
In the face of an impending apocalypse, the darkest corners of human nature were laid bare. Thugs and ruffians within the villages began killing and plundering in broad daylight.
As for what they plundered, it was entirely a matter of twisted personal appetite—some chased coin, while others chased lust.
Bandits and pirates ran rampant without restraint. With the New World Government lacking the immediate bandwidth to suppress them, the entire East Blue was rapidly descending into madness.
And this was merely one piece of the nightmare. Those engaging in petty looting were mostly nameless grunts, while those with real confidence in their own strength scrambled to take to the sea and flee toward the Grand Line.
The East Blue was no longer safe.
The Grand Line—once notorious as a pirate graveyard—had ironically become the ultimate sanctuary in the hearts of the populace. It was an astonishing, surreal reversal.
Who could have ever foreseen such a staggering shift in fortunes?
As the sole gateway leading from the East Blue into the Grand Line, Loguetown had already spiraled into absolute chaos.
Virtually every pirate crew across the East Blue was desperately pouring into the port. Initially, things had remained somewhat contained, as the New World Government had stationed garrison forces there.
However, as the tidal wave of arriving pirates swelled out of control, the New World Government's defensive perimeter was breached in a single stroke. The pirates began doing whatever they pleased.
In a terrifyingly short span of time, the once-impregnable fortress of Loguetown was virtually reduced to a lawless wasteland.
One ship after another raised anchor and set a desperate course for the Grand Line, leaving pure pandemonium in their wake.
Headquarters of the New World Government.
Dragon reviewed the incoming intelligence reports streaming onto his desk, his solemn expression unchanging. If things continued along this trajectory, even if the existential threat posed by Im were eliminated, the East Blue would be left in utter ruin.
The common folk would be destitute, the sea's vitality drained to the bone, and its civil infrastructure crippled beyond swift recovery.
With the East Blue as the epicentre, the spreading unrest could easily trigger a domino effect threatening the entire globe.
When that happened, everything would slip out of control.
The New World Government had only just been established; its foundations were fragile, and its public mandate had yet to fully take root. If a global rebellion erupted, the New World Government would bear the brunt of the disaster.
Even though they possessed the absolute military force required to crush any uprising, they could not rely on brute conquest. An authority established purely through violence would never earn the genuine support of the world's populace.
Their primary mission was to bring enduring peace and prosperity to all people—that had been the founding creed of the New World Government, and Dragon's ultimate dream.
"Supreme Commander, we..."
Within the grand hall, the gazes of every senior officer converged upon Dragon.
This unprecedented crisis had caught them completely off guard. If left unchecked, it would spiral into a planetary catastrophe.
Dragon remained silent, lost in contemplation.
He knew that the riots were merely a symptom; the true root of the cataclysm was Im.
He had tactical strategies to stem the panic and quell the spreading riots, but he possessed no countermeasure against Im. The moment Im unleashed her full power, any administrative deployment would be reduced to ash.
"Commander Dragon, you need not worry about Im. Drake... will resolve her!"
A figure appeared at the entrance of the grand hall, striding with purposeful steps toward Dragon.
It was Weitian.
She was clad in her signature scarlet attire, a cool, unyielding resolve painted across her features.
Draped in her naval coat, every gesture she made radiated formidable authority. "The situation in the East Blue has escalated far beyond our operational projections. It must be quelled at once!"
"I trust you have already formulated a counter-strategy."
"Indeed." Dragon nodded toward Weitian, his piercing gaze sweeping across the assembly in the hall. "Someone must travel to the East Blue to suppress the unrest and provide reinforcement to Drake and his crew."
Ultimately, Dragon's eyes settled on Sabo, who stood at the absolute front of the gathering. Dragon knew that even if he forbade it, Sabo would sneak off to the East Blue regardless.
Since that was the case, it was better to dispatch him officially.
Besides, when it came to lending Drake meaningful combat support, few in this world were more qualified than Sabo.
"Sabo, you will handle this deployment!"
"Leave it to me!"
Sabo bolted to his feet, unable to contain the surging adrenaline coursing through his veins.
His blood practically roared in his ears. This was far more than an ordinary operational assignment.
The East Blue... How many years had it been since he had walked its shores? And Drake—it had been just as long since Drake had truly returned home.
Their homeland would be protected by him and Drake together!
Sabo turned on his heel to depart; time was of the essence, and every passing second risked arriving too late.
"Hold on."
Dragon called out behind him.
"Traveling on your own will take far too long. Let Kuma give you a send-off."
No sooner had Dragon's words fallen than the imposing, towering figure of Bartholomew Kuma materialized directly behind Sabo.
Sabo paused, turning back with a grateful nod toward Dragon and Kuma. It was true—even if he flew at maximum velocity without pause, reaching the East Blue would take at least two full days.
By then, everything might already be reduced to cinder.
Thanks to the miraculous Divine Creation Pill provided by Drake, Kuma had fully restored his biological body, leaving him indistinguishable from an ordinary human.
He had reclaimed his lost consciousness and free will.
For that miracle, Sabo harbored boundless gratitude toward Drake, though he had never voiced it aloud.
Brothers had no need for such empty pleasantries.
"I will propel you to the East Blue island closest to our current coordinates. However, even with my paws, the transit will take roughly twenty-four hours," Kuma briefed Sabo in a low, measured voice.
The duration of his spatial displacement was directly proportional to the physical distance traversed.
Even so, Kuma could not guarantee the exact pinpoint landing site.
His biological calculations were not built for surgical precision across entire oceans.
"Understood! Do it, Kuma," Sabo nodded firmly.
"Sabo!"
Koala stepped forward, her eyes red-rimmed as she gazed at him. She knew that even if she begged to accompany him, neither Dragon nor Sabo would permit it.
The East Blue was currently a death trap where a single misstep meant total annihilation.
Her combat capabilities were worlds apart from Sabo's; she possessed no means to defend herself against an entity like Im.
Going along would only burden him.
After a painful silence, Koala choked out the words: "You have to come back alive!"
Sabo said nothing for a moment. Slowly turning his back, he murmured softly, "Yeah. I will!"
"Whenever you're ready, Kuma!"
Kuma concentrated the pressure within his paw pads, delivering a deceptively light swat against Sabo's frame. In a split second, Sabo vanished into thin air.
Watching the empty space where he had stood, Koala could no longer hold back her tears, letting out a raw, desperate cry:
"SABO!!"
Her voice dissolved into muffled, trembling sobs: "You promised... Come back alive..."
The hall descended into heavy silence.
Every person present had witnessed Im's horrific power with their own eyes. This deployment was undeniably a march into the jaws of death.
Dragon gazed out toward the distant East Blue, his eyes deep and unfathomable. Sending Sabo was a decision born of agonizing resolve.
Yet he genuinely believed Sabo possessed the strength to turn the tide—perhaps his combat prowess had already surpassed his own!
Though it was merely an intuitive deduction, Dragon had distinctly sensed that when Sabo and Ace unleashed their synchronized offensive that day, an extraordinary, dormant power had awakened within Sabo.
It was precisely that latent awakening that convinced Dragon to send him.
Otherwise, even if he had to bind Sabo in chains, Dragon would have taken the field himself!
"Um... I believe I might have pushed a little too hard just now..." Kuma's voice suddenly drifted through the quiet room, laced with awkward hesitation.
Everyone: "!?!?"