As Aokiji skated across the sea to Morris Island, he was met with the sight of the island in ruins. Turning his gaze to Dragon, who stood on a half-sunken warship, Aokiji let out a soft sigh. However, he didn't immediately take action. Instead, he spoke calmly.
"I never expected we'd meet under these circumstances. You've changed a lot recently."
"You've changed quite a bit yourself."
"Do you realize what you're doing? Don't you understand that this will only make the seas even more chaotic?" For the world, without the Navy's suppression, pirates would undoubtedly become even more rampant. The reason Dragon's Revolutionary Army had never attacked the Navy before was largely due to this concern.
Otherwise, given Dragon's former high-ranking position in the Navy and his knowledge of its secrets, he could have easily used that information against them.
"More chaos?" Dragon's face twisted into a mocking smile as he repeated the words.
"Kuzan, tell me, when has this sea ever been free of chaos? When has it ever known peace? What's the difference between the state of the seas now and twenty, even forty years ago?"
Dragon paused for a moment, his gaze shifting from Aokiji to the sky above. Without waiting for Aokiji to respond, he continued, "There's no difference. Rocks, Roger, Golden Lion Shiki, Barlowe Clayfield, Bondy Wald, Douglas Bullet, Whitebeard, Red-Haired Shanks, Kaido, Big Mom—powerful pirates have emerged one after another. Kuzan, tell me, when has this sea ever been free of chaos? Can the Navy—no, the World Government—truly bring peace to these seas?"
Aokiji opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, no words came out. In the original story, Aokiji had already begun to doubt the legitimacy of the World Government by the end. Now, that doubt was even more pronounced.
When Dragon said Aokiji had changed, it wasn't just empty words. In the past, before becoming a Vice Admiral, Aokiji had been full of drive, always eager to capture pirates. But after becoming a Vice Admiral and witnessing the darkness within the Navy's upper echelons and the World Government, he had become the lazy, unmotivated man he was today.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the others have been working hard," Aokiji finally said after a long silence.
"Working hard? And what has been the result?"
Dragon's words left Aokiji speechless. As Garp's son and a former candidate for Admiral, Dragon knew all too well what Sengoku, Tsuru, and the others were thinking. They hoped to change the World Government from within, thereby influencing the Celestial Dragons. At first, Dragon had shared this belief. But after witnessing the darkness of the World Government, he realized that such an approach would never change the world. That was why he had defected from the Navy.
The darkness of the World Government was countless. Incidents like Ohara and the tragedy of Flevance, Trafalgar Law's hometown, were just the tip of the iceberg. There were many more that had never come to light. In some ways, Flevance was similar to the Kingdom of Goa.
Flevance, the "White City," had once been as pristine as a fairy-tale snow kingdom, a place of unparalleled beauty and prosperity. Many had flocked there, including Celestial Dragons. No one could have imagined that this paradise was built on the suffering of those afflicted with Amber Lead Disease.
Just as the beauty of the Kingdom of Goa was built on the garbage mountains.
Take the Buster Call, for example. Most people only knew about Ohara, Douglas Bullet, and Enies Lobby. But there was another Buster Call that few knew about—the one that followed the deaths of Doflamingo's parents.
After they renounced their status as Celestial Dragons, they were captured by rioters, leading to Doflamingo's tragedy. Few knew that those rioters had been wiped out by a Buster Call, and their island had been completely erased from the map.
Neither the World Government nor the Celestial Dragons would allow Doflamingo's parents to live as ordinary citizens after renouncing their divine status as "Creators." It would undermine the sanctity of the Celestial Dragons' identity.
Whenever a Celestial Dragon was attacked, an Admiral was immediately dispatched to reinforce their divine authority. However, after Daniel Davis publicly killed a Celestial Dragon, their prestige had significantly diminished.
"I once believed that the root of all this was the Celestial Dragons and the World Government. I thought that overthrowing them would bring peace to the seas. But one day, someone told me I was wrong. Even if we overthrew the current World Government and the Celestial Dragons, it wouldn't bring peace to the seas. It would only lead to the rise of another World Government and another group of Celestial Dragons."
Dragon's gaze shifted back from the sky to Aokiji as he continued, "There's only one way to bring peace to these seas: revolution. A complete revolution to overthrow the corrupt Navy and the World Government."
"Do you know how many innocent people will die because of this?" Aokiji said gravely.
"Of course I know. I used to think the same way. But look where that got us. The Revolutionary Army has achieved almost nothing over the years. There's no revolution without bloodshed. Only through this can we cleanse the filth and bring about renewal."
Dragon then recited a series of numbers. Seeing Aokiji's confused expression, Dragon explained, "These numbers represent the casualties caused by the Great Pirate Era that Roger started. While not entirely accurate, they're close enough. Shocking, isn't it? And that's just the past twenty years. If we go back to the time of Rocks, the numbers would be even more staggering.
"As an Admiral, you should know the state of the World Government. If we extend this reign to sixty, eighty, or even a hundred years, how many more will die?
"As long as the World Government and the Navy exist, this number will keep growing. The Revolutionary Army's actions may increase casualties in the short term, but it's the only way to stop this number from rising. I believe that's why Roger turned himself in and made his final declaration."
"Are you really sure that if you succeed, you won't just become the new Celestial Dragons?" Aokiji asked after a moment of contemplation.
"Hahahaha!" Dragon burst into laughter, so intense that Aokiji was left bewildered.
"You know, I once asked the same question. Do you know how that person answered me?" Dragon's laughter subsided after a while.
"It can't get any worse."
"Where there is oppression, there will be resistance. The current state of the seas is a rebellion against the World Government. If we become the new Celestial Dragons, there will be new Dragons, new Revolutionary Armies to resist us. It's absurd to worry about a future that doesn't exist while the present remains unresolved."
"It seems there's no time for further discussion. Kuzan, think carefully. Do you really believe the current World Government can bring peace to the seas? You're standing too high now. You probably can't see how corrupt the Navy has become."
With a ruler like the World Government, it's almost impossible for those below not to become corrupt. Only figures like Sengoku and the Navy's upper echelons still believed the Navy represented justice.
After delivering his final words, Dragon's figure vanished from Aokiji's sight.
"Stop right there!"
As Dragon disappeared, Garp's furious roar echoed from behind Aokiji. Garp sped past Aokiji, chasing after Dragon.
"Kuzan, what happened?" Sengoku's voice soon reached Aokiji's ears.
"I was too late," Aokiji replied calmly. Sengoku gave him a deep look but said nothing more.
As Fleet Admiral, Sengoku was well aware of the personalities of the Navy's three Admirals. That's why he didn't question why Aokiji hadn't acted upon seeing Dragon or why he hadn't stopped Garp.
The Navy's current situation was dire. If another Admiral were to leave the Navy now, it would only make things worse.
Sengoku was beginning to regret not retiring earlier. If he had, perhaps none of this would have happened.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Garp, having caught up to Dragon, was seething with anger. As he roared, his right fist glowed with a dark aura, accompanied by crimson lightning, as he punched toward Dragon.
"Of course I do. For world peace." Dragon didn't retreat. Instead, he met Garp's punch with his own. As their fists collided, crimson lightning erupted around them—a clash of Conqueror's Haki.
Garp was truly furious this time, infusing his Armament Haki with Conqueror's Haki. In all his years of fighting, Garp had only used this technique a handful of times—against the Rocks Pirates, Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki.
"Your idea of world peace is to completely destroy the Kingdom of Goa?" Although Garp hadn't reached Goa, Kizaru had, and he had informed Garp of the situation.
"A country like that has no reason to exist," Dragon replied calmly as he countered Garp's punches.
"Do you know how many innocent people are there? Do they deserve to die too?"
"Innocent? In a country like that, there are no innocents."
"You—!"
Garp grew even angrier, his attacks becoming more ferocious. The sheer force of his Conqueror's Haki caused all living beings within a kilometer to faint, while the clouds above split apart under the clash of their Haki.
There were undoubtedly innocent people in Goa's High Town, like Sabo had once been. As for the others, they were the people of the Gray Terminal. In Garp's eyes, they were all innocent.
But in Dragon's view, the people of the Gray Terminal were violent by nature, given their environment of constant struggle and theft.
With the Revolutionary Army's strength, they could have overthrown the Kingdom of Goa without relying on those people. But once Goa was destroyed and the garbage stopped coming, the people of the Gray Terminal, unable to adapt to a peaceful life of farming or labor, would turn to banditry or piracy.
It was true that the people of the Gray Terminal had been forced there after having their land and livelihoods taken by the nobles of High Town. But after living in the Gray Terminal for so long, returning to a peaceful life would be nearly impossible.
This wasn't Daniel Davis's assessment but the Revolutionary Army's internal judgment. Daniel Davis provided strategic assistance and revolutionary literature, but the specific plans were left to the Revolutionary Army.
The Revolutionary Army wasn't lacking in talent. What they lacked was a strategic vision.
"Dragon, I never thought we'd meet like this. Do you realize the consequences of your actions?" Sengoku and Aokiji arrived shortly after Garp and Dragon began their fight.
"Consequences?" Dragon's face twisted into a mocking smile. "Whatever the consequences, they're better than being the lapdog of the Celestial Dragons and the mastermind behind the slave trade."
"You—!"
Dragon's words nearly made Sengoku spit blood. He never expected that meeting Dragon again would lead to this.
Dragon knew Sengoku wasn't behind the slave trade, but he was undoubtedly a lackey of the Celestial Dragons. As the Fleet Admiral and an enemy of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon saw no issue in provoking Sengoku. After all, "the enemy's hero is our villain." Having studied Sun Tzu's The Art of War and the Thirty-Six Stratagems, Dragon had no qualms about causing trouble for Sengoku.
The Revolutionary Army's actions were a lesson in military strategy.
As Sengoku prepared to retort, Dragon suddenly summoned a storm of wind, rain, and towering waves. Aokiji immediately froze the waves, but by the time Garp and Sengoku could react, Dragon had already disappeared.
"Pops, something big has happened!" On the Moby Dick, a member of the Whitebeard Pirates shouted upon reading the day's news.
"What is it?" Whitebeard, hooked up to an IV, continued drinking despite knowing it was bad for his injuries.
"Dragon has made his move. The Buster Call has been destroyed. It seems this era is about to go wild."
"Captain, what should we do?"
"Beckman, find a way to contact Dragon. I need to meet him. No matter what, we must prevent this era from spiraling out of control."
The Red-Haired Pirates had also seen the news. After a moment of silence, Shanks turned to his first mate and gave his orders. The Revolutionary Army's base was highly secretive, and even Shanks didn't know its location.
"Mom, something's happened."
"What? Dragon? Garp must be having a hard time. What good news, mamamama!" Big Mom had once been on the receiving end of Garp's fists.
"Dammit, why can't we reach the Captain? They're almost here!"
While the other Emperors were focused on the Revolutionary Army's actions and Dragon's appearance, the Beast Pirates had more pressing concerns. Their captain, Kaido, wasn't on Onigashima. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, as the Beast Pirates knew Kaido liked to wander off and attempt suicide. But this time was different. Esdeath and her forces were heading for Wano. Even with their confidence, King and the other Calamities knew they couldn't face her alone. They could only hope to contact Kaido or that he would return soon.
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Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
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