Exhaling a long sigh, Steelbone Kong turned his attention back to the defense map of Mary Geoise.
Since he'd already made up his mind to hold back a little, he couldn't make it too obvious. If the Five Elders caught on, he'd have no choice but to abandon everything and flee immediately.
Meanwhile, as Steel Bone Kong was racking his brains for a way to drag things out without exposing himself, elsewhere — ever since the end of the Marineford War — Dragon, who had been lying low in the Vesen Kingdom of the South Blue, finally made a move. Through special channels, he summoned all members of the Revolutionary Army.
Excluding those with special missions — spies, undercover operatives, or those currently in the midst of toppling national regimes — nearly every Revolutionary was gathered under Dragon's call.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that if the World Government decided to use the "National Treasure" to annihilate the Vesen Kingdom right now, the Revolutionary Army would lose at least eighty percent of its total strength.
If Dragon himself were included in that loss, the Five Elders might never have to worry about the Revolutionary Army again — that is, assuming the World Government could actually survive the coming Holy Land Defense War.
"Even the commanders and vice commanders of the five armies came… Don't tell me Mr. Dragon is planning to launch another raid on Marineford?"
"Idiot, that's impossible! This time we don't have Whitebeard or the Red-Haired Pirates fighting by our side!"
"Don't just guess. Once Mr. Dragon announces his purpose, we'll know soon enough…"
…
Revolutionary commanders from across the world gathered in the grand palace, taking their seats and patiently waiting for Dragon's arrival. Even the towering commander of the Western Army, Morley, who stood over ten meters tall, was seated among them.
Fortunately, the palace of Vesen Kingdom was built large enough — otherwise, it could never accommodate the likes of Morley and the other giant warriors present.
To have grown so vast under constant pressure and pursuit from both the Marines and the World Government, the Revolutionary Army's organization and discipline were beyond question.
Even the elite marines of Marineford couldn't necessarily match the Revolutionaries' strength of will.
At Dragon's single command, the scattered forces of the Revolutionary Army had gathered from all corners of the world — and most didn't even know why they'd been summoned.
If not for their absolute faith in Dragon and their own discipline, such unity would've been impossible.
"Huh? Everyone's already here?"
Just then, Sabo entered the palace with Koala by his side. Seeing every gaze turn toward him, he scratched the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed.
"Well, this was an all-out emergency summons. Everyone's just worried something happened, so it's normal to come early," said Belo Betty, the commander of the Eastern Army, leaning lazily against the doorway with a cigarette between her lips and a sly smile beneath her tilted hat.
Sabo was about to reply — when he suddenly felt two sharp glares stab into his back like knives. He quickly averted his eyes from where they had unconsciously drifted toward Betty.
Betty froze for a second, then burst out laughing, her teasing nature flaring up as she puffed out her chest proudly. The faintly visible curves became even more prominent, sending Sabo scurrying forward into the crowd in a panic.
"Betty-sis!"
Koala, walking just behind him, shot Betty a helpless yet amused glare. Of course, she knew Betty meant no harm — she was just being her usual playful self. But the fact that Betty had so easily seen through her newly confirmed relationship with Sabo made Koala blush despite herself.
"Well done, huh? You caught Sabo pretty fast. But you know, our Chief of Staff is very popular — if you're not careful, someone might just snatch him away…"
Belo Betty laughed heartily, throwing an arm around Koala's shoulders and pulling the smaller girl into her chest, giving her cheek a mischievous pinch.
"No way!"
Koala struggled to free herself from Betty's suffocating embrace, her face red with both embarrassment and worry.
Maybe because of her past experiences in Mary Geoise, Koala had never been very confident in herself. Her relationship with Sabo came about more by accident than by courage.
Even now, whenever she came back to her senses, Koala couldn't help but feel uneasy, sometimes even falling into self-doubt—was she really worthy of Sabo?
Seeing Koala's anxious, uncertain expression, Belo Betty only smiled softly, sighing to herself about how wonderful it was to be young.
Meanwhile, Sabo—who had narrowly escaped a scolding without realizing it—didn't even have time to chat before a fierce gust of wind suddenly roared through the palace, forcing many of the officers to shield their faces.
When the storm finally subsided, a man wearing a long coat was already standing in the center of the hall—Dragon had arrived.
"Mr. Dragon!"
Sabo was the first to notice him. To Sabo, Dragon wasn't just his savior; he was also his guide on the path of revolution.
Dragon gave Sabo a brief nod, then turned toward the assembled revolutionaries and spoke loudly:
"Everyone… the moment we've been waiting for—the time to overthrow the World Government—has come!"
The palace, which had been somewhat noisy a moment ago, fell completely silent. Everyone who heard Dragon's words froze in disbelief. Even the most faithful of the revolutionaries had never truly expected to see this day arrive so soon.
"M–Mr. Dragon, is… is that true?!"
A tall officer was the first to break the silence. Every face in the hall, save for Dragon's, was filled with shock and disbelief.
Yet among them, some faces also lit up with hope—they desperately wanted to hear a confirmation from Dragon himself.
"It's true!" Dragon declared firmly. "And I am absolutely certain—this time, we will overthrow the World Government!"
As he spoke, Dragon couldn't help but recall his earlier conversation with Kizaru.
Until now, Dorrag still couldn't fully digest the shock Kizaru had delivered him.
Compared to the revolutionaries' usual small-scale uprisings against World Government member states, Kizaru had set his sights directly on the Holy Land, Mariejois.
If they could wipe out the Five Elders and the Celestial Dragons in one blow—taking the World Government's top brass with them—and exploit the Navy's hundreds of branch bases scattered across the world, they could completely replace the World Government.
True, doing so would bring enormous aftershocks; unrest across the seas and the whole world would be inevitable. But a once-in-a-millennium opportunity was right in front of them, and the Revolutionary Army could not miss it.
The only problem was that the Revolutionary Army would be taking an enormous risk. If Kizaru harbored any ill will toward them, he could easily sabotage them and send the revolution to its doom.
Dorrag, always cautious by nature, would never take such a risk unless he trusted Kizaru with an almost blind faith.
"Wonderful! We finally waited for this day!"
"I can't wait to see the World Government fall!"
"As expected of Mr. Dragon! You really found a chance to overthrow the World Government!"
…
Just as Dragon had near-blind trust in Kizaru, the Revolutionary Army officers present trusted Dragon without question.
Among them were veterans who had followed him since the early days, watched him grow a small revolutionary force into what it was now, and had stuck with him all the way. No exaggeration: if Dragon ordered a suicide mission, at least half of the officers here would carry it out without hesitation; the rest would at most hesitate briefly.
"If there are missions for us to carry out, please give the orders, Mr. Dragon!" Sabo shouted excitedly.
He was, unsurprisingly, one of those who would follow Dragon's orders without hesitation. Though of noble birth, Sabo had long since seen the ugliness of nobles, and felt no love for a World Government that stood for aristocratic privilege. Under Dorrag's guidance he'd also come to believe that only by overthrowing the World Government could they save more innocent civilians—so Sabo was one of the most staunchly committed members of the Revolutionary Army. That was why he'd become Chief of Staff at such a young age—a position comparable to Vice Admiral in the Navy.
"Heh-heh! Me too, me too! For a historic moment like this, how could I Ivankov be left out!" the okama king cried, throwing up their hands with Sabo.
"Mr. Dragon, you called everyone back—are you planning to launch an enormous worldwide revolution and topple all the member states of the World Government in one go?" Lindberg, commander of the Southern Army, asked curiously. If they were going to topple the World Government in one stroke, he reasoned, they'd need to hit many member states simultaneously to stretch the World Government thin.
Toppling enough member states would strike the World Government's finances and authority; that had always been the Revolutionary Army's main objective. But Lindberg still didn't know how they'd finish the job after that.
After all, the Revolutionary Army had already launched multiple revolutions before—dozens of member states had been overthrown—but none had inflicted decisive damage on the World Government. Worse, many officers were exposed to CP organization surveillance during those uprisings, which compromised comrades who hadn't been exposed.
°°°
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