Chapter 166: Pirates, Marines, Revolutionaries, and Civilians
Garp strolled leisurely out of the haunted mansion, laughing heartily. "I know that brat Dragon all too well—he absolutely won't let this opportunity slip by. He'll definitely head straight for the heart of the ghost town to find the Tower Guardian."
"He's always been like this. Never one to let me relax."
Bogard looked hesitant and said, "Vice Admiral Garp, since all the Marines in the East Blue are involved in the hunt, why don't we just sit this one out?"
Others might not know, but as his adjutant, he knew Dragon's true identity.
He was Garp's own son.
Even in the name of justice, to make a war-hardened hero of the Navy hunt down his own son—it was far too cruel.
Besides, the Trial Tower didn't allow players to bring their full real-world strength inside. No matter how strong Dragon was, there were limits. He couldn't possibly overcome thousands of Marines.
"No need."
Garp shrugged it off with an indifferent look. "If you make a mistake, you should be prepared to bear the consequences."
"He's a high-level criminal wanted by the World Government. I'm a Vice Admiral of the Navy. Even if he's my own son, I won't show him mercy!"
As he spoke, he smashed his fists together, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
It had been a long time since he'd seen that rebellious brat. He had no idea how far Dragon's strength had come.
If Dragon hadn't defected from the Navy, the three Admirals today might've been four.
What kind of codename would he have had?
This time, the capture operation would serve as a lesson—to let his son taste his father's iron fists, especially now that Garp had a new skill that made those fists several times more powerful.
He wondered—how many punches could Dragon take?
Most of the players on the Island of Death had already gathered within the central ghost town.
The haunted manors infested with red-clad wraiths were being cleared one by one. The fog obscuring the streets was thinning, and everyone was pushing toward the core of the zone.
A smaller group of players had already realized they didn't have the strength or qualifications to challenge the Tower Guardian. They chose not to proceed deeper, and instead remained in the outskirts, continuing to hunt wraiths for rewards.
"Luffy, this is all your fault! My bounty is actually eighty million now!"
Nami was on the verge of tears.
Piecing things together from the murmurs of Marines, she'd learned that she was now the most wanted pirate in the entire East Blue—infamously known as the "Orange Devil" with a bounty of eighty million Berries.
She had never wanted to be a pirate. All she wanted was to defeat Arlong and quietly draw her nautical maps in Cocoyashi Village.
Now… she could only curse her luck for boarding the wrong pirate ship.
Luffy's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Hahaha! As expected of my navigator!"
In his mind, the higher the bounty, the more glorious the pirate.
Wham!
Nami smashed her fist down on Luffy's head.
Face full of rage, she yelled, "You idiot, Luffy! And you too, bastard Zoro! Hurry up and pay back the reward points you owe me!"
Zoro turned away, looking completely innocent.
He hadn't punched Buggy the Clown—what did this have to do with him?
Besides, this crazy woman had only lent them 500 reward points, and now she wanted 1,000 in return?
"No worries! Once we beat the Tower Guardian, we'll let you hold on to all the rewards."
Luffy smiled brightly, fully satisfied with the new skill he had just acquired.
To him, this was the ultimate adventure—hunting monsters, gaining new skills and gear—it was way more exciting than boring voyages at sea.
"Tower Guardian…"
Nami felt her heart pounding with anxiety, but soon her eyes grew firm with determination.
This was the Trial Tower. Everyone started on equal footing. Even the infamous pirates of the seas couldn't easily defeat the boss. That meant the Straw Hat Pirates had a chance too.
Wait—who's part of the Straw Hat Pirates?!
Nami shook her head vigorously, trying to rid herself of that dangerous thought.
"Don't kneel. Stand up."
Dragon's face remained expressionless as he stared at the group of slaves trying to beg the Marines for mercy.
Facing them were Smoker and his Loguetown unit, flanked by forces from other East Blue branches. The group numbered at least six or seven hundred.
On Dragon's side were barely fifty people.
These slaves were originally being transported to the Sabaody Archipelago auction houses. One of them had found a Contract Fruit, broken their chains, freed the others on the ship, and they began seeking more Contract Fruits.
Eventually, they entered the Trial Tower—only to be cornered by the Marines.
Smoker narrowed his eyes, staring warily at the tall figure in the distance. "Monkey D. Dragon. The world's most dangerous criminal. The primary capture target for this operation. You dare to show yourself openly?"
Dragon ignored him and instead turned to the group of slaves. "You are slaves. You're not protected by the laws of the World Government. Even if you smash your heads begging the Marines, they won't help you. They'll just recapture you and rebrand you with the slave mark."
"Are you slandering the Navy?!" Smoker barked.
"Is it slander?"
Dragon's voice was calm and matter-of-fact. No persuasion, no rhetoric—just stating a reality.
Smoker fell silent.
What Dragon said was true. Slaves weren't protected by law. They were property.
In fact, even civilians from non-affiliated countries weren't protected by the Navy—because the Five Elders forbade it.
"I am the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon."
Dragon approached the ragged, nearly hopeless slaves and said quietly, "If you still have courage, if you still want to be people and not slaves, then stand up. No one will forgive you or show you mercy. Only by picking up your weapons can you protect yourselves from harm."
"If your only goal is to survive, then the Revolutionary Army will stand behind you."
He never forced slaves to join his cause. Every time he freed those suffering in chains, he only took with him the ones willing to carry the Revolutionary Army's ideals forward.
Freeing and protecting the slaves, tearing down the absurd world of the world nobles—that had to be their choice.
It required comrades who shared the same dream, not coerced followers.
"I dare you to try!"
Captain Nezumi stuck out his head, yelling furiously.
He had finally broken these slaves down—beaten them into groveling submission. And now the Revolutionary Army showed up, trying to flip them back.
"These are high-value assets belonging to the World Nobles! If they're lost, the consequences will be severe! You're just a regular Marine now, Smoker. Or do you want to end up in prison too?"
Captain Nezumi glared at Smoker, who stood frozen after hearing just a few words from Dragon.
Smoker's brow furrowed tightly. "But…"
His eyes scanned the group of slaves—their emaciated, scarred bodies, still naked and unhealed. Even after becoming players, they didn't have enough reward points to buy healing potions.
They had stumbled their way into the ghost town, not even owning a single proper piece of gear.
They must've fled from the edges of the island under pressure from the Marine crackdown, afraid of being caught in the dragnet.
Pirates deserved to die.
But… did these people, who just wanted to live, really deserve to die too?
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