Chapter 302: Sengoku's Terror, the Truth Revealed!
"Evolving?"
"What the hell is that thing?"
"Could it really be a legendary angel from heaven…?"
"Silence!" Sengoku slammed his fist on the table, his face as dark as a storm. "Angels do not exist in this world! Do not be deceived by this so-called holy appearance!"
"Correct," Brannew continued. "According to the analysis of the science department, it is most likely a lucky creature that ate the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Archangel. Perhaps it needed time to develop its fruit, or perhaps the Curtain Call was intentionally concealing its existence, which is why it has appeared in various different forms."
So that's it… Many of the high-ranking officers in the room had a moment of realization. That made sense.
Only Kizaru frowned. A Mythical Zoan? But it's clearly a Logia, a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user. He had fought alongside the former Warlord, Enel. The eight-winged angel's moves, its ability to teleport in a flash of lightning—it was all identical to Enel's. But after a glance at Sengoku's face, Kizaru decided to keep his mouth shut.
"In any case, this eight-winged archangel, though it appears holy and noble, is in fact an extremely ferocious and brutal weapon of war, and this time, it has committed a heinous crime!! The fall of two of the World Government's great figures is directly related to this creature! I implore all of you to raise your level of vigilance against it!"
Brannew's face was solemn as he raised his voice and pointed to Angewomon's wanted poster. "By the personal order of the Five Elders, and in light of the threat it poses, Marine Headquarters has decided to make an exception for its initial bounty!"
"Top Officer of the Curtain Call, 'Fallen Saint' Mochi, bounty, 2.5 billion Berries!"
"Two and a half billion Berries?!" The conference room erupted once more. Many of the officers stared at the wanted poster in disbelief. An initial bounty of that level? It was unprecedented in Marine history! Then again, the last time that record was broken… it was also by someone from the Curtain Call, wasn't it?
"That's insane!" a Rear Admiral blurted out. "Even for a Mythical Zoan, to give such a high bounty right away…"
"Didn't you hear? A heinous crime," the Vice Admiral next to him said, biting his cigar. "Those two great figures who fell… it seems they died at the hands of this creature."
"That must be it. Looking at the whole picture, the Curtain Call is terrifying…" another Vice Admiral broke out in a cold sweat. "The captain has a bounty over six billion, and under him are two with bounties over two billion, and then three more with bounties over a billion. And they have more division captains with bounties in the hundreds of millions than you can count on two hands. And that's not even counting the ones over a hundred million. Such a terrifying lineup… they have, from top to bottom, from mid-tier officers to top-tier fighters, completely surpassed the Whitebeard Pirates!!!"
Completely surpassed… The faces of the surrounding officers turned grim. But no one could refute it. And what was even more terrifying was that this pirate crew had only been formed for a year and a half. The Whitebeard Pirates had taken twenty to thirty years to build their reputation after the fall of the Rocks Pirates!
In the increasingly oppressive atmosphere, "Continue, Brannew," Sengoku said in a low voice.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!" Brannew turned and looked at the orange-haired girl's wanted poster. "Since we're on the subject, let's continue with her. Now that it has been confirmed that our previous intelligence was a misjudgment, the threat assessment for 'Pet-Eating Demon' Nami must also be significantly downgraded."
"During our previous investigation of Shane's hometown, the villagers' evaluation of this woman's character was extremely poor. They said she was a mischievous child, a petty thief who often stole things from the village. Therefore, her epithet has been changed to 'Cat Burglar'! And her bounty, considering the value of the Flame-Flame Fruit, has been reduced from 350 million Berries to 100 million Berries!"
"Too high."
"Tsk, just a small-time pickpocket with no fighting strength. Even if she's an ability user, she's not worth a hundred million."
"Can't be helped, she's that Shane's sister…"
After a few brief comments, no one paid any more attention. She was just a non-combatant with connections. No threat at all.
Brannew turned and expertly continued to post new wanted posters on the board. "Next, the bounty adjustments for the Curtain Call's division captains! The bounties of the other division captains were raised significantly last time, and since there were no exceptional performances this time, they will all receive a uniform increase of 20 million Berries!" This category included not only the division captains of the Combat Corps but also the veteran members of the main crew. For example, "White Hunter" Smoker's bounty was raised from 830 million to 850 million Berries. The high-ranking officers quickly scanned the list, and after a brief discussion, no one objected.
"The only one worthy of note is this man!" Brannew's right hand slammed down on a photo of a grim-faced man in a wide-brimmed hat, a cigar in his mouth. "Another traitor, following in the footsteps of the White Hunter Smoker. The former Chief Guard of Impel Down, Shiryu of the Rain, has now defected to the Curtain Call and is serving as the captain of their First Division! In this incident, he displayed terrifying swordsmanship, defeating two Marine Vice Admirals by himself. He is an opponent who must not be underestimated. Considering his former high-ranking position in Impel Down and the gravity of his defection, his initial bounty has been set at 680 million Berries!"
680 million? It was an astonishing number. But after the series of shocks they had just received, the officers in the room were somewhat numb, and their reaction was not particularly strong.
"Finally, the bounties for the mid-to-lower-tier officers. They are not of high importance, so I will not go over them one by one. I will distribute the materials, and you can just familiarize yourselves with them," Brannew concluded. Just as he was about to distribute the thick stack of files, the doors to the conference room were suddenly thrown open!
BOOM!
Sengoku's personal adjutant, his face pale, rushed in, clutching a stack of newspapers. "Fleet Admiral! It's terrible! Something major has happened, Fleet Admiral…"
"What is the meaning of this?!" Akainu frowned, his voice sharp with annoyance. "Don't you know we're in an important meeting?! Have you forgotten all basic etiquette?!"
"My deepest apologies, Admiral Sakazuki!" The adjutant quickly stood at attention and saluted, but the terror on his face was still palpable. He tremblingly handed the newspapers to Sengoku. "But… but this is a top-level emergency! The World Economic Journal, for some reason, has announced a full partnership with the Curtain Call and has… has already released the truth about the Lvneel Kingdom incident to the public!"
"What?!" Sengoku's face changed drastically. He shot to his feet and snatched the newspapers. Akainu and Kizaru exchanged a look, and some of the Vice Admirals' faces also turned grim. The other officers, however, were confused. The truth? The Lvneel Kingdom incident was a massacre of the Celestial Dragons by a group of thugs. What other truth was there?
For a moment, the vast conference room fell silent. All eyes were on Sengoku. Will they publish that? Is it possible… no, it can't be. That Morgans guy should know where the Holy Land's bottom line is. How could he dare?!
Sengoku's breathing nearly stopped. With a final shred of hope, he opened the newspaper with trembling hands. On the front page, a bold, black headline screamed at him—
[THREE YEARS, ONE NATION! THE LIES AND ATROCITIES OF THE WORLD GOVERNMENT! THE FULL TRUTH OF THE CELESTIAL DRAGON MASSACRE REVEALED!]
Below it was a massive photo. On the golden platform of the Celestial Dragons' hunting tournament, the masked host stood before the golden bell, announcing the bloody rules of the game. And below, the Celestial Dragons, armed to the teeth, were either rubbing their hands in anticipation or wearing savage grins.
It's true… and the situation was even worse than he had imagined. They even had photos from before the game started. Did that mean… Sengoku's face instantly went pale. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he collapsed back into his chair. The newspaper in his hand fluttered to the floor.
The conference room was in an uproar.
"Fleet Admiral?!"
"What's happened?!"
"What's going on?!"
Many of them stood up, their faces a mixture of shock and confusion. They had never seen the "Resourceful General," known for his composure, in such a state. Vice Admiral Momonga, sitting in the front row, after a glance at the silent three Admirals, hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but pick up the newspaper and continue reading—
East Blue, Foosha Village.
"…Yes, as described above, the rules of the hunting game are just that cruel and bloody. The 360,000 people of the Lvneel Kingdom, in the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, are nothing more than 360,000 prey! The hunting game has no time limit. It will only end… when every living person on the island has been killed, to ensure that the news will never leak out." In the tavern, Makino looked up from the newspaper at the shocked faces of the customers around her and struggled to say the last few words.
Grand Line, G-19 Base, New Recruit Training Ground.
"And the Marines, who call themselves justice? Where are they? Are they turning a blind eye to such atrocities, deaf and dumb in the face of the Celestial Dragons' power? No! That's not it! How could such esteemed personages as the Celestial Dragons not be accompanied by the Marines? Every hunting game is escorted by a massive Marine fleet, which even participates in clearing the field…" The newly promoted Captain Hina's face was grim as she read the newspaper, gritting her teeth so hard that the cigarette in her mouth fell to the ground unnoticed. Behind her, a group of new recruits exchanged looks, some terrified, some confused, some filled with righteous indignation… and many of them, on the spot, tore off their Marine uniforms, threw their hats to the ground, and, with dark faces, walked out the gate without looking back!
New World, aboard the Moby Dick.
"Three years, one nation. In 800 years, how many non-affiliated countries have been destroyed, how many innocent people have been slaughtered? If pirates are the villains who throw this sea into turmoil, then what are the Celestial Dragons? And what are the Marines, who are always talking about upholding justice?!" a new recruit who had just joined read, and then looked up. "Pops, is this for real? The World Government, the Celestial Dragons… and those self-righteous Marines, are they really this disgusting?!"
"What do you think, you foolish sons?" Whitebeard chuckled, ruffling his hair, his deep gaze looking out at the distant horizon. So the hunting game was held again? And it was stopped by outside interference again. It reminded him of God Valley. But to think that something like this would be revealed to the whole world one day. If that bastard Rocks could hear this news from the underworld, he'd probably be laughing his head off at the World Government.
"GURARARARARARA!" Whitebeard took a swig of sake and let out a hearty laugh. "That kid Shane has really done something incredible this time!" He had lived for so long, had seen so many heroes and powerhouses come and go, but in the end, none of them had the guts of this kid!
Grand Line, the Revolutionary Army's temporary headquarters, Baltigo.
"Have you all finished reading? It's finally out!" the East Army Commander, Belo Betty, shot to her feet, unable to contain her excitement. "Now, the ugly face of the World Government can no longer be hidden! Waaah, this is great! Great, great, great! As expected of someone from my home sea! A beautiful job, Lord Shane!"
"We're thousands of kilometers apart. Isn't it a bit of a stretch to call him a 'homeboy' just because you're both from the East Blue?" Koala said, shaking her head. "I don't know how that Lord Shane managed to persuade Morgans to cooperate with him, but the 800-year-old authority of the World Government is not so easily shaken. I'm afraid many people still won't believe it, just based on these words and pictures."
"That's why every newspaper comes with this!" Belo Betty said with a grin, tearing something from the back of the paper and holding it up. "See? A Tone Dial!"
"A Tone Dial?" Koala took the small, white shell. "Isn't this a specialty of Skypiea? It's not common in the Blue Sea."
"But for the Curtain Call and the World Economic Journal, getting a large number of Tone Dials should be easy, right? With the distribution of the newspapers, at least a million Tone Dials have been sent out. Each one has a live recording of the hunting tournament! Including the arrogant speeches of the Celestial Dragons announcing the rules, and the conversations of the Marine officers as they blockaded the coast!" She pressed the button on top of the shell, and—
"Gehahaha! Prey! Commoners of the island! Are you ready to die?"
"Yes, my lord! All exits have been sealed. Please enjoy the hunt."
"Hehahaha, last time I only killed five hundred. It wasn't enough! This time, I'm going to kill a five-digit number! A whole thousand!"
"That's a four-digit number, you idiot Charlos!"
"Eh? Is it? Whatever! Then I'll kill ten thousand!"
"You're dreaming. With your stamina, unless you have Kizaru carry you around, that's not happening, haha!"
The sound of malicious laughter echoed through the conference room. The officers present, though long familiar with the ugliness of the Celestial Dragons, were still filled with a sense of revulsion and physical discomfort. Dragon, who had been silent, turned off the Tone Dial.
Belo Betty added, "In addition to the recordings, I also heard that the World Economic Journal is broadcasting a video to the whole world. Although it will probably be shut down by the World Government soon, enough people will have seen it by then! No one will be able to question the truth of this news!"
"So thorough…" the usually taciturn North Army Commander, Karasu, said through his loudspeaker. "In just one year, to have created such a stir, to have pushed the World Government into such a corner… compared to them, we Revolutionaries have much to be ashamed of…"
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