Chapter 304: The Perfect Opportunity
Grand Line, Baltigo.
The leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon, stood atop a massive, pale rock, his eyes gazing past the endless desert sands and into the distance. The sea breeze whipped his black hair and dark green cloak.
As Dragon was contemplating the Revolutionary Army's next move, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from behind. This snapped him from his thoughts, and he glanced back.
"What is it, Koala?"
Koala was an excellent soldier, specializing in intelligence. She was meticulous and always rational. But today, she was in a state of disarray, breathing heavily. This told Dragon something significant had happened.
Koala, clutching a newspaper and several Den Den Mushi, sprinted up to him, her orange hair flying.
"Something unbelievable has happened on the seas, Mr. Dragon!" she gasped, her expression a strange mix of shock and confusion, sweat pouring down her face as she tried to catch her breath.
"A major incident?"
Dragon frowned, taking the newspaper from her. As he began to read, Koala frantically began working the Den Den Mushi, gathering intel from all Four Blues, the Grand Line, and the underworld.
Even though he had braced himself, the bold, bloody headlines and the expensive, full-color photos shocked him to his core.
"The World Government's Three Great Institutions—Enies Lobby, Marine Headquarters, and Impel Down—All Attacked on the Same Day."
"The World Is Facing Destruction!!"
Dragon's face was grim, his pupils trembling as he read the news aloud.
[The Straw Hat crew, in an attempt to rescue the 79,000,000-Berry bounty 'Devil Child' Nico Robin, has attacked Enies Lobby. Following in the footsteps of the Giant Warrior Pirates, they have once again destroyed the judicial island.]
Below, a photo showed the Straw Hat crew fighting men in black suits.
[The Whitebeard Pirates and Kaido of the Beasts appeared at Marine Headquarters for unknown reasons and engaged in a fierce battle with the Marines. In the intense fighting, Marine Headquarters was completely destroyed, and half the island collapsed. Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, is dead. A small number of his crew escaped. Marine Headquarters suffered catastrophic losses. Marine 'Hero' Garp is severely injured and remains in a coma. Fleet Admiral 'the Buddha' Sengoku suffered severe, full-body burns and died despite rescue efforts. One of the attackers, Kaido of the Beasts, was seen climbing from the rubble and leaving.]
Dragon's gaze lingered on the photo of Whitebeard's standing corpse, then on the ruins of Marineford.
"Marine Headquarters... nearly fell?" He was stunned. He had been a Marine once; he knew what that fortress represented.
He then looked at the photo of his father in a hospital bed, and the one of Sengoku's funeral, his expression unreadable. "Old man... and Sengoku..."
Though they stood on opposite sides, Garp was his father, and Sengoku was his senior. Now, one was gravely injured and the other was dead, and he could not even go to see them. He looked up at the sky, silent.
He quickly composed himself and moved to the next article. The report on Impel Down was short, suspiciously so. Anyone could tell it had been heavily redacted.
[The Golden Lion Shiki and Archangel Louis attacked Impel Down, killing all guards, and then moved the entire prison, vanishing without a trace.]
Dragon frowned. This was useless. He needed the real story to decide the Revolutionaries' next move.
On one hand, his friend and comrade, Ivankov, was in that prison. On the other, if its prisoners were loosed upon the world, the consequences would be dire.
Just then, Koala looked as if she'd been struck by lightning, her face pale, her mind blank.
"This... this has to be a joke..."
"What is it?" Dragon turned. "More intel?"
"..."
Koala turned stiffly, her expression one of pure, world-shattering shock.
"It wasn't... It wasn't just Marineford, Enies Lobby, and Impel Down..."
Her pupils trembled as she met Dragon's hardening gaze.
"It was... the Holy Land... Mary Geoise."
"..."
The name made Dragon's blood run cold. His pupils contracted. He had his own history with that place, and he had dedicated his life to its destruction.
"Another Fisher Tiger...?" he whispered.
"It was the Golden Lion and Archangel Louis!" Koala's voice was shaking. "After they... lifted Impel Down... they somehow bypassed the Red Line's defenses... and dropped it on the Holy Land!"
"All of Mary Geoise has been destroyed! Tens of thousands of prisoners ran rampant, burning, looting, and killing almost everyone!"
"And... the underworld is saying... someone of great importance was killed!"
"What?!" Dragon couldn't stop the exclamation. He was frozen, as if struck by lightning.
It all made sense now. The reason the Impel Down story was buried was because it was part of a much larger incident. An attack on the heart of the World Government.
If news that Mary Geoise had fallen got out, the world would descend into chaos. Kingdoms on the verge of leaving the World Government would declare independence.
"Someone of great importance..." Dragon's mind raced. Who? The Commander of the God's Knights? No, the last one was killed years ago and it didn't cause this. The Commander-in-Chief, Kong? No, still not "important" enough.
That left only one possibility.
"So... one of the Five Elders was killed?" Dragon's voice was low. "Which one?"
Purupurupuru...
A Den Den Mushi in Dragon's coat began to ring. He pulled it out and answered. A strange, high-pitched "HEE-HAW!" came from the other end.
"It's been a while, Dragon!"
Koala, seeing who it was, quietly excused herself.
Dragon watched her go, then said, "Koala, gather all officers on Baltigo. And contact the army commanders in all Four Blues. Tell them to prepare for a tele-conference."
"Understood!"
When she was gone, Dragon spoke into the snail, a hint of relief in his voice. "Are you alright, Ivankov? I heard... Impel Down was dropped on Mary Geoise."
"I'm fine!" Ivankov's voice came back. "Archangel's people found us and got us out before the fall! Not only that, we freed all the slaves from the Celestial Dragons' residences!"
"Good," Dragon said. "I'll send a ship with your Vivre Card, food, and medicine. Hold on."
"As expected of you, Dragon-boy! But you won't believe what I saw in the Holy Land! Powers... beyond human comprehension. An Angel... and a Demon. Their clash was like something out of a myth!"
"A demon?" Dragon knew who the "Angel" was.
"The World Government's deepest secret," Iva said, his voice dropping. "The Five Elders... they take orders from it! It's not just strong, Dragon... it transformed the prisoners from Levels 5 and 6 into actual demons. They became monstrously strong... and immortal!"
"Demons..." Dragon's mind raced. So... it can transform prisoners. Can it transform... the Marines?
"Iva, the intel says a high-ranking official was killed. Do you know who?"
"Killed? That's impossible... I was busy getting the slaves out. I didn't see anyone die..."
"It doesn't matter. The truth will come out eventually." Dragon hung up, his mind made. He turned and walked toward the conference room.
The world's central power had been struck. Their grip was at its weakest.
This was the perfect opportunity.
Marineford. In a makeshift conference room, Fujitora, Akainu, and Tsuru sat on salvaged chairs, listening grimly to Kizaru's report.
"...The Holy Land is completely destroyed," Kizaru said, his voice flat. "The defenses are gone. Commander-in-Chief Kong was killed by Bullet. The Five Elders Saturn and Marcus Mars were also killed, by Louis."
"Of the nineteen Celestial Dragon families, twelve were completely wiped out. The few survivors from the other families are... negligible."
"The remaining Five Elders have requested that Vice Admiral Garp be transferred to the Holy Land for treatment... to avoid what happened to Fleet Admiral Sengoku..."
"I refuse," Tsuru said instantly, her voice like ice. "Absolutely not."
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