Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
At Sakazuki's home, in the second-floor study.
Standing by the window, Sakazuki looked toward Mary Geoise:
"The World Conference should have started by now."
Karol shrugged and said:
"Probably."
"Feels like the World Conference doesn't really accomplish much."
"Like they never make any truly useful decisions."
Sakazuki gave a small chuckle:
"The so-called World Conference."
"Nothing but a fig leaf for dictatorship."
"Those kings are just a bunch of pacified fools."
"The government gives them a convenient excuse to hand over their money every year."
"Eight hundred long years is more than enough for anyone with ambition to replace and control any power."
"The World Government is no exception."
"The ones truly in control of the World Government... are those people in the Holy Land."
Karol sighed:
"Truly terrifying..."
Sakazuki said:
"Thinking about that now is pointless."
"By the way, where is Bullet?"
Karol replied:
"He'll arrive at Headquarters this afternoon."
Sakazuki nodded:
"Go to the archives later and sort through the data."
"List all known Paramecia users on the seas, with pirates as the top priority."
"From now on, keep records updated whenever a new Paramecia appears."
"It's time to start recovering those fruits."
Karol said:
"Understood."
"But what about Zoans and Logias?"
Sakazuki shook his head:
"Zoans are useless except for a few Mythical ones."
"Logias as well—no great use."
"Only Paramecia fruits."
"Many of them fall into the rule-based category, powers you can't resist with brute strength alone."
"Those are the truly dangerous ones and must be kept under our control."
Fruits like the Slow-Slow Fruit, Luck-Luck Fruit, Regression Fruit, Hobby-Hobby Fruit, as well as incredibly useful ones like the Melt-Melt Fruit, Swallow-Swallow Fruit, Barrier-Barrier Fruit, and so on...
They were all Paramecia fruits. If possible, such troublesome fruits had to be secured.
Karol nodded and said:
"Understood."
Sakazuki thought for a moment:
"Have all the fruits from the Donquixote Pirates been retrieved?"
Karol nodded:
"They've all had unfortunate accidents."
"Every fruit has been delivered to the base."
"Even the fruits they had in storage have been added."
"The most valuable among them is the Gold-Gold Fruit."
"The rest aren't much to talk about."
"However, there were two little girls from the Donquixote family that Vice Admiral Tsuru took away back in the North Blue."
Sakazuki raised an eyebrow:
"Wasn't there just one?"
He remembered only Baby-5, nothing worth bothering about, so he hadn't paid it much mind.
Karol said:
"According to our reports, the other was discovered at the start of the year when the Donquixote base was raided."
"A little girl about to join the Donquixote family, a Hobby-Hobby Fruit user."
"Before we could make a move, Vice Admiral Tsuru arrived."
"So..."
Sakazuki pondered for a moment:
"I see..."
"Forget it, leave her alone."
"Falling into Tsuru's hands, she'll probably end up in the Marines."
"Focus on collecting the data first."
"Find and recover the necessary fruits."
Vice Admiral Tsuru's Wash-Wash Fruit could cleanse the evil from people's hearts, making them better... practically a Brainwash Fruit...
So in the end, both of those girls would join the Marines anyway.
...
Water 7.
At this time, it had none of its future prosperity.
On the dilapidated island, piles of abandoned parts and garbage could be seen everywhere.
Countless people lay slumped on the ground, living day after day in despair.
Because of the geography and storm surges, ships were wrecked and lives lost constantly, so almost no one dared come to this island.
Despair filled the hearts of everyone here...
In a shabby alley, two men holding bottles of liquor chatted idly:
"Suicide?"
"Yeah, the president of Dock 4. After that accident, he lost all his supplies."
"Had to sell his assets and try sailing again."
"But after another accident, he not only lost his supplies but also fifty people died..."
"Even the shipyard shut down. He went home and killed himself."
"Humans... really are fragile."
"Is this island truly beyond saving..."
The two sat there wasting away in despair when suddenly cheers erupted from the distance, growing louder and louder.
Puzzled, they listened carefully:
"Sounds like... Scrap Island?"
"What could be on Scrap Island... Scrap Island..."
Clang—
The bottle fell to the ground with a crash.
The two men looked at each other in disbelief:
"Scrap Island!!!"
"Could it be... the Sea Train!!!"
They jumped up and rushed madly toward Scrap Island...
Because there... was hope...
...
At the port of Water 7.
Countless residents gathered here, staring at the steel behemoth.
Shock filled their eyes as the crowd chattered noisily:
"Hey, hey, is this real?!"
"It's all made of steel!"
"Can a ship like this really run..."
"Feels kinda dangerous, since criminals built it."
"I want to ride it!!!"
"Me too!"
"Huh?"
"Tom! Any instructions?"
Tom stood beside them laughing:
"Ahahahaha, none!"
"Just get on board, everyone! From now on, it'll proudly sail across the seas!"
The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.
From the driver's cabin window, the fishwoman Kokoro leaned out:
"We're departing soon, everyone get ready!"
Moments later.
Hiss—
Steam hissed from the sharp head of the Sea Train.
It slowly began to move, and with a deep whistle... the very first Sea Train began its voyage.
...
Days later, Judicial Island.
On the aged Chief Judge's desk lay a report:
"Ten years already..."
"It finally succeeded. Not bad at all."
This was the same Chief Judge who had granted Tom ten years of time back then.
Reading the report and the perfect performance of the Sea Train, a smile crossed his face.
It was time to clear Tom's crimes. He called for a guard:
"Prepare to depart for Water 7 in ten days."
...
At the same time.
Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Inside the World Government's administrative offices.
Spandine, now promoted to the upper ranks of the Government.
He held a report in his hands identical to the one read by the Chief Judge on Judicial Island.
It had been delivered to him by a CP agent secretly working for him.
After all, having controlled CP9 for years, Spandine still had influence.
Looking at the name of the fishman Tom, he recalled the legend of the Pluton blueprints.
If things were managed well...
Then his good-for-nothing son could use this credit to inherit his position and rise to command CP9.
A smile crept across his lips as he picked up the Den Den Mushi:
"Hello..."
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg. 414 chapters in total