The Goa Kingdom. One of the official affiliated nations of the World Government. Geographically renowned across the globe as the most beautiful, pristine, and perfectly ordered nation in the entire East Blue.
The inner city was completely spotless, meticulously segregated from the outside world by a massive, towering stone wall. Absolutely everything deemed 'unnecessary' or 'unsightly' by the nobility was brutally banished to the other side of that wall.
However, the truly remarkable aspect of the Goa Kingdom wasn't its superficial beauty. It was the fact that a tiny, incredibly rural settlement at the very edge of its territory—Foosha Village—had inexplicably produced the most terrifying, world-shaking family lineage in modern history: The Monkey Family.
Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, the legendary 'Hero of the Marines'. Monkey D. Dragon, the Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army. And eventually, Monkey D. Luffy, the future Pirate King.
Every single one of them was an absolute heavyweight who would completely redefine their respective eras, yet miraculously, they were all affiliated with completely opposing global factions.
Furthermore, another highly critical figure hailed from this kingdom: Sabo. Born directly into the high nobility, he harbored a deep, burning disgust for his own social class and desperately sought absolute freedom. Due to a tragic twist of fate, he would eventually be rescued and trained by Dragon to become the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army.
The Goa Kingdom was the White Dragon's next destination.
When Bardock and his crew docked in the capital's pristine harbor and stepped into the High Town, the local citizens were still buzzing with excitement. Every street corner was filled with animated, highly reverent gossip regarding the recent, glorious visit of a World Noble: Saint Jalmack. Judging by the sheer arrogance and profound pride plastered across the locals' faces, they truly believed that having a Celestial Dragon visit their kingdom was the absolute greatest honor in the world.
Hearing this specific news instantly confirmed the timeline for Bardock.
'So Saint Jalmack has already arrived... which means Sabo's small fishing boat has already been blown to pieces by the Celestial Dragon's cannon fire, and Dragon has already saved him,' Bardock noted internally. 'I arrived a bit too late.'
It was a slight shame. Bardock genuinely admired Sabo's unwavering pursuit of freedom and his tactical brilliance. If the opportunity had presented itself, he wouldn't have minded aggressively recruiting the noble boy to his own crew.
As they strolled down the immaculate, cobblestone streets, Perona twirled her parasol and looked around in genuine awe. "Wow... This country really is exactly like the rumors say. It's completely spotless! There's not a single speck of dirt or garbage anywhere. It truly deserves the title of the most beautiful country in the East Blue."
"Things are rarely that simple," Robin countered smoothly, her eyes scanning the perfectly manicured hedges and ridiculously extravagant clothing of the passing nobles. She absolutely refused to believe that a massive kingdom possessed literally zero impoverished citizens.
Crossing her arms, Robin discreetly activated her Flower-Flower Fruit. She sprouted dozens of eyes and ears in hidden corners across the city, rapidly gathering intelligence.
"This is..."
Within minutes, Robin had her answer. The warm smile completely vanished from her face, replaced by an expression of profound disgust. She instantly lost every ounce of respect she had for this 'beautiful' nation.
"What's wrong?" Perona asked, noticing the sudden, drastic shift in Robin's aura.
"The reason you don't see any filth or poverty in this city," Robin said, her voice dropping to a cold, venomous whisper, "is because they literally banished everything they deem 'unnecessary' to the other side of that massive wall. And that includes poor human beings."
Robin gestured toward the towering stone wall in the distance. "The area outside the wall is known as the 'Gray Terminal'. It is a literal, continent-sized mountain of garbage. Thousands of impoverished, starving citizens who were banished from the city are forced to live there, desperately scrounging through toxic waste just to survive."
Robin's eyes narrowed dangerously. "But the absolute worst part? In order to perfectly 'cleanse' the kingdom's image right before the Celestial Dragon arrived, the King secretly ordered his soldiers to lock the gates and completely incinerate the entire Gray Terminal. They purposefully burned thousands of their own impoverished citizens alive just so the World Noble wouldn't have to look at them."
"WHAT?!" Perona shrieked, instantly abandoning her admiration for the city. "Are you serious?! What absolute garbage! This King is worse than a pirate!"
"If that's the case," Bardock said, his expression completely unreadable as he turned away from the pristine High Town, "then let's go take a look at the dark underbelly of this 'beautiful' country. Let's see what's left of the Gray Terminal."
Bardock adjusted his course, leading the crew directly toward the massive, heavily fortified main gate that connected the High Town to the outside world.
A squad of elite Royal Guards was stationed at the gate. Seeing Bardock's heavily armed group approaching with grim expressions, the guards immediately raised their rifles, fully intending to aggressively halt them.
Bardock couldn't be bothered to waste a single breath on these complicit murderers.
He didn't break his stride. He simply unleashed a highly compressed, directional blast of Conqueror's Haki.
The absolute, crushing pressure of a King slammed into the guards like an invisible freight train. Without even a gasp, the entire squad's eyes rolled into the back of their heads, and they instantly collapsed into a heap of unconscious bodies.
Bardock casually stepped over the guards and pushed the massive iron doors open.
Stepping outside the wall, the pristine beauty of the Goa Kingdom vanished instantly. Stretching out before them for miles was a horrific, blackened wasteland. The ground was covered in a thick layer of toxic ash, and the twisted, charred remains of massive garbage piles still smoldered, filling the air with the sickening stench of burnt plastic and rot.
"This is horrible..." Mansherry whispered, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at the apocalyptic devastation. "How many innocent people were burned to death here?"
Seeing her distress, Bardock gently patted her head. "Don't be too sad, Mansherry. The Revolutionary Army was already secretly operating in the area. When the fires started, they blew a massive hole through the perimeter wall and evacuated the vast majority of the citizens hiding in the trash. Very few innocent people actually died here."
"Wait, really?" Perona tilted her head, wiping a tear from her eye. "If the Revolutionary Army was already here, and they're supposed to overthrow corrupt governments... why didn't they just use the opportunity to launch a full-scale rebellion and execute that garbage King?! They definitely have the military strength to do it!"
Bardock looked past the charred wasteland, his gaze settling on the lush, green mountains in the far distance. He knew that Foosha Village lay exactly on the other side of that mountain range.
"What are you talking about?" Bardock chuckled dryly. "This specific kingdom is the literal birthplace of both Vice Admiral Garp and Dragon. Operating a military coup here is incredibly politically sensitive. If Dragon accidentally destroyed his old man's favorite hometown during the crossfire, Garp would definitely hunt him down and beat him half to death with his 'Fists of Love'."
In reality, the political situation was far more complex. The Goa Kingdom was highly favored by the World Government. If the Revolutionary Army actively conquered it, the Navy would immediately dispatch Admirals to violently reclaim it. Dragon simply didn't have the military infrastructure or global support to openly hold a World Government affiliated nation yet; he could only focus on saving lives.
"Speaking of which," Robin interjected, smoothly changing the subject. "If I recall correctly, Vice Admiral Garp's hometown is called Foosha Village. Are we planning to pay it a visit?"
"Of course," Bardock nodded. "However, the geography is a bit tricky. We'll split into two groups. One group will follow me and hike over that mountain range directly into Foosha Village. The other group will take the White Dragon and sail around the coast to meet us at the village port."
Bardock turned to the crew. "Decide amongst yourselves who wants to do what."
Instantly, absolutely every single member of the crew (except Enel) raised their hands, eagerly wanting to hike over the mountain with Bardock rather than sit on the ship.
Bardock sighed helplessly. "Alright. Enel, you're the designated driver. Sail the ship to the port. The rest of you, start walking."