The doors of Makino's bar burst open violently.
Bang!
A tall woman with wild orange curls stormed inside with an enraged expression.
The entire tavern instantly fell silent.
Everyone recognized her immediately.
Curly Dadan.
The mountain bandit who had practically raised Ace, Luffy, and Sabo.
The moment she appeared, several villagers instinctively looked away in guilt.
Makino rubbed her forehead helplessly.
Back during Ace's public execution, the villagers had desperately hidden the news from Dadan to stop her from causing trouble.
Unfortunately, she eventually found out anyway.
This time, everyone had agreed to keep the news from her again.
Nobody expected her to still discover it so quickly.
Dadan's furious gaze swept across the tavern.
Her chest rose heavily with anger.
"You bastards..."
Before she could finish speaking, a thick wooden club suddenly swung down from behind her.
Bang!
Dadan collapsed face-first onto the floor.
The entire bar froze.
Makino stared in shock.
"Hey! Are you insane?! Why did you actually knock her out?!"
The middle-aged villager holding the club awkwardly scratched his head.
"What else was I supposed to do?"
He pointed at the unconscious Dadan lying on the floor.
"Last time she found out about Ace's execution, she nearly destroyed your entire bar."
Several villagers nodded instinctively.
That incident had practically become a nightmare for everyone in Foosha Village.
Tables shattered.
Walls cracked.
Alcohol barrels exploded everywhere.
Even Garp got punched in the face.
Originally, everyone had only joked that if another execution happened, they should knock Dadan unconscious before she caused chaos again.
Nobody expected A-en to genuinely take the idea seriously.
Makino crouched beside Dadan with a worried face.
"You still went too far."
A-en waved dismissively.
"Relax, she'll wake up soon. Her body's tougher than Sea King meat."
Makino sighed helplessly.
Dadan spent her life fighting wild beasts in the mountains.
This level of attack really was nothing to her.
After confirming Dadan was merely unconscious, Makino finally relaxed slightly.
Soon, everyone's attention returned to the screen.
The atmosphere inside the tavern became heavy once again.
...
East Blue.
Goa Kingdom.
Inside the royal palace, a middle-aged man wearing a luxurious blue suit stared at the live broadcast with excitement written all over his face.
His fists were clenched tightly.
Even his body trembled slightly.
Beside him stood a young nobleman with blond curly hair.
Seeing the older man shaking, the young noble asked in confusion:
"Father, why are you trembling? Are you upset about Sabo being executed?"
The middle-aged man slowly shook his head.
"No."
"I'm excited."
The young man froze.
"Excited?"
A greedy smile gradually spread across the middle-aged man's face.
"It's because Sabo joined the Revolutionary Army that the World Government kept rejecting our applications to become World Nobles."
The young noble's eyes widened instantly.
"You mean... once Sabo dies, we can finally become Celestial Dragons?!"
The middle-aged man nodded confidently.
"Exactly."
The young noble became ecstatic.
"If we'd known earlier that Sabo would become such a problem, we should've killed him back then instead of throwing him into the trash district.
Then we would've become World Nobles long ago."
The middle-aged man frowned slightly but did not refute him.
"Forget it. What's done is done."
If Sabo were present here, he would immediately recognize them.
The middle-aged man was Outlook III, King of Goa Kingdom and Sabo's biological father.
The blond young man beside him was Stelly, Sabo's adopted brother.
As nobles of Goa Kingdom, both of them had always envied the luxurious lifestyle of the Celestial Dragons.
Over the years, they repeatedly submitted applications hoping to become World Nobles themselves.
Every single request had been ignored.
At first, they never understood why.
Then came the Marineford War.
That was when they learned Sabo had not only survived, but had become the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff.
The second most important figure in the entire Revolutionary Army.
From that moment onward, they finally understood why the World Government refused them repeatedly.
Sabo's existence had become a stain attached to their family.
But now, Sabo was about to die publicly.
Once he disappeared, that stain would vanish with him.
Stelly suddenly spoke nervously.
"Father... do you think the World Government might punish us because we're related to Sabo?"
Outlook III waved dismissively.
"Impossible."
"We abandoned Sabo years ago. If anything, the World Government may appreciate our decision."
Stelly's breathing instantly became hurried.
"Then let's prepare a ship immediately!"
His face flushed red with excitement.
"We should head straight to Mary Geoise with another application!"
The more he imagined life as a Celestial Dragon, the more excited he became.
"Once I become a World Noble, I'll get twenty women... no, thirty!"
"I'll have servants everywhere!"
"Hahahaha!"
His disgusting laughter echoed throughout the palace.
Outlook III merely smiled in satisfaction.
Compared to Sabo, who constantly talked about justice and equality, Stelly was far more suitable as his successor.
In their eyes, the World Government was eternal and invincible.
No force in the world could possibly challenge its authority.
Not the Revolutionary Army.
Not the Marines' enemies.
Not even the Ion Pirates led by Rolan.
...
Kurehimiya Island.
Brown Square.
Kuzan's voice continued echoing through the broadcast Den Den Mushi.
"Vegapunk, Chief Scientist of the World Government.
A man possessing scientific knowledge centuries ahead of the current era.
After joining the World Government, he not only failed to properly serve the Government, but also secretly leaked intelligence and technology to the Revolutionary Army and the Ion Pirates.
Therefore, his execution today carries equally significant meaning."
Hearing this, Sabo glanced sideways at Vegapunk.
The old scientist simply remained silent.
His expression barely changed.
Sabo sighed inwardly.
During their imprisonment together, Vegapunk had already spoken extensively about the corruption and darkness of the World Government.
Now, hearing Kuzan publicly distort everything, Vegapunk no longer even bothered arguing.
Because there was no point.
To the world, the winners always controlled the narrative.
Vegapunk himself was not afraid of death.
His greatest regret was failing to reveal the truth of the Void Century to the world.
The World Government's ugliest secrets would continue remaining hidden.
At the same time, he regretted that his scientific knowledge might vanish with him.
That was why he still hoped Dragon and Rolan would arrive.
Around Brown Square, countless Marines and Cipher Pol agents immediately erupted into discussion.
"So that's what happened!"
"No wonder Vegapunk was arrested!"
"Traitors deserve execution!"
"Vegapunk deserves death even more than Sabo!"
Listening to the shouting around him, Kuzan's brows twitched slightly.
He muttered inwardly:
Lying really is exhausting.
Being Fleet Admiral is a pain in the ass.
Then suddenly...
A clear voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Haha... Kuzan, our Chief of Staff and Army Commander are doing alright, yeah?"
===
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