"West Blue. The Kingdom of Olt."
Karl spoke calmly.
"A few days ago they withdrew from the World Government."
"And right after that, I received a mission."
"The Five Elders claim the Revolutionary Army is behind the withdrawal."
"So my task is simple—"
"Destroy the kingdom before the Revolutionaries can establish a foothold."
Karl looked at Bartholomew Kuma.
"You know how the World Government works."
"I don't need to explain the rest."
Kuma nodded silently.
Framing others was nothing new.
The Revolutionary Army had long grown used to it.
Karl continued.
"The situation is this."
"I must complete the mission."
"But I don't want innocent civilians to suffer."
"So I came to you."
"I want an introduction to someone."
He paused slightly.
"Monkey D. Dragon."
"I want to talk with him."
"Phone call or meeting—it doesn't matter."
Kuma replied without hesitation.
"Alright."
Karl laughed.
"Straightforward. I like that—"
Then he blinked.
"…Where did you go?"
Kuma had vanished.
Karl stood there confused.
A few minutes later—
Kuma returned.
He handed Karl a white Den Den Mushi.
"You can talk to Dragon through this."
"I have other matters to attend to."
Then—
Pop.
He disappeared again.
Karl sighed helplessly.
The Call
A deep voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
"I am the Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army."
"Monkey D. Dragon."
"You may call me Dragon."
Karl smiled.
"Nice to meet you."
"Call me Karl."
"After all, we were once colleagues."
Dragon laughed softly.
"That was a long time ago."
"I've already heard from Kuma about the situation."
"The Revolutionary Army had nothing to do with Olt's withdrawal."
"Although…"
"We were indeed planning to persuade King Olt VIII to join us."
"So what advice do you have?"
Karl waved it off.
"No advice."
"I just need a small favor."
"As payment, Kuma's identity remains our little secret."
"How about it?"
Dragon answered immediately.
"No problem."
"As long as we can help."
Karl blinked slightly.
Dragon's attitude was more cooperative than expected.
But it also made sense.
Then Dragon asked:
"What exactly do you need?"
Karl smiled.
"It's simple."
"The World Government claims the Revolutionary Army is in Olt."
"So let's make it true."
Dragon fell silent.
Karl continued:
"I need the Revolutionary Army to publicly declare Olt Kingdom as your base."
"Then pressure King Olt VIII to join your faction."
"After that—"
"Evacuate most of the population."
Dragon understood immediately.
"So the kingdom must be destroyed."
Karl shrugged.
"You know the World Government better than anyone."
"What do you think?"
Dragon took a deep breath.
"Understood."
"We'll send officers to Olt immediately."
"When will you arrive?"
"Ten days."
Karl's voice turned serious.
"You have ten days."
"After ten days, the world will hear the news."
"Vice Admiral White Crow destroyed the Revolutionary Army's new base—Olt Kingdom."
Dragon nodded.
"Understood."
"We'll handle everything."
After the Negotiation
They chatted for a while longer.
Dragon subtly probed Karl's views about the Revolutionary Army.
Testing whether he could recruit him.
Karl remained vague.
"Cooperation is possible."
"But don't expect me to join for free."
Dragon sighed.
"What a pity."
"If you joined us…"
Karl interrupted.
"I'm a Marine."
"Let's not discuss that again."
Then he smiled.
"But as a gesture of goodwill…"
"I can offer the Revolutionary Army a way to make money."
Dragon's eyes lit up instantly.
Money.
The Revolutionary Army desperately needed it.
Running a global revolution was extremely expensive.
And unlike pirates—
They couldn't openly plunder.
"What opportunity?"
Karl grinned.
"Next month a product called Holy Light Shell will appear."
"It's a Sky Island specialty."
"I can make the Revolutionary Army the exclusive distributor in the Four Seas."
Dragon leaned forward.
"What does it do?"
Karl immediately switched into salesman mode.
He described:
Holy Light Shell
Holy Healing Shell
Dragon's breathing grew heavier.
Even just hearing about it—
He knew it would sell like wildfire.
But Karl raised a finger.
"Not yet."
"First solve the Olt Kingdom situation."
"Then we'll discuss business."
Meanwhile — Baltigo
Baltigo
The White Soil Island.
The hidden headquarters of the Revolutionary Army.
After the call ended—
Dragon's smile disappeared instantly.
His face became serious.
He had always believed one rule:
Don't judge by what people say.
Judge by what they do.
Karl's promises sounded attractive.
But they were still empty words.
What mattered was the Olt Kingdom operation.
Dragon believed it could become a turning point.
For two reasons.
First—
Karl was the highest-ranking Marine the Revolutionaries had ever contacted.
And he showed no hostility.
That meant cooperation was possible.
And cooperation meant opportunity.
Opportunity to show Karl the ideals of the Revolutionary Army.
And perhaps—
Recruit him.
Second—
The Revolutionary Army had been quiet for too long.
The world was beginning to forget them.
This operation would remind everyone:
The ghost opposing the rule of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons was still wandering the seas.
Dragon immediately returned to headquarters and began issuing orders.
Soon—
A small boat departed from Baltigo.
At its bow stood a young man with wavy hair and a scar over his left eye.
Sabo.
Beside him stood Koala.
Sabo smiled confidently.
"Koala."
"This mission takes us to West Blue."
"Are you afraid?"
Koala rolled her eyes.
"Afraid?"
"You must be joking."
At the same time—
Multiple disguised merchant ships departed from various islands in West Blue.
Their destination:
The Kingdom of Olt.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus (OP)Chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus (OP)Chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 (OP)Chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/SwipeSage