Sabo sat alone on a large rock, his expression clearly dissatisfied with the outcome of that morning's meeting.
He believed Dragon was taking too great a risk. Confronting a Marine Admiral before the Revolutionary Army was fully prepared was never a wise decision.
"Sabo, are you still worried about the Boss?" Koala asked as she approached, noticing the troubled expression on his face.
"Isn't the Boss being too hasty? This is clearly not the best timing for an operation of this scale," Sabo replied, voicing the concern that had been weighing heavily on his mind.
"Sabo, did you know that the Boss was recently hiding in another country while gathering intelligence?" Koala asked as she found a place to sit beside him.
"Yes." Sabo nodded, his response somewhat absent-minded.
Koala looked toward the distant ship before continuing.
"The people in that country are forced to survive on only one meal a day, while the nobles force them to work endlessly."
"Something happened on the very day the Boss arrived."
"A child who looked only a few years old suddenly collapsed in front of him. He curled up on the ground, barely able to speak, repeatedly muttering that he was hungry."
"To avoid exposing the Revolutionary Army's presence, the Boss couldn't approach him directly. He could only throw a loaf of bread toward the child from a distance."
Koala's expression became solemn.
"The Boss… didn't want to wait any longer."
"If we obtain the weapons being circulated through Dressrosa's underworld, we can arm more people. We can liberate more people who are suffering under oppression and living without freedom."
Koala's eyes settled on the figure standing alone aboard the Revolutionary Army's dragon-headed ship.
Monkey D. Dragon stood silently against the wind, his cloak fluttering behind him.
Koala knew their leader well.
Dragon was not a man who sought power for himself.
He was someone willing to place his own life on the line for people he had never even met.
Sabo remained silent.
The words struck him more deeply than he expected.
"I understand."
His inner conflict gradually disappeared.
Sabo had believed the Revolutionary Army needed more time to develop before making such a dangerous move.
That was true.
They needed more soldiers, more weapons, more intelligence, and stronger bases of operation.
But he had been overlooking something far more important.
The Revolutionary Army had not been created merely to become stronger.
Their purpose was to bring freedom to the people who had been denied it.
If they continued waiting for the perfect opportunity, there would always be another reason to delay.
And while they waited, countless people would continue suffering.
Some of those people might never live long enough to see the Revolutionary Army arrive.
They would simply disappear into the darkness of a world controlled by tyrants and nobles.
Sabo clenched his fist.
"Then we have no reason to wait any longer."
Koala smiled faintly.
"That's the Sabo I know."
Sabo looked toward Dragon's ship once more.
The Revolutionary Army was about to make another major move.
And this time, their target was Dressrosa.
…
Dressrosa RouteMeanwhile, aboard a Marine warship sailing toward Dressrosa, the sea stretched endlessly beneath the bright sky.
Kuzan had already spent some time traveling through the New World.
Knowing that Saint Roselith Seraphina still had plenty of time before reaching Dressrosa, he had decided to take a short detour and enjoy one of the more relaxing places along the route.
As usual, Kuzan's idea of relaxation was remarkably simple.
He found a popular tourist destination, enjoyed a long bath, and spent some time resting before continuing his journey.
Eventually, however, the former Admiral returned to the sea.
Rather than sailing aboard a Marine vessel, Kuzan once again relied on his peculiar method of transportation.
He extended his hand toward the sea.
"Ice Age."
A tremendous wave of cold spread outward.
The surface of the ocean froze beneath him, creating an enormous icy path stretching toward the horizon.
Kuzan casually placed his bicycle onto the frozen surface and began riding.
Back aboard the Marine warship, one of the Marines suddenly noticed something strange.
"Vice Admiral! There seems to be someone on the sea!"
The Marine pointed toward the distant horizon.
"It looks like they're riding a bicycle!"
Several Marines immediately turned toward the direction he was pointing.
An icy-blue path stretched across the ocean.
It was almost identical to the frozen path their Vice Admiral had created previously.
"A bicycle?"
Another Marine narrowed his eyes.
"Could it be… Aokiji?"
Saint Roselith Seraphina looked toward the approaching figure.
The moment she saw the familiar silhouette riding across the frozen sea, she already knew the answer.
If she was not mistaken, there was almost no possibility of it being anyone else.
The man approaching them was Admiral Aokiji, Kuzan.
"Yo! Seraphina! Long time no see!"
Kuzan casually folded his bicycle, picked it up, and leapt onto the Marine warship.
"Instructor Kuzan. Long time no see."
Seraphina greeted him with a slight smile.
Although Kuzan was now an Admiral and one of the strongest combatants in the Marines, Seraphina still regarded him as the instructor she had once trained under.
"How's it going? How has the New World been treating you?" Kuzan asked lazily. "The pirates here should be considerably tougher than those in Paradise, right?"
"No."
Seraphina shook her head.
"It's still just one sword strike."
"…"
Kuzan stared at her.
This girl really hadn't changed.
The New World was supposed to be the sea where monsters gathered, yet Seraphina spoke about its pirates as though they were ordinary criminals.
Fortunately, this time they had not encountered another opponent anywhere near the level of a Yonko.
Most of the pirates they had encountered were relatively minor figures with bounties around one hundred million Berries.
For ordinary Marines, pirates with such bounties were already extremely dangerous.
For Seraphina, however, they were hardly worth mentioning.
Since she had more important matters to deal with, she had not bothered wasting time capturing them.
One sword strike had been enough to end every encounter.
"Alright, alright. Looks like you're still the same monstrous talent."
Kuzan sighed.
He looked at Seraphina's youthful face and couldn't help feeling somewhat complicated.
Her appearance made her seem considerably younger than she actually was.
Yet her strength had already reached a level that most Marines could only dream of achieving.
Even Kuzan, one of the Navy's most powerful fighters, could not help acknowledging how frighteningly talented she was.
"By the way," Seraphina said, changing the subject. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku still hasn't clearly explained the details of your involvement in this mission."
She looked directly at Kuzan.
"Tell me, Instructor Kuzan. What exactly are you supposed to do?"
Kuzan scratched the back of his head.
"Your orders are still pretty straightforward. I'm here to provide support."
Seraphina nodded.
"If we encounter an opponent on the level of a Yonko, Instructor Kuzan can hold them off temporarily. Once I've dealt with Donquixote Doflamingo, I'll join you."
"…"
Kuzan's expression became strangely stiff.
Did this girl seriously think fighting a Yonko was like cutting up cabbages?
And more importantly, there wasn't even a Yonko in Dressrosa.
Kuzan sighed internally.
This was precisely the problem with monsters who had grown accustomed to fighting people far weaker than themselves.
"By the way, Admiral Kuzan," Seraphina continued, "once this mission is complete, would you be interested in accompanying me to Whitebeard's territory?"
"Hmm… no thanks."
Kuzan immediately refused.
He had absolutely no interest in deliberately seeking out a confrontation with the Whitebeard Pirates.
Fighting powerful pirates was exhausting.
A quiet vacation sounded much better.
Besides, he had a vague feeling that Seraphina was becoming increasingly interested in settling old scores.
It was always dangerous when someone that powerful started thinking about revenge.
"Alright. We can discuss that later."
Seraphina did not pursue the matter.
Kuzan had refused for now, but he had not necessarily rejected the idea forever.
"Admiral Kuzan, I'd like to know your opinion of Donquixote Doflamingo."
"Doflamingo?"
Kuzan raised an eyebrow.
"Yes."
Seraphina folded her arms.
"I've been studying the Marine intelligence files concerning him, but I believe direct observation is more reliable than written reports. Besides, most of those files haven't been updated in several years."
She paused briefly.
"Doflamingo is the King of Dressrosa and the former captain of the Donquixote Pirates. He's also deeply connected to the underworld."
Kuzan nodded.
"That's true."
"He's a cunning man."
Kuzan thought for a moment before giving his assessment.
Seraphina waited.
Kuzan's evaluation was brief, but there was a reason for that.
Doflamingo was certainly dangerous.
However, from Kuzan's perspective, the man did not represent an opponent who required excessive attention from someone at his level.
Moreover, during his time traveling through the region surrounding Dressrosa, Kuzan had observed enough to understand that Doflamingo possessed considerable political influence.
He maintained control over the country through a combination of fear, manipulation, military power, and the vast network surrounding the Donquixote Family.
To an outsider, Dressrosa could appear prosperous and peaceful.
But Kuzan understood that appearances could be deceiving.
Seraphina nodded.
She waited for Kuzan to continue.
Nothing happened.
She waited a few more seconds.
Still nothing.
Seraphina finally realized something.
"That's it?"
"Yeah."
Kuzan nodded.
"That's it."
He paused.
Then, as though he had suddenly remembered something important, he added, "Oh, and Doflamingo is extremely arrogant."
Seraphina stared at him.
"That's it?"
"Yeah."
Kuzan nodded with complete certainty.
"That's really it."
Seraphina rubbed her forehead.
"Wait. What about his strength?"
Kuzan thought about it for a moment.
"Maybe… probably… roughly…"
He slowly raised one hand and pointed toward Seraphina.
"He can't beat you."
Seraphina's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I see."
That explained everything.
The Marine intelligence files had made Doflamingo appear considerably more mysterious than he actually was.
Seraphina already had a clear understanding of Kuzan's strength.
He was a former Marine Admiral and one of the Navy's greatest combatants, while Doflamingo, despite possessing formidable Haki, the Ito Ito no Mi, tremendous physical ability, and extensive combat experience, was still below the level of a Marine Admiral.
And Seraphina herself had already surpassed what most ordinary Marines considered the limits of swordsmanship.
"Alright, then."
Seraphina's eyes became sharp.
"Let's go straight for the heart of the matter and arrest Donquixote Doflamingo."
Kuzan looked at her for a moment before smiling.
"As expected of someone from the Special Training Camp. You're decisive."
He stretched lazily.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku is always so cautious."
Kuzan had received orders from Sengoku not to act recklessly.
Seraphina, on the other hand, had immediately decided to move against the target.
In some ways, Kuzan preferred her approach.
"I've already identified a weak point in their defensive deployment," Kuzan said.
His expression became slightly more serious.
"We can exploit it and strike before the Donquixote Family has enough time to reorganize."
Seraphina nodded.
"Then we'll finish this quickly."
Kuzan had not truly been idle during his time around Dressrosa.
While traveling through the region, he had quietly gathered information regarding the Donquixote Family.
He had observed their movements, studied their security arrangements, identified their major personnel, and gained a fairly accurate understanding of how their forces were distributed throughout Dressrosa.
Now that Saint Roselith Seraphina had arrived, all that information could finally be put to use.
Neither of them realized that another powerful force was simultaneously moving toward Dressrosa from a completely different direction.
The Revolutionary Army had begun its operation.
And the moment those two forces entered the same battlefield, the quiet balance surrounding Dressrosa would be shattered.
Somewhere beyond the horizon, the winds of revolution were already blowing.