Mary Geoise, the Chamber of Authority.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, his long sword resting across his shoulder, frowned slightly. A problem had arisen today within the Chamber, neither large nor small.
As the Warrior God of Finance, the collection and allocation of the Heavenly Tribute fell under his jurisdiction.
"The convoy transporting the Heavenly Tribute from the East Blue has disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
Saint Saturn raised his head slightly.
"Because of Garp, the East Blue hasn't produced any pirates worth mentioning these past few years. Who from CP was responsible for escorting the tribute?"
Saint Topman Warcury, the Warrior God of Justice, replied,
"Navalta. His mastery of both Haki types is respectable, and his Observation Haki has evolved to the point of possessing a special ability."
Compared to Armament Haki, Observation Haki was, in some respects, similar to Conqueror's Haki. Some people were simply born with extraordinary gifts.
Gol D. Roger's Voice of All Things.
That woman from eighty-six years ago who could influence the hearts of others.
These were all innate Observation abilities.
As for Navalta, through relentless training, he had awakened the power to glimpse the future.
Saint Saturn, the Warrior God of Science and Defense, looked particularly gloomy.
Recently, Germa had been brought under their control, and Vinsmoke Judge was working diligently at Punk Hazard. Scientific research required a tremendous amount of funding.
Although they could seize resources from the world whenever they wished, their very existence was meant to preserve the stability of the seas.
The insects would always remain insects, but even the rules they themselves had established could not be casually broken.
Which meant...money was still necessary.
"Has CP found any clues?"
Nusjuro slowly shook his head, tightening his grip on his sword.
"The escort fleet vanished completely within the East Blue. In fact, the problem wasn't even discovered until the scheduled contact with the CPO officer in charge failed."
Saint Marcus Mars spoke calmly,
"A dog that loses its fangs no longer has any value."
Nusjuro nodded, clearly agreeing.
"Then who should take responsibility for CPO?"
In just a few casual exchanges, the fate of a CPO commander had already been decided.
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter suggested,
"During the previous North Blue operation against Germa, that CP9 agent, Spandine, demonstrated qualities more in line with what CP should be."
Saturn added,
"I agree. Both the South Blue operation and the Ohara Buster Call proved where his loyalties lie."
Warcury, who oversaw legal affairs, gave a slight nod.
"Then let him investigate the matter. Promote him to CPO commander."
"A watchdog doesn't need overwhelming strength."
"It only needs obedience."
That was their natural way of thinking.
Like all Celestial Dragons, they did not consider themselves the same species as ordinary humans.
Those who served them were dogs.
Everyone else was merely insects.
"There are no extreme weather conditions in the East Blue."
Saturn continued,
"And with Navalta escorting the fleet, it shouldn't have been possible for ordinary East Blue pirates to destroy it."
"The Heavenly Tribute from the East Blue itself isn't particularly valuable."
"But if the enemy found this operation easy..."
"...then future tribute convoys will become even more vulnerable."
Nusjuro slowly drew his blade and gently wiped the polished edge.
"Insects should know their place."
"The moment they crawl out again..."
"...they will be crushed."
"And there is one more matter."
Warcury spoke again, his eyes darkening.
"Kaido was defeated in Wano Country. The Beasts Pirates were reduced to only Kaido himself and a single officer."
"One of the former MADS members, Queen, remains missing."
"Originally, he was among our intended targets."
He paused before continuing.
"As mentioned before, our intelligence division completed its analysis of the core temperature generated during that battle in Wano..."
"...the result was six thousand degrees."
The other four figures inside the Chamber of Authority fell silent.
For eight hundred years...never had a mere insect stained its hands with the blood of three gods and continued to live.
Not even Rocks D. Xebec had managed that.
But there was only one person.
Even now, the World Government still had no idea what he actually looked like. The bounty issued by the Marines could only refer to him by a temporary name:
The Cloaked Man.
Ever since the incident at Sabaody Archipelago, his next confirmed appearance should have been in Wano Country. No one else could possibly have produced flames of that magnitude.
Even Sakazuki, the user of the Mag-Mag Fruit, could only generate magma reaching around fifteen hundred degrees.
The temperature recorded in Wano...
Six thousand degrees.
"It has already been several months. If we investigate now, we should be able to determine whether Wano has fallen under the control of the Revolutionary Army."
"In the past, because of our cooperation with Kaido, CP agents could enter Wano safely through the hidden port. But now, flight capabilities will be necessary."
"Moonwalk could also be used to reach the island, but once there, the chances of being discovered are very high."
"What we need to know is whether the Revolutionary Army has replaced Kaido's rule."
"Wano Country is... special."
"If this was all done intentionally, then it means those Revolutionary Army insects know far more than they should."
"The instantaneous movement ability that ignores P-material, along with those six-thousand-degree flames..."
"The research division has already made developing countermeasures against the Cloaked Man's abilities a top priority."
"But technology capable of isolating and sealing space itself is not something easily achieved."
"Ever since Roger's execution at Loguetown..."
"...the seas have become increasingly chaotic."
After those words, the five Elders fell silent once again.
The duty of the Five Elders had always been to preserve stability while maintaining their power and continuing to extract resources from the world.
Pirates had to exist.
Without the threat of pirates, those insects would no longer obediently hand over their wealth.
Likewise, if there were no pirates, certain fools within the Marines might begin developing dangerous ideas of their own.
Only when the balance between pirates and the Marines was maintained could the world remain as they desired.
But now, because of Roger's final words, an endless stream of pirates from the Four Blues was flooding into the Grand Line.
And that wasn't even their greatest concern.
Over the past few years—or rather, over the past several months the Cloaked Man had become the central topic of discussion within the Chamber of Authority.
Now, another threat had to be added.
The Revolutionary Army.
What those insects sought to overthrow was the eight-hundred-year rule of Mary Geoise itself.
"Aside from Wano, has CP discovered any other traces of the Revolutionary Army?"
Saint Saturn asked.
"There are."
Saint Nusjuro's eyes narrowed slightly.
"In truth, Wano was only singled out because of the Cloaked Man."
"Since the Revolutionary Army withdrew from those five kingdoms, traces of them have appeared throughout the Four Blues and even the Grand Line."
"CP agents have captured several Revolutionary Army members."
He paused, but the other four Elders already understood what he meant.
Saint Warcury spoke next.
"According to the reports, none of the captured Revolutionary Army members have shown any intention of revealing information."
"Torture. Interrogation. Extreme punishment."
"Nothing has been able to break their will."
"However, CP accidentally uncovered one very interesting fact."
"The vast majority of Revolutionary Army members..."
"...are capable of using both Armament and Observation Haki."
For a moment, all five of them fell silent.
They understood better than anyone where Haki came from.
Only an unwavering and unbreakable will could awaken that power.
If that were true, then their refusal to betray their organization, even under torture, suddenly made perfect sense.
Clang.
Saint Nusjuro sheathed his sword.
"Continue the hunt."
"The moment we locate the headquarters of these insects..."
"...it will be their end."
Saint Warcury nodded.
"It's worth trying."
"Five prisoners were involved in the last incident. Two were rescued, and the remaining three took their own lives."
"But that alone doesn't prove that every member of the Revolutionary Army possesses such unwavering resolve."
One week later.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Freshly returned from the East Blue, Garp wore a thoroughly displeased expression.
Without even bothering to knock, he kicked open the door to Sengoku's office.
Bang!
"You can't even let a man enjoy his vacation properly!"
"Sengoku! Just because you don't have any grandkids doesn't mean everyone else is as unfortunate as you!"
"If you don't hand over all those rice crackers you've been hiding today, then I swear I'll—"
As soon as he stepped inside, the rest of Garp's sentence got stuck in his throat.
Even Zephyr was here?
He casually found a seat and sat down.
"What? Isn't it just that the Celestial Dragons' Heavenly Tribute got robbed? To them, that's nothing more than a drop in the bucket. Why are all of you looking so gloomy?"
Sengoku wasn't in the mood to deal with him.
Tsuru, seated below him, picked up a document and handed it over.
The title on the front was an operational order regarding the encirclement of the seas surrounding Wano Country.
An encirclement?
Garp froze for a moment, and his expression immediately changed.
At the same time, he understood why everyone gathered in this office today was one of the old generation.
Because only veteran Marines knew exactly what an order like this truly meant.
He flipped through the document, and the contents left his thoughts in turmoil.
The Marines were to cooperate with the CP agencies to blockade the waters around Wano, ensuring that not a single living thing could escape.
Apart from that, there was no Buster Call authorization.
Nor was there any order for the Marines' top combat forces to engage in battle.
Sengoku rubbed his forehead.
"It's obvious that the people above intend to erase Wano Country altogether."
Erase.
They all knew what that word meant.
More than ten years ago, God Valley had been wiped from the map overnight, leaving behind not the slightest trace.
"So that Cloaked Man really isn't an exception..."
Garp sighed.
"He killed three Celestial Dragons and still walked away alive. Looks like even he won't be spared this time."
He didn't believe anyone could survive the kind of attack capable of erasing an entire island.
That wasn't a power an individual could stand against.
"If the purpose of erasing Wano is to deal with the Cloaked Man..."
Tsuru paused briefly before continuing.
"...then the World Government is still planning to use the Revolutionary Army to restrict his teleportation ability."
"Wano's unique geography and its policy of isolation make infiltration nearly impossible except through the hidden port."
"So does that mean the World Government has already confirmed that both the Revolutionary Army and the Cloaked Man are in Wano?"
The moment she finished speaking, Sengoku understood.
There were only two possibilities behind this order.
The first was that the intelligence had already been confirmed.
The Revolutionary Army had occupied Wano, and the Cloaked Man was there as well.
Therefore, the World Government intended to use that terrifying weapon to annihilate both the Revolutionary Army and the Cloaked Man, sacrificing the entire country of Wano in the process.
The second possibility...was that they still hadn't confirmed it.
But the instant they did, the extermination plan would begin.
A permanent solution.
Along with the uniquely troublesome nation of Wano itself.
Thinking of this, Sengoku immediately picked up the Den Den Mushi and connected it to the office of the G5 Branch Commander.
"Purururu... Purururu..."
The snail rang.
The Marshal's office was completely silent.
Click.
The call connected.
A snail wearing dark sunglasses appeared before everyone, lazily imitating the person on the other end.
"Marshal Sengoku, is this about the bounty money from before?"
"The bounty hunters have already come by several times. If we don't pay them soon, they're going to tear G5 apart."
"You know what this place is like. It's a barren wasteland with no income at all. Even if I use my Marine salary to pay them in advance, it still won't be enough!"
"And that swordsman bounty hunter is ridiculously strong. I can't beat him."
"He even warned me that if he doesn't get paid, he'll loot the entire base and go become a pirate himself."
The complaints poured endlessly out of the Den Den Mushi.
Sengoku tried several times to interrupt, but never got the chance.
Instead, his frown grew deeper and deeper.
A swordsman bounty hunter?
Become a pirate?
Did that brat really think Headquarters didn't know about the old "Executioner" routine he used back in the West Blue?
The bounties below thirty million Beli were one thing.
But any pirate with a bounty over a hundred million...
There was absolutely no doubt that this fellow had personally gone out and cut them down himself.
All this time, Rowan had shown absolutely no mercy toward pirates.
If someone like him became a pirate, was that even possible?
He was more likely to become a Revolutionary than a pirate!
"Vice Admiral Rowan, Headquarters has a mission for you!"
Sengoku's voice caused the Den Den Mushi to pause for a moment.
But Rowan quickly replied,
"I really can't leave recently, sir! That bounty hunter has been wandering around the front gate every day. If I leave, he might just tear the entire branch apart."
Just as Sengoku was about to continue, Zephyr, who had been silent the entire time, interrupted him.
"Rowan."
"Hm?"
"Why does that sound so much like Old Man Zephyr? Usually the Marshal's office only has Vice Admiral Tsuru around. The people who use their brains don't normally bring along the one who only uses his muscles."
The veins on Zephyr's forehead bulged.
"Enough nonsense. It's me."
"We need you to go to CP Headquarters and take charge of an investigation concerning Wano Country."
Immediately afterward, Tsuru spoke as well.
"If you can make yourself the person in charge of the Wano investigation and successfully complete the assignment..."
"...then all of the bounty funds that Headquarters has been withholding will be released to G5."
The expression on the Den Den Mushi instantly changed.
"Alright, no problem."
"I'll give Spandine a call right away."
"But whether it works or not, I can't guarantee."
Sengoku's expression shifted.
"Why? I thought your relationship with Spandine was..."
"Marshal Sengoku."
Rowan cut him off.
"Even a good relationship needs money to maintain."
"CP isn't like Marine Headquarters."
"It's actually more like some of the branch bases."
"If you want something done, you've got to spend money."
Tsuru immediately replied,
"You can spend it."
"But the limit is fifty million Beli."
"And if the money is spent but the job isn't done..."
"...then from now on, Headquarters will no longer pay out any bounty funds owed to G5 Branch."
On the other end of the line, Rowan spread his hands helplessly.
As expected...
Among everyone at Headquarters, this old lady was the hardest one to fool.
"Understood, understood."
"We're all on the same side here."
"Why would one of our own try to cheat another?"
"I'm a Marine Vice Admiral, not one of those CP people."
Tsuru frowned slightly.
Judging from his tone and attitude over the Den Den Mushi if she hadn't added that last condition, there was a very real chance that he had intended to take the money and do absolutely nothing.
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