[Third-person perspective]
Marine Headquarters, Council Chamber.
This was where General Officers and other senior officers received reports from specialized bureaus and deliberated on matters of critical importance to the Marines, from the issuance of Wanted Posters for Pirates to the setting of Bounty amounts.
Naturally, this room too had suffered extensive damage in the recent Summit War. One wall and parts of the ceiling were destroyed, leaving the blue sky visible overhead. Even so, a great many officers had gathered here today.
Even at a time like this, or rather precisely because it was a time like this, there was no shortage of matters to raise and debate.
Lieutenant Commander Brannew, serving as moderator, laid out the agenda items one by one and kept the meeting moving at a brisk pace.
Among those items was one concerning the "Sixteen Bells" performed by Luffy and his crew. But following immediately after that was another item that had been submitted for discussion. This too was a matter of vital importance that the Marines could not afford to overlook.
"In the wake of Whitebeard, Edward Newgate's death during the Summit War, the Pirate Crews under Whitebeard's umbrella have been significantly weakened throughout the New World. Additionally, the islands that had been his territory, now stripped of their deterrent force, are being targeted by Pirates and other aggressors with increasing frequency."
Some of the officers wore bitter expressions at this.
The development itself had been anticipated even before the outbreak of war.
Whitebeard had used his name and his power to protect many islands, most of them home to the weak, to people who had no means of fighting.
Fish-Man Island, plagued by frequent kidnapping incidents targeting Mermaids and Fish-Men, was one obvious example. But the primary ones were Non-Affiliated Nations: countries unable to pay the Heavenly Tribute and therefore unable to join the World Government. Countries whose citizens would not only receive no protection from the Marines in times of crisis, but whose people were even said to have "no human rights."
Once Whitebeard was gone, those countries and islands would lose their shield.
The result: exposed to threats of plunder and domination by Pirates, invasion by other nations... the seas would descend into great turmoil.
As if to say, "This flag no longer holds any power."
The Marines had launched this war fully aware of that. Even so, the reality of innocent civilians in Non-Affiliated Nations becoming casualties was something most officers... could not welcome, at the very least.
But Lieutenant Commander Brannew continued with a "however."
"Regarding the upheaval across the New World and elsewhere... it has been suppressed to approximately thirty percent of the scale initially projected. The reasons can be broadly divided into three."
The first: several of those islands had acted on their own initiative, seeking another Pirate Flag to protect them, and that search had borne fruit in time.
Most had turned to other members of the Four Emperors, primarily Red Hair and Big Mom. They had volunteered to place themselves within those territories, offering Take in exchange for safety and protection, and had been granted a flag to fly.
As a result, other Pirates could no longer lay hands on those islands.
...Though this also meant other Pirate forces had grown stronger, so it wasn't a development the Marines could wholeheartedly welcome.
The second reason was the efforts of the Whitebeard Pirates' remnants who had survived the war.
Commanders such as Marco the Phoenix and Diamond Jozu, along with the many subordinate Pirates who had survived, and... Fire Fist Ace.
They had mobilized, racing across the territories, demonstrating that their strength was still intact. That alone served as a powerful deterrent. Whitebeard may be gone, but if anyone dared touch the territories, they would not stand by in silence.
And the third.
"Setting aside our own crackdown operation from several years ago, we have a Great Pirate who had been lying low for a full twenty years... the father of the Pirate Literary Master, Shiki the Golden Lion! He has finally begun to move! He is currently leading his Pirate forces through the New World, seizing one after another the islands that had been Whitebeard's territory!"
"What's more," Brannew continued.
"Puzzlingly, the islands being seized are... from the perspective of the Golden Lion's known tendencies, or those of other Pirates, islands with no real value as territory. Their productive capacity is far from high, they possess no notable resources... and from a strategic standpoint, most are locations of minimal importance. Frankly speaking, the main reason Whitebeard held these islands as territory was likely his personal convictions. For the Golden Lion, who should hold entirely different convictions, to seek out these islands is utterly inexplicable!"
Marking circles on the map spread across the wall, the Lieutenant Commander continued.
"Furthermore, there appears to be no particular oppressive rule being imposed on these islands. On the contrary, the Pirates stationed there show no signs of committing outrages against the residents. Rather, they are being treated as valued customers who spend money through the islands' local commerce. While Take is being collected, the amounts are far from exorbitant. Among the Islanders, there are many voices welcoming these Pirates as both customers and shields against external threats."
"Indeed, this is far removed from the image of the Golden Lion, known for terror and brutality... Surely he can't genuinely intend to engage in charitable work. We should view this as part of some stratagem. Is he trying to win the support of the Islanders to exploit it for something?"
"Alternatively, one could interpret it as him avoiding the more 'profitable' islands, anticipating that those would lead to territorial disputes with powerful Pirates, Four Emperors-class forces even."
The debate continued, but no definitive answer emerged.
There was simply too little information to reach one.
Once the discussion had been pushed as far as it could go, one of the officers posed a question.
"So, what is to be done about this? From the reports, the Pirates stationed on these islands, while at New World level, don't seem to represent an overwhelming force. It shouldn't be difficult to take any of them..."
"No, that would be unwise. Pirates aside, those islands are, without question, currently being protected by the Golden Lion Pirates from pillaging by other Pirates. As a deterrent force replacing Whitebeard. If we were to strip away that shield once again..."
"The civilian population would be endangered. And the resulting resentment would be directed at the Government and the Marines all the more fiercely. Given the recent trends toward anti-government sentiment and Revolution... that is not something we can welcome."
"Moreover, it would mean making a full enemy of the Golden Lion Pirates. And if that happens, Shiki is one thing, but..."
"His daughter... the Pirate Literary Master might bare her Fangs as well. Beyond her personal combat abilities, her Incitement Ability was... amply demonstrated during that war. We cannot afford to provoke her carelessly."
"There's no doubt something is being planned, but..."
"For now, we have no choice but to watch and wait. At the very least, we need to strengthen surveillance so we can detect any movements the instant they occur."
***
[Sue's Perspective]
Apparently Papa's been scheming all sorts of things and making moves, but... meanwhile, I've been kicking back on Merveille, enjoying my convalescent leave.
My wounds are mostly healed and my stamina's back, so I'm thinking it's about time to wrap things up.
Also, while I've been resting, quite a lot has been happening on Merveille too.
See, when I came back, a whole bunch of "newcomers" came with me. There's been a flurry of activity getting them all settled in.
...Though the ones doing the actual work were Papa's subordinates. My involvement was basically limited to being asked "Is this okay?" and answering "Sure."
Since I've got the chance, let me explain a bit about these people.
First, the prisoners from Impel Down who took a liking to me and said "We're coming with you!"
In the Original Work, it sounds like Captain Buggy was the only option, but in this world, about twenty to thirty percent of them chose to follow me.
Twenty to thirty percent of fourteen hundred is a pretty substantial number. Roughly double the total number of escapees in the Original Work, I think.
On top of that, some of them are fierce fighters with Bounties in the tens of millions or even over a hundred million... So the Golden Lion Pirates just got a significant boost in manpower.
As for housing, there happened to be several vacant dormitories on Merveille, so they were put up there for the time being. Glad we managed to prepare proper rooms for everyone.
But... why were there conveniently enough dormitories sitting empty for that many people?
Apparently Papa had prepared them for some other purpose, but when I asked if it was really okay to use them, he happily handed them over, saying "This actually works out perfectly" and "Their time has come sooner than expected."
And the two who stand at the top of those newcomers, Blume and Beauty, have moved right into the empty rooms in my Hideout.
That's how much I trust them. At this point, we've honestly got that "friends forever" vibe going.
On top of that, because we spent so much time acting together inside the prison and have been together since arriving here, those two are already being regarded and treated by the other escaped prisoners as something like my close aides.
Since that works out perfectly, I went ahead and made it official.
Oh, and related to that, we also welcomed Beauty's companions onto Merveille.
Not into the Hideout, obviously, but we set up separate dormitories on one of the islands.
I'd heard back in prison that Beauty had originally been organizing a group of orphans in a Non-Affiliated Nation, supporting companions she'd known since those days.
She'd asked that she couldn't just abandon them and wanted to keep looking after them, so that's why we took them in.
With that worry off her shoulders, she said she could finally be with us with a clear conscience, and she smiled.
Both Blume and I felt relieved. And happy.
Blume, on the other hand, apparently doesn't have anyone like that, so she came with just the clothes on her back.
Next, also people I brought along, though at a different time.
Marianne and the others, the former Baroque Works crew.
They had come knocking on the Golden Lion Pirates' door seeking the power to rescue Bon-chan, and now that their objective had been successfully accomplished... the question became: what now?
As for Bon-chan himself, he went off to the Kamabakka Kingdom with Iva-san.
...Well, nothing to say about that. Though I'm a little scared of what evolution he'll have undergone by the time we next meet.
So, Marianne and the others. After sending Bon-chan off in a tearful farewell, they were faced with a choice.
Between the label of "former Baroque Works" and the fact that they'd caused quite a ruckus at both Impel Down and the Summit War, going back to a normal life seemed pretty much out of the question.
But striking out on their own and building some kind of independent force seemed equally difficult.
Following Crocodile like Mr. 1 did could have been an option. Crocodile seemed motivated to do all sorts of things in the New World going forward.
But they chose to stay with us.
They said that on top of being able to train hard and grow stronger, our group wasn't some hardcore militant outfit. It was moderately relaxed and comfortable to be around.
So they remain my companions going forward. Looking forward to working together.
Also, as a writer, having a talented artist by my side is a lifesaver. A massive lifesaver.
And actually, Mr. 3 came over to our side too.
In the Original Work, I think he went along with Buggy, but... this time he chose to come with his former partner and colleagues.
On top of that, apparently he'd watched the frenzy of the prisoners swarming around Buggy and the way Buggy got carried away when they egged him on, and his conclusion was: "If I'd gone with them, sooner or later I'd get dragged into something outrageous with no way back, and that's terrifying, gane."
Nothing scarier than a mob running wild beyond anyone's control, he said. ...And Buggy doesn't exactly try to control them. If anything, he tends to ride the wave right along with them...
Rather than that, he said he'd prefer the Golden Lion, who was already a well-known big-name Pirate and who possessed the same kind of meticulous "intellectual criminal" quality that he prided himself on.
Ah, I see. So he came here planning to ingratiate himself with Papa, not with me.
Well, Papa should be able to handle him just fine. When it comes to being that kind of villain, Papa's top-tier, know-how and all.
...But what surprised me the most was...
"I had no idea that while I wasn't looking, you'd become one of us..."
"Yahahahaha! Strange connections, mysterious fate... this world is full of surprises. Don't be so cold. Let us enjoy this destiny, shall we... 'Miss'?"
"The disconnect is incredible..."
"Ugh... Gramps, when did you even..."
This god, sitting on the sofa in the Hideout's living room (not in our private residential area), biting into an apple like he owned the place.
Enel. The guy we fought tooth and nail against in Skypiea.
That brazen ease with which he lounged about was equal to, if not exceeding, the level of relaxation he'd displayed when we fought him in the sky.
Faced with the sight, I let out a sigh... while Leona, who had clashed head-on with him in Skypiea, glared at him with visible unease. ...While hiding behind me, mind you.
"No need to be so guarded. The situation is different from back then. I have no intention of laying a hand on anyone, so rest easy, Lion girl... oh wait, here it's 'Lady Leona,' isn't it?"
"...The disconnect is incredible."
"Right?"
As for why this guy was one of us in the first place... the story goes back just a few weeks to a month or so.
Right around the time I was locked up in Impel Down.
Enel and his group had escaped the Sky Island using a prototype of the Ark Maxim and had been traveling the Blue Sea for a while... when they happened to run into Papa by sheer coincidence.
Since both of them were flying through the air, they were conspicuous enough that each spotted the other with a mutual "?!" and made contact.
It turned into a fight... but the result was Enel's crushing defeat.
Papa has gotten considerably stronger since I first met him, after all... in both physical ability and Haki.
While taken aback by the Powers of Enel's Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Papa read his movements with Observation Haki, caught his physical form with Armament Haki, and landed his attacks... magnificently taking him down.
And right then and there, Papa recruited him.
"You've got excellent Powers but the user's still green. What a waste. Come with me," he'd said.
Apparently, by that point Enel had already shifted the vast majority of his focus toward curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge, so the pride and rigid worldview he'd once clung to had mostly faded away. If it meant gaining even greater power and a foothold to "learn" even more, Enel took Papa's hand.
Together with his four Priests and a large number of Divine Soldiers, he had entered Papa's fold. That was the gist of it.
Though, given how shamelessly at ease he was acting, he clearly had no intention of being humble or behaving like a subordinate. But Papa had apparently agreed that was fine.
"Rest assured, I harbor no thoughts of stabbing anyone in the back or betraying you once I've outlived my usefulness. In fact, saying I don't have the time for such things would be more accurate. Since coming here, I've been keenly reminded of how little I truly knew. This is the first environment I've encountered where there is so much to absorb as knowledge. It's genuinely stimulating... I simply have neither the time nor the inclination to waste on such petty schemes."
"I'll take your word for it, for now. But if you try anything funny, you won't get off easy."
"I shall take that to heart. Worry not, I shall cause no trouble, and I shall prove useful. You may count on that. I look forward to working with you, 'Miss'! Yahahahaha!"
...Good grief. Things are getting chaotic around here on Merveille.
To be continued...