The Red Line, the Chamber of Authority in Mary Geoise.
"At the entrance to the New World Whitebeard and the Revolutionary Army's Cloaked Man got into a clash."
Looking at the latest report sent over by the Marines Saint Saturn's expression was grave.
"His combat strength is growing stronger and stronger. According to the report the entire uninhabited island was destroyed. After being burned into charcoal it was shattered by Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit and completely disappeared beneath the sea."
Hearing this Saint Warcury reached out and took the document. After reading through it he frowned and passed it to the other three.
"Whitebeard Newgate, that man was actually injured by him. Enormous waves swept through the waters near the Marines' G-1 Branch. That alone is enough to tell us Whitebeard wasn't holding back."
Saint Peter put down the document.
"The one piece of good news we can confirm now is that his clones aren't nearly as formidable as his true body."
During the invasion of Mary Geoise the combat strength displayed by those two clones had been far too low.
Although they still seemed capable of relying on Observation Haki to evade attacks neither the flaming blade nor the Conqueror's Haki he'd unleashed during his confrontation with Borsalino at the Sabaody Archipelago had been displayed.
That at least could be considered good news.
However for a mere insect to have grown to this extent had clearly displeased both the God's Knights and Imu. The Five Elders felt the same.
Saint Nusjuro who had been standing there with his sword planted before him raised his head slightly. "How is that plan progressing?"
He didn't specify who the question was directed at but Saint Saturn knew perfectly well that it was meant for him.
All this time because the Cloaked Man could alter his appearance the World Government had never managed to determine his true identity.
However through their several encounters with him especially the brutal manner in which Saint Summit had been tortured and killed along with the things said during that incident they had deduced that he was a survivor of God Valley.
Later after the Revolutionary Army withdrew from the Kingdom of Olga combined with the fact that he had fought to the bitter end at the Sabaody Archipelago rather than retreat they naturally deduced that he was connected to the Revolutionary Army.
The words he'd used to sway Sakazuki and Kuzan during the Buster Call on Ohara were further evidence.
Because of this during their previous discussions they had formulated a preliminary plan to use the Revolutionary Army as bait to draw out the Cloaked Man.
As a result the World Government's relentless pursuit of the Revolutionary Army had recently shifted toward surveillance and documentation instead.
Saint Saturn remained silent for a moment before replying.
"We've already confirmed the identities of several Revolutionary Army members but none of them appear to be part of the upper ranks. There was only one at the level of an instructor. When he happened to realize he was under surveillance he deliberately tested his surroundings. Once the CP agents were exposed he immediately attempted to take them down with him."
As he spoke a trace of fear flashed through Saint Saturn's eyes.
"After the incident everything inside his residence had been burned completely clean. Not a single list or piece of information concerning the Revolutionary Army was left behind. Clearly the moment he realized he was being followed and monitored that man had already made his decision."
After Saint Saturn finished speaking everyone in the Chamber of Authority frowned, disbelief visible in their eyes.
Although they had always referred to humans as insects they knew perfectly well that these so-called insects possessed thoughts of their own. And where there was thought there was fear. For a living being there was no greater fear than death.
These people weren't bioengineered humans created in the laboratories on Punk Hazard, beings whose lack of fear toward death had been implanted into their genes from the very beginning.
Those creations lacked emotions and at the same time their potential had been permanently capped.
"This rebellion by the insects is different from before. The balance of the world has already begun to shift. Ideas spread extremely quickly.
If this continues the Revolutionary Army will become dangerous. And then there's that man with all those abilities! His very existence is already threatening the stability of the world!"
Saint Nusjuro tapped the sheath of his sword against the floor.
"Clones, changing his appearance, freezing, extreme-temperature flames, teleportation, we don't even know how many other abilities he might possess that we haven't discovered yet. But these alone already pose a severe threat to the security of Mary Geoise."
Saint Saturn nodded.
"I'm well aware of everything you've said. That's precisely why we came up with the plan to use the Revolutionary Army as bait to draw him out, isn't it? But right now, we simply don't have enough bait."
"Anyone with even a little importance has already had their thinking completely transformed. Once they confirm that their identity has been exposed, they act with remarkable decisiveness."
Saint Saturn paused.
"However, CP hasn't come away entirely empty-handed."
Everyone turned to look at him.
Saint Saturn continued,
"After compiling the intelligence from that experiment in the Holy Land more than twenty years ago, I discovered something unusual. Among the slaves I deliberately released back then, one of them seems to have risen into the upper ranks of the Revolutionary Army."
"And as it happens, one of the Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise recently had a certain request. While searching for that person, CP discovered traces of the Revolutionary Army."
Saint Nusjuro hoisted his sword onto his shoulder.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Saint Warcury glanced at him.
"Obviously, there's a reason we haven't acted immediately. His teleportation may be restricted in Mary Geoise, but on the seas below the Red Line, he can likely come and go as he pleases."
Saint Saturn nodded slightly.
"Exactly. We're still confirming that woman's situation. And to prevent her from taking drastic action as well, I've ordered CP to ensure she doesn't discover their surveillance under any circumstances."
"Once her identity is confirmed, we still need to determine how to capture her quickly and where to set the trap. At present, the only place where we can restrict his teleportation ability is Mary Geoise."
Saint Nusjuro exhaled. That was indeed the problem.
Restricting the Cloaked Man's teleportation was essential.
Otherwise they had no way of knowing whether he'd already left one of his spatial coordinates on the person they intended to use as bait. If he had, rescuing the captive would be far too easy.
"There's one more thing."
Saint Saturn continued,
"Changing his appearance, teleportation, and clones. With those three abilities alone, no matter how you look at it, his public identity is unlikely to be that of an ordinary person."
Saint Peter abruptly raised his head.
"You mean the Cloaked Man's public identity may actually be someone well-known on these seas?"
Saint Warcury looked toward Saturn as well.
"Indeed. With those three abilities at his disposal, there's no reason for him to remain completely unknown. It's just that we have no way of identifying him."
Saint Mars asked,
"There shouldn't be any problems with the security checks in Mary Geoise now, correct? If that man breaks in and starts another massacre, we'll have a difficult time explaining ourselves."
Ever since Rowan had invaded Mary Geoise with two clones and killed another two Celestial Dragons while retreating, those fat worms in Mary Geoise had practically gone insane.
Saint Saturn replied,
"There shouldn't be any problems now. Anyone whose identity doesn't match their credentials can no longer infiltrate Mary Geoise."
"He's already capable of fighting Whitebeard on equal footing. His rate of growth is far too fast, fast enough to threaten the stability of the entire world. Mary Geoise cannot be allowed to suffer another incident."
"Still, because of his clash with Whitebeard, we don't need to worry too much about his visit to Fish-Man Island for the time being."
Saint Warcury nodded slightly.
"Fish-Man Island is Whitebeard Newgate's territory. He won't tolerate anyone scheming against it."
Meanwhile, in the East Blue, Foosha Village of the Goa Kingdom. Inside the tavern, Ace stood imposingly atop a round stool, staring down at all the villagers who had come in for a drink.
"I have a dream! I dream of a world where no one will ever die of hunger again!"
"I dream of a world without war!"
"I dream that everyone will be able to understand one another, and that every race will be able to live together in peace!"
"No tyranny, no oppression. Fair laws that allow everyone to live peacefully under an orderly society."
"And then there would be no more orphans in this world, and no more elderly people dying alone."
Ace loudly proclaimed his dream from atop the stool. Beside him, four-year-old Luffy and five-year-old Nami stared at their big brother with faces full of admiration.
Unfortunately, the tavern was filled with village uncles who had finished their farm work and come over for a drink to pass the time. They laughed as they watched Ace, clearly treating his grand declaration as entertainment to go with their drinks.
"Ace! Is this what you dreamed about last night?"
"That really is the kind of world that could only exist in a dream."
"Hahaha! That's exactly the kind of beautiful dream only a kid could have."
"Things are already pretty good. If it weren't for Mr. Garp, we wouldn't just have pirates to worry about, the taxes we pay to the king would probably be twice as high!"
"So, Ace, did you come up with a dream like that because you're missing your dad?"
"Hahaha! Ace, how about I become your dad?"
The tavern was filled with good-natured laughter and teasing. There was even someone bold enough to try putting a green hat on Roger.
Ace hadn't cared about any of the teasing before, but now his eyes widened as he glared at the drunken bastard who had just offered to become his father.
The man was a notorious bachelor in Foosha Village. He couldn't find a wife and basically just drifted through life one day at a time. Clearly he'd taken a liking to Rouge's beauty and had begun setting his sights on the widow.
Although Mr. Garp had brought her to the village, her son was already this old. That somehow gave the man the delusion that he had a chance, that the two of them were even a suitable match.
Of course, none of them knew about Roger. With Roger's Observation Haki, if he didn't want the people of Foosha Village to know he was around, naturally no one would ever see him.
At present, only Bell-mère's family and a few children knew about the existence of the Masked Uncle. Even Ace, despite having seen Roger's face, still hadn't connected him to the legendary Pirate King.
"You bastard!"
Ace cursed and was just about to leap down when he realized his little sister had already made her move.
Little Nami, who had been staring admiringly at Ace just moments ago, had quietly slipped beneath the table and tied the man's shoelaces to one of its legs.
Meanwhile the drunken short man was still running his mouth.
"Become my son, Ace! I've got plenty of snacks at my place! Hahaha. All you have to do is go home and tell your mom, and they'll all be yours!"
At that moment, little Nami poked her head out from beneath the table and gave Ace an OK sign.
"Luffy! Beat him up!"
With a shout, Ace grabbed a wine bottle and leaped down first, smashing it straight over the man's head.
"Bang!"
After undergoing the double hell training of Roger and Garp, Ace might only have been eight years old, but his blow was already strong enough to shatter the bottle outright.
"ARGH! You damn brat!"
The drunk screamed as he clutched his head. Blood streamed down his face, obscuring his vision.
At that exact moment, Luffy, having received his big brother's command, launched himself through the air with a flying kick. His foot struck the man's most vital fifth limb dead center.
"UGH!!"
A muffled groan escaped the drunk. After taking a direct kick to the family jewels, he immediately forgot about his bleeding head.
He curled up on the floor, his entire body rigid as he whimpered and desperately waited for the excruciating pain to subside.
After finally recovering a little, he was just about to get up and give these little brats a beating when the shoelaces tied to the table leg sent him crashing back to the floor.
Having already smashed one bottle, Ace picked up another.
"Listen up, you bastard! If you dare say something like that again, I'll wait until you're asleep at night and cut it off!"
"You little bastard."
The drunk had just started getting back up when another wine bottle rapidly enlarged in his vision.
"Bang!"
After taking another blow to the head, the man who had wanted to become Ace's father promptly passed out.
The villagers nearby finally reacted and hurried over to check on the man. They couldn't let these three kids actually beat him to death.
Although the drunk was usually an idle good-for-nothing, he was still from the same village. What he'd done wasn't bad enough to deserve death.
As for the three children, two were Mr. Garp's grandsons, while the other was the little girl from Bell-mère's family. They were normally pretty good kids.
"Quick, retreat!"
Seeing the adults gathering around, Ace immediately hoisted little Nami onto his shoulder, grabbed Luffy, and bolted out through the tavern door.
Makino, who had been wiping glasses behind the counter, hurried outside. When she realized she couldn't catch them, she quickly returned to check the drunk's injuries.
"Fortunately, he's only unconscious. It shouldn't be anything serious."
"Those three brats hit way too hard, didn't they?"
"Hah! That's what he gets for running his mouth. If someone insulted your mother like that, could you hold yourself back?"
"Rouge is Mr. Garp's son's wife. This idiot probably just drank too much today."
"Just take him to the doctor and get his wounds bandaged. We should report this to the village chief too and give him a warning when he wakes up."
"No matter what, we should tell Rouge and Bell-mère about this. Those three are good kids, but if nobody disciplines them, they might end up going down the wrong path."
"That's true. Makino, we'll leave that to you."
Makino wiped her hands on her apron and nodded.
"Of course. I should've been paying more attention too. Everyone was having such a good time, but then..."
An older middle-aged man waved his hand.
"Just don't let this guy into the tavern next time. Besides, after getting beaten unconscious by a bunch of kids, he probably won't have the face to come back anyway."
Meanwhile, Ace finally stopped running with little Nami on his shoulder. Luffy, who had been following behind, was also panting heavily.
Grandpa Garp might train them like they weren't human, but Luffy was still only four years old.
"Big Brother, that guy isn't going to die, right?"
Ace shook his head.
"No. He just passed out. But we probably can't go home right now."
Five-year-old Nami grinned proudly. Then she reached behind her dress and pulled out several bills of berries.
"They belonged to that uncle just now. He did something wrong, so it's only right that he compensates us, isn't it? Now that we've got money, we won't have to go hungry tonight."
"Whoa... Big Sis, you're amazing!"
Little Luffy's eyes practically sparkled.
As one of the children staying with Bell-mère's family, he'd never had any money of his own.
After all, if Garp didn't occasionally give them some money and Roger didn't provide some extra support, feeding three children, one of whom was an enormous glutton, would have bankrupted the household. Whenever they ran out of food, it was almost always because someone had eaten them poor.
Little Nami patted Luffy on the head.
"Stick with your big sister and I'll make sure you never go hungry."
They had funds.
They had a secret base.
All their problems were solved.
Ace raised his hand and announced, "Then from this moment on, Operation Run Away From Home for One Day officially begins! As long as we make it through today, there's a good chance we won't get beaten when we go back."
Luffy looked puzzled.
"Why? One day's enough? Why don't we stay out and play for a few days?"
"No."
Ace shook his head.
"Mom and Aunt Bell-mère would worry if we did that. Besides, we'll probably get caught tonight anyway. If Mom gets worried, she'll definitely go find Dad. Every time I've tried this before, Dad always found me. It's useless."
It was Nami's first time running away from home, so she was extremely excited.
"Should we bring Nojiko? She'll definitely snitch on us. Forget it, we're not taking her."
Luffy nodded repeatedly.
"Exactly! Last time we played with Sabo and tried escaping in a hot-air balloon, she was the one who snitched on us."
Smack.
Ace whacked Luffy on the head.
"Grandpa and Dad weren't around. Playing with something like that on our own was dangerous. Being brave is one thing, but Nojiko didn't do anything wrong, got it?"
Luffy covered his head and pouted, clearly unconvinced, but still muttered that he understood.
For the sake of joining Operation Run Away From Home, he decided to swallow his grievances for now.
Nami, on the other hand, was much more caring toward her little brother. She even blew gently on the spot Ace had hit to comfort him.
Soon, the three brats ran toward the village shops.
They needed to turn their berries into food before the adults realized what they were doing.
But when it came time to pay, Nami and Luffy noticed Ace secretly slipping a bottle of alcohol into their supplies.
"Hehehe..."
"Hehehe!"
The two boys exchanged mischievous grins.
Little Nami alone stared at them in confusion.
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