Goa Kingdom.
Once, this land was enveloped by the extravagant fragrance of nobles and the stench of decay from the lower classes.
And the perennial grey smoke and dust from Styx was like an unhealing scar, constantly reminding people of the chasm between classes.
But now, everything has changed.
Sunlight pierced through the clouds, scattering upon the renewed streets, and the air was no longer filled with despair, but with the aroma of food and uncontrollable laughter.
Children chased and played on the cobblestone paths; they no longer had to worry about being whipped for dirtying a noble's clothes.
Merchants shouted their wares, their smiles genuine, because every Berry they earned truly belonged to them.
Just the day before yesterday, that high castle, a symbol of oppression and privilege, was submerged overnight by a surging tide of people.
The flames of revolution, with incredible speed, burned away the corrupt old order.
Dragon, in the end, made his move.
The colossal waves stirred up by White Night in the East Blue not only sealed Golden Lion but also shattered the authority of the World Government, creating a once-in-a-lifetime power vacuum.
He did not miss this opportunity.
All privileges of the nobles were abolished; they discovered, to their horror, that they had transformed overnight from "superiors" into "people."
A brand new, egalitarian order, under the shadow of a great existence that no one could resist, temporarily, yet profoundly, took shape...
In the central district of Goa Kingdom, within a newly opened Kabuki-cho, music was harmonious, and voices buzzed with excitement.
This place, once an exclusive pleasure den for nobles, was now open to all who could afford it.
In the most luxurious private room, a tall, slender man was leaning lazily on a soft tatami mat.
He wore his iconic yellow striped suit, a inscrutable, lewd smile on his face, surrounded by a group of charming geishas.
It was none other than the Marineford's highest combat power, Admiral Kizaru, Borsalino.
"Oh my, this is truly remarkable…"
Kizaru picked up his sake cup, allowing the geisha beside him to fill it with sake, and said in a languid tone, "The taste of this place is really something else."
"You flatter us, Lord Borsalino." The leading geisha covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes sparkling, carrying the relief and joy of surviving a catastrophe.
"This is all thanks to the Lords of the Revolutionary Army. Now, we no longer have to hand over most of our income to those noble sirs; all the money we earn is our own, so everyone works with more enthusiasm."
She leaned in closer, lowering her voice, and said mysteriously, "And, I also heard that the Lords of the Revolutionary Army are discussing implementing something called 'Five Insurances' for us! It seems to mean that in the future, if we get sick or grow old, we'll have security. And even… even spending money here might be covered by reimbursement in the future!"
"Oh ho?"
Kizaru's movements paused slightly, and a strange light seemed to flash in his eyes behind his sunglasses.
Including expenses at pleasure establishments in insurance reimbursement?
He gasped.
This move was truly… too ruthless.
This was no longer simply winning hearts; this was dismantling the old values upon which the World Government relied to maintain its rule, from the very root.
When ordinary people discovered that by following the Revolutionary Army, they could not only eat well and dress warmly but also enjoy life, live with more dignity, and even feel justified in their "pleasures"… who would still believe in that lofty "justice" that only brought oppression and exploitation?
That man, Dragon… he was becoming more and more terrifying.
Just as thoughts raced through Kizaru's mind, an urgent den den mushi call abruptly rang out.
Buruburu… Buruburu… The golden den den mushi on the table was mimicking a face filled with extreme anger, its mouth opening and closing, emitting anxious sounds.
The noisy private room instantly fell silent.
The geishas looked curiously at the lifelike den den mushi.
Kizaru shushed them, his lewd smile receding slightly, and slowly reached out his hand.
He cleared his throat, picked up the receiver, and said in his characteristic, drawn-out tone:
"Moshi moshi… This is Borsalino…"
"Borsalino! You bastard!!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's thunderous roar instantly erupted from the receiver, so loud that even the nearby geishas jumped in fright, all shrinking their necks.
"Where are you right now?! What are you doing?!"
"The entire sea is in complete turmoil because of that newspaper! Whitebeard, Kaido, BIG MOM are all heading towards the East Blue! Where are you, the Admiral in charge of surveillance?!"
Sengoku's voice was filled with bloodshot exhaustion, as if he was about to burst out of the den den mushi and grab Kizaru by the collar.
"I sent you to the East Blue to do something, and it's either wind or rain! Now, you've just disappeared! The Marine's reputation is almost completely ruined by you and that other scoundrel, Garp!"
Facing the Fleet Admiral's roar, Kizaru remained unhurried.
He held the receiver a little further away, picked his ear, and gave a reassuring smile to the worried geishas.
Then, he brought the receiver back to his mouth, cleared his throat twice, his tone full of innocence and helplessness.
"Oh my… Fleet Admiral, that's a really scary tone…"
"You can't blame me for this."
"You're not unfamiliar with the great power of young White Night, are you? And you saw that 'moon' in the newspaper, didn't you?"
Kizaru's tone was long and drawn out, full of a slippery quality.
"That simply… exceeds my capabilities."
"I'm just a salaried Admiral, not someone who fights with 'gods.' If I accidentally upset that person and he turns me into a little ball hanging in the sky, the Marine's loss would be huge, wouldn't it be a bad deal?"
"Then what are you doing now? What's going on with the Goa Kingdom? Why did Dragon appear there? Why didn't you stop him?! Do you know how much impact it will have if the news spreads that a World Government allied nation was overthrown right in front of an Admiral?!" Sengoku suppressed his anger, a barrage of questions hitting him like cannonballs.
"Hmm… regarding that question…"
Kizaru looked out the window.
Outside the window were the new skies of Goa Kingdom and the joyful faces of the people celebrating.
"Fleet Admiral, once the flames of revolution are ignited, they are very difficult to extinguish, you know."
He said languidly, "Especially when someone… pours a big barrel of oil on them."
"And it wasn't the so-called Revolutionary Army that overthrew this kingdom, but the millions of ordinary people from the lower classes. You're not suggesting I should attack ordinary people, are you?"
"You…!"
Sengoku was too angry to speak.