When No. 5 slowly opened his eyes, he saw a somewhat dazzling white light.
He blinked uncomfortably.
A gentle voice came to his ears.
"That punch hurt your face a bit, but it's nothing serious."
No. 5 turned his head.
The person speaking was the blond young man who had suddenly appeared in his room.
He seemed to be inside a submarine now, feeling the shaking, the dim lighting, and the cramped space.
He sat up, covering his dizzy head.
This submarine obviously had more people than Shin and the blond young man.
Looking around, he saw many other 'strangers.'
"You are the Revolutionary Army, right?"
No. 5 didn't try to hide it and said directly, "I knew it.
Otherwise, how would you have the audacity to run to the Sabaody Archipelago and attack a World Government ship? It seems you created a diversion and specifically captured me."
The blond young man, no, Sabo, the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, slightly narrowed his eyes.
He raised his hand to stop Koala and the others beside him, and said softly, "Then it seems Mr. No. 5 is voluntarily willing to contact us."
"Of course. If I wanted to capture you to gain favor with the Five Elders, you would have already been arrested by the CP0 and subjected to torture," No. 5 jumped out of bed, stretched his muscles, and smiled slightly.
"Not only that, I also know why you went through so much trouble to kidnap me.
You want to do business with me and cooperate with Anaheim, right?"
"Mr. Dragon said that since you could cooperate with Germa, you must hold hostility toward the World Government."
Koala folded her arms, emphasizing her ample chest.
Her beautiful face looked serious as she said, "We can cooperate."
"Little girl, you can eat nonsense, but you can't talk nonsense," No. 5 glanced at Koala and said lightly.
"I am a law-abiding citizen under the World Government's jurisdiction. I will never do anything illegal, especially not with you rebels."
"You bastard, there really aren't any good people under the Warlord!"
A Revolutionary Army soldier stood up angrily, but before he could say anything, Sabo raised his hand to signal him to shut up.
"Everyone here is a battle-tested and trustworthy comrade," Sabo looked at No. 5 and said seriously.
"You don't need to worry about anyone here selling us out to the World Government."
No. 5 said nothing, just looking calmly at Sabo.
After a moment of deadlock, Sabo sighed and turned around.
"Koala, please take everyone outside to hide. Leave... just me here."
Koala glanced at No. 5 and didn't bother arguing about danger, as Sabo was the strongest fighter in the Revolutionary Army besides their leader, Dragon.
"Please take care of yourself."
Koala said with concern, then led all the Revolutionary Army soldiers away.
"You've become the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army at such a young age, and your skills are so strong. Mr. Sabo is truly promising," No. 5 said with a smile.
This wasn't flattery; it was simply a fact.
At just twenty years old, he had become the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army.
In terms of strength, Sabo was basically the strongest among the three brothers at this age.
Sabo, without eating the Flare-Flare Fruit, could completely defeat Burgess, the first combat captain of the Blackbeard Pirates, relying solely on his martial arts and Dragon Claw Fist.
Conservatively estimated, his bounty as a pirate would be at least 600 million berries.
No. 5's security arrangements around his office were very complete, but Sabo managed to infiltrate silently.
It could be said that in all aspects, compared to Ace and Luffy, Sabo, who received the most complete noble education among the three brothers, was a near-perfect young talent.
"You flatter me," Sabo responded humbly.
His movements and etiquette always maintained a comfortable politeness.
Even after losing his memory, his noble upbringing left him with a solid foundation.
"I invited you here this time to discuss matters concerning the World Government.
I just don't know if you can contact Lord Poltorto?"
"What? You despise me as just a small fry?" No. 5 looked at him with a half-smile.
"No, no, no. It's just that for such an important matter, I think we should be cautious."
"Forget it. Wait until your leader, Dragon, returns, and then talk to our leader," No. 5 crossed his hands and said lightly.
"You can talk to me directly. Soldier vs. soldier, king vs. king, right?"
"...Can you represent the Anaheim Company's intentions?" Sabo narrowed his eyes and asked softly. No.
5 did not answer, just looked at Sabo with a knowing smile.
Sabo remained silent for a moment, then asked, "What is your view on the World Government?"
"An authoritarian organization that has ruled the world for eight hundred years.
They've actually done quite well," No. 5 pondered for a moment, then shrugged.
"You can't expect a colossal organization ruling the world not to have internal corruption. But, bugs are bugs. The fat pigs stepping on everyone's heads, that's another matter."
"So, you oppose the Celestial Dragons, but not the World Government?" Sabo asked.
"Of course. No one dislikes those fat pigs in Mary Geoise. But there will always be a World Government."
"I don't think the World Government is a good regime," Sabo frowned.
"They collect such high Celestial Tribute, kill those who seek the truth of history without question, and even their laws are virtually meaningless. Such a World Government should be overthrown."
No. 5 looked into Sabo's eyes and said flatly, "Your Revolutionary Army claims to fight for freedom and lead the common people against tyranny, meaning those common people who are forced to bankruptcy by pirate raids and Celestial Tribute. But if, if you really overthrow the World Government, what will you do afterward?"
Sabo was stunned for a moment, then said frankly, "We will establish a non-ruling World Alliance, a free and open world that connects all countries. There will be no Celestial Tribute, no oppression by Celestial Dragons, and no suppression of the common people of the sea."
"And then allow pirates to rampage across the sea, continuous wars between countries, nobles to continue oppressing common people, and capitalists to continue exploiting workers?"
"No, we will constantly prevent such behaviors!" Sabo said decisively.
"We will establish our army to maintain world peace. Once such behavior occurs, we will immediately go to correct it!"
"Then you're still going to establish a World Government?" No. 5 waved his hand, showing a joyful smile.
"Let me summarize it for you: a centralized world organization, a military force above the world, and you judge the world's good and evil based on your standards. Besides the lack of Celestial Dragons, what's the difference between you and the World Government?"
Before Sabo could retort, No. 5 directly said, "Don't say you won't have corrupt officials. Any organization will breed corruption over time. Do you think the World Government wants its officials to be corrupt? It's just that they can't eliminate it."
No. 5 said flatly, "The people need control, the people need a whip. Excessive freedom will only breed endless chaos. A free and open world government? Your naivete makes me laugh."
The ideals and passion of idealists and revolutionaries are fiery, but when they and their comrades overthrow corruption and establish a new world, the people who succeed them often quickly become the very people they hated.
The dragon slayer will eventually become the dragon.
Mortals limited by human nature can never escape this cycle.
And sometimes, the thing you hate is just something you judge presumptuously because you aren't in that position.
Sabo was silent for a moment.
He looked up, his gaze firm.
"But at least now, our Revolutionary Army will fight to overthrow those villains who rule and bully the people!"
"Well said, Sabo."
A deep voice sounded from the other end of the submarine.
Through the open door, Dragon, wearing a dark green cloak, walked in slowly.
Judging by his damaged clothes and the bleeding cuts on his face, it was certainly not a simple battle.
"Mr. Dragon, are you okay?" Sabo straightened his back.
"I'm fine. Just three CP0 agents," Dragon said lightly, as if he had just stepped on three insignificant ants.
"Ah, ah, you've gone too far. This is difficult for me," No. 5 rubbed his head, sighing.
"Something happened to the CP0 agents secretly monitoring me. The Five Elders will somehow put this on Anaheim's head. Plus, I've gone missing. Troublesome, very troublesome."
Dragon glanced at No. 5 and suddenly said, "You... should be Dawn Master Poltorto, right?"
"Hmm?" No. 5 looked at Dragon with some surprise.
Although he didn't plan to hide it, he was still surprised that it was guessed so easily.
"Judging by your expression, my guess was correct," Dragon smiled slightly.
However, with the tattoo on his face, his smile looked eerie.
"Observation Haki, huh... It seems I need to make some protective measures in this area next time." Shin sighed.
He put on the Poltorto helmet for No. 5.
His entire demeanor changed abruptly.
"I can be Poltorto now." The refined voice with special modulation didn't match No. 5's appearance.
Dragon narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.
-"Just a stand-in? Or... a Devil Fruit ability?"
Before Dragon could speak, Shin preemptively said, "Monkey D. Dragon, the world's most dangerous man, the general commander of the Revolutionary Army-I know what your intention is for 'inviting' me here. But unfortunately, I cannot fight alongside you."
In this sea, the Anaheim Company could be associated with any organization and even trade weapons with the Four Emperors, but the Revolutionary Army was the only toxic entity they absolutely could not touch.
"We are not asking for cooperation with your company. We just... perhaps have a common enemy," Dragon said slowly.
"Since your company can cooperate with Germa 66, you must also be dissatisfied with the World Government."
"Your company doesn't need to do much for us. You just need to strike with us at the right time and the appropriate moment to overthrow the World Government."
Shin looked at the serious Dragon, smiled playfully, and crossed his hands.
"Well said, but it's meaningless! Revolutionary Army, why should I cooperate with you?"
Cooperating with Judge was partly to bring Germa's power to his side, and partly for Germa's lineage factor technology.
But what did the Revolutionary Army have?
They certainly had combat power, but that was it.
The Revolutionary Army, hated and chased by the World Government and countless nobles, didn't even have a base.
They were constantly on the run.
Cooperation? Where was their foundation for cooperation?
"What does the Revolutionary Army have that you want?"
Dragon did not answer the question directly but instead threw it back at Shin, saying lightly, "Since you are willing to come here and talk to us, it means there is something in the Revolutionary Army that you need. Speak directly. You and I don't have much spare time."
"Okay, very straightforward! You help me find some information, and I will cooperate with you!"
Shin slapped his hand on the table and said readily, "I want you to help me find a person. His name is Festa. In the world 20 years ago, when Roger was rampaging the seas, he had a nickname: the Festival Bear."
"Festival Bear Festa..."
Dragon frowned slightly.
He pondered for a long time before finally recalling the name of this old pirate.
He was a pirate with almost no personal strength, yet he was a huge headache for the World Government.
His nickname, Festival Bear, came from his particular fondness for lively festivals.
And the lively festivals in his eyes...
were, without exception, 'games' where many people might die.
He was best at using schemes and his own network to provoke conflict, and this malevolent guy liked to hide behind the scenes, watching a group of people fight and kill because of him, and then laughing loudly.
But shouldn't such a scoundrel have disappeared more than ten years ago?
Some said he was in Level 6 of Impel Down, but that wasn't true.
Level 6 couldn't hold a person with no personal strength.
Although malicious, Festa was not qualified to be locked up in Level 6.
This guy disappeared because he watched Roger's execution in East Blue.
His identity was accidentally discovered, and cornered by a group of pirate hunters, he chose to jump into the sea and was swallowed whole by a Sea King.
"He should have died ten years ago."
"No, Festa is still alive," Shin said confidently.
"I'm not sure of his exact location now, but he has a close relationship with the Pirate Expo. You can start there."
"I want you to bring him back alive, including everything he has-I mean everything, especially an Eternal Pose. You must not lose or damage it."
Dragon nodded.
Festa himself was a scoundrel who deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces.
He agreed to this condition.
"Then, I hope you can find traces of a specific Sea King in the ocean, find a tanuki named Pato, and then find a place called Sleeping Ancient Town, and retrieve a Devil Fruit from there for me."
Shin drew a Sea King, a tanuki, and a town on the paper one by one.
He put down the pen and smiled, "You must complete the first goal. As for the others, do your best. The higher the completion rate, the closer our cooperation will be."
The Revolutionary Army was one of the most well-informed organizations in this sea.
When the Straw Hat Pirates defeated Crocodile's Baroque Works, the Revolutionary Army even knew about it before the World Government.
Who knows where this group of revolutionaries, chased everywhere by the CP0, got such powerful intelligence channels-but who cares, all Shin wanted was what they could bring him.
Except for the first condition, the others were icing on the cake.
It would be nice to have them, but it didn't matter if he didn't.
Dragon nodded.
He reached out to Shin, and Shin took his hand.
They shook hands happily.
"Cooperation is a pleasure."
Releasing his hand, Shin suddenly seemed to remember something.
He rubbed his chin and smiled.
"By the way, I'm quite interested in Mr. Dragon's Dragon Claw Fist and Ms. Koala's Fishman Karate. If possible, please teach me the relevant skills and techniques."
"Our cooperation has just begun. If you want us to provide something, perhaps you should also provide something," Dragon said lightly.
"All right," Shin shrugged, smiling cheerfully.
"This isn't a particularly big secret. The second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates has been captured by the World Government. His name is Portgas D. Ace."
Dragon nodded slightly.
He also knew about this matter, but honestly, he hadn't taken it to heart.
However, Sabo's expression changed instantly when he heard Ace's name.
His face turned pale, and he was sweating profusely.
Shin glanced at him and continued to smile.
"If nothing unexpected happens, the World Government will announce Ace's public execution in a few months. And the execution location will be at Marineford, under the eyes of the public."
"Ah!!!"
Hearing this, Sabo seemed unable to bear it any longer, or perhaps he remembered something.
He let out a scream and fainted.
"Sabo!"
Dragon quickly supported Sabo.
He called Koala, who immediately took the pale Sabo to the infirmary.
Shin watched playfully.
According to the plot, Sabo was in a state of amnesia right now.
He only recovered his memories due to the immense shock of seeing the news of Ace's execution.
This was probably Oda's way of inserting Sabo as a replacement for Ace, providing an explanation for why he didn't save Ace.
"Who exactly is Portgas D. Ace?" Dragon turned his head and asked seriously.
"The grandson of Marine Hero Garp, Straw Hat Luffy's brother, and..." Shin's words trailed off. He smiled softly.
"Our cooperation can only go this far. If you want further intelligence and cooperation, trade Festa for it."
"By the way, where is this submarine heading?" Shin asked casually.
"It's heading toward the New World. We will pass Dressrosa in about half an hour."
"That's great!" Shin's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands happily.
"Then please drop me off near Dressrosa. It's best if you knock me unconscious, and then contact the Donquixote Family."
"What do you intend to do?" Dragon frowned.
"Just squeeze out the remaining value," Shin smiled and patted his chest.
"Before something is scrapped, its full value must be utilized."
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