Although Yemu's name had become known to nearly everyone in the world after he declared war on the Celestial Dragons and the World Government, even Yemu himself understood that, in the hearts of most people, he was still nothing more than a vicious pirate.
Just as his bounty poster said, he was the so-called Most Evil One, a criminal who would destroy the world.
The reason was simple. The Red Line, the Calm Belt, and the vast seas separating the world made it easy for the World Government to control public opinion. On top of that, they had already begun gradually infiltrating the World Economic News Agency.
That was why Yemu never let any chance to promote himself slip by.
Sometimes, fame was the most useful tool in the world.
And now, this war that almost the entire world was watching was the best stage he could ask for.
The effect was obvious.
He did not know how the outside world was reacting, but on the battlefield, the earth-shaking cheers that erupted the moment Yemu finished speaking proved just how much his words had raised their side's morale.
Aside from the still emotionless Germa Corps, the soldiers of the Three Great Fleets and the warriors of the Kingdom of Women and the Kingdom of Transgender People, whether human, fish-man, giant, or any other race, all raised their weapons high in excitement. They shouted, their eyes burning with fighting spirit.
At that moment, they were no longer fighting for themselves. They were fighting for the future, for that nation they had dreamed of.
Even among the Marines, hesitation appeared in many people's eyes as they began to wonder whether what they were doing was truly right.
If the Marines were really as righteous as they claimed, perhaps they would not have hesitated at all.
But these were the elites of the Marines, especially those who had spent most of their lives serving at Marine Headquarters. They had seen far too much darkness in this world, and at that moment, the shift in momentum was painfully clear.
Whether Yemu could actually fulfill the promises he had made was another matter. In that moment alone, the courage to make those promises was enough to earn the admiration of those Marines.
On the battlefield, the future Three Admirals and Zephyr all looked thoughtful, while their opponents, Enel, Tiger, Erik, and Anne, were filled with pride. They could feel a powerful force surging up inside them.
As a fish-man, Tiger felt it most deeply.
"For the captain's dream, Admiral Zephyr, I absolutely cannot lose this fight. I'll put my life on the line!"
At that moment, as he faced the terrifying opponent before him, Admiral Zephyr, he displayed an astonishing fighting spirit.
Zephyr sensed the change in his opponent's aura. Just moments earlier, he had been completely confident that he would win their battle, but now even his own will was affected. Then, as if something had occurred to him, he smiled faintly.
"Is that so? In that case, I'll be the one to test the will of you youngsters."
...
The change in morale on the battlefield was something Sengoku and Garp, both possessing powerful Observation Haki, sensed almost instantly.
"What an impressive kid!"
Garp thought this to himself, but as a Marine, he had not forgotten his duty. He looked at Sengoku, whose expression had turned grim, and said, "This war is only going to get harder from here on out, Sengoku!"
"It doesn't matter!"
After his initial shock, Sengoku's expression remained firm.
Yemu's words had certainly shaken Sengoku's heart. But compared with an unknown new order, especially one created by such a young brat, he trusted the old order that had ruled this world for 800 years.
Even if that order had many problems, it had indeed protected the vast majority of people in this world.
If it were destroyed now, there was no telling how many people would lose their lives because of it.
"As long as we win this war, everything will be settled!"
That was what Sengoku believed.
"I understand!"
Garp showed no hesitation toward his old friend's decision.
It was not only his trust in his friend, but also his duty as a Marine.
"In that case, the two of us will go together!"
As Garp spoke, he loosened up his pair of iron fists, making them crackle as he looked at Yemu with fighting spirit in his eyes.
"Kid, no matter who you've brought in to help you, I'll deal with him for you. Even if it's Whitebeard himself."
"Is that so?"
A strange smile suddenly appeared on Yemu's face, giving Garp a sudden sense of unease.
"When the time comes, I'm worried you won't be able to bring yourself to do it..."
"Hm?"
The moment his voice fell, a hurricane suddenly rose in the sky without warning and swept toward Yemu's side.
As the wind gathered, a burly figure in a black robe appeared, one Garp knew all too well.
When the hood was lowered, a deep voice tinged with nostalgia sounded out.
"Old man... it's been a long time!"
In an instant, Garp froze, dumbstruck. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he roared in disbelief, "D-Dragon..."
The entire battlefield fell silent once again.
This silence was not from shock, but from curiosity.
"Hey, who is that guy?"
"No idea. But if he can stand beside Fire Dragon Yemu, he must be some kind of monster too!"
"Obviously. Didn't you see how shocked Garp-san looked?"
"Idiot, stop talking. That's Garp-san's son..."
"Huh? Garp-san's son? Garp-san actually has a child?"
"Of course he does!"
"But... if he's Garp-san's son, then why is he with the Sky Pirates...?"
"Yeah, why didn't any of us know about him...?"
"It's simple. Five years ago, Garp-san's son defected from the Marines and became a traitor..."
"This is bad..."
"What do you mean? Is this Dragon really that strong?"
"Yeah. Back then, he was a monster who could rival Vice Admiral Sakazuki and the others..."
"N-No way..."
And at that moment, the one whose expression looked even worse than Garp's was Sengoku.
To be honest, if monsters like Whitebeard had joined this war, Sengoku would not have been worried at all. He believed his old friend would still fight with everything he had. But the person standing before them now was his old friend's only son.
"So that's how it is. Was this part of your plan too? Fire Dragon Yemu, using Dragon against Garp... How despicable..."
His repeated defeats in strategy finally erupted in that moment. Sengoku lost the composure befitting a Fleet Admiral and roared in anger.
However, it was not Yemu who answered him, but Dragon.
"No... Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you've misunderstood... I came to Captain Yemu myself... because I wanted to take part in this war..."
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