Kong called an emergency Marine meeting overnight, summoning all officers of the rank of Rear Admiral and above who were stationed at headquarters.
After having his staff lay out the full details of the situation, he took his seat at the head of the round table and spoke:
"Let me hear your thoughts. What do you make of this, and what should we do? Should we strengthen defenses across the East Blue? And if so, how? Or should we try to stop the Celestial Dragon's inspection tour altogether — and if we do, what method would we use?"
Everyone looked at one another, unsure of how to answer. If it had been Whitebeard, they would not have panicked at all.
The old man had wandered all four seas many times before; even if he had never visited the East Blue, news of him going there would only be dismissed as yet another of his leisurely trips out of boredom.
But Grimm was a different story. He never acted without a clear purpose. A vacation? Hardly — he was not the type to wander aimlessly.
And with the Celestial Dragon's visit scheduled for just one week later, it was impossible not to connect the two events.
Could it be that Grimm intends to strike at the Celestial Dragons themselves?
"Tsuru — what is your view?" Kong turned to her.
The veteran officer rested her chin on the back of her folded hands, closed her eyes, and thought for a moment before answering:
"We must certainly prepare defenses and reinforce patrols in the East Blue. But the most important step is to halt the inspection tour. No matter what Grimm's true goal may be, the safety of the Celestial Dragons must be guaranteed without fail."
Her suggestion was met with nods of approval from the other officers. Across the table, Sengoku shook his head with a weary frown.
"But convincing those arrogant fools to change their plans is no easy task. If I had a choice, I'd much rather go out and hunt pirates instead!"
Celestial Dragons acted as they pleased, without any regard for consequences. And the Four Emperors held them in utter contempt.
That was why both the World Government and the Marines always did everything possible to prevent any direct contact between the two groups.
This time, however, the threat had appeared far too suddenly.
"Still, we must stop it. It is not just about protecting the lives and safety of the Celestial Dragons — it is a matter of upholding the dignity and justice the Marines stand for!"
"Sir!"
All the officers stood up in unison, their voices firm and resolute.
---
The moment the Marines received the intelligence, the Revolutionary Army learned of it too — their information network was just as capable as the Navy's, and more importantly, the East Blue was Dragon's home region.
In the small town of Shifter, Dragon listened to his men's report. His expression turned grim, yet at the same time it carried a sense of confirmation — as expected.
From his cell in the back, Ul'dah laughed mockingly. "What's wrong, Dragon? Are you starting to feel afraid?"
"I already guessed he would move fast. I just didn't expect him to act so decisively," Dragon replied, completely unfazed by the taunts. Nothing Ul'dah said would change the reality of the situation.
So it is true — he truly cares nothing for his own men, and will choose to harm them rather than help.
Just as Shanks warned me: someone like him is not to be trusted. All his talk of honor and righteousness is nothing but empty words.
A man who disregards his own crew is worse than garbage.
If Grimm could hear these thoughts, he would be furious. Who says I don't care about my people? I can bring them back from the dead whenever I choose.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Dragon calmed himself and began planning his next move.
Though this development was unexpected, it was not entirely outside the realm of possibility — he just had not wanted to consider it until now.
"Still not saying anything? Too shocked to speak? Did you send too many men, only to be spotted? Or did the Government find out about your operations? Or perhaps… hahaha… is there someone you care about who has caught his attention?"
Ul'dah was still bound tightly in chains, but with his mouth free, he continued to ramble nonstop.
Dragon wore a look of indifference, as if everything was still unfolding exactly according to his plan — which only made Ul'dah more curious.
"Hey, Dragon — what are you thinking in that head of yours? Are you really as cold‑hearted as the rumors say?"
At those words, Dragon's eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly.
Having suffered a crushing defeat at Dragon's hands, Ul'dah was seething with anger. Now that he had the chance, he struck back with every barb he could think of.
"Come on, tell us — is it a lover? Your mother? Or maybe a son or daughter?"
"Right, why not tell us?" his men joined in.
"Besides, with that face of yours, do you even think any woman would look twice at you?"
Ul'dah and his crew kept jeering, until Ivankov noticed Dragon's temper beginning to rise and quickly stepped in.
"Stay calm, Dragon. If you kill them now, we'll lose our bargaining chips — they are valuable hostages. Why waste your energy on these sad souls who will die alone anyway?"
Dragon took a deep breath and regained his composure. "Very well. Let's go — we head for the East Blue."
---
The East Blue
The Holy Light Pirates were sailing steadily through the waters.
Mannolos glided alongside the fleet, his massive skeletal form matching the pace of the ships bearing Grimm's fox‑head emblem.
Planck walked to the rail and called up to Grimm, who was seated comfortably atop Mannolos's back:
"Captain, our supplies are running low. There's a village up ahead — should we stop there to restock?"
"Go ahead," Grimm replied. "Any movement from the Marines?"
"Nothing reported in the news yet," said Mattheus, the former subordinate of Shiki now in charge of intelligence.
"They're probably trying to keep it quiet to avoid panic. But who knows what they're planning behind closed doors?"
"Typical petty tactics from the Government," Grimm scoffed.
Just then, the lookout perched at the very top of the mast lowered his spyglass and called down: "Lord Grimm — the village ahead has been taken over by pirates!"
Planck's eyes lit up. "Even better. We'll just wipe them out and take whatever supplies we need from them."
"Is that their flag? A shark? I've never heard of such a crew…"
---
Cocoyasi Village
Located west of the larger town of Housha, this village had been seized half a year earlier by the Sabertooth Shark Pirates, and was now under the rule of their captain, Sloan the Megalodon.
"Damn it — I can't take this anymore!"
"One hundred thousand Berries in protection fees every month? Where are we supposed to get that kind of money?!"
As soon as the pirates left, the villagers gathered in the streets, their faces full of despair. Several women broke down in tears, sinking to their knees.
"What are we going to do now?"
"Should we try to move somewhere else?"
"It's no use — Sloan controls the entire island!"
Amidst the worried chatter, a man stepped forward. He wore a black police uniform, had a thick dark beard, and bore several scars across his face.
"I've already sent word to the Marines for help, but there's been no reply. Most likely Sloan has bribed them to look the other way… I'm truly sorry, everyone."
"Don't blame yourself, Genzo!"
"That's right — this is the fault of the corrupt Marines, not you!"
The villagers spoke up to comfort him, refusing to let their only protector carry the guilt.
__________________
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