Chapter 149 - 149: Scouring the Four Seas
With Sakazuki's inauguration speech concluded,
Under the World Government's promotion and the media's coverage, the news spread across the seas that very day.
Even the most remote corners of the Four Seas received the newspaper.
To the people of the world, Sakazuki's speech served as an effective reassurance.
It erased their fear of this turbulent era.
But as for fear of pirates—that would have to be handled by the Navy's actions.
The end of the newspaper read that Admiral Sakazuki would personally lead an operation named "Scouring the Four Seas."
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
At the port, Bullet was commanding the loading of supplies.
Due to Sakazuki's promotion to Admiral, Bullet was directly promoted to Vice Admiral, taking command of Sakazuki's former warship.
Now, Sakazuki would serve as the overall commander.
Leading ten warships, including Bullet's, they would march into the Four Seas to begin the sweep.
The main targets were the new generation of pirates who had emerged in the past two years.
...
At Sakazuki's home.
Enel stared at the Admiral's cape hanging on the coat rack in the study.
"Wow, this thickness..."
"And this shoulder insignia!!!!"
"It's so cool aaaaahhhh!"
This was Enel's first time observing an Admiral's cloak up close.
After all, there had only been Sengoku as an Admiral previously.
He still couldn't exactly just barge into someone's house to look at their cloak.
Sakazuki chuckled and said to Karol:
"Have you found that Ohara survivor, Nico Robin?"
Karol nodded.
"Yes. We've been monitoring her the entire time."
"Based on the government's general intel last time,"
"Once we spotted her trail, we immediately dispatched five members from Bullet's Roaring Assault Squad."
"We located her as quickly as possible."
"There's absolutely no chance we'll lose track of her."
Sakazuki pondered for a moment.
"Disguise yourself and act as her teacher for a few years."
Karol looked confused.
"Her teacher?"
Sakazuki nodded.
"That's right."
"The main goal is to teach her how to survive... and instill some ideas."
As he spoke, he tossed several worn booklets onto the desk.
Karol raised an eyebrow, looking at the titles: On the World, On Nobility, Freedom and Equality, On Revolution...
Sakazuki casually flipped one open.
"We can't have her contacting Dragon anymore."
"I've already laid out the general path for him. What happens next depends on his own development."
"His abilities are pervasive, reaching everywhere."
"That kid isn't stupid. It's clear someone helped him this time."
"Next time, he'll be even more discreet, more cautious."
"Even if the specially made cloak can block Observation Haki, there's still a risk of exposure."
"So we can't contact him anymore."
Karol glanced at the desk, understanding.
"So this is..."
Sakazuki slammed the book shut and tossed it aside.
"Ohara and the Revolution are bound to become intertwined."
"Dragon's movement is still in its infancy."
"If he has to figure everything out on his own, who knows how long it'll take."
"And Nico Robin... is his experience bundle."
"Someday, when the two intersect,"
"The spark that ignites will spread across the entire world in an instant."
Karol frowned slightly.
"That's true..."
"But if that happens, things could get out of control."
"If the Revolutionary Army aggressively spreads this ideology,"
"The government will be overwhelmed."
"By then, there might be dozens of rebellious nations."
"If we can't control it, we'll probably have to send Marines to fight them."
Sakazuki said:
"Which is exactly why you're to teach Nico Robin."
"They will intersect eventually, but not now."
"Dragon would never suspect that an eight-year-old child holds such knowledge."
"This world is made up of 99% ordinary people,"
"But ultimately, it belongs to the strong."
"When they finally collide,"
"It'll draw the government's attention—but not break free from our grasp."
Sakazuki chuckled lightly, fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk as if deep in thought...
"Twenty years from now..."
...
Several days later, North Blue.
Ten massive Marine warships were aligned near Reverse Mountain.
Surrounding them were several dozen smaller warships transferred from local North Blue bases.
After looking over the sea chart and calculating distances,
The ten enormous warships from HQ spread out.
Each was followed by several smaller ships, forming a line.
The warships were spaced a few nautical miles apart, close enough for visual contact.
Sakazuki took out his Den Den Mushi:
"Begin the Scouring."
The commanders of the dozens of ships gave the order simultaneously, and the fleet advanced across the North Blue.
Stationed aboard the third, fifth, and seventh warships were Sakazuki, Bullet, and Enel,
To ensure any unexpected incidents on any flank could be handled immediately.
From high above, the line of ships only covered a portion of the North Blue.
But with multiple sweeps, they could comb through it completely.
...
West Blue, a small island.
It had been raining nonstop for a week.
But Robin, hiding in the shadows, quite liked rainy days.
Because of the rain, the streets were mostly deserted, and those hunting her wouldn't be out either.
She could boldly scavenge for some food.
The sound of rummaging echoed—rustle rustle.
Suddenly, Robin felt a shadow fall over her head, blocking the rain.
Seeing the silhouette on the ground, her heart jumped.
Crap... When did they...
But Robin didn't dare turn around, didn't dare run.
If she turned and her identity was discovered, it would be even worse. Yet ahead of her was a dead end.
Robin saw the shadow lift a hand. She squeezed her eyes shut in fear.
But the beating she expected never came.
A warm, gentle hand stroked the top of her head.
A kind male voice spoke:
"What a pitiful child."
"My name is Lorka, a traveler."
"What's your name?"
Robin turned around in a daze, nearly blurting out her real name.
But she caught herself just in time and answered with a false identity:
"Elida."
"Koni Elida."
The gentle voice continued from above:
"Would you be interested in coming with me?"
"I'm still looking for a~"
"Little assistant."
...
South Blue, Sorbet Kingdom.
Inside the royal palace, two people returned using Kuma's power and were reviewing the situation.
Although they had succeeded,
Even this one instance exposed far too many issues.
The uprising was like a sieve—full of holes.
The king, CP agents, and possibly even a third force were involved.
Dragon had noticed the king never activated the Den Den Mushi. If he had, they would've failed.
But why didn't he use it? That was a mystery.
Why indeed...
Could there be a third-party force involved?
Ever since embarking on this path, Dragon realized nothing was as simple as it seemed.
Just like this latest uprising—it was a failure among failures.
Their success was pure luck.
But there was also good news: they had successfully recruited Kuma.
From the Navy's stolen personnel records, Dragon had selected many candidates.
Bartholomew Kuma was the one he valued most—not just for his power, but for his life experiences.
Though branded a "Tyrant" by the world, Dragon, examining those experiences, deduced that Kuma, too, was searching...
Searching for a path to freedom and liberation...
...
Grand Line, Impel Down.
After the guard delivered today's meal—barely enough to keep one alive—and left the Golden Lion's cell,
The Golden Lion suddenly opened his eyes, a fierce glint flashing within them.