(T/N: Please consider reviewing this Fanfic, Thanks and appreciate all who support me)
(T/N: Enjoy!!)
<><><><><><>
This was undoubtedly the first time Marco and the others had seen the man rumored to be the world's worst criminal.
Monkey D. Dragon!
He shared the same surname as the Marine Hero, Garp, and was the son of that famous Vice Admiral. But it was clear that father and son had walked two different paths.
"Portgas D. Ace! Your arrival makes me deeply feel the strangeness and surprise of the winds of fate," Dragon said softly, a smile on his face.
"This was our agreement, was it not?" Ace replied with a smile.
The two men's eyes met, and an indescribable aura erupted between them, even causing the sounds on the street to inexplicably quiet down.
"As expected of the powerhouse who could succeed the World's Strongest Man, Whitebeard!" Dragon praised.
But very quickly, he changed the subject. "However, in the world today, the space for pirates is becoming smaller and smaller!"
"The rise of the Marines has made you, the freest people, no longer free." Ace smiled, not particularly bothered by these words.
"Where's Sabo?"
With just that simple sentence, he had already changed the topic. He had, of course, clearly heard the probing and recruitment attempt in Dragon's words.
The Ace of today was no longer the young, fledgling who had just started; he had become more mature and intelligent.
He even possessed a touch of Roger's former style. With an inexplicable domineering majesty, he was truly worthy of the title of the only remaining pirate emperor in the New World.
"He is here, of course!" Dragon said with a smile.
As soon as his voice fell, another figure came running from a distance, a look of excitement and joy on his face.
"Ace! You're finally here!" Sabo shouted happily. He ran up and embraced Ace tightly.
"Back then, when Arashi said you were still alive, I didn't believe it!"
"I never thought it would be true!" Ace laughed heartily.
The two brothers hugged each other tightly, the joy and excitement of their reunion self-evident.
"Arashi? How did he know about me?" Sabo asked, puzzled.
But very quickly, the two brothers pushed the matter to the back of their minds. This was their first time meeting again.
The promise to reunite on Lulusia Island was something Dragon had personally proposed to Ace after visiting the Moby Dick.
"Now, all that's left is Luffy! As long as he gets here, the three of us brothers will finally be reunited! Hahaha, he will come! And Luffy's transformation now will shock you!" Sabo said with a loud laugh.
"Oh? Is that so? I'm looking forward to seeing that kid even more!" Ace raised an eyebrow.
"He defeated Vice Admiral Donquixote Doflamingo and the G-13 Marine base he commanded."
"He escaped safely after a fight with Admiral Smoker. He fought with Buggy the Clown and successfully broke out of his encirclement. His growth truly amazes me," Sabo said with admiration.
Then, he took out a bounty poster and handed it to Ace with a smile. After taking it, a look of shock instantly appeared on Ace's face.
"Three... Thirty hundred million?!" The amount on the wanted poster was emblazoned with a massive number, and the face in the very center was the familiar face of his brother, Luffy.
"Yes! He is now the strongest pirate to have emerged since the Battle of Onigashima! The Straw Hat Pirates are even hailed as the new emperors, after you!" Sabo said with a loud laugh.
Ace was astonished by this latest wanted poster and also very surprised.
A bounty of three billion Berries, issued by the Marines, represented the level of importance the relevant departments placed on him.
"The three of us brothers are finally going to be together again!" he exclaimed with emotion.
"Yeah! Everything from our childhood still feels like yesterday," Sabo said.
The meeting of the two was naturally a happy occasion, and Dragon did not say much about it.
He had noticed that Ace had brought the Whitebeard fleet with him when he arrived. He could, of course, understand the meaning behind it.
Without a doubt, the Whitebeard Pirates had also chosen to participate in the operation in the Lulusia Kingdom.
Early the next morning, Sabo knocked on the door of the temporary office. "Enter!" Dragon said, looking up.
"Mr. Dragon, Ace requested me last night!" Sabo said softly. "Oh? Tell me about it!" Dragon said, raising an eyebrow.
"He wants to borrow the power of the Revolutionary Army to go rescue Whitebeard!" Sabo said in a deep, serious voice.
Hearing this, Dragon was stunned, then he narrowed his eyes.
"That is not an easy task! Whitebeard is still being held in Impel Down! And that place is near Marineford, which is now under the control of the most powerful Admiral in the Marines, Douglas Bullet."
"Furthermore, another Admiral is permanently stationed there, along with the Marines' latest cyborgs."
"Although I haven't seen the strength of these cyborgs, they are even more powerful than the Pacifistas once used for war."
"One can imagine the difficulty of trying to break into Impel Down!" His words grew more and more serious and heavy. Sabo also frowned, feeling troubled.
The legendary Marineford, known as an inescapable fortress that no one had escaped from for centuries, was feared by countless pirates.
One could imagine the difficulty of trying to break through it. Even for them, the Revolutionary Army, they had no absolute certainty of success.
"Ace's request is undoubtedly too difficult. I understand his feelings about wanting to rescue Whitebeard, but..." Dragon did not say more.
Sabo, however, understood.
"But in the future, I think the Revolutionary Army would be more than happy to help a friend rescue his family," Dragon said again.
A smile appeared on Sabo's face, and he turned to leave. After he had gone, Dragon finally sighed, his expression becoming solemn.
The current situation is not very friendly to the Revolutionary Army.
The powerful rise of the Marines already showed a trend of occupying the entire New World, and their power was rapidly expanding.
He had to admit, Arashi now stood at an unimaginably high peak.
....
Two days later, on the southwest corner of the Lulusia Kingdom, a ship with a sunflower figurehead and flying a Straw Hat Jolly Roger slowly docked.
"Is this the island? The meeting spot is in the southwest corner, in a small town named Asia." At the bow of the ship, Luffy looked at the island ahead and smiled.
"I'm so excited! I'm finally going to see Ace and Sabo! Hahahahaha!" However, in contrast to the joy on his face, Zoro, standing behind him, had a serious expression.
"The situation on this island right now is quite complicated!" Zoro said in a deep voice. His keen perception could already feel the strangeness and silence in the air ahead.
"Puff!" Sanji exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes also narrowing slightly. "This place will soon become restless."
Just then, Nami suddenly hit both of them on the head from behind. "What are you two acting so profound for? Words like that coming from you don't fit your personalities at all!"
Brook said with a chuckle, "That's right. Your words made me nervous for a moment."
"I'm not joking," Zoro said in a deep voice.
"Remember that huge ship we ran into on the way? The one that was like an island!" Sanji said in a deep voice, taking a breath.
"Of course I remember! I've never seen a ship that big. It was like a huge country!" Chopper exclaimed.
An expression of fear even appeared on Usopp's face, as he recalled the spectacular sight he had seen when they were about to encounter it.
"Is there something wrong with that ship?" Robin asked, puzzled.
"It belongs to the Vinsmoke family!" Sanji said with a sigh after a moment's hesitation.
"Vinsmoke?" Luffy turned his head, also confused.
"Germa 66 is the most evil army in the world. They are also a scientific combat mercenary force, and their leaders are the Vinsmoke family."
"For them to appear near the Lulusia Kingdom is undoubtedly a grave matter," Sanji said in a deep voice. Of course, there was one more thing he did not say.
He was also a member of the Vinsmoke family, and because of that, he knew deeply how terrifying this army was.
"But Germa 66 already allied with the Marines a long time ago, didn't they?" Zoro said suddenly.
"What?" Sanji was shocked to hear this, and his expression changed drastically. He suddenly strode forward and grabbed the other by the collar.
"Is what you're saying true?"
Zoro was stunned, not understanding why the other was so agitated. He slapped his hand away.
"What are you so worked up about, Curly Brows? Of course it's true. It's even widely known within the Marines."
"After the Battle of Onigashima, the Germa 66 army personally negotiated an alliance with Arashi and subsequently formed a scientific unit belonging to the Marines."
"They are responsible for the Marines' related scientific experiments and the work on android soldier weapons."
Hearing these words, Sanji's face had become extremely unsightly. "How is that possible?!"
"They allied with the Marines!" Then, very quickly, he had a sudden realization. "In that case, the Marines?!" His face changed drastically.
Sanji quickly looked at Luffy, who was staring at him blankly. "This is bad, Luffy! The Marines are heading for this kingdom!"
Hearing this, the faces of the Straw Hat crew all changed. "Are you kidding me, Curly Brows?!" Zoro shouted. Sanji wanted to say something, but in the end, he fell silent.
"Hahahaha! What are you all so nervous about? Since entering the New World, haven't we encountered plenty of Marines along the way? And didn't we escape every time?" Luffy said with a laugh.
"Let's go onto the island and meet up with Ace and Sabo first." His words calmed Sanji down.
He let out a long breath and fell silent, but it was clear his mood was still low.
A short while later, the Straw Hat crew entered the island and rendezvoused with Sabo, Ace, and the others.
The three brothers meeting again was undoubtedly a scene worth celebrating, and the atmosphere was vivacious.
Ivankov and the others also came forward one by one to get acquainted with Luffy and his crew. A banquet began.
Dragon stood in a corner, seemingly unnoticed by anyone, silently watching the three brothers sitting together, a smile on his face.
For many years, for the sake of the ideal in his heart, he had not seen his son more than a few times.
Now, they were finally reunited. Undoubtedly, Luffy's personality was very much like the old man's in his youth: carefree, yet not lacking in subtle caution and wisdom.
Seeing his son grow up to be the person he is today was undoubtedly a gratifying sight. But a moment later, news brought by the wind made his expression change slightly.
"We saw Germa 66's ship on our way here! Sanji thinks this might be a precursor to the Marines' arrival," Luffy said with a laugh.
Although he was smiling, his two brothers could hear the seriousness in his words. "Germa 66 has already allied with the Marines. If their target is also Lulusia..." Sabo's eyes narrowed.
"Then perhaps they have already grasped the internal situation of this kingdom and have decided to take the initiative to attack," Ace also spoke up at this time.
"Sabo, if the Revolutionary Army is going to do something, you should do it as soon as possible! Let everything settle before the main Marine forces arrive!" Sabo nodded, his face solemn.
He suddenly turned his head to the side, as if he had sensed something. But in the corner where his eyes fell, there was no one standing there.
"Is that Mr. Dragon?" Sabo thought to himself. "It seems the operation is about to begin!"
...
On the other side, in the royal capital of the Lulusia Kingdom, compared to the poverty and decline of the other cities within this kingdom, the royal capital was more prosperous and bustling.
The streets were lined with vendors, and the nobles passing by were all dressed in fine clothes, their banners opulent and magnificent.
At this moment, a group of people was walking slowly here. "The town of Asia in the southwest corner has been scouted."
"We found traces of the Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon. In addition, the commanders of the North, South, East, and West armies, as well as the Chief of Staff, have all appeared."
"The Whitebeard Pirates have also landed on the island and have rendezvoused with them. Furthermore, not long ago, the Straw Hat crew also entered the town of Asia."
A barely audible voice reached the ears of the figure walking at the very front, causing his steps to halt suddenly.
Blueno was taken aback but did not continue speaking. Instead, he glanced at the white pigeon on the other's shoulder.
"It's been a long time since we've had such a lively situation! A tiny little Lulusia Kingdom has made so many big fish show themselves," Rob Lucci lamented softly.
"Involving the main force of the Revolutionary Army, plus the Whitebeard Pirates and the Straw Hat crew, the situation here is already beyond what the SWORD squad can handle."
"Lucci, perhaps we should report to headquarters," Kalifa said in a low voice, adjusting her glasses. But Lucci, who was in front, did not respond.
Instead, he turned his head to look at the pink-haired young man at the back of the team, who was completely shrouded in a cloak and hood.
"I hear you're good friends with Straw Hat Luffy. What do you think should be done about this, Koby?" Hearing this, the pink-haired man was stunned.
He then slowly lifted the hood from his head, and the expression on his face visibly transformed into a smile.
"Luffy? We haven't seen each other in a long time! He must be very surprised by how much I've changed now!"
This person was Koby, the once short, chubby, and timid boy who was saved by Luffy when he first set out to sea.
From beginning to end, Koby had a firm attitude about becoming a just Marine. Now, he had finally achieved his wish. In just two short years, his growth had been astonishing.
Now, he was in the SWORD squad, and the surrounding team members were extremely respectful and shocked by him. Even the captain, Rob Lucci, was no exception.
"I heard he saved you when you were weak!" Kaku said with a smile, also lifting his hood and revealing his long nose.
"Luffy is different from other pirates. He is a person who gives you a great sense of security, and he's also very kind!" Koby said with a smile.
"But unfortunately, now is not the time for you, old friends, to catch up, Koby!"
"Although Lulusia Island, due to the selfishness and greed of its royal family, has never been included in the Marines' territory."
"Our control over this island is also minimal. After the Twenty-Nation Conference, the Marines have gained the right to station troops and the obligation to help the common people out of their plight," Rob Lucci lamented.
Compared to the other nineteen nations, Lulusia's situation was very complicated. And what surprised him even more was Fleet Admiral Arashi's attitude.
He seemed not to care about this country and had once even said something inadvertently. "It is merely a country destined for destruction by fate!" What did that mean? Fate?
"I will obey all orders from the Marines! As I am now, I can clearly distinguish between friendship and my mission, Captain!" Koby said with a smile. Lucci nodded.
The group had cooperated for so long, and in these nearly two years of going through life and death together, they were all reliable teammates and brothers who could entrust their backs to one another.
Koby, in particular, with his secret efforts and sacrifices, shocked everyone. His training volume was dozens, even hundreds, of times that of others.
After receiving the education and ideology of Fleet Admiral Arashi, he had abandoned his naive kindness during missions and had become a qualified Marine and warrior.
"Right now, Lulusia Island is a mix of various forces! The Revolutionary Army, the Whitebeard Pirates, and the Straw Hat crew. With just the strength of our SWORD squad, we can no longer maintain complete control."
"Even if we notify the Germa 66 legion, which is not far from here, I'm afraid they would still be no match for them."
Koby's expression became serious as he changed the subject, speaking in a low voice. "The current situation has reached the point where we must report to headquarters."
"Only when an Admiral-level powerhouse makes a move can the situation be stabilized."
"Moreover, I estimate that their next step will be to overthrow the Lulusia royal family and build a Revolutionary Army base here."
"Expanding their territory through this kind of coup is the consistent style of the Revolutionary Army. I don't know why the Whitebeard Pirates and the Straw Hat crew would also join in this time," Kalifa said, puzzled.
"Perhaps I can vaguely understand them," Koby chuckled, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
"Sabo from the Revolutionary Army, Ace from the Whitebeard Pirates, and Luffy from the Straw Hat crew. The three of them are brothers!"
A single sentence left the entire SWORD squad stunned, but soon, no one asked any more questions, because when the word "brothers" was involved, they could all understand.
"In that case, if Lulusia Island doesn't get support from outside forces, I'm afraid it cannot escape the fate of being occupied by the Revolutionary Army," Blueno sighed.
"Notify Marine Headquarters, Lucci! If we want to take further action, we can only cooperate with the incoming main Marine forces!"
"If I remember correctly, the closest one to here should be the Grand Admiral from Wano Country, Mr. Fujitora Issho, right?"
Koby's eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke in a deep voice. Making this decision was not easy for him, as it would mean becoming an enemy to his childhood benefactor and friend, Luffy. But this was also his duty as a Marine.
Just like his teacher, Garp, and his senior, Arashi, from the day he, Koby, joined the Marines, the halo bestowed upon him by his identity meant that when he made certain decisions, he could not simply be selfish.
"Koby!" Helmeppo, beside him, cried out in shock.
His eyes were wide as he stared at the other, as if to say, "Do you have any idea what this means?"
"Helmeppo, don't look so shocked! Of course, I know what will happen if we call in a Headquarters Admiral, or even a Grand Admiral. But,"
Koby's face was serious, and his voice was low, "From the day I put on this Marine uniform to today, having become a high-ranking officer as a flag officer, that already represents that I, Koby, have long since become a true Marine! I carry the will of the Marine Hero, Garp, and the Marine legend, Fleet Admiral Arashi!"
The firm and resolute words silenced the SWORD squad for a moment.
It seemed that for the first time in these two years, they realized that Koby, this once naive and timid kid, had truly grown up.
Perhaps, in the future, he might even far surpass their achievements. Rob Lucci laughed. "Very good. In that case, I will personally send a message to headquarters to ask for their opinion."
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach top 100)
If you want to support me, join my patr**on. Have 10 advanced Chapters for you guys.
patr**n.com/saitamablast > OP:COI NOVEL TIER