"None of you can make a move!"
Zephyr seemed to understand, too. He sighed. "Maybe I should do it myself. As long as we fly the Neo Marines flag, coupled with my identity, the World Government will believe I'm just taking revenge. They won't focus their attention here!"
"Sensei!" Ain's face tightened, but she immediately steeled herself. "I can do it too. As your student, I can lead the Neo Marines. It doesn't matter if the World Government puts a bounty on me."
"Ain, shut up. Do you want me to watch my student do something this dangerous? You're still young. There's no need for this."
"It doesn't matter. I already promised Dante I'd become a pirate anyway. Maybe now is the time to honor that promise!"
Silence fell over the group. They all turned to look at Dante.
"There's no need for that! There's no need for that!" Dante forced a smile, his voice edged with resignation. "Um... there's no need for you to go that far. Ain, you don't have to become a pirate either."
"Us?" Everyone froze, then frowned at their Boss. "Are you going to do it yourself, Boss?"
"No, I don't want to make a move either! I said, we don't need to go that far. Killing Celestial Dragons is incredibly dangerous!"
"Are you going to let Celestial Dragons in, Boss?"
"No!"
The group stared at him in confusion. Neither killing them nor letting them in, how were they supposed to manage that?
Before the bewildered group could ask, Dante knocked on the table. As if he had made a decision, he sighed. "It's a bit early, but I've decided..."
He slapped the table and stood straight up.
"We'll just mutiny!"
They all stared at Dante, completely dumbfounded. Mutiny? Mutiny against who? The World Government? Wasn't that an even bigger crime than killing Celestial Dragons?
Just as everyone stood there in utter confusion, Zephyr, equally baffled, seemed to realize something. The bewilderment instantly vanished from his face. He narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and said, "Actually... that really could work!"
"Huh?"
Loguetown.
The moment the Den Den Mushi connected and Smoker heard Dante's voice, his expression shifted. "Mutiny? Severed ties with Marine Headquarters? Aren't you afraid the Marines will wipe you out? Are you planning to become a pirate?"
"No need to be so dramatic."
"Dramatic? Wasn't what you just said dramatic?" Smoker scowled at the Den Den Mushi's exasperated face. "Do you have any idea what you just said? Sever ties with Marine Headquarters? Do you know the true strength of Marine Headquarters? You think your little Marine Branch can stand against them? Didn't Zephyr-sensei smack your brain around for daydreaming like this? Or is Zephyr-sensei getting old and his mind's gone as wrong as yours?"
"Zephyr-sensei approved it. Also, he's standing right next to me."
Silence.
Smoker's face went blank. Then he shouted, "Don't lie to me! Zephyr-sensei would never agree to something like this! You think he is some reckless fool like you? That he'd have that kind of nerve?"
His voice went hard. "Did you force Zephyr-sensei into this?"
"..."
Hearing the conviction in Smoker's words, Dante's Den Den Mushi twisted into an odd expression. "Captain Smoker, you've changed. Gotten sly. How about you say what you just said about Zephyr-sensei again, right in front of him?"
"When did I say anything about Zephyr-sensei? Enough, drop it!" Smoker let out an impatient scoff. He had indeed learnt to play the diplomatic game."Now tell me what the hell you're planning!"
"Not planning much." Dante sighed. "You must have gotten the notice from Marine Headquarters too. Celestial Dragons are coming to the East Blue."
"Celestial Dragons are coming to the East Blue, so you decided this is the right time to mutiny?" Smoker's expression hardened again. "What is going on in your head?"
"Nothing I can do about it. You know the kind of damage Celestial Dragons bring. Given the situation here, we absolutely cannot let them set foot in this place."
"What does that have to do with you severing ties?" Smoker frowned. "You attack Celestial Dragons, the World Government sends Marines to capture you. You sever ties with Marine Headquarters, they still send Marines to capture you. What's the difference?"
"There is a difference. Severing ties with Marine Headquarters is a lesser crime than attacking Celestial Dragons!"
The moment those words came through, Smoker fell silent. He seemed to understand what Dante was getting at.
He had to admit...
Going independent by severing ties with Marine Headquarters would still get you branded a wanted man, but it truly was nowhere near as severe as attacking Celestial Dragons. Immediate response would be Admiral chasing the attacker and could end with buster call.
However.
"And once you sever ties with Marine Headquarters, Celestial Dragons just won't come to the East Blue?" Smoker scoffed. "I hate those bastards as much as anyone, but let's be real, they are World Nobles. If they come anyway, do you really have the guts to take them on after you've cut ties? If you don't, what difference does severing ties make?"
"That's where I need you to step in."
Before the thoroughly confused Smoker could ask anything, Dante continued.
"We have to make Celestial Dragons cancel their visit on their own. As long as this place is dangerous enough, those World Nobles won't set foot in such a hazardous location." Den Den Mushi's eyes staring straight at him. Its voice took on a pointed edge. "Just like the Yonko's territory in the New World!"
Silence.
Smoker's face went blank again. Then his voice grew stern. "You're planning to become a pirate?"
"Who said pirate? Watch your mouth. I can be a bandit, can't I? Mafia. A warlord. Hell, I could even found a country. What's wrong with that?"
"And how is any of that different from being a pirate? They're all the same kind of scum!" Smoker scoffed again, his impatience flaring. "I've got one question for you right now."
A slight pause, his voice going hard. "Are you sure about this?"
"Of course I am!"
"Then-"
But before Smoker could finish, before the tension inside him had a chance to ease, the Den Den Mushi crackled again.
"If things don't work out, I'll just take to the sea and become a pirate!" Dante said.
"Take to the sea and become a pirate? Then I'll hunt you down myself, drag you to the gallows, and cut off your head with my own hands!" His expression murderous, Smoker screamed into the Den Den Mushi, then added in frustration, "If there's nothing important, don't contact me. I don't know you!"
Before Dante could say anything, the Den Den Mushi cut off with a click.
Staring at his Den Den Mushi, Dante sighed and shook his head. "Smoker's gotten smarter."
"Of course he has!" Zephyr said beside him, thoroughly exasperated. "If he hadn't, you and Garp would've bankrupted him by now."
A brief silence fell. Zephyr sighed, then added helplessly, "You're really going through with this?"
"We'd have to take this step eventually. And with how much we've grown, the Grand Line and the New World were bound to notice us sooner or later." Dante spread his hands. "Might as well seize the moment and just do it."
"But if we wait a few more years, our chances are better!"
"It's about the same either way. And going now means we can make moves we couldn't before, stop skulking around. Cut loose from Marine HQ, and we can develop freely." Dante reassured Zephyr, then added, "Relax. Nothing's going to go wrong!"
"Hmph!" Zephyr scoffed. "As long as you keep that pirate secretary of yours well hidden, I might actually believe nothing will go wrong!"
"...You know?"
"Obviously. I'm not blind. The Demon Child's been parading around right in front of me this whole time, you think I wouldn't recognize her?" Zephyr snapped. Then he sighed again, his eyes locking onto Dante's. "Stinky brat. Look at me."
Dante was still confused, trying to figure out what Zephyr was about to do.
"Promise me. If things go wrong in the end, abandon this place. Take Ain and the others and leave. Even if it means becoming pirates, I don't care." Zephyr's voice softened, weighted with deep feeling. "This time has taught me something: staying alive is what matters most. You're all still young. There's no need to sacrifice yourselves. If real danger comes, push the blame onto me. I may be old, but I've still got some strength left. I can hold off the main Navy force for you. Maybe that's unjust to others, but you're my students. As your teacher, I want my students to survive."
He clapped Dante on the shoulder, said nothing more, and walked toward the newly built academy, hands clasped behind his back.
Perhaps afraid things might truly go wrong, he wanted to take a few more looks at the new academy.
Assassinating a Celestial Dragon. Mutiny against Marine HQ. Both were lethally dangerous acts.
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