Since the Old Geezers Pirates' new bounty posters were issued worldwide, nearly everyone was discussing:
What exactly were the Old Geezers Pirates?
Who was the Golden Thief really?
What did the face behind the mask look like...
And the most pressing question of all:
Just how much treasure had he stolen from Alabasta?Meanwhile, the Old Geezers Pirates once again became a hot topic worldwide.
However, this was only among civilians.
Within the Angel Alliance, the situation was entirely different.
"What the hell? I've only been in the New World for half a year, how did Luffy and Sanji suddenly become pirates!?" Ichiji groaned, slapping his forehead in frustration.
"Has the world changed this fast?"
"What are you muttering about, Ichiji? Isn't this kind of thing normal?" Niji scoffed, his blue hair still flowing dramatically.
"In today's Angel Alliance, whether it's the Marines, Revolutionary Army, Cross Guild, or pirates – we're all grasshoppers tied to the same rope now."
"I can understand the situation," Yonji scratched his green-haired head, "but don't you think if the Fleet Admiral and Alliance Commander found out about this..."
The three instantly fell silent.
The current Fleet Admiral wasn't their thick-skinned, unflappable grandfather – but the notoriously short-tempered Akainu Sakazuki, who could explode at the slightest provocation.
And while the Alliance Commander Monkey D. Dragon remained extremely composed, perfectly balancing out Akainu Sakazuki's temperament...
This time, it was his own son who became a pirate.
Even the three brothers—Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji—found themselves in a dilemma.
Should they report this truthfully?
"Still... this probably isn't something we should be worrying about, right? If even we know about it, the Fleet Admiral and the Alliance Commander must have already been informed long ago," Yonji said, crossing his arms.
"Alright then, let's take a vote. Raise your hand if you think we should report this to the Fleet Admiral and the Alliance Commander!" Niji declared, making no move himself.
Neither Ichiji nor Yonji raised their hands either.
The three brothers exchanged glances and sighed in unison.
Fine.
At least their intelligence was clearly intact.
"Since we've already voted... why are we still standing around here?" Ichiji waved his hand dismissively and turned to leave.
"Retreat!"
With that order, the three of them strode out of the G-1 Branch headquarters.
Ever since the standoff with the World Government began, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki of the Angel Alliance and Joint Commander Monkey D. Dragon had made a decision—
They would establish their frontline command at the former Marine Branch G-1, located near the entrance to the New World.
In fact, one could say that the G-1 Branch now served as the de facto headquarters of the Angel Alliance.
Meanwhile, Marineford had effectively become the logistics and command center.
Shortly after Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji made their escape from the office building, in the Fleet Admiral's office at the very top floor—
Sakazuki's expression was a mix of fury and bewilderment.
"Monkey D. Dragon! Look at what your precious son and nephews have done! They've become pirates!" Sakazuki slammed his fist on the desk, glaring at Dragon.
"Don't give me any excuses about misunderstandings! The wanted posters have already landed on my desk!"
"Sakazuki... no need to get so worked up," Dragon replied, though the restless tapping of his fingers against the table betrayed his own unease.
"I've seen them too."
"So you don't find this the least bit strange? Those were members of the Junior Officer Program! The finest young recruits the Marines had to offer—I didn't even want to bring them all to the New World!" Sakazuki sounded almost heartbroken.
"And now it seems... they've even turned on their own! Shu and T-Bone, stationed at Enies Lobby, were killed by them!"
"That part... does strike me as odd," Dragon frowned. "Have you contacted Marineford?"
"Not yet," Sakazuki rubbed his temples. "These past few days, the World Government has gone mad, suddenly ramping up their harassment. They've deployed nearly all their forces, forcing us to match—or even exceed—their numbers. And right at this critical moment, those brats decide to stir up trouble..."
"Compared to the World Government, these matters are trivial." Monkey D. Dragon glanced again at the bounty posters on the table.
"What really baffles me are the names on these wanted posters... 'Groping the Sky' War Chatterbox? 'Loudmouth' Garp the Cannon? These names reek of cheap mockery from start to finish."
"They're just a bunch of old men."
"Don't you think they look strikingly similar to Sengoku and my father?"
"Now that you mention it... there is some resemblance." Sakazuki paused, scrutinizing the bounty poster in his hand.
"But... it's just a resemblance, right? Given their original stances, joining the Angel Alliance would be one thing, but becoming pirates? They'd rather die than stoop to that."
"Fair point." Monkey D. Dragon nodded. "Contact Marineford... Regardless, we need to understand this situation."
...
"These days are... strangely peaceful." Kozuki Toki remarked from her desk with a sigh. "This is what they call the stalemate phase of war."
"It's the so-called 'false peace.'" Tsuru sipped her tea without much cheer. "The current calm is just both sides gathering strength for the coming storm... what people call 'the calm before the tempest.'"
Kozuki Toki couldn't help but sigh.
It reminded her of the old days.
Back during the war to overthrow the Great Kingdom over 800 years ago...
The same stalemate phase.
Not long after, the rebel army—after Michael recovered countless Devil Fruits—forged a Devil Fruit army and marched straight into the Great Kingdom's capital.
Just as the two exchanged brief words, the Den Den Mushi on the desk rang.
Kozuki Toki gestured with her pen toward Tsuru.
Without hesitation, Tsuru picked up the receiver.
"Hello, this is Tsuru."
Her voice was calm.
After two seconds of silence, the caller fired a pointed question.
"Tsuru, care to explain why the most talented young members of the Angel Alliance... now have a combined bounty of over 600 million Berries?"
"And..."
"They killed their own comrades!?"