(Location: Marineford)
(Fleet Admiral Sengoku POV)
In a meeting room there were dozens of powerful figures sitting around a table looking at the report they had in front of them. "Is this for real?" One Vice-Admiral asked skeptically as he pointed to the report in question. Sengoku, the Fleet-Admiral of the Marines looked towards the man who had just spoken, then at everyone else gathered before saying, "This information is 100% real. Nearly every member of the Nobility in the Goa Kingdom has disappeared off the face of the world, and the only thing left that we think might be them are mountains of ash that were left behind at the scenes. To top it all off, no one is claiming responsibility for this, and we haven't a clue as to who the perpetrators could be."
"What about this story from the paper a few days ago? Is it true?" Someone else asked while pointing at the newspaper in question. The story in question went on to tell about how the Marines had taken bribes for the last five years to turn a blind eye as thousands of people were held hostage by a group of pirates, and to top it all off, there was even proof about the whole damn thing detailing how much the Marines got paid from that whole ordeal, and now people were furious. Even though that had only happened in the East Blue as far as they knew, country leaders all over the world who had read about it were already questioning the integrity of the Marines. Not to mention there was a public outcry about how the Marines should make reparations to the people of the Conomi Islands, something which was still being debated by the World Government.
Letting out a deep sigh, Sengoku rubbed his temples before answering, "Yes, it's true. The leader of Branch 16 was covering it up. We've also learned that a number of our own ships and people were killed because of Branch 16's collusion with the Arlong Pirates, but none of it was ever reported because they covered it up. We've already taken almost all of the members of Branch 16 into custody, however its leader, Captain Nezumi and a few of his underlings are still at large somewhere." "He probably ran like the rat he is after reading the paper!" The Vice-Admiral who asked about the report growled in anger.
"Our influence in the East Blue is at an all time low right now. You all remember a while back when one of our branches were all slaughtered, correct?!" Sengoku asked, his facial expression darkening and his voice rising. Everyone in the room nodded their heads at his words, for none would ever forget how someone came into one of their bases and killed almost everyone, then proceeded to spell a message with the corpses and spread the image of it throughout the world. That had been a deliberate attack on all of the Marines, and many were still reeling from it to this day.
After getting confirmation from everyone present, Sengoku continued, "We are losing the people's trust in us. We aren't getting any new recruits from the East Blue, and many of the soldiers we did have are resigning from the Marines, and it's not just there either. After everything that's been going on, people all over the world are questioning whether or not that message was retaliation for another crime committed by the Marines, and I honestly couldn't say one way or the other if it was true or not!"
"Isn't pirate activity in the East Blue at an all time low right now?" Someone asked, hoping to maybe ease the tension in the room a bit. "Yes, but its not because of the Marines. New Bounty Hunters are the ones getting rid of pirates. At the rate they're going, the people are going to believe they don't need the Marines any longer because we haven't been doing our job." Sengoku answered with a frown, and everyone in the room shared his sentiments, that is, everyone save one man who was munching on a bag of rice crackers. Vice-Admiral Garp.
One would think all of the Marines would feel somewhat enraged at what was going on, but Garp was not one of those Marines. On the contrary, he didn't see anything wrong with it. "Are we sure this is a bad thing?" Garp asked calmly between bites of his crackers. Everyone turned their attention to him, then an old woman wearing a Vice-Admiral's coat asked, "What do you mean, Garp?"
"Tsuru, you know just like the rest of us that the Nobles aren't good people. If I'm being honest here I'm surprised something like this hasn't happened already. It was only a matter of time before the people got tired of being enslaved and repressed by the nobles, and the Marines are the ones who carry out their orders. Sure, we protect the world from pirates and criminals, but we also protect people worse than those criminals we stand against, so of course there was going to be retaliation. You said it yourselves, criminal activity had decreased in the East Blue, be it pirate, bandit, or from those stinking nobles. If a couple of Bounty Hunters are all it takes to do the job we've failed to do, then who are we to stop them. As for the Marines looking bad, why try to deny anything, its all true. The Marines need to make reparations to the people of the Conomi Islands, and to deny that would only further stain the Marines. Take a lesson from this in what not to do, otherwise it won't just be the East Blue that starts to turn their backs on the Marines." Garp explained simply as best he understood it. Everyone present knew where Garp's loyalty was, and that was to the people and the soldiers, not the nobles, so his words weren't too surprising for most of them to hear. However there were some who disagreed with him, and one of them wasn't afraid to tell him.
Admiral Akainu, a tall man wearing a red suit, shot to his feet and slammed his fist onto the table and drew all eyes onto him. "You are being too weak, Garp! We need to go in full force and show the world what TRUE JUSTICE is! We can't let people think they can just walk over the Marines when it is we who instill the rule of the true rulers of this world!" Akainu roared angrily. He was a true follower of the World Government, and like so many believed the nobles were infallible.
"Sakazuki, when you speak it makes my head hurt. If you want to go bend over for the nobles, by all means, do it, but leave the rest of us out of it. Not all of us are blind to the Government." Garp told the man before he grabbed another handful of rice crackers and chomped them down. Sakazuki, or Akainu as most people referred to him, simply continued to stand in place with his hands on the table at Garp's words. He, like everyone else in the world knew what a walking calamity Garp was, and though he dared speak out against him, he did not dare make a move against him, for Garp was the kind of man who didn't get riled up over someone questioning him, but he wouldn't back down from anyone in a fight.
The only sound in the room was the sound of Garp munching on crackers, and after hearing Garp's take on everything, Sengoku wasn't sure what to say next. Garp wasn't exactly wrong, but there was no way he could just do nothing about the situation. To do nothing would set a bad precedent to the rest of the world, and before long there would be open hostilities towards the Marines. More than there were already, that is.
After a long and tense moment, Sengoku let out another deep sigh, something he found he was doing more often than not these last few days, then addressed the room. "Three Vice-Admirals will go to the East Blue…" Sengoku began, not knowing that this action would set the stage for the calamity that was yet to come.
*****
(Location: The Holy City, Mary Geoise)
(The Five Elders POV)
In a large spacious white room, the five elders of the World Government who just so happened to be the highest ranking Celestial Dragons were discussing the reports that had been flooding in from the East Blue. "This is the work of those damned Revolutionaries! It has to be!" An old bald man with a large mustache roared angrily. This was Saint Topman Warcury.
"If you're saying Dragon took bribes disguised as a Marine officer to turn a blind eye to pirates keeping citizens hostage, I think you'll need to work pretty hard to convince the public of that." Saint Marcus Mars said lazily. "Not that, you fool! The killing of the nobles in the Goa Kingdom!" Saint Topman shouted.
"I know what you were talking about, but the rest of us were discussing the people of the Conomi Islands. As insignificant as they are, we can't just ignore this. If we let this stand, who's to say we won't let it happen again, and before long the whole world realizes that they don't need us. Without subjects, we are just a bunch of old people claiming to be greater than we are." Saint Marcus said, getting right to the crux of the matter.
"Are you saying we should pay the reparations to the people of the Conomi Islands?" Saint Shepherd Ju Peter asked, sounding as though he didn't much like that idea. "We've lost more influence and revenue from the East Blue than we have in any of the other Blues. If we don't do something to get back into the good graces of the people, then we might as well say good-bye to the East Blue entirely. Already the Oykot Kingdom has expressed doubts about the Marines. I've heard they've even begun forming their own military. Soon enough the Marines' presence won't be welcome there, and before you know it, we'll be shunned as well. How long after that do you think it will take for the other Blues to realize that they don't need us?" Saint Marcus asked, reiterating the importance of keeping the Blue Seas in line.
"Fleet-Admiral Sengoku is preparing a force to make a showing of Marine presence in the East Blue. We'll not only root out those responsible for attacking the nobles, but it will show the rest of the people that the Marines are very much there!" Saint Topman stated, but he was forgetting one key factor. "We have no idea who it was who attacked the nobles or the Marines. The best we can hope for is to show the public that we aren't weak, and that we are there." Saint Marcus said, reminding them all that they were still clueless as to who was attacking.
"I still say it was Dragon! The Revolutionaries have been getting more bold as of late!" Saint Topman said, certain as to who the culprit was. "If it were Dragon, then why haven't the Revolutionaries claimed responsibility for the attack? They've never missed an opportunity to throw sand in our eyes whenever they've gotten one over on us." Saint Saturn said, making a valid point.
They discussed things for a while longer with not much else being decided. The only thing they were really able to agree upon was that the people of the Conomi Islands would receive reparation. They would try to make a spectacle about it to hopefully show the public that they were indeed capable of owning up to their mistakes. With that they concluded their meeting.
*****
(Location: Revolutionary Army HQ, Baltigo)
(Dragon POV)
Around a circular table sat the highest ranking members of the Revolutionary Army, including their leader, Dragon. Everyone had seen the aftermath of the report they had helped publish in the paper a few days ago, and they had to admit, it was progress. Dragon had never thought to try and take over one of the Blues, simply because that would have openly revealed their movements and plans to the World Government, something which they weren't ready for, however one man was able to destabilize the East Blue with a few key pieces of information.
'Not to mention he's nuts.' Dragon thought inwardly as he remembered the reports from his men detailing the death and destruction of the nobles in the Goa Kingdom. Not just anyone could do that, at least not in the timeframe Jack Sparrow had done it, and especially with so few civilian casualties.
"With the shipments of weapons that guy gave us, we were able to better equip more than half of the forces of Sandina, and already they're making headway to form their own military. At this rate, they should be able to get out from under the Government's control a whole six months sooner than we originally estimated." Karasu, the commander of the Northern Army explained, his words being amplified by the speaker he wore on his face due to him speaking only loud enough that no one could hear him. "Excellent. And what of the former slaves?" Dragon asked, looking at Belo Betty, the commander of the Eastern Army.
"We've reintegrated most of them back into the city, but there were actually a few hundred that requested to join us, while some chose to leave the Goa Kingdom entirely. We're currently in the process of helping them relocate. Also, we've managed to fill a number of the positions of power in Goa Kingdom with our own people without any trouble. Should the time come when we want to take the city, it will be far easier now." Betty explained, giving Dragon more good news.
"Sir, what happened to the guy who started the commotion? Jack Sparrow, I mean." Ahiru, the deputy commander of the Eastern Army asked. She, like everyone else, was curious about the guy who was single-handedly stirring up a storm in the East Blue. "His current whereabouts are unknown, but I did talk to him after the incident, and he said he was going to wait and see how the Marines reacted to what he did before he makes his next move. He said he would keep me informed for anything else he did and that I could contact him if I needed help, but for now we'll continue as we have been." Dragon answered, not keeping anything from his subordinates. Dragon had a feeling about the man that was Jack Sparrow, and if that feeling was correct, he would be seeing a lot more of him.
*****
(Somewhere in the New World)
(Red-haired Shanks POV)
On a tropical island in the New World, a tall muscular one-armed man was sitting alone on the beach with a bottle of alcohol in hand. This man was none other than Red-haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors of the sea. When he was little boy he had apprenticed on Gold Rogers ship with his friend Buggy, but Shanks had stayed behind on an island after Buggy got sick, and after the King of the Pirates' execution at Loguetown, both of them had gone their separate ways and formed their own pirate crews. The last Shanks had heard of Buggy he was still just a small-time pirate who did whatever he liked in the East Blue, but it seemed karma had finally caught up with him.
It had just been a small note in the paper, but it mentioned how a bounty hunter by the name of William Turner had killed both him and Arlong and cashed in their bounties in the Goa Kingdom. Shanks had nothing against William Turner, but for killing Buggy he hadn't made a friend with Shanks, though if he were being honest with himself, Buggy probably asked for it.
Forgetting about Buggy for a moment, Shanks thought about the goings on in the East Blue. He knew after the incident in the Goa Kingdom that the Marines would retaliate, but he just didn't know how. He was worried about that because there were people he cared about in the East Blue, and people his crew cared about lived there as well, but because of his position as one of the Four Emperors, he couldn't just up and leave whenever he wanted.
Kaido and Big Mom had been causing a ruckus lately, and he wasn't about to let them take any of his territory, regardless of his desire to go to the East Blue to check up on those he cared about. 'I hope they're alright.' He silently prayed, then downed the rest of his bottle of sake. If he had to be stuck here where he couldn't do anything important, he was going to be shitfaced for it.
*****
(Location: An Island in the East Blue)
(Luke Strauss POV)
In Shimotsuki Village where he had resided for more than a year now, Luke Strauss could be seen reading a paper outside the Isshin Dojo while laughing his ass off. After being freed from the Marines by Jack, Luke and the two others made their way here to Shimotsuki Village, where the brother and sister duo immediately began to start a new life for themselves. Luke on the other hand immediately began training to get stronger, for he knew that was the only way Jack Sparrow would let him join him.
Luke trained relentlessly almost day and night with a drive to get stronger that was almost frightening. Koushirou, the master of the Isshin Dojo and Luke's teacher had mentioned a number of times that he was over exerting himself, but if he could still move after training than it hadn't been enough.
Now here he was, a year later and stronger than ever before, and what was he doing? He was laughing at an article about a bunch of nobles getting killed. He hated the nobles more than anything in the world, and had made a promise to himself that he was going to kill them all one day, but that day had seemed so far off a year ago. Now though, now he felt as though he could stand up for himself. There was also the fact that he suspected Jack Sparrow to be behind the attack on the nobles even though he had absolutely no way of knowing for sure, but his gut told him he wasn't wrong.
Luke's deep hatred for the nobles came, not when they captured him, but when they took his family from him. His mother and father were killed by the Marines on orders from a noble because they had dared to refuse him their two daughters, Luke's sisters. Luke was the second youngest of four children, and had two sisters and a brother. His older brother had tried to fight back against the Marines, but he was shot dead before he could really do anything, and his oldest sister had been stabbed when they had tried to take her.
As for his remaining sister, Luke had watched her point a pistol to the underside of her own jaw and fired a bullet up into her brain. She had chosen to end her life, rather than suffer as a slave. The last thing he had seen was her fall to the ground before something hit him hard in the back of the head, and when he woke up he was in a prison cell on a ship being escorted to a life of slavery. That is, until he was set free by Jack Sparrow.
Luke wanted to get stronger so he could end the Marines and the nobles, but he knew he couldn't do it alone. He knew if he did want to go down this road, he'd need the help of someone like Jack Sparrow, and after reading about the exploits of someone who he was certain was Jack, he knew his time had finally come to set out. He thanked his sensei, Koushirou Shimotsuki before he boarded a little boat and set off. He had no idea where Jack would be, but so long as he went where the Marines were, he figured he had a good chance of running into him.