Kong sat behind the Fleet Admiral's desk. In front of him were Kuzan, Issho, Dalmatian, and Momonga—the four Vice Admirals who had participated in the failed operation to encircle and annihilate the Red-Hair Pirates.
However, Kong was not concerned about the failure, because the four of them had brought back a much more monumental piece of news. Kong took a long time to process it. After half an hour of silence, he finally addressed the four Vice Admirals: "Your disciplinary measures will be issued later. All of you are dismissed."
Zephyr joining the Immortal Pirates was simply unbelievable. Although Kuzan and the others had ordered the subordinates who witnessed Zephyr on the pirate ship to keep silent, as Zephyr's activities increased, this matter would eventually be exposed to the world, causing widespread unrest within the Marine ranks.
Pere pere pere... Pere pere pere...
Just as the four of them turned to leave, the Den Den Mushi on Kong's desk rang, causing their footsteps to halt.
Kong didn't mind the presence of others in the office and immediately brought the receiver to his mouth. "Hello, this is Kong."
"This is Enies Lobby! The Immortal Pirates have breached our defenses and demand a meeting with you, Fleet Admiral!" The Den Den Mushi wept and wailed dramatically.
"What?!"
Kong's eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets in shock. Issho and the three other Vice Admirals immediately turned around, listening to the phone call's contents.
"He claims to have captured Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, and is demanding a trade. He says he wants to meet Vegapunk."
The Enies Lobby guard's tone was full of skepticism when he said this, because the current intelligence on the Revolutionary Army's leader only extended to the codename "Dragon." His appearance, physique, and even gender were unknown to them.
It was uncertain whether the "Dragon" Alucard had brought was the Revolutionary Army's "Dragon."
"Perfect. The four of you will come with me. We are heading to Enies Lobby immediately."
Kong was one of the very few people who knew that Dragon was Garp's son. He had met Dragon when Garp first brought him into the Marines and had even approved the documents for
Dragon's protective role in the scientific research division. Kong knew exactly what the real Dragon looked like.
Soon, five warships, led by Fleet Admiral Kong and comprising four Vice Admirals and thousands of Marine soldiers, sailed mightily through the Gates of Justice, rushing toward Enies Lobby, one of the three great judicial institutions.
Utilizing the special currents and whirlpools of the surrounding sea, which served to obstruct pirates while aiding the Marines, they quickly reached Enies Lobby.
After passing through the Bridge of Hesitation, Kong and his party had just disembarked and crossed the bridge to the front gate when they saw two massive battleships flying the Immortal Pirates flag docked outside the sea railings of Enies Lobby, looming like two fierce tigers watching them menacingly.
"Captain, Fleet Admiral 'Steel Bone' Kong has arrived. His accompanying Vice Admirals include the Admiral candidates Kuzan and Issho, and Headquarters Vice Admirals Dalmatian and Momonga." A crew member of the Dragon Ship lowered his telescope and turned to address Alucard behind him.
Alucard, who was feigning sleep with his eyes closed, lifted his head slightly. The red sunglasses beneath his fedora reflected a sharp light. "Wolf."
WHOOSH!
At Alucard's single word, Wolf burst from the sea, swimming with a ferocious freestyle stroke toward the first line of defense protecting Enies Lobby—the sea railings. He grabbed the railings with both hands and pulled.
Instantly, the seemingly indestructible railings were torn into two sections. "He's actually starting a fight?"
Law, leaning against the ship in a corner with his Kikoku slung over his shoulder, watched the scene. For someone who hadn't yet made a name for himself, let alone earned a bounty, the scene before him was truly shocking.
Kong watched the event with a grim expression. He raised his hand to stop his subordinates who were preparing to attack and addressed Kuzan behind him. "Kuzan."
Shedding his usual laziness, Kuzan took a few strides to the front, stared at the two approaching battleships, and then leaped dozens of meters into the air. Pushing his hands forward, he released two thin, elongated ice spears. "Ice Age!"
Instantly, the sea around Enies Lobby froze solid, halting the Immortal Pirates' battleships.
Wolf propped himself up on the ice surface, dragging his massive body out. The Marine side didn't put on airs. Kong and the other high-ranking officers jumped down from the front island of Enies Lobby without hesitation and walked toward the Immortal Pirates.
"Bring him out."
At Alucard's command, the ship's gangplank lowered, and the Seastone cages from the Dragon Ship were gradually raised and moved to the front of the two ships.
"Dragon..."
When Kong saw the man in the central cage, his first thought was not the codename but the man's real name.
How did he manage to capture Dragon?
While Kong believed Alucard to be the stronger man, the World Government had spent years unable to catch a hair on the elusive Dragon. The fact that Alucard claimed to have captured him was unbelievable.
"You can't possibly not recognize him, can you? Since you were Garp's superior." Alucard now stepped off the ship and walked to the front of Dragon's cage.
His words confused the other Marines present. What does Kong being Garp's superior have to do with this?
They wouldn't guess in a million years that Dragon, the Revolutionary, was the son of Marine Hero Garp.
Kong immediately confirmed that this was the real Revolutionary Dragon. After a long silence, he said gravely, "I heard you want to meet Vegapunk. What do you intend to do?"
"It's simple. I merely want him to design a specialized weapon for me."
Alucard had originally planned to simply dump Dragon at Enies Lobby and leave, but he suddenly remembered the issue of the depleted Seastone bullets still needing to be resolved. He might as well use Dragon to exploit his last bit of value.
"Captain, isn't that letting them off too cheaply?"
"The leader of the Revolutionary Army and a group of high-ranking executives! We should at least demand 5 billion Berries!"
"And a few Devil Fruits wouldn't hurt either."
The Immortal Pirates crew members behind him discussed the matter, feeling they could extort the Marines for more, which caused the faces of both the Marines and the Revolutionary Army prisoners in the cages to darken.
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