"CONFIRMED! Straw Hat Luffy is the Son of Revolutionary Army Leader Dragon!"
Aboard the Black Nova, Jerry couldn't help but fall into deep contemplation after reading the explosive headline. Something about this revelation didn't sit right with him—it didn't feel like the World Government's usual calculated information release. Under current circumstances, this seemed like exactly the kind of sensitive intelligence they would keep classified.
Under the watchful gazes of Deuce and the others, Jerry spoke quietly, "This development will probably force us to change our plans entirely. It might even trigger something much more serious."
"What kind of serious event?" the crew asked curiously. They genuinely couldn't imagine what could possibly surpass their carefully orchestrated prison break at Impel Down in terms of scale and consequence.
Jerry shook his head, choosing not to elaborate further. Instead, he said calmly, "Don't worry about the bigger picture for now. Let's continue with our work. If any official announcements come out, we'll adjust our long-term strategy accordingly."
The major event Jerry was referring to was the world-shaking war at Marineford that had been triggered by Ace's capture in the original timeline. He had considered this possibility from the very beginning of their planning.
When Blackbeard Teach had thrown Luffy—this political hot potato—at the World Government's feet, it was obvious they couldn't possibly refuse to take custody of such a high-value prisoner.
Once the World Government had Luffy in their hands, there was no way they wouldn't decide to make an example of him through public punishment.
However, compared to Ace, who had the aging but still formidable Whitebeard standing behind him, Luffy had Monkey D. Dragon—the leader of the Revolutionary Army in his absolute prime—as his protector.
Therefore, Jerry had initially believed that even if the World Government wanted to execute Luffy, they would definitely make thorough preparations and develop foolproof contingency plans first.
When the timing was right, just like what had happened to Ace during the original Battle of Marineford, Luffy's true parentage would be revealed to the world just before his execution for maximum psychological impact.
During the preparation period, in order to maintain political stability, the World Government would most likely choose to temporarily conceal Luffy's family connections and quietly imprison him in Impel Down.
Jerry's original strategy had been to use his newly acquired position as one of the Seven Warlords during this interim period to infiltrate Impel Down with his crew, seize the initiative, and rescue the prisoners before any public execution could take place.
After all, Jerry possessed crucial intelligence that was still classified: Emporio Ivankov and Inazuma, high-ranking officers of the Revolutionary Army, were currently hiding within the prison's secret level.
If Luffy was indeed imprisoned there, Ivankov and his allies would undoubtedly provide assistance without hesitation once they learned that Luffy was Dragon's son.
"Now we'll have to see if Ivankov and his people are well-informed and capable enough to mount an advance rescue," Jerry mused silently. "If they can pull it off, that would be ideal. If not, it'll still come down to us."
"Otherwise, Luffy will most likely end up taking Ace's place on that execution platform..."
Jerry stared toward the Sabaody Archipelago ahead of them, then shifted his gaze toward the distant Red Line where Mariejois sat like a crown atop the world, his thoughts churning with dark possibilities.
Marine Headquarters
Fleet Admiral Sengoku slammed down his Den Den Mushi receiver and shouted in frustration, "That bastard! What the hell does Teach think he's doing? It's not time to announce this information yet!"
The news had been released privately by Blackbeard through his connections with Morgans and the World Economic News Paper. Sengoku had no idea where Teach had obtained such classified intelligence, or why he had chosen this particular moment to reveal it to the world.
In any case, once the news had been announced, it had completely disrupted the original plans of many parties, including the World Government itself.
However, when the Five Elders realized that the information had already spread far and wide, they decided not to dwell on the leak. Although they secretly reprimanded Teach for his unauthorized disclosure, they ultimately chose to adapt their strategy and take advantage of the new situation.
In truth, after Luffy's capture, the World Government had already been planning to execute him publicly as a deterrent to other potential rebels.
They were also well aware of Luffy's true parentage, given that the Revolutionary Army had been operating in the shadows and causing disruptions across the globe for years.
The Five Elders had conceived a plan to use Luffy as bait to draw out the Revolutionary Army, which they believed was still in its formative stages. Their ultimate goal was to use this opportunity to annihilate the organization in one decisive blow and prevent future troubles.
However, due to the premature information leak, the fact that Luffy was Dragon's son could no longer be kept secret or used as a surprise revelation.
Therefore, they had been forced to make significant adjustments and modify key details of their plan to guard against possible covert rescue operations by Revolutionary Army forces.
The World Government had subsequently conveyed their revised action plan to Sengoku, which had placed enormous pressure on the Fleet Admiral's shoulders.
Glancing at Garp, who had arrived early that morning for his usual routine of eating and drinking at headquarters expense, Sengoku felt a migraine coming on.
Garp had finally managed to behave somewhat normally over the past few days, but now he was staring blankly at the newspaper with an incredibly complex expression etched across his weathered features.
Of course Sengoku understood that Straw Hat Luffy, Revolutionary Dragon, and Garp represented three generations of the same family, which was precisely why this situation was so impossibly difficult.
From the Marines' perspective, both Luffy and Dragon were undeniably criminals who had to be ruthlessly eliminated if the opportunity arose.
However, those two criminals happened to be the closest blood relatives of the Marines' greatest hero.
The Next Day
While countless people across the world harbored different thoughts, wore different expressions, and took different actions in response to the revelations, another piece of explosive news quickly spread to every corner of the globe on the wings of News Coos, triggering fresh waves of attention and heated discussion.
Sengoku sighed deeply, gently set down the newspaper, stood up, and walked out of his office.
Just as he had expected, Garp was walking steadily toward the harbor with determined steps.
"Garp, where are you going?" Sengoku leaped down and quickly intercepted his old friend, asking in a low, serious voice.
Garp tilted his head slightly, his eyes meeting Sengoku's for a brief moment before falling into prolonged silence.
Finally, he spoke slowly, "I'm going where I need to go."
"Don't say I didn't warn you..." Sengoku began righteously, but was interrupted when Garp raised his hand.
Garp took another step forward, and a sea breeze carried his distant voice back to his old friend: "I know what I'm doing."
Sengoku watched helplessly as Garp quickly boarded a warship and set sail. An inexplicable sense of melancholy washed over him, eventually transforming into a low sigh as he chose to say nothing more.
Around the World
In the royal palace of a World Government member nation, a large gathering of nobles celebrated enthusiastically.
"Excellent! The World Government and Marines are finally taking decisive action against the Revolutionary Army!"
"Yes! The son of their leader has been captured and will be publicly executed. Let's see if they dare continue their arrogant campaign to incite civilians to rebel against us!"
"Chahahahaha! If you ask me, they deserve whatever punishment they get for daring to oppose the Celestial Dragons and the World Government!"
Nobles, ministers, and wealthy merchants applauded the World Government's actions with genuine enthusiasm.
They firmly believed that the correct path was to follow the World Government that had ruled successfully for eight hundred years.
On the other hand, Revolutionary Army members scattered across the globe, as well as prospective recruits who wanted to join their cause, found themselves thrown into confusion by the day's announcement that Straw Hat Luffy—recently captured and now revealed to be Dragon's son—would be publicly executed in the near future.
Not only people living on land, but many pirates also clearly understood the World Government's intentions behind this move.
"Zehahahaha! What a magnificent and chaotic era! This is our chance to seize everything!"
Somewhere on the seas, the Blackbeard Pirates were celebrating wildly with raucous laughter.
Other pirate crews who were more or less connected to the unfolding events had their own varied reactions to the news.
Meanwhile, Aboard the Black Nova
"Jerry, what's the situation? I have to rescue Luffy!" Ace's voice came through the Den Den Mushi with unmistakable determination.
Based on the background sounds, it seemed he was no longer in Water 7.
"Don't worry, we can handle this," Jerry replied with a gentle but confident smile.
Even though their plans had been completely upended, Jerry remained optimistic about their chances.
He knew that Luffy wouldn't easily end up sharing the same fate as a certain previous Pirate King with distinctive facial hair who had met his end on an execution platform.
After all, this was Monkey D. Luffy they were talking about—and if there was one thing Jerry had learned during his time in this world, it was that betting against Luffy's survival instincts was usually a losing proposition.