For Vice Admiral Garp himself to come personally notify Branch 153, yet not take responsibility for the escort assignment entrusted to Branch 153... By process of elimination, it definitely wasn't the "Revolutionary" Monkey D. Dragon...
"Next year's Reverie?"
In the branch chief's office, a major scratched his head in confusion.
"Isn't that still more than a year away?"
It was only the summer of 1517. There was more than a full year until the Reverie convened in 1518, so why was an Affiliated Nation setting out so early?
Yes.
For the Navy to personally take part in the escort, there was no question that only the Royal Family of a World Government Affiliated Nation qualified.
Whenever the Reverie was held, the Navy's main duty was to escort the royal families of Affiliated Nations from around the world to the Holy Land, where they would attend this high-level conference that determined the broad direction of the world situation for the following four years.
In the East Blue, there was only one Affiliated Nation qualified to have Garp personally arrange an escort mission.
It was the "most beautiful country in the East Blue," once personally visited even by the Celestial Dragons, a model "segregated society"...
The Kingdom of Goa in the East Blue!
Hearing this, Monka's expression revealed neither joy nor anger as he answered calmly.
"...The king of the Sali Family in the Kingdom of Goa is old and has no son, so he arranged a marriage between Princess Sally Nandecanette and the son of nobleman Outlook III, Otluk Sterley. This year, he and the Princess officially became engaged. Barring unforeseen circumstances, he will become the future king of the Kingdom of Goa."
"Do you understand now?"
They understood!
They were all adults. No one was that stupid.
As someone outside the Sali Family's royal bloodline, Sterley would need recognition from the royal families of other nations if he wanted to become king.
That recognition naturally would not come for free, so Sterley intended to use this opportunity to cultivate connections.
Traveling around to "visit" them all, even a year would be somewhat tight.
But once it was done, when the Reverie began and the other kingdoms saw that Sterley already had supporters, his future throne would be secure.
It was just that...
The Navy would have an extremely hard time.
Everyone in the office wore different expressions.
If it was merely protecting the royal family while they attended the Reverie, it was their duty, and they had no excuse to refuse.
But this was clearly treating Navy soldiers as their personal dogs. Not only did the World Government fail to deny it, it even ordered the Navy to cooperate fully, to the point that Garp had appeared in person...
Seeing their clenched fists, Lowett knew that no one would resist.
No wonder the rumors said Garp's son, Dragon, had defected from the Navy. When the abuse of military power ran rampant without being addressed, the Navy could only decline with each generation, breeding scum everywhere...
After witnessing the Celestial Dragons' arrogance and brutality at the Sabaody Archipelago, most Marines' steadfast sense of justice would surely waver.
They would then give up on themselves and muddle through life.
Only a small number of warriors, like Garp, would face the blood-soaked reality, withstand the pressure, and bear the burden as they pressed forward.
The fewest would be like Dragon, raising the banner of rebellion.
Monka did not explain the matter further. The orders had already come down, and as Marines, unless they wanted to rebel, they had to obey obediently.
"Alright, don't think too much about it. We only need to escort them safely to Loguetown and hand them over to Colonel Smoker. The rest will be handled by the Navy on the Grand Line."
"Now, I'll assign the tasks."
Even the Kingdom of Goa could not order every member of Branch 153 to mobilize for protection. It was not because they feared the Navy would object, but because the World Government certainly would.
"Lieutenant Colonel Klimans, Major Eleanor, Major Nichols... Take your troops and remain behind. The branch will be short on manpower, so stay vigilant."
Monka had to appear personally, because he was currently, at least, the strongest combat force in Branch 153.
Upon receiving their orders, the three of them breathed sighs of relief, stood at attention, and saluted.
"I will personally command the escort force. Lieutenant Colonel Jordi, Major Aiden, Major Soxie... Second Lieutenant Lowett, you will depart with me."
Monka could naturally see that the atmosphere in the branch had been a little off lately... To be honest, he felt helpless at times too.
He wanted to rid himself of Lowett, an unstable factor, but he also did not want others to think poorly of his character.
Why had I gotten so worked up back then and said everything out loud?
Bringing Lowett along this time was not only to give the increasingly tense atmosphere in the branch time to ease, but also to give Lowett a chance to prove himself.
Among the crowd, Lowett remained expressionless.
"Yes!"
"Then it's settled. Meeting adjourned!"
The distinguished guests from the Kingdom of Goa arrived quickly. Judging from their reluctant faces, their inability to complain, and the cautious way they watched Garp's expression, Garp—whose mood was clearly terrible after whatever had happened on his trip home—had not been polite with them.
As the Navy's famously unruly man.
Even the Gorosei turned a blind eye to him.
Rather than waste time complaining to the World Government, they might as well behave themselves and avoid provoking him.
"I'll leave them to you, Colonel Monka."
Garp's old face was cold, and his tone was stiff.
"Please rest assured, Vice Admiral. We will complete the mission even at the cost of our lives!"
I didn't know either, and I didn't dare ask.
Monka stood at attention and saluted, then called for the soldiers to board.
"Be gentler! This vase is worth thirty million Beli! Can you afford to pay for it if you break it?!"
An overbearing shout rang out across the deck.
Monka turned and saw a boarding soldier passing by a cabin when he happened to collide with an orange-haired young man in luxurious clothing who had emerged from it.
He had a bowl cut and a short stature. Holding a white porcelain vase with carved patterns in his arms, he berated the soldier with a face full of hostility.
The soldier in front of him covered his bleeding forehead, his face flushed red, yet he did not dare talk back.
It was clearly the young man who had opened the door and struck him, yet he refused to distinguish right from wrong.
Just as he was about to continue berating him, the young man suddenly noticed Garp staring at him expressionlessly and immediately shuddered.
Muttering some sort of curse under his breath, he waved his hand and told the soldier to get lost.
"Canette! Look, I bought back the vase you like!"
Then, with a broad smile plastered across his face, the orange-haired young man went to another door and knocked in a syrupy voice.
"So that's Sterley, the Kingdom of Goa's prince consort?"
Monka frowned.
He was more than merely arrogant!
"Just don't kill him..."
Garp said coldly.
Monka's heart twitched, and the corner of his mouth spasmed. "I wouldn't dare!"
Looking again at the two small warships preparing to accompany the large warship, Monka saw Lieutenant Colonel Jordi and the others had finished boarding. He took a deep breath.
"Set sail!"
Hooooonk...!!
The horn echoed over the tranquil harbor of Shells Town as one large and two small warships slowly turned toward the deep blue sea.
After the warships departed, a thin man in a cloak withdrew his head from behind a house near the harbor. He retrieved a Den Den Mushi from the corner of the wall and made a call.
"Captain, they've set out."
After a while, Zango's response came from the Den Den Mushi.
"Follow them. Stay hidden!"
"Yes!"
The scout from the Cat Ears Pirates nodded repeatedly, then could not help saying,
"But there are over a hundred soldiers accompanying them. Shouldn't we..."
Silence.
A terrifying silence!
A moment later, Zango's killing intent seeped into his voice.
"Are you... afraid?"
The scout shuddered and hurriedly shook his head.
"N-No!"
"Then follow the plan!"
Zango barked, then a cold smile appeared on his lips. "Don't worry. Our mission is only to kill Lowett. We won't confront the main Navy force."
"Everything is going according to my plan."
That was great!
The scout's eyes lit up. Remembering Kuro's methods, he immediately looked sinisterly in the direction the warships had gone.
If you don't die, we'll all die.
So please, go die!
The contract has arrived, but the notification only came through the backend at 5:40 in the afternoon, so the status should officially change tomorrow or the day after.
But it didn't matter. It was just writing, and Big Tree was good at that.
So starting today, there would be two updates a day!
It took seven days and thirty thousand words after publishing before the contract was finalized. It was so damn miserable...
Dear readers, please lend Big Tree a hand and help reduce the losses caused by this week-long blank period. Big Tree thanks you here!
If you think this book is good, please add it to your bookshelf so you don't have trouble finding it next time!
Before you continue