Destination: North Blue!

The killing of the Celestial Dragons is something the World Government can't cover up no matter how hard it tries.

However, through the efforts of the World Government, the impact of this incident on ordinary people and some island nations has been minimized as much as possible.

But the underground forces and the One Piece are all aware of this.

Aside from the bigwigs of the New World, newly emerging One Piece forces like the Spade Pirates, and newcomers who were already somewhat famous in the Grand Line, were also greatly shocked by this event.

This further fueled their ambition to make a name for themselves on the high seas and launch a powerful attack on the Navy! It could be said that... Oboro's actions made him, in a short time, the undisputed center of the world, even overshadowing the Yonko in public opinion. It's important to understand that countless eyes are watching the New World's movements on this vast ocean; after all, the actions of the Yonko can easily trigger changes in the maritime landscape.

As for how the World Government and the Celestial Dragons will be held accountable at the Navy level, and how they will be dealt with, the outside world has no idea.

On the surface, it seems the Navy hasn't found a scapegoat, and the seemingly impending storm has been passed over in an absurdly calm manner. The World Government appears to want to quietly let the stain on the Celestial Dragons fade away with time.

Gradually, it was forgotten by everyone.

They did not want to escalate the situation further.

After all, there was Morgans watching from the shadows.

If the World Government's punishment of the Navy is too harsh, Morgans will surely add fuel to the fire by reporting on it.

As a result, the matter seems unlikely to be calmed down anytime soon, and will only escalate, making those who are hostile to the government laugh at us.

Outsiders may not know, but two people played a crucial role in the reason why the Sengoku period was 'ignored'.

One is Garp.

One is the former Fleet Admiral and current Commander-in-Chief of the World Government, Steel Bone Kong.

During his meeting with the Celestial Dragons, Sengoku remained silent throughout, subjected to a barrage of accusations from the Celestial Dragons, displaying none of the composure expected of a Fleet Admiral... Even Topman, the legal and martial god among the Five Elders, remained a cold observer. It was a foregone conclusion that the Celestial Dragons would use Sengoku as a 'weapon of Damocles'... but at the crucial moment, it was Garp stepped forward.

He only said one sentence: if the Sengoku period is forced to retire, then... he will also abdicate.

Although Garp is only a vice admiral, his influence across the seas surpasses even that of Sengoku ... He is a naval hero, the navy's golden standard, and countless people see him as a beacon of justice! Garp is like a pillar of strength; with him around... even the most arrogant One Piece dare not act too recklessly. Furthermore, while Garp doesn't participate in the factional power struggles within the navy, his influence on all aspects of the navy is unprecedented.

In recent years, new One Piece have begun to show signs of 'rising', while the Navy has seemed to lack any outstanding newcomers, its limelight overshadowed by the One Piece. Moreover, the Yonko are making significant moves in the New World... At this critical juncture, if Sengoku and Garp were to step down, the consequences would be extremely severe.

This would also allow the Yonko to take advantage of the situation.

At this critical juncture, any drastic 'overhaul' of the navy is inappropriate.

Steel Bone seized on this point, defending his subordinates to the point of angrily slamming his fist on the table with Topman.

In short... the meeting was incredibly long and inspiring.

In the end, they managed to retain their position in the Sengoku.

However, the Celestial Dragons had to give an explanation. Since they couldn't target Sengoku, they naturally had to 'punish' him from other aspects of the Navy.

Tsuru didn't come; only Sengoku and Garp came. The two arrived in Mary Geoise in the morning and left late at night.

Compared to Garp, who looked relaxed as if nothing had happened, Sengoku appeared tired and preoccupied.

On the warship returning to Marineford, Garp and Sengoku stood side by side on the bow deck, enjoying the salty sea breeze.

"Everything happening and reacting at sea right now, including the government and the Celestial Dragons... is based on the premise that the murderer is dead. If he were still alive and the news spread..." Sengoku said in a deep voice.

Without a doubt, everyone in the Sengoku knew that everyone on the high seas was probably thinking the same thing.

Including them.

That is... is the guy who killed the Celestial Dragons still alive?

Where are they?

"Isn't it better to be alive? I'll go and capture him..."

Garp took a bite of the senbei, crunched it, and burst out laughing.

Sengoku glanced at him and closed his eyes.

Any complicated matter seems to become simple with my old friend... He's used to dealing with problems in a simple way.

However... the nature of the event itself will not be changed.

Where is he?

Meanwhile, Oboro and Dom remained hidden inside the Sea Kings's body.

Dom has woken up and his condition is gradually improving.

He was completely shocked when he learned of his situation and how he had escaped capture.

I never expected that my boss could control 'Sea Kings'.

If this gets out... its impact will probably be no less than 'killing Celestial Dragons '.

This means that at sea, they are not limited to 'traveling by ship' at all, and can freely reach any corner of the sea, even ignoring the Calm Belt and many other extremely harsh environments at sea.

In Dom's eyes, Oboro had always been 'mysterious and powerful'.

However, this power still falls within the realm of cognition and can be explained using his concepts.

However, now...

"We should be far enough away from Sabaody Archipelago now... somewhere along the first half of the Grand Line, though our exact location is uncertain." Oboro sat cross-legged on the ground, slowly pulling a fish bone out of his mouth and throwing it away.

During this period, they survived on small fish that the Sea Kings had swallowed and brought in, eating them raw to barely keep going.

Oboro can communicate with the Sea Kings using his mind, but the Sea Kings' thinking is not as complete as that of humans, and they do not have a logging pointer, so they cannot determine their location.

Where are we going?

Dom asked a question.

With his mind, he couldn't think of any other environment besides the New World where they could survive.

"I brought this Sea Kings up from the deep sea to the surface several times... Just as I expected, there are warships everywhere, and even One Piece ships are rarely seen in the area closest to the Sabaody Archipelago... The Celestial Dragons' anger won't subside anytime soon, and their pursuit of us is unprecedentedly intense." Oborochu Dom smiled calmly, then leaned against the fleshy wall, burying his face in his hands. "Maybe right now the Navy is holding a meeting with the three admirals and all the core officers, figuring out how to determine whether we're dead or alive."

Glug.

Dom swallowed hard.

"Let's go to the New World!"

He began to speak.

"I'm not going..."

Oboro shook his head. "The World Government's power in the New World is very weak. You can certainly survive there. But the power structure of the New World is already set. Most of the resources have been divided up by the Yonko... Newcomers will find it difficult to establish themselves there unless they rely on them. And now that this has happened... do you think they're interested in me?"

"We could also choose to seek refuge with one of them..."

Dom hesitated.

Dom's idea was undoubtedly the same as the little One Piece's.

In his view, as long as he could survive and receive the protection of the Yonko, nothing else mattered.

In any case, he has always attached himself to the strong, and he can also use the influence of the Yonko to enhance his own image.

It is an opportunity that many people can only dream of.

Oboro's 'petition' to kill the Celestial Dragons, even though they were both insignificant figures or even ordinary people before, was enough for them to pry open the door of the Yonko and make some money.

"Heh... those four people, even including Shanks has only been promoted for a few years, are not to be trifled with... how come they have been able to dominate the seas for so many years... what do you think? If the World Government gave them enough benefits, apart from Whitebeard, especially Big Mom and Kaido, they might not hesitate to sell you and me out."

"Don't gamble with your life, you can't afford to, because you don't have the capital."

Long gave a lecture.

"Let's go to North Blue."

Then, changing the subject, she smiled and said.

"North Blue?"

Dom was taken aback.

"The situations in each of the Four Blues are different. The East Blue is the calmest and also the one with the strongest control by the Navy... The South Blue is more chaotic, a sea area that exports a lot of One Piece to the Grand Line. The One Piece are generally quite skilled, but it doesn't offer us any advantage. The most suitable seas for us are the West Blue and the North Blue. The West Blue is the territory of the Mafia... The forces there are complex and intertwined. If we go there, we can temporarily settle down without worrying too much about our safety, but it will only be temporary. To put it bluntly... the Navy is there. Although they can't 'control' the situation and can't do anything to the Mafia, they still have influence. Most importantly, the Mafia is just a group of businessmen disguised as 'underground forces'... As long as they are involved in business, they are profit-driven, and they will do anything for profit. There are many Mafia in the West Blue, and their intelligence network is very efficient. We have nowhere to hide... They will not only inform the Navy or the World Government, but also have dealings with various other forces."

"All things considered, North Blue is the best!"

Long extended one finger.

"First of all, the North Blue is chaotic enough. Doflamingo's family originally started in the North Blue, making a fortune as war profiteers... He is very smart. As a Celestial Dragons was kicked out of his clan, he chose the North Blue to build his influence, naturally because it is the place where he is least affected by the Celestial Dragons!"

"Doflamingo is Celestial Dragons?!"

Dom opened his mouth wide.

"It used to be."

"Otherwise, why do you think he can talk to the Celestial Dragons? Those Celestial Dragons are very concerned about class... Without this status, no matter how powerful he becomes, the Celestial Dragons won't even give him a second glance."

Long smiled.

"The North Blue has the most non-member states of any of the Four Blues... The countries there are constantly at war, and news from the outside world is relatively scarce. At the same time, the forces that have arisen from the war are a mixed bag, including arms dealers, drug dealers, technology groups, armed mercenaries, and so on. Even the national conditions of many member states have been affected and have become extremely bad... Our first priority right now is to hide... Once we get through this storm, the threats we face later will be fewer."

"Therefore, the North Blue is the most suitable for us... and it also allows us enough time to prepare before returning to the Grand Line."

"In other words, most people in North Blue are on the verge of life and death. When a person is facing death at any time and is not well-fed or clothed, everything that happens in the outside world is irrelevant to them. They have no interest in caring about anything else... We will also become safer."

Since he had nothing better to do, Long didn't mind giving Dom a little nudge, making him look at the problem from a 'fundamental perspective'.

"The West Blue has the Mafia, and if you want to develop there, you have to confront them head-on. But the North Blue doesn't have a single real local tyrant... Ordinary people are concerned with basic livelihood issues, while those who flock there are all thinking about money... Big fish and small fish, a chaotic mess."

"Even some powerful figures in North Blue only care about money, not territory or power..."

"Having money means there's profit to be made, and profit means there's enough chaos, and it will remain chaotic. This chaos is man-made... it's hidden behind the scenes, manipulated by those who have already benefited."

"Only when the water is murky can the fish hide."

"The chaotic nations in the Four Blues are far beyond the reach of One Piece crews or Mafia... they're not even in the same league. Do you think the World Government doesn't want to intervene? They can't, and they have no reason to. Non-member states aren't under their protection... It's the unique background and mechanisms that have created this rather special sea area."

"Now... do you understand?"

Long looked at Dom.

"Hiss..."

Dom gasped at Long's words, his head spinning.

However, it felt like a sudden enlightenment.

The way he looked at Long now held a hint of heartfelt admiration.

He felt that his boss had an incredibly rich intelligence pool; he seemed to know everything.

Awesome!

Having spent so long at sea, Dom considers himself an "old One Piece," and his understanding of the situation in the Four Blues is only superficial.

I have never known it so profoundly before.