You're Going to the Grand Line

PS: Thanks to Light Dust? for the tip.

PS2: There's only one update today. I went to burn paper offerings during the day and got back a little late. My stomach's been chilled and hurting, so I couldn't write... I'll make it up tomorrow!

PS3: The Grand Line storyline is about to unfold, and the second female lead is going to appear. I think everyone will be able to guess who it is by the end of this chapter. Once it's past midnight, it'll be a new week. Xiao Jiao is asking for your votes again, so he can stay on the new-book rankings in the anime category!

One year later, in the Goa Kingdom.

Ever since the victory in the battle a year ago, the Revolutionary Army's forces in the Goa Kingdom had entered a period of rapid growth. Nearly all the remaining residents of the border towns had chosen to join the Revolutionary Army.

This had caused the Revolutionary Army's numbers to swell from just over a thousand at the start to nearly a hundred thousand within days, giving it the strength to openly challenge the Goa Kingdom.

Before anyone knew it, a massive wall had been built between the Central Street and the border towns, splitting the vast territory of the Goa Kingdom in two.

Everything north of the wall—including all the border towns, Terminal Gray, and Mt. Colubo—had become Revolutionary Army territory.

Battles, both large and small, had raged throughout the year. With elite soldiers vastly outnumbering the Revolutionary Army and ample supplies of weapons and other necessities, the Kingdom Army had held an advantage in the early stages of the war.

But the Revolutionary Army's bizarre and ever-changing tactics had kept the fighting at a stalemate.

As the number of battles increased, the townspeople who had joined the Revolutionary Army later on gradually became an elite force. This left the Goa Kingdom at a complete disadvantage.

However, the Goa Kingdom was an old and established kingdom with many allies. Other East Blue kingdoms had joined the fighting a few months earlier. After all, the Revolutionary Army could now be called the enemy of every kingdom.

If the Goa Kingdom really was overthrown by this Revolutionary Army, the next country to suffer could very well be their own.

So nearly every country in the East Blue had sent troops to the Goa Kingdom. Though each contingent was small, the troops sent by all those countries totaled nearly a hundred thousand. With an army of nearly two hundred thousand, the Goa Kingdom—once on the back foot—had regained the ability to stand against the Revolutionary Army as an equal, and even slightly outnumbered it.

As a result, the fighting between the two sides had once again reached a stalemate.

Heroes emerged in troubled times. Before anyone knew it, news of the battles in the Goa Kingdom had spread across the entire East Blue. Many newspapers in the region followed the battles' progress, and many people had become famous throughout the East Blue as a result.

The Cold and Elegant Noble—Hijikata Yoshitoyo. Commander of the Guard Unit. It was said that he alone had established the rules governing the entire Revolutionary Army. As a result, he had the authority to discipline not only the Guard Unit, but even members of the Ghost Squad if they broke the rules. He was the person the Revolutionary Army feared most. He was extremely strict with those who broke the law or deserted without cause, and often, seppuku was their only punishment.

The Demon Commander—Zongcilang. Commander of the Ghost Squad, he had become infamous across the battlefield for his brutality and bloodlust. Most of the Ghost Squad under his command were likewise crazed killers. He was, without a doubt, the enemy the Kingdom Army least wanted to face.

The Discerning Intelligence Chief—Mo Mo. Although he was also a formidable fighter, Mo Mo was best known for his uncanny intelligence-gathering abilities. In the Goa Kingdom, people said, "Even if His Majesty the King farts, the Revolutionary Army's intelligence chief can smell it and figure out what the king had for breakfast." He could often glean highly useful intelligence from the tiniest details.

There were countless other commanders, great and small, but the most famous of them all was the White Asura, whose name had spread throughout the East Blue.

He was the true leader behind the Revolutionary Army. A master strategist and a merciless man, he was the reason the Goa Kingdom had ended up in its current state: he had been leading the entire Revolutionary Army.

But what he looked like was a mystery... because the White Asura wore a Demon Mask that covered his entire face in every battle.

Early in the war, rumors had circulated that the White Asura was only a ten-year-old child. But the claim was so absurd that no one across the East Blue believed it. Even the Goa Kingdom and the border-town residents who had later joined the Revolutionary Army refused to believe it.

The only widely known facts were that the White Asura was extremely short, standing only about 1.4 meters tall, and had a very rare head of white hair. For this reason, everyone in the East Blue believed the White Asura was an old man nearing seventy...

The once-prosperous Huage Town in the Goa Kingdom was now the Revolutionary Army's headquarters.

A huge compound stood at the far end of the small town. It was forbidden ground for the entire Revolutionary Army; all but a select few commanders were barred from entering.

The reason was simple: it was the residence of the Revolutionary Army's strategic leader in the East Blue—the White Asura.

"What am I still missing?"

Bai Ina murmured as he looked at the Black Blade Dawn in his hand. "I've clearly touched the realm of sensing the breath of all things. Why can't I enter it? What am I still missing?"

As he muttered to himself, Bai Ina grew increasingly impatient. A flash of red glinted in his eyes. He suddenly swung the Black Blade in his hand, and a massive, ink-black slash shot out, piercing the boulder in front of him almost instantly.

But piercing the boulder wasn't enough to dissipate the slash. It didn't even shrink; it continued straight toward a building in the distance.

BOOM!

The instant the slash struck the building, it tore straight through. The entire structure collapsed, turning into ruins in the blink of an eye.

"Damn it! What am I missing? Damn it... damn it..."

As if he hadn't seen a thing, Bai Ina roared in a frenzy, his expression twisted. He swung the Black Blade like a madman, sending out countless slashes and reducing every building in the compound to rubble.

Yet Bai Ina continued to swing the Black Blade Dawn without pause, his eyes bloodshot, completely lost in his frenzy.

"Bai Ina—!"

A panicked shout suddenly came from outside the compound. Bai Ina's hands stilled, and the blood-red color gradually faded from his eyes.

The slashes ceased, and silence returned to the compound, leaving only ruins and dust drifting through the air!

"Are you all right?"

Three figures entered through the gate. The one in front radiated a cold aura. It was Hijikata Yoshitoyo.

The other two were Loxi and Mo Mo.

"I'm fine!"

Bai Ina answered coldly. He walked straight over, pulled a Demon Mask out from among the rubble, and put it on. The instant the mask touched his face, the chill around him surged, and boundless murderous intent filled the air.

At the sight, a strange look—and a hint of... apprehension—flashed through all three of their eyes.

When Bai Ina saw the fleeting apprehension in their eyes, the cold aura around him faltered. But it returned to normal in an instant, and he asked calmly, "What brings you here?"

The three exchanged glances. At last, Loxi stepped forward, hesitating as he spoke. "Ina... you should go to the Grand Line."

"Hmm?"

Bai Ina's icy, merciless gaze fell on Loxi. "Why?"

"Well... that is..."

Bai Ina's gaze made Loxi tremble. His lips quivered for a long while, but he couldn't bring himself to explain.

"I'll tell him."

Hijikata stepped forward and pulled Loxi out of Bai Ina's line of sight. Staring coolly at the Demon Mask on Bai Ina's face, he said, "Our supplies are critically low. We can last six months at most."

"What does that have to do with me going to the Grand Line?"

"Ever since the Kingdom of Sikear on Gray Terminal Island in the Grand Line was destroyed recently, the Revolutionary Army has come to the full attention of the World Government. At last month's World Conference, King Shuenda Lucas of the Ilusia Kingdom spoke about the threat posed by our leader, Monkey D. Dragon. This brought the World Government's serious attention upon us."

"Because of that conference, Revolutionary Army forces everywhere have been under heavy attack. Our supplies used to be sent out by headquarters, but yesterday, headquarters sent a telegram. The Marines intercepted the shipment in the Grand Line, so they hid the supplies on an uninhabited island in the Calm Belt to draw the Marines away. We'll have to send someone ourselves to retrieve them."