Just as Barlow finished punching Roy on the sofa for the third time, the Den Den Mushi on the living room sideboard suddenly opened its eyes. The Den Den Mushi's eyeballs bulged outwards, its antennae straightened, and it made a series of rapid "pop pop pop" sounds, which was Koldo's emergency contact signal.
Barlow loosened Roy's collar, straightened up, adjusted his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, walked to the side cabinet, and picked up Den Den Mushi.
Roy was slumped on the sofa armrest, his shirt creased from Barlow's punches, and his hair was as messy as if he had just fallen out of the ventilation duct.
He tilted his head to watch Barlow answer the phone, his right hand secretly rubbing the spot on his back where he had been punched.
Barlow was careful with his strength; it hurt, but it didn't leave bruises. What really bothered Roy was that Barlow he rushed out of the master bedroom, Barlow chased him and beat him for two whole floors, from the third-floor hallway to the second-floor stairwell, and then from the second-floor stairwell to the first-floor living room. Gray witnessed the whole thing.
His image in his nephew's mind was almost completely shattered.
As Barlow listened to the voice on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, his expression gradually changed from "slight panting after morning exercise" to the focused look that Roy knew all too well.
This is a sign that Barlow is getting into work mode; once he shows this expression, it means that nothing he's about to say is a waste of time.
After the call ended, Barlow put the Den Den Mushi back on the side table, turned to look at Roy on the sofa, his gaze lingered on Roy's wrinkled shirt for a second, then shifted away, sweeping across the hallway leading from the living room to the stairs.
"Mila," he called out, his voice not loud, but its penetration was just enough to reach the top of the stairs on the second floor.
Mila had just come out of Gwen's room.
She had changed her shirt; the original one had been ripped at the cuffs in the ventilation duct, but now she was wearing a beige short-sleeved shirt, the hem tucked into her belt. Her hair was tied up again, and she looked no different from usual.
But if you look closely, there's still a very faint pink tinge around her earlobes. Gwen doesn't intend to tell anyone what she did while changing clothes.
Gwen followed her down from the second floor. She had changed out of her nightgown and was wearing a dark green long dress, her hair simply tied up at the back of her head.
She stood at the top of the stairs, one hand on the railing, looking at Barlow. "Has something happened?"
"A large-scale rebellion has broken out in Alabasta. Yuba and Rainbase have fallen, and the Chamber of Commerce has suffered severe losses of assets there."
Gwen's eyes narrowed slightly as she quickly combined the keywords "Alabasta," "rebellion," and "asset loss" in her mind, then picked out a more crucial word.
"Chance."
Gwen's reaction speed is always half a step faster than everyone else's. She skipped over all unnecessary surprises and directly grasped the core judgment that Barlow hadn't even had time to say.
"The scale of the rebellion determines the current situation of the Nefertari Royal Family. If they can quell the rebellion themselves, our visit will only allow us to negotiate trade preferences; if they cannot quell it..."
She paused for a moment, then said, "Whoever helps them quell the rebellion will rewrite the power structure of Alabasta, but first we need to find out who is supporting the rebels. Taking two major cities in two weeks is impossible without external support."
Barlow had already reached the doorway. He stood in the entryway, took his suit jacket from the coat rack, slipped one hand into the sleeve, and glanced back at Gwen.
"I've already had Mila mobilize the underground intelligence network to investigate. If it's a pirate force or a hostile force of the World Government supporting the rebels, Damian can intervene."
He was speaking to Gwen, but his eyes were already looking towards the door.
Outside, Damian was walking up the stone path of the dock. He was wearing the standard uniform of Marine Vice Admiral, followed by his adjutant and two messengers.
The adjutant held a folder in his hand, and the messengers stood on both sides of the stone-paved road, maintaining a standard guard position.
Damian's face looked more somber than usual, a somberness weighed down by a sense of powerlessness.
His adjutant cut short his vacation and sailed overnight to bring back orders from headquarters.
The order was brief: the civil war in the Alabasta Kingdom is an internal affair of a sovereign state. In accordance with Article 7 of the World Government Member Nation Autonomy Convention, the Navy shall not interfere in the Affiliated Nation. The Navy's patrol force in the waters near Alabasta shall be adjusted to an enhanced posture, limited to humanitarian relief and ensuring the safety of shipping lanes, and strictly prohibited from intervening in any military operations of the warring parties.
Damian was standing on the dock when he listened to his adjutant's report. He remained silent for a while, and the sea breeze lifted the hem of his coat, then let it fall back down.
He said, "I understand."
As he entered the main courtyard, he came face to face with Barlow, who was just coming out of the door.
Before he could speak, Barlow handed him the crucial information.
"If the forces supporting the rebels are pirate groups, or if they are confirmed to be hostile to the World Government, then the Navy has grounds to deploy its forces."
He had already buttoned up his suit jacket as he said this, "And you are the best choice."
Damian looked at Barlow, wondering when his younger brother had started to memorize even the intervention clauses of naval regulations.
He knew that when Barlow said "you are the best choice," he wasn't just flattering him, but was setting a trap.
The Uchiha Trading Company's assets in Alabasta were destroyed. The Uchiha Security Force could step in to protect them, but the Guard Corps is a private armed force. Protecting their own assets is fine, but if they get involved in the war, they will lose their legal advantage.
However, if Damian intervenes as Marine Vice Admiral, all of the Uchiha Trading Company's actions will be cloaked in the guise of "cooperating with naval operations."
The Chamber of Commerce doesn't need his military strength, it needs his identity.
But that wasn't what Damian cared about; what mattered was the first part of Barlow's statement, "The navy has a reason to send troops."
This order had been weighing on his mind all the way. He joined the Navy to protect more people who deserved protection, not to stand outside the coastline and watch them die.
The civilians of Alabasta did not choose sides in this rebellion; they were just ordinary people living in Yuba and the Rainbase, and the shells did not go around them just because they were civilians.
"An order is an order," Damian said, looking at Barlow, his tone devoid of complaint, simply stating a fact.
"The Navy does not interfere in the Affiliated Nation; this is an ironclad rule. Unless the rebels are proven to be backed by pirates or hostile forces of the World Government, my warships cannot cross the patrol line in Alabasta's coastal waters."
"Then let's wait for confirmation," Barlow said.
"I'll check." Mila's voice came from behind Barlow. She had already walked to the entrance, holding her personal Den Den Mushi in her hand. The shell was engraved with Gunbai pattern, and it was a modified, encrypted model.
She had already dialed the emergency dispatch line of the underground intelligence network, and the Den Den Mushi was waiting with one eye open for the other party to answer.
Damian glanced at Mila, then at Barlow.
He suddenly realized that his three younger siblings no longer needed his command.
They each manage their own area, with their own intelligence networks and execution systems. While he says "an order is an order," they have already begun to circumvent the restrictions of orders and seek legitimate ways to intervene.
He had so much to say: beware of rebel traps, don't rely too much on intelligence, Alabasta is a superpower. But when all those words came to his lips, he only uttered one.
Be extra careful.
Barlow nodded and turned to walk towards the dock.
In the direction of the port, the Uchiha Trading Company's speedboat had already raised its Gunbai sails, and the crew was conducting final checks. The lookout on the lookout tower spotted Barlow and shouted towards the deck, and the crew on deck immediately quickened their work.
Roy chased after him from the living room, still wearing that wrinkled shirt and with his hair uncombed, but the sword at his waist was already hanging up, the white rope wrapped around the hilt having been changed that morning.
He stopped in front of Damian. He had a lot to say, but Barlow had already said everything he needed to say, and he couldn't think of anything else to add.
Finally, he simply reached out and patted Damian's forearm lightly, his palm lingering for a moment on the gold stitching of the naval uniform sleeve before withdrawing it.
"Brother, I'll bring you some Alabasta specialties when I get back. I heard their spiced roasted lamb chops are pretty good."
Damian reached out and tried to push down the tuft of hair that was sticking up, but it didn't go down.
We'll talk about it when we get back.
Roy grinned and turned to follow Barlow.
As he passed through the entryway, he casually grabbed his coat from the coat rack, tossed it over his shoulder, and the coat flipped over in the air before landing on his back, already half-worn.
Mila walked up to Damian. She didn't cling to him as usual, but simply stood in front of him, her hands hanging at her sides, looking up at his face.
"My sister-in-law said she wants to investigate the source of the rebels' weapons. I've already spread out my intelligence network, and we should have results within two days."
Her voice regained its underground queen-like calm, except for the addition of the word "Big Brother" at the end of the sentence.
Damian reached out and touched the top of her head. Her hair was tied up tighter than usual today, and the hair tie was new, probably given to her by Gwen.
He pressed twice, then withdrew his hand.
"Go."
Mila turned and walked down the steps with quick and efficient steps.
Roy had already walked some distance and was turning back to wave at her, urging her to hurry up. Barlow was standing by the dock, one foot already on the gangway.
Gwen walked up to Damian. She didn't say anything, but stood beside him on the porch of the main house, watching the three siblings walk along the stone path toward the dock.
Damian didn't move; he stood on the porch, his hand unconsciously gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist.
He watched as Barlow stepped onto the gangway. Roy tripped at the top of the gangway and almost stepped on Barlow's heel. Mila stood on the dock, glanced back towards the main house, and then turned to board the ship.
The speedboat's mooring lines were untied from the dock bollards, its sails caught the wind, and its bow slowly turned out of the harbor.
The lookout on the lookout tower stowed the gangway and waved to the patrol team on the dock. At the same time, the patrol boats in the harbor sounded three short whistles, the highest honor for seeing off the chairman.
Damian released his hand from the hilt of the knife, glanced at Gwen, Gwen gaze was returning from the sea and meeting his.
She reached out and took his arm, her knuckles interlocking with his through her sleeve.
The Sailshadow of the speedboat grew smaller and smaller in the morning light, the sea shimmered, and the White Wax Forest rustled in the morning breeze.
Inside the main house, Gray sat on the sofa in the living room.
He was still holding the half-finished glass of milk in his hand, his eyes fixed on the backs of the adults standing under the porch outside the window, but his ears were still listening.
He heard Uncle Barlow say, "There's been a rebellion in Alabasta," heard his mother say, "Find out who's supporting the rebels," heard his father say, "An order is an order," and heard Aunt Mila say, "The intelligence network has been established."
He placed the milk glass on the coffee table, propped himself up on the sofa cushions with both hands, and watched the speedboat leave the harbor outside the window, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Rebellion?" he murmured, his voice so soft it was completely drowned out by the sound of the fountain outside the window.
He remembered Brother Long mentioning this word to him.
Last time Garp brought Dragon as a guest, in the study, Dragon turned to the page with the folded corner of "The Way of Justice" and pointed to a passage on the page, asking him to read it. The passage said that there are two kinds of change in the world: one is from above, and the other is from below.
The kind of change made from below is sometimes called a revolution, and sometimes it's called a rebellion.
He remembered asking the dragon, "What's the difference between these two terms?" The dragon thought for a long time and said, "The one that wins is called a revolution, and the one that loses is called a rebellion."
Gray picked up his milk glass and took another small sip. He watched the Sailshadow of the speedboat shrink to a tiny dot on the horizon outside the window, and mentally replayed Long's words over and over in his mind.