The moment Alpha opened her eyes after waking up, she wanted to adjust the lighting in her room. The morning sunlight streaming through the open blinds was so bright that she could barely keep her eyes open.
This was-Mary Geoise.
Strictly speaking, it was the government administrative district beneath the Red Line, on top of which Mary Geoise stood.
In August of Sea Circle Calendar 1515, after over a month of negotiations and coordination, the Mechanical Kingdom of Titans officially announced that it would join the World Government as an affiliated nation.
Since Babbage himself was the Mechanical Kingdom's only true member of its "upper leadership," and the mechanical army served as the nervous system through which he controlled the country, a delegation headed by Alpha had come to handle the necessary formalities.
It was somewhat improper for the king himself not to attend. But after looking at the delegation's roster, the official in charge stamped his approval with a mocking smile.
...Those in the World Government who knew the truth could barely contain their amusement. Not only was the delegation's leader one of their people, but half its members were, too. Every single CP8 agent embedded in the Mechanical Kingdom's administration was on the list.
-What should have been accession negotiations had turned into an agent debriefing.
Only a handful of veteran agents with extensive field experience sensed something was wrong, but faced with their privileged superiors laughing so brazenly, they really did not dare speak up.
In fact, after spending some time dealing with these agents, Sephiroth had discovered...perhaps because this was a world where immense power rested with individuals, the standard of cunning in politics, conspiracies, and similar matters was, how should he put it, rather crude. The overall level was quite poor.
All that subtlety had been wasted on people who could not appreciate it.
Mary Geoise, the headquarters of the World Government, stood atop the Red Line, with Pangaea Castle at its center. The surrounding town was home to the Celestial Dragons and was known as the "Land of the Gods."
Outside of the Reverie, outsiders were rarely permitted to enter Mary Geoise. Routine dealings between affiliated nations and the World Government took place at the various offices beneath the Holy Land.
The accession negotiations would be held here. If everything went smoothly, a World Government representative would only need to take the agreement to Titans afterward for the king's signature.
As Titans' delegation, Alpha and her companions had been provided with food and lodging here by the World Government.
"Chief Alpha, these are the documents needed for the negotiations."
The CP8 member who had come to her office respectfully handed the documents to Alpha.
"...Even here, you should address me by my official title."
Alpha adjusted her glasses and touched the gold laurel-and-valve collar insignia marking her as Titans' highest-ranking civilian official. Her expression grew stern as she stared at her colleague.
"Yes...this subordinate-no, I misspoke, Secretary-General Alpha."
The CP8 member in a suit apologized nervously to Alpha, who wore the uniform of Titans' Clock Tower.
She waved him off and turned her attention to the mountain of assorted paperwork on her desk. It consisted of the intelligence she had gathered during her six months in Titans, along with the relevant analyses.
"What did the review officials say about today's proceedings?"
"Secretary-General Alpha, today's schedule is as follows..."
The CP8 members had good reason to respect Alpha. After all, she had recently accomplished something significant-bringing about Titans' accession to the World Government.
In fact, Titans' internal bureaucracy could be said to have been riddled with CP8 infiltrators.
When CP8's superiors learned from Alpha that the Mechanical King intended to join the World Government, and that the newly founded Titans had no actual "human upper leadership," they immediately put their astonishing intellects to work-they planned to package the whole affair as CP8's achievement.
They used the World Government's public resources to provide Alpha with every possible advantage in her work, while deliberately dragging out the review of Titans' accession.
As a result, Alpha kept producing astonishing results under Titans' performance evaluation system, whether in securing foreign orders, opening new shipping routes, or importing the various metal ores the Mechanical King needed most.
All of these problems melted away before Alpha's "exceptional professional abilities." Within just six months of joining, she had risen to Titans' top civilian post—No. 1, secretary-general.
Only after achieving such "gratifying" results did CP8's superiors go to their higher-ups to claim credit, declaring that "only through our painstaking efforts to influence matters from the shadows did Titans finally agree to become a World Government member state."
Even Alpha, who had benefited from the arrangement, knitted her delicate brows in bewilderment. They had intended to join from the start, yet these people insisted on dragging it out this long. What could possibly be going through their heads for them to say something like that? How was she supposed to do proper espionage work with this bunch of vermin?
...What she did not know was that her older sister's superior was even more absurd.
-Accession negotiations
The talks were productive, and both sides exchanged views. Upholding the principles of open cooperation and mutual benefit, they deepened their mutual understanding on a range of constructive issues.
During the dialogue, both sides held frank discussions on core subjects including the heavenly tribute, tariffs, and technological cooperation. With a positive approach combining flexibility and adherence to principle, they gradually narrowed their differences and improved mutual understanding through a series of intensive consultations and technical discussions. Ultimately, both delegations expressed appreciation for the results of the talks.
"Secretary-General Alpha really is impressive. She held her own even when arguing with World Government officials."
That was the admiring comment of an ordinary member of Titans' entourage.
A few people in the group could not control their expressions and broke into strange smiles. But Alpha's knife-sharp gaze immediately left them drenched in cold sweat.
"Ah, it's my duty. I cannot betray His Majesty Babbage's trust, and this was also the result of all our efforts. Once we return home, I'll make sure everyone receives credit."
Wearing a perfectly modest, professional smile, Alpha nodded to the other members of the delegation.
"There are still a few follow-up details I need to discuss with the government officials. You may all head back and rest."
After dismissing the group, Alpha adjusted her glasses and turned down another corner. The passage ahead grew steadily darker until she reached an inconspicuous wooden door and pushed it open.
Inside the dim room were nothing more than an ordinary chair and a stone wall with a square, window-like opening covered by black cloth.
"Sir."
Alpha sat down in the chair and spoke tentatively.
"I've already read the intelligence. Now I'd like to hear your personal assessment..."
"Yes, sir."
The Alpha of this moment no longer resembled the professional woman she had been earlier, instead exuding the air of a stereotypical female secret agent.
"As for the Mechanical Kingdom's technology, that abnormal productivity is only possible because of the Mechanical King's Magnet-Magnet Fruit ability..."
"Hmm. So it really isn't due to revolutionary manufacturing technology."
The World Government was interested in Babbage's technological creations, so the agents had brought back a variety of mechanical products.
And not merely ordinary technological products. CP8 had repeatedly lured pirates with bounties exceeding fifty million into attacking Titans. Although the Mechanical King had dealt with all of them easily, Alpha's cooperation from within had allowed them to obtain some robot samples as well.
After studying these creations, they discovered that the technological level of most items was not particularly high. Only the robots' logic cores seemed somewhat interesting. Once they were sent to Vegapunk, the great scientist's assessment was that they closely resembled technology originating from Dr. Tsukimi of Karakuri Island.
Upon seeing that abnormal productivity, the World Government had initially assumed Babbage had achieved some special breakthrough in "manufacturing technology." Instead, it turned out to depend on a Devil Fruit.
"Then should we continue investigating Babbage's identity?"
Alpha asked quietly.
At present, CP8 suspected that the Mechanical King Babbage might originally have come from Karakuri Island. But uncovering his supposed true identity was not especially urgent.
"Continue, but lower its priority...Unfortunately, that means there's very limited value in remaining undercover around Babbage. Withdraw most of the CP8 members. You, of course, will remain there."
Although Babbage's technological level fell short even of Germa's, let alone Vegapunk's, his advantage lay in his astonishing productivity. His products were plentiful, durable, and cheap.
Take the Electromagnetic Rifle, for example. They found that although it required a certain amount of logistical maintenance, making it less reliable than standard-issue Marine rifles, it excelled in every other respect and was well suited to equipping elite troops.
If the World Government's own research teams had not reverse-engineered it and discovered that producing it on a normal production line cost more than Babbage's market price, raising suspicions about his manufacturing technology, they would never have sent CP8 to investigate.
Still, bringing this inexpensive, factory-like Mechanical Kingdom into the fold as an affiliated nation counted as a major achievement.
"One more thing."
At the end of her report, Alpha heard her superior say this.
"Investigate the situation in Babylon, especially the intelligence on that Mythical Zoan Angel."
As things stood, although the sky island nation of Babylon was making contact with countries on the Grand Line through Titans, it had no intention of becoming a World Government member state itself.
Despite not joining the World Government, it cooperated with the government through Titans. In a certain sense, its status was similar to Wano Country's.
For the sky island's specialty goods, the Mechanical Kingdom of Titans served only as a transit point, while Dressrosa acted as the distributor in the New World. The shares of the market in Paradise and the Four Seas had all been tactfully handed over to the World Government.
Over the past two months or so, the reputation of Babylon's king from the sky island had gradually spread across the Grand Line. The Angel Mythical Zoan was indeed powerful. He had defeated more than ten pirate crews and handed their members over to the Marines, with the highest individual bounty reaching 174 million and the combined bounties totaling 1.139 billion.
What inspired the most apprehension was that he had captured every one of them alive. His combat strength was estimated to be on the level of the Shichibukai.
"...Yes, sir."
Alpha recalled Sephiroth's appearance and felt no aversion to the assignment. The only trouble was that he was far too elusive...Babbage rarely ventured out either. Those two really were the closest of friends.
The "Angel" on the minds of CP8's agents had just returned from a vacation along the azure shores of the East Blue.
When Sephiroth first descended from the sky island, he did not even possess a decent world map. Nautical charts were relatively precious in this world, and most islands only had charts of the surrounding waters.
That was why he had to thank his top benefactor, the World Government's CP8, for its generous donations. After three months of struggling on his own, he had only obtained charts for part of the first half of the Grand Line. CP8 had nearly assembled a complete world map for him in a single month.
It was not that charts of the Four Seas were confidential. The problem was that they really were hard to obtain on the Grand Line, mainly because nobody there bought them, so ordinary shops did not stock them.
Once he had established the location, Sephiroth immediately set out for the Conomi Islands in the East Blue. Nami's hometown, Cocoyasi Village, was there.
Judging purely by its surroundings, it was a place of shady green trees and fragrant flowers, where the villagers rose with the sun and rested at sunset, living simple, happy lives...Or at least, they once had.
Later, the Fish-Man Pirates arrived from the Grand Line. Led by the sawshark Fish-Man Arlong, they seized twenty villages, including Cocoyasi Village. They forced the villagers to pay a monthly head tax-100,000 for adults and 50,000 for children. Anyone who could not pay was killed...
-Cocoyasi Island.
Since Conomi was an archipelago, its individual small islands had no specific names and were generally named after the villages on them. Thus, this place could provisionally be called Cocoyasi Island.
At that moment, Cocoyasi Island was not obediently staying among the Conomi Islands. Instead...it was flying through the sky with a touch of mischief.
In the gentle twilight, the setting sun on the horizon spilled like molten gold over Bellemere's gravestone, where Nami knelt quietly. A soft breeze brushed through her silky hair, carrying a barely perceptible trace of salty moisture. Amid the sorrow in her eyes was a little hope for the future.
"Bellemere." Nami's voice was so soft that she seemed afraid of disturbing the stillness. "I came to see you again. Today, Cocoyasi Village was saved."
She gently stroked the cold stone, as if doing so might let her feel that long-lost warmth.
"Arlong is dead...He's finally...dead..."
Tears welled in her eyes, but Nami fought to keep them from falling, because she remembered that Bellemere had always told her to be strong.
"Bellemere...I miss your tangerine pie so much..."
At that, Nami finally lost control. Tears slipped silently down her cheeks and dripped onto the earth before the gravestone, as if she were holding a wordless conversation with this land and Bellemere's soul.
As the sun sank in the west, Nami slowly rose and looked at the [Angel] in the sky, his wings spread, who had lifted Cocoyasi Island into the air with some invisible power and was even carrying it above the clouds.
"...Lord Angel...huh..."
Nami gazed intently at that radiant figure. Only after several breaths did she return home, where she found Carina and Nojiko sitting in chairs.
Carina gently patted Nami's shoulder, trying to give her some strength.
"Nami...Your wish after all these years finally came true. You should be happy. Unlike me-I came home with you for a visit, and Lord Angel scooped me up along with everything else."
Feeling Carina's sincerity and concern, Nami found her sorrow easing a little. She drew a soft breath, put on a playful expression, and rolled her eyes at her partner.
"Didn't Lord Angel say you could leave if you didn't want to come?"
"No way. How could you bear to leave me out of something this interesting?"
The two shared a smile.
But before long, Nami's tears began flowing uncontrollably again...If only Lord Angel had come sooner.
-What they did not know was that when Bellemere was killed, Lord Angel had still been a child.
When Lord Angel descended, he had not given Arlong any chance at all. A pillar of light from the sky had utterly destroyed Arlong Park, and he had even returned the stolen property to the villages.
But Lord Angel wanted Nami to become his companion and help him create a finer world nautical chart-for Nami, that was a double delight.
Taking Captain Nezumi into account, along with her worries about her hometown's safety, Lord Angel had offered an even more outrageous solution-taking all of Cocoyasi Village with them.
After the entire village voted in favor, everyone could only stare, dumbfounded, as the whole island rose into the sky.
Nojiko approached with tenderness and a pang of sympathy. Her gaze lingered briefly on Nami's still-reddened eyes, and then she gently drew Nami into her arms.
"Bellemere would want you to live happily. Isn't this a wonderful start?"
"...Mm...sob...Bellemere..."
...Elsewhere.
After receiving a tip-off, Captain Nezumi had absolutely no idea what had happened. Left with no other option, he could only report to headquarters-it was the Golden Lion's doing.
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