The Revolutionary Army Reveals Itself

Nova stood where he was, watching Gogoya and his group walk farther and farther away, his face exceptionally calm.

"They've been following me all this way. Shouldn't they come out and meet me?"

Nova still looked in the direction Gogoya's group had left, but his voice suddenly rang out.

Perhaps even he himself did not know who he was speaking to, yet he said it anyway.

In the shadowy back side of a building, not long after Nova finished speaking, a man in a cloak stepped out. There was a shoe-sole-shaped tattoo on his face.

The man who emerged had a resolute gaze and carried an imposing air even without anger.

Once his powerful aura was revealed, even Nova could sense that it was something different.

"Just as expected of a young hero. Would you like to find somewhere to talk?"

The newcomer spoke directly. Nova merely smiled and did not answer, but neither did he refuse.

The two walked side by side without either of them speaking. Nova knew very well what kind of figure the man beside him was, as well as his current identity and status.

Before long, they arrived at the shore. Accompanied by the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, the two stopped at the edge.

"King of Tru, why have you come to a place like East Blue?"

The man looked at Nova expressionlessly and asked in an even tone.

Nova laughed and asked in return, "Isn't the leader of the Revolutionary Army here as well? Of course, I don't know whether our purposes are the same. I only came to watch the excitement. What about you?"

Upon hearing Nova's words, the man froze for a moment before quickly regaining his composure. Curiosity and vigilance rose in him as he looked at Nova in surprise. "You know who I am?"

"I do. Of course I know something like that. And I know far more than you could imagine. I just didn't expect to meet you under these circumstances and at this time. It truly is rather surprising," Nova said.

Nova was somewhat surprised to be facing this man, but he was not overly shocked.

The person standing before him was Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army. The moment Nova saw the worn-shoe-print tattoo on his face, he already knew his identity.

After all, in the entire Pirate World, he was the only person with such a tattoo on his face.

Nova truly had not expected to encounter Dragon, the future renowned leader of the Revolutionary Army, in a tiny place like Loguetown. He was certainly surprised.

At the same time, Nova could say with certainty that Dragon was definitely not yet as powerful as he would be when the main story formally began.

Even so, the strength he possessed could not be underestimated.

Dragon calmly watched the sea, utterly unable to make sense of the youngster before him.

In the outside world, let alone anyone knowing of him, almost no one even knew about the Revolutionary Army as an organization yet.

Yet this young man had identified him in a single sentence and even knew his identity!

"King of Tru, what do you think of the Revolutionary Army?" Dragon asked calmly.

"Average. It is merely an organization that will never amount to much. It talks empty ideals, yet those ideals are built on the suffering of others!"

Nova directly evaluated the nature of the Revolutionary Army based on what he knew from the future.

In truth, what he said was nearly accurate. Others might not know much about the Revolutionary Army, but for Nova, who possessed the Eye of God, such matters were hardly worth mentioning.

In many cases, the Revolutionary Army would use every human resource it could exploit, utterly regardless of the consequences.

"King of Tru, do you really think it is appropriate to say such things in front of me?

"The Revolutionary Army has its mission. This world is now ruled by pirates while the Marines do nothing, which is why I want to create a world where everyone can live without conflict and chaos!"

Dragon spoke passionately, perhaps hoping that his words could move Nova.

"How long has it been since you visited our country? Tru Kingdom is not what you think it is. I do not have any negative feelings toward the Revolutionary Army.

"Likewise, I have no interest whatsoever in joining your Revolutionary Army. You followed me from the direction of Reverse Mountain all the way here. Did you really do that just to exchange a few words with me?"

Nova laughed as he asked.

"If possible, I hope your country can become an ideal place for our Revolutionary Army as well, King of Tru."

Upon hearing that, Nova could neither laugh nor respond. He was completely speechless. Dragon's thinking was simply far too naïve and innocent.

But Nova felt nothing about such a proposal. Let alone having any thoughts of it, he practically did not even have a response.

"Mr. Dragon, I think you should focus on developing your forces in East Blue and North Blue. As for the barren lands of South Blue, there is no need for you to consider them."

Without even thinking, Nova directly refused.

Dragon did not get angry. He merely stared at the young man before him with curiosity.

At fifteen or sixteen, this youngster already seemed far from ordinary. If he could truly be brought into their camp in the future, he would certainly become a great asset.

Nova had no intention of saying much more to him. He only glanced at him once more before turning to leave.

After he disappeared around a street corner, Dragon remained standing where he was. However, several people had appeared beside him.

"Why did you just let that little boy walk away?"

A person with an enormous face wildly disproportionate to his body appeared. Or rather, he could hardly even be called a man.

If Nova had still been there, he would certainly have recognized him at a glance.

Emporio Ivankov, the king of the Okama Kingdom, was also a Devil Fruit user whose strength could not be underestimated.

At the same time, the others standing beside him were all founding members of the Revolutionary Army thus far. In the future, each of them would become a major figure in their own right.

The people there all looked at Dragon. They had discovered Nova by chance, and after a brief investigation, learned that he was actually the king of Tru Kingdom in South Blue.

Yet a king possessed such strength. They were all greatly surprised by this.

Dragon did not immediately answer Ivankov. He silently watched the turbulent sea.

Only after a long while did he calmly say, "We can't keep him."

As soon as Dragon said this, the others revealed astonished expressions. Never mind the size of their forces—Dragon's strength alone surpassed an unknown number of people throughout the Pirate World, let alone when facing a child.

At fifteen or sixteen, Nova was practically a child in their eyes. Even if he possessed some strength, how strong could he possibly be?

After leaving Dragon, Nova continued thinking about the tattoo on Dragon's face. Though they had exchanged only a few words, he could still sense the aura Dragon radiated.

Walking alone through the streets of Loguetown, Nova found them nearly deserted. The fight between the guards and pirates at the harbor had drawn almost half the town there to watch, so few people were moving about the streets.

Loguetown was pitifully small. After walking only a short distance, Nova saw the execution platform where Pirate King Roger had been executed, just as he remembered it.

It was a high platform built entirely from iron frames, only five or six meters tall. At most, two or three people could stand atop it, with a staircase spiraling upward.

Before the execution platform was Loguetown's only square. Nova stood at the exact center of the square, facing the platform as though he could already see Roger in his final moments.

The sky was clear and bright, but Nova felt as if gusts of cold wind were blowing around him.

Loguetown was known as the town of beginnings and endings because Roger had set out from here and ultimately died here. As a generation's Pirate King, he had left the world an immortal legend over the course of several decades.

For however long Nova stood alone in the center of the square, two people stood atop a third-floor rooftop some distance away, observing him.

They wore Marine uniforms bearing the word Justice and stared unblinkingly at the lone figure in the square.

Nova looked somewhat thin at the moment, but his expression remained perfectly natural.

"Captain Kaku, the King of Tru has caused so much trouble here. Are we really not going to do anything?"

One of the two Marines standing on the rooftop asked.

"Yuru, how many times have I told you? Handle what is ours to handle, and don't ask about what is not. Pirates have been running rampant in Loguetown these past few years. Although this is the Marine base in East Blue, our forces are severely lacking. How can we fight those pirates with only our people? Since someone is willing to step in, let him do it."

Captain Kaku, who stood at the front leaning against the railing, spoke with complete indifference.

He was also quite curious about Nova below.

A king from a country in South Blue had actually come to East Blue to join in the excitement and view Pirate King Roger's execution platform. It truly was unexpected.

Since Pirate King Roger's death, this was surely the first case of its kind!

"Captain Kaku, do you think the King of Tru has some other motive? Should we investigate him?"

Yuru asked. He truly wanted to test Nova's capabilities, especially since Loguetown was their home turf.

"If you have that idea, go yourself! I don't have that much time. Rather than work so hard, I would rather go back and get some rest. It is rare for someone to help us clean up pirates. I'm happy to take it easy!"

Captain Kaku did not care at all about what Yuru said. Although Nova was not the king of a country affiliated with the World Government, he was still a king. How could they investigate him whenever they pleased?

After saying that, Kaku lost all interest in remaining there. With a relaxed expression, he prepared to return to his room. It was as if he did not care in the slightest about what was happening outside.

By now, countless people lay sprawled across the harbor. Each guard held a stack of wanted posters, tying up the pirates who still had bounties on their heads one by one.

Once they confirmed that someone had a bounty, they would paste the wanted poster onto that person's head or simply place it on their body.

In any case, it was convenient enough here. In the end, the guards split into several teams, while many of the remaining personnel from the ship also joined in.

One group boarded the pirate ships to loot them. They looked far more like actual pirates, and whenever they encountered anything valuable, not one of them was willing to leave it behind.

Moreover, the gold, silver, and treasures they could loot from more than ten pirate ships were no small amount.

The combined bounties of those lying on the ground also amounted to tens of millions. Thus, for these people who had followed their king here, they could not only improve their strength but also gain more practical combat experience.

There was truly not much to see in Loguetown. The place looked rather ordinary now. Although it sold many things, most were supplies for use at sea.

This town had developed almost entirely by relying on pirates. The relatively luxurious architectural style around the square already proved everything.

After lingering in the square for around half an hour, Nova finally began to move. He had looked long enough, and he felt that he could now count himself as a man who had spoken with Pirate King Roger.

Though Roger was already dead, their conversation had been a connection of spirit.

Under normal circumstances, the square should have been the most crowded place in town. Yet now it was completely empty, while people filled every area around the harbor.

They silently watched everything the guards aboard the National were doing. Some cheered, while others looked sorrowful.

After the pirates with bounties had been captured among the thousand or so pirates, none of the others dared utter a word, much less charge forward to challenge them again.

At least fifty or sixty people were tied together in a chain and escorted forward by five or six guards.

The Loguetown residents who loved watching trouble also jeered and followed behind, wanting to see the spectacle.

Indeed, ever since Pirate King Roger was executed here, Loguetown had attracted many pirates, but nothing on the scale of the current battle had ever happened again.