The Affiliated Nation Incident

Day six of the prison break plan.

"Damn it! The Revolutionary Army really are rats in the sewers. They deserve to die!

Our Affiliated Nation is under the World Government's protection. How dare they attack us! Hurry the Marines along! If they don't come soon, the kingdom will descend into turmoil!"

"And those lowborn scum are asking for death! The moment the Revolutionary Army appeared, they actually thought they could escape our control? Impossible!"

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. Once a Marine Admiral arrives, what could the Revolutionary Army possibly do? As for those lowborn scum, they merely want to seize the chance to cause trouble because the kingdom punished them.

When the Revolutionary Army charges again, why not arrest them, put their families in front of them, and force them to hold off the Revolutionary Army?"

That day, large-scale unrest erupted in the Kingdom of Philbia, an Affiliated Nation in the first half of the Grand Line.

The Revolutionary Army, which had appeared within the Affiliated Nation's borders several days earlier, suddenly launched an attack under the banner of fighting for freedom for the kingdom's people.

Although the King's Army had prepared in advance, a breach was still blasted open in the capital.

This left the Phil Royal Family both terrified and furious, and they once again requested aid from the World Government.

The World Government found the matter a headache as well.

They had not wanted to get involved in anything concerning the Revolutionary Army.

But the Affiliated Nations paid the Heavenly Tribute every year, providing the World Government with a steady source of income.

Thus, the World Government dumped this mess on the Marines.

This was precisely why Sengoku had hurried back to Marine Headquarters several days earlier.

After returning to headquarters, he ordered Marine Admiral Kizaru and Admiral Candidate Momousagi to lead troops to their aid.

Amid his ministers' furious shouting, the King of Phil ordered the King's Army to forcibly arrest the citizens.

Those who did not welcome the Revolutionary Army, those who did, and even subjects who were merely dissatisfied with the king were all arrested.

This further enraged the citizens, who were already deeply dissatisfied with the Phil Royal Family, and they all longed for the Revolutionary Army to save them.

"Hahaha! The Phil Royal Family is beyond saving! Back then, they even gave their own country's princess and queen consort to the Celestial Dragons to become an Affiliated Nation...

And they pay the Heavenly Tribute just to preserve that title. They're foolish beyond belief! A kingdom like this is bound to fall sooner or later!"

"All of us citizens beg the Revolutionary Army to save ordinary people like us! The King of Phil has gone mad!"

But no matter how furiously the citizens screamed in despair, the King's Army showed no mercy, arresting everyone they were ordered to arrest.

Anyone who resisted was subdued on the spot, and the King's Army also threatened them with their relatives, deploying troops throughout all four quarters of the capital.

As he kept track of intelligence from the capital, the hat-wearing young Revolutionary Army member carrying a pipe... Sabo's eyes burned with fury.

"So this is the Kingdom of Phil!"

"I've long heard that the entire royal family was utterly inhuman. Now they're cruel enough to forcibly conscript men and threaten their relatives just to hold off our Revolutionary Army. How vicious!"

At this point, Sabo had only recently become an officer of the Revolutionary Army.

Thanks to Roy's call, he had learned Luffy's identity and even recovered his memories.

Amid his shock and heartache, he personally led the Revolutionary Army to stir up unrest against the Phil Royal Family.

Aside from protecting his younger brother, the Revolutionary Army had long wanted to overthrow this Affiliated Nation, the Kingdom of Phil.

Now that an excellent opportunity had presented itself, they seized it and took action.

He simply had not expected the Phil Royal Family to be cruel enough to forcibly conscript men to hold them off.

This went beyond cruelty. They simply did not treat people as human beings.

Beside him, an orange-haired girl said in disappointment:

"Sabo, the Revolutionary Army has already gathered quite a few civilian groups dissatisfied with the Phil Royal Family."

"At your command, they'll come out in full force and overthrow the Phil Royal Family."

A trace of compassion also showed on her pretty face:

"But the Phil Royal Family is forcibly conscripting men. Once the fighting starts, there'll be heavy casualties."

"Is there any way to keep fewer ordinary people from dying? They've already suffered enough."

Faced with Koala's sorrowful expression, a trace of sadness flashed through Sabo's eyes as well.

"Koala, I know you want to save them. But this is a battlefield. We can only do our best to reduce casualties."

"Besides, we only need to deal with the royal family and stall for three days."

Sabo had already made up his mind.

Three days at most. Whether or not they could overthrow the Kingdom of Phil's regime, they had to withdraw.

As for whether Roy could complete his plan within those three days, that was beyond their control.

Koala put away the sorrow in her eyes and quietly waited for the time to act.

Soon, it was late at night.

A murderous air swept through the entire capital, making the night feel even more oppressive.

Boom!

A cannon thundered, and incendiary projectiles struck the capital's walls.

In an instant, flames engulfed the city gate.

The King's Army Guards defending it had only just prepared to return fire when a barrage of incendiary projectiles rained down one after another.

Bang! Bang!

Under the continuous bombardment, the gate was blasted open.

Horns sounded and battle flags waved as a full ten thousand troops swarmed toward the gate.

"I am an officer of the Revolutionary Army! The King of Phil is cruel and debauched. He plunders wealth and forcibly conscripts men, leaving the people in unbearable misery. Our Revolutionary Army is a ray of light in these troubled times. Today, we will overthrow this brutal rule! Charge with me!"

Sabo was the Revolutionary Army's youngest officer, and his strength, talent, and leadership were all first-rate.

With the appointed time at hand, he took the lead without hesitation, leading the Revolutionary Army's troops and the Kingdom of Phil's civilian forces into the charge.

The moment Sabo struck, he displayed terrifying strength, instantly slaying dozens of soldiers at the very front who were too stunned to move.

Koala and the other Revolutionary Army officers followed close behind, charging alongside Sabo as though no one could stand in their way.

This valiant sight sent everyone taking part in overthrowing the Kingdom of Phil's regime into a frenzy.

"Hahaha! Brothers, we can't go wrong following the Revolutionary Army! Today, we rebel! We rebel against the Phil Royal Family!"

"That's right! The Phil Royal Family is utterly brutal. Ordinary people like us have long been left with no way to survive! We will resist! Our resistance will overthrow tyranny. We stand for justice!"

The resentment that had built up over the King of Phil's long rule erupted completely at that moment.

These forces made up of ordinary people broke straight through the capital's gate.

But an operation of such scale also alerted the King's Army stationed inside the capital.

The King's Army commander proved himself a veteran of countless battles, swiftly issuing orders and deploying his troops in the face of the sudden chaos.

"Don't panic! We have nearly a hundred thousand troops, and these rebels have only thirty thousand. What can they possibly fight us with? I can't see how we could possibly lose!"

"Tenth Army, raise your shields and hold the front! As long as we stop this initial surge, they won't be able to make any waves!"

"Ninth Army, archers at the ready! The instant their momentum falters, let them have it!"

"..."

Once the orders were issued, the somewhat panicked King's Army quickly steadied itself.

The tactics did work. The Tenth Army advanced with shields raised, forcibly stopping the civilian forces' charge.

The commander laughed disdainfully.

"The Revolutionary Army is nothing but a pack of rats lurking in the shadows! Do they really think they can overthrow the kingdom with these rebels? How ridiculous!"

Yet although this commander had fought countless battles, his experience was limited.

He had never witnessed a powerful fighter who could wipe out tens of thousands of troops in an instant, much less the overwhelming combat power that could reshape the terrain.

Although Sabo had yet to reach the top-tier strength he would possess two years later, after eating the Flame-Flame Fruit and daring to wreak havoc at the World Government, he was already at the level of an Elite Vice Admiral, approaching that of an Admiral Candidate.

Even among the Marines or the crews of the Four Emperors, he would have ranked as a first-rate division commander-level fighter.

Thus, seeing the strength of the enemy's offensive, Sabo stopped holding back.

"You bastards! How could you possibly understand how vast the world is!"

"Today, I'll show the Kingdom of Phil the Revolutionary Army's strength!"

As his words fell, he unleashed his Armament Haki and combined it with the Dragon Claw Fist personally taught to him by Dragon, the Revolutionary Army's leader, tearing into the enemy ranks as though no one could stand in his way.

Bang! Bang!

For an instant, it was as though real dragon claws were reaping the soldiers' lives.

Before long, he had carved his way straight through several thousand soldiers of the King's Army.

Had he not shown restraint, the death toll would have been even higher.

Even so, his lone charge left the King's Army terrified and despairing.

They might have seen reports in the newspapers of the Four Emperors' power to overturn the seas, but they had never witnessed it in person.

Now, Sabo's terrifying strength was enough to plunge them into despair.

And that was not the end of it.

Sabo did not stop. After routing the troops around him, he went straight for the commander.

He knew that to make the King's Army collapse completely, he had to kill its central figure.

Otherwise, as long as the commander remained, the enemy would surely fight to the death, causing even greater casualties instead.

Faced with Sabo's charge, the commander roared and hastily ordered his soldiers forward.

But Sabo was too strong. The soldiers could barely slow him down, let alone stop him.

The commander fired arrows from concealment while directing the battle.

Determined to overthrow the Phil Royal Family, the civilian forces fought the King's Army ferociously.

With Sabo and the Revolutionary Army leading from the front, the civilian forces fought with even greater disregard for death.

As time passed, casualties on both sides had already exceeded ten thousand.

Barring anything unforeseen, the King's Army would be utterly defeated in less than three days, and the Revolutionary Army would overthrow the Phil Royal Family in one stroke.

Yet no one expected a warship to be speeding across the waters near the Kingdom of Phil.

On the foremost deck of the warship, a figure wearing a yellow-and-white striped suit and a Marine Admiral's coat emblazoned with "Justice" gazed at the faintly visible island, a sleazy smile spreading across his face.

"Ooh, how scary. That Dragon really is brazen, even daring to meddle with an Affiliated Nation."

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku has been urging me to deal with the Revolutionary Army quickly. But what puzzles me is that, over the Den Den Mushi, they said Kuzan and the others at Impel Down had uncovered a few clues..."

"Roy, was it? You really are the most surprising fellow since Golden Lion."

Kizaru, the Marine Admiral, sighed, then headed toward the island.