While the main force of the navy was firmly tied down in the New World by Hachinosu, another force was stirring up a monstrous wave in the first half of the Grand Line and across the Four Blues.
Revolutionary Army.
Monkey D. Dragon stood on the walls of a newly liberated kingdom, with the burning royal palace and cheering commoners behind him.
That face, which always bore the mark of "seriousness," now showed a rare hint of a smile.
A world map was spread out on the table in front of him.
The map uses red and blue to mark dozens of islands and kingdoms recently captured by the Revolutionary Army —red represents those that have been completely liberated, and blue represents those that are still in battle.
The entire map is covered with dense red and blue markers, stretching from the Four Blues all the way to the entrance of the Grand Line.
An intelligence officer hurried over, clutching a newly deciphered secret report in his hand:
"Lord Long, the CP organization's troops stationed Four Blues have begun to withdraw."
They received orders from the World Government to disperse and suppress rebellions Four Blues.
The pressure on us in the West Blue and the South Blue has significantly eased.
Long took the secret report, glanced at it, and raised his eyebrows slightly:
"We have only lit the fire of rebellion Four Blues; we have not yet truly exerted our strength."
"Is the World Government really that nervous?"
Sabo leaned against the crenellations of the city wall beside him, twirling a steel pipe in his hand, a roguish grin playing on his lips.
"It's not just our achievement."
Hachinosu tied up the main force of the navy in the New World, and the CP organization's original plan to support the navy was also forced to be canceled.
I heard that the elite CP troops who originally planned to raid the Hachinosu supply line have all been sent to fight fires Four Blues.
The Five Elders are probably banging on the table and cursing right now in the Room of Authority.
Long nodded, folded the secret report, and put it in his pocket.
He looked at the battlefield in the distance, still billowing black smoke, a complex light flashing in his eyes.
Roy, that kid, has been playing this game since the Paramount War —revealing the Six Powers and the training methods of Haki, shaking the foundations of the World Government's rule;
Cleanse the New World and establish Hachinosu's dominant position;
Now, G-1 and G-2 are being used to tie down the main naval force, creating an opportunity for the Revolutionary Army to expand Four Blues.
Every step was so precise it sent chills down your spine.
But the dragon didn't care.
Roy's goal is to overthrow the World Government, Revolutionary Army's goal is to liberate the world.
At least for now, their goals overlap.
As for what will happen after the World Government is overthrown, that's a matter for the future.
The current priority is to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to further solidify the foundation of the Revolutionary Army.
"Notify all cadres to continue this process."
The dragon's voice was deep and resolute.
"The main force of the navy is now tied down in the New World, and the CP agency is overwhelmed. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity for the Revolutionary Army."
We must take advantage of this time to lay the most solid foundation.
Sabo grinned, twirling the steel pipe between his fingertips:
"I've been waiting for this for a long time. I've already sent Koala to lead the team to the West Blue, while Ivankov is personally overseeing the South Blue."
The sparks have already been ignited Four Blues; now all it takes is a little wind—and it will ignite into a prairie fire.
The dragon looked up at the sky. Several seabirds flew overhead, heading towards the New World.
That direction is towards Hachinosu. Long imagines that man is probably sitting in his office, holding a cup of coffee.
Looking at the nautical chart on the wall that marked the distribution of all the forces, he pondered his next move.
"What a terrifying ally," the dragon muttered, then turned and walked down the city wall.
Behind him, on the walls of the newly liberated kingdom, the flags of the Revolutionary Army fluttered in the sea breeze.
Mary Geoise, Room of Authority.
The Five Elders sat around a round table, the atmosphere even more somber than during the Egghead incident.
Two reports lay spread out on the table—one from Akainu, written in extremely serious language, detailing the dire situation of G-1 and G-2 bases under the continuous attack on Hachinosu.
Another report from the CP organization compiled the latest data on the rebellions Four Blues, and the numbers were alarming.
"Within just a few weeks, seventeen Affiliated Nation fell, and more than thirty non- Affiliated Nation declared their secession from the World Government."
Saint Mars pushed up his glasses, his voice hoarse and unlike his own.
" The Revolutionary Army is advancing at least three times faster than we anticipated."
"The main naval force is tied down at G-1 and G-2, and the elite CP forces are scattered across the Four Blues to fight fires. Our strength has been completely divided."
Saint Warcury his arms crossed over his chest, the hot white breath exhaled from his nostrils betrayed his inner anxiety.
" Roy orchestrated all of this."
He's not just trying to fight us head-on—he's playing a game of chess, a game that will tie down all our forces and keep us constantly on the move."
Saint Garling slammed his fist on the table, his face, now that of a newly promoted Five Elders, filled with suppressed rage.
"The timing of the attack on Hachinosu was too precise."
Every time the navy had a chance to catch its breath, they would launch a new attack.
Hit and run, then come back.
The essence of this tactic is not killing, but attrition—attrition of our manpower, attrition of our resources, and attrition of our soldiers' morale.
What's the point of saying all this now?
Saint Nusjuro gripped the hilt of the Kitetsu tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
"Either concentrate your forces to capture Hachinosu, or abandon G-1 and G-2 and retreat to Marineford."
If this drags on, the navy will be worn down.
"We can't take it, and we can't retreat."
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter stood up and walked to the window to look at the night view of Mary Geoise.
A few lights could be faintly seen among the Flower Room; that was Lord Imu's residence.
Their instructions from there were to prioritize dealing with Straw Hat Luffy.
The problem now is that the navy's forces are already tied down at Hachinosu, so where do they have the spare capacity to hunt down that Straw Hat kid?
"Pass the order to Akainu —G-1 and G-2 must hold their ground."
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter turned around, his voice heavy as if filled with lead.
"In addition, notify the CP organization to prioritize the suppression of the core rebellion zones Four Blues."
Although the Revolutionary Army was expanding, their foundation was not yet stable.
"As long as we can fight back at a few key points, those newly liberated kingdoms will soon turn back to us."
What about Hachinosu?
Saint Mars adjusted his glasses.
"Are we just going to let them continue to drain the navy?"
"Let's put Hachinosu on hold for now."
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter's tone revealed an extremely suppressed helplessness.
"It's not that we don't want to fight, it's that we can't fight right now."
Once the situation in the Four Blues is stable, we will concentrate all our forces to deliver a blow to Hachinosu that it will never be able to recover from.
But now—we must be patient.
A long silence fell over the Room of Authority.
The Five Elders sat in their respective seats, and none of them spoke again.
Outside the window, in the Mary Geoise night sky, a few stars peeked through gaps in the clouds.
This sacred place, which has ruled the world for eight hundred years, is now shrouded in an unprecedented atmosphere of oppression.
They all knew that the war with Hachinosu had spread from the New World to the entire world.
The initiative, however, remained firmly in the hands of the man named Roy.