Chapter 716: No Title
"Dragon?!"
Zephyr's expression showed clear astonishment at the mention of that name.
He certainly knew who Dragon was, but... the reason Dragon left such a deep impression on Zephyr wasn't because of his identity as a revolutionary, but because Dragon was the only one among the golden generation of Marines that Zephyr had once taught who wasn't actually his student!
Back then, Dragon was personally trained by Garp, but he later defected from the Marines, became a revolutionary, and turned against the World Government. When Zephyr heard about this, he had deeply regretted it, because in his view, Dragon's talent was the highest among that golden generation.
But now, he heard that name again from Aokiji's mouth...
"Why bring him up all of a sudden?" Zephyr asked, puzzled.
"Because... I met him at Gran Tesoro..." Aokiji sat cross-legged on the deck, scratching his messy hair with a bewildered look. "It was then that I realized, even though the World Government and the Marines have been hunting him for years, we've never truly understood Dragon's thoughts!"
"He leads the Revolutionary Army, constantly stirring up uprisings in various countries—is it just to fight against so-called tyranny?"
Zephyr shook his head and said, "The revolutions and uprisings he promotes are almost all launched within World Government member states. This is shaking the very foundation of the World Government!"
"Exactly, no wonder the World Government sees him as their greatest enemy!" Aokiji said. "But Zephyr-sensei, have you ever considered this: even if Dragon could overthrow the World Government, what makes him think this world would be better off without its rule? Even if the Revolutionary Army took power, could they truly eliminate all the injustices in this world?"
"...Of course not!" Zephyr thought for a long time before shaking his head. "There is no such thing as a perfect ruling class in this world!"
"Right, that's what I thought too. So even though I knew the World Government was protecting the Celestial Dragons, I suppressed my doubts and carried out my duties..." Aokiji said. "If even we can understand that, Dragon certainly does too. But why does he still persist? Why does he keep opposing the World Government? What exactly is he trying to gain from these revolutions and uprisings?"
"..." No one could answer that. Zephyr, Smoker, Kuina, Ain—everyone who heard the question exchanged bewildered glances.
"That's why I said we've never truly understood the Revolutionary Army!" Aokiji said. "After leaving the Marines this time, I've seen many things more clearly. So I'm thinking, maybe the Revolutionary Army isn't what we originally imagined. They might not even be our enemies as Marines!"
Aokiji turned around, took off his sunglasses, and stared into Zephyr's eyes, speaking very seriously: "Zephyr-sensei, I once participated in the operation to destroy Ohara. The Demon Child Nico Robin who escaped back then—I let her go personally. But in that incident, I noticed a suspicious point. The World Government has likely been hiding a huge secret, one they've kept from the world for a very long time. I don't know what that secret is, but I suspect Dragon knows! That's why I plan to meet him. I want to learn the true answer from him. Whether I'll join you in the NEO New Marines or not depends on knowing that answer first."
Hearing Aokiji's words, Zephyr snorted twice, but then the snorts turned into loud laughter.
"I think you're actually trying to trick this old man into cooperating with the Revolutionary Army, aren't you?" Zephyr said. "I founded the NEO New Marines to crack down on pirates all over the world. But if you can give this new Marine force a higher purpose, what harm is there in going with you once?"
"Sensei..." Ain and Binz called out to Zephyr upon hearing this.
But Zephyr raised his hand to stop them, not looking back as he said, "Ain, Binz, I know you followed me to take revenge on pirates. But you and I both know we're just deceiving ourselves. We can't take revenge on that pirate who became a Warlord and is protected by the World Government, can we?"
There was a hint of desolation in Zephyr's tone as he continued, "A new Marine force should have a nobler goal... Let's go. We'll find the Revolutionary Army. I hope Dragon can give us a satisfactory answer!"
This encounter between Aokiji and Zephyr truly changed many things. If Aokiji hadn't appeared before Zephyr with Smoker and the other former Marines, Zephyr would likely have continued leading the NEO New Marines in revenge attacks against pirates. He would have been consumed by the flames of vengeance, attempted to use the Dynamite Stone to destroy the New World, and ultimately died at the hands of the Marines.
But now, before he could do any of that, he met Aokiji ahead of time and was successfully persuaded by him.
Thus, the Marine ship carrying Aokiji and the others merged into the NEO New Marines' fleet, embarking on a journey to find the Revolutionary Army. Although they didn't know where the Revolutionary Army's headquarters, Baltigo, was, nor did they have any way to contact Dragon, their intuition told them they would find it eventually.
Perhaps, on the day Aokiji and Zephyr meet Dragon, the world's structure will never be the same again...
---
Ian had no idea that, because of him, Aokiji and Dragon meeting at Gran Tesoro would have such far-reaching consequences.
When he let Edward Weevil go, he was simply following the original timeline to ensure the Marines lost one more Admiral-level figure. Zephyr, as the teacher of many current Marine officers, had a huge impact on the Marines when he left in anger.
Now, the World Government had taken the bait—they had driven Zephyr away themselves... but one day, they would regret that decision!
Ian was now flying at high speed, heading toward Whitebeard's territory. Along the way, many pirate ships sailing the seas saw Ian's flight trail, marked by sonic boom clouds. They watched in stunned silence as he passed overhead, then were shaken by the deafening roar of the sound waves, covering their ears in terror.
News of Ian becoming an Emperor had already spread across the world. This trip allowed many to witness the majesty of the new Emperor.
Of course, Ian couldn't keep flying at full speed the whole time. He stopped occasionally to rest on some islands. After about three days of travel, he finally arrived at Whitebeard's territory.
Once there, Ian felt right at home. He found an island flying the Whitebeard Pirates' flag and landed. He then sought out the Whitebeard Pirates members stationed there. Given Ian's fame within the crew, even the lowest-ranking grunts knew his name. The moment they saw him, they looked up at him with admiration and reverence.
After asking and learning that Whitebeard Old Man and the others had nothing pressing and were still at their main base, Ian took off again to head there, leaving behind a group of excited Whitebeard Pirates members waving goodbye.
Of course, these members also contacted the main base to inform them of Ian's arrival.
So, when Ian arrived at the Whitebeard Pirates' main base and landed on the Moby Dick, he was greeted by a group of cheerful Whitebeard Pirates division commanders.
"Brat, you've got a conscience, coming to see this old man!" Whitebeard sat towering on the deck, his eyes showing clear joy at Ian's arrival, but he snorted, "I thought once you became an Emperor, you'd forget about this lonely old man!"
Ian grinned and said, "I was busy taking over the BIG MOM Pirates' territory before. As soon as I had time, I came. Oh, and I brought you a gift along the way."
With that, Ian handed over a large jug of sake he had bought while resting on an island. Now that Whitebeard's health had recovered, drinking wasn't a problem.
But Whitebeard wasn't fooled. He snorted, "You didn't come specifically to see me, did you? You're here to ask about Ace and Fujitora!"
Even as he said this, Whitebeard took the sake from Ian, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp...