Chapter 817: The Answer the World Is Waiting For
The Revolutionary Army officers were extremely shocked by Ian’s true identity as one of the Four Emperors, but at the same time, Ian was equally astonished by the Revolutionary Army’s actual strength.
Among the Revolutionary Army’s officers, the ones Ian knew best were none other than Kuma and the Okama King Ivankov. Both of them were at the level of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Even if only one percent of the two thousand or so Revolutionary Army officers present here had strength comparable to Kuma and Ivankov, that would still mean at least twenty or more Warlord-level fighters!
What an immense force this was. If the World Government and the Marines learned of the Revolutionary Army’s true power, they would likely be terrified into expanding their military at any cost to counter it…
Ian couldn’t help but look at Dragon. This mysterious man had, without anyone noticing, built a force capable of overthrowing the Celestial Dragons and the World Government’s rule. What kind of extraordinary vision and determination did it take to achieve this?
Now, with Revolutionary Army officers from all over the world gathered here in one place, did it mean Dragon was already preparing to make his move?
With this thought in mind, Ian walked over to the massive conference table and approached Aokiji and the others. He first smiled and greeted Aokiji and Zephyr, then spread his arms and looked at Kuina with a warm smile.
Seeing Ian’s gesture, Kuina smiled knowingly, stepped forward, and gave him a light hug. “Ian senior brother, long time no see!”
“Kuina, have you been doing well with Aokiji?” Ian asked. “If he dares to scold you, I’ll teach him a lesson for you!”
Aokiji, with his sharp ears, caught Ian’s words and rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses, resting his hands behind his head, too disdainful to respond.
Kuina gave Ian a playful glare and said, “What are you saying? Admiral Aokiji has been very good to me. He often takes time to train me…”
“That’s good, that’s good!” Ian smiled, released Kuina, and sat down nearby, exchanging a few jokes with Tashigi as well. Sabo sat down beside him.
At this moment, the Revolutionary Army officers were still whispering among themselves, not only about Ian but also about Kuina and Tashigi. They had seen Ian chatting and laughing with Kuina, and initially thought these two female Marines were just Aokiji’s subordinates. But now they realized they were also people of significance. Seeing how familiar Ian was with them, no one would treat them as ordinary anymore…
“Where’s Ace?” As soon as he sat down, Aokiji asked Ian. “He should have come with you. Why isn’t he here?”
Ian replied, “It’s not appropriate for him to attend this meeting. After all, he’s part of the Whitebeard Pirates. I don’t mind, but if he showed up, it would be equivalent to the Whitebeard Pirates allying with the Revolutionary Army. Without Whitebeard’s consent, he’s being cautious. He’s eating at the Revolutionary Army’s cafeteria right now…”
After explaining, Ian asked Aokiji, “Speaking of which, Admiral Zephyr, Admiral Aokiji, is it really okay for the two of you to sit so openly at the Revolutionary Army’s conference table?”
“We have no choice. We’ve been convinced by Dragon,” Zephyr had been stroking his mechanical arm silently, but it was Aokiji who spoke. “Now the Neo Marines have formed an alliance with the Revolutionary Army, so we can only listen in…”
“An alliance?” Ian raised an eyebrow at this, realizing that after Aokiji left the Marines, Dragon must have met with him and said something to successfully win him over.
After a moment’s thought, Ian decided not to ask further. Just then, Dragon coughed, and the entire conference hall fell silent. Everyone turned their eyes to the standing Dragon.
“Everyone, thank you for traveling all the way to Baltigo!” Dragon said. “I believe that after arriving on the island, you’ve already understood the purpose of this gathering. So I’ll keep it brief.”
A massive world map slowly unfurled on the wall behind Dragon. He pointed to a red dot marked on the map and said, “This location is near the Calm Belt at the border between the New World and the West Blue, but not directly in the Calm Belt—just at its edge. Dr. Vegapunk’s distress signal was finally pinpointed here!”
He then placed his hands on the table and said very seriously to the crowd, “Since Kuma was modified, he has been acting as Dr. Vegapunk’s protector, staying by his side. But no one knows if the signal emitted from Kuma’s body might be detected by the World Government. So we must act quickly. Dr. Vegapunk is our ally, and we must rescue him at all costs. However, according to intelligence, the location of the distress signal has no islands at all!”
“Huh? What does that mean?” The Revolutionary Army officers were puzzled.
“So we suspect that this secret research facility might be built underwater, like Impel Down,” Dragon explained. “But unlike Impel Down, this facility has no entrance on the sea surface, making entry very troublesome. Since it’s near the Calm Belt, there will be many giant Sea Kings beneath the surface. And the guards inside the facility won’t open the underwater passage without orders.”
“Then we’ll have to launch a direct assault!” Sabo said, thinking as he spoke. “Vegapunk was transferred in secret, so without orders from the Celestial Dragons or the Five Elders, they won’t let outsiders in. We can’t infiltrate the facility through deception. The only option is a direct assault…”
“But the problem is, if we attack from underwater, Devil Fruit users will be excluded first!” Ivankov also spoke up.
In fact, most of the powerful individuals were, to some extent, Devil Fruit users. Very few reached high levels purely through training in Haki, physical combat, or swordsmanship. Ivankov was worried about this, as it would limit a significant portion of the Revolutionary Army’s combat strength.
The others also understood Ivankov’s point and frowned, thinking about countermeasures.
“This is why I called Ian here,” Dragon said, not letting them dwell on it too long. “Ian’s combat power is likely the strongest among us. And most importantly, he is the only Devil Fruit user who is not afraid of seawater!”
As he spoke, Dragon looked at Ian, and Ian nodded back to indicate no problem.
“The plan is this: For this rescue operation, Ian will lead the initial breakthrough. Revolutionary Army members who are not Devil Fruit users will follow him in an underwater assault. If giant Sea Kings attack, Ian’s strength can handle them easily. The rest of us will engage the facility’s guard forces on the surface. Once he breaks in and opens the entrance passage, we’ll enter, or he can directly rescue Vegapunk and Kuma while we provide support from the surface!”
A Revolutionary Army officer with a cross-shaped scar on his forehead said, “The plan is fine, but Mr. Dragon, I don’t think we need to send everyone to attack a single research facility, do we?”
“Exactly!” Dragon nodded. “In fact, for this rescue mission, I only plan to send a small number of elite personnel. With Ian and Sabo there, rescuing Dr. Vegapunk shouldn’t be a problem!”
“Then what will the rest of us do?” another officer asked.
“That’s the second topic of this meeting!” Dragon said. “In fact, I’m already prepared. After rescuing Dr. Vegapunk, the World Conference is about to convene. I will personally appear at this World Conference and expose the evil deeds of the Celestial Dragons and the World Government to all the people of the world…”
“And at that moment, it will be the time for all of us in the Revolutionary Army to launch our uprising!!!”
Dragon’s resolute words immediately stirred all the Revolutionary Army officers present. They were so excited they could barely contain themselves.
“Has this moment finally come?”
“Hahaha! Let’s do it! We’ve been lying low for too long!”
A buzz of voices filled the room. These officers were rubbing their hands together, their excitement palpable, their blood boiling for the impending grand uprising.
“The Celestial Dragons have ridden over all the people of the world for far too long!” Dragon continued loudly. “All the chains and shackles they have imposed on humanity will be broken. All the freedom and fairness they have stolen will be restored. The corrupt World Government, which colludes with them, will be overthrown. A new order will be established!”
He slammed his fist hard on the table in front of him and declared, “Take action! The world is waiting for our answer!!”
“Whoa—!!!”
“Answer!!! Answer!!!”
As Dragon’s words fell, the entire conference hall erupted. All the Revolutionary Army officers stood up and shouted in unison, their reddened necks and bulging veins showing the fervor in their hearts at that moment!
Although Ian remained relatively calm, unaffected by the fanatical atmosphere before him, he had to admit that Dragon, as the leader of the Revolutionary Army, was incredibly skilled at boosting morale!
He also understood that everyone who joined the Revolutionary Army had, without exception, suffered directly or indirectly from the Celestial Dragons and the World Government. Their experiences were probably similar to Sabo’s—tragic pasts. Before this, they were weak and powerless to resist such persecution. If not for the Revolutionary Army saving them, they might have died miserably.
Not to mention them—even Ian himself knew that if he didn’t have his extraordinary strength, he would likely have encountered some tragic events in this dark world!
So he could understand their hatred for the Celestial Dragons and the World Government…
Then, just as they said, let’s do it! Let’s overthrow those so-called “gods” sitting high above!!!
Ian clenched his fists, thinking the same…