Chapter 483: Winds of Rebellion: The Gathering Storm

“Dad, everything’s ready.”

“Gurararara!”

Whitebeard brushed his hand over the necklace on his chest, then stood up with Cloud Cutter in hand.

“The Whitebeard Pirates never abandon their own.”

“Anyone who’s willing—follow me!”

“Awooo!”

“Let’s rescue Ace.”

“No one has ever messed with the Whitebeard Pirates and walked away unscathed—not even the Navy.”

“That’s right, let’s go all in!”

“Ace!”

Little Oars patted the straw hat on his head—it was a gift Ace made for him.

And it was the one and only.

“Move out!”

Morale was high. Seeing his sons unafraid and eager for battle, Whitebeard grinned and waved his massive hand. Every pirate ship slipped into the underwater currents beneath Fishman Island, making straight for Marineford.

…

“Fleet Admiral Sengoku!”

“Come in!”

Vice Admiral Tsuru walked in, clutching a thick file.

“According to the latest reports from the front lines, the Whitebeard Pirates disappeared from their territory three days ago. We have no clear idea where they’re heading.”

That was exactly what frustrated Tsuru—Navy control in the New World was still far too weak. If Garp and Sengoku hadn’t chased after Karl back then, the New World would probably still have at least one or two Navy Bases remaining.

Ever since that incident, anytime the Navy tried to set up a new base in the New World, Karl’s pirate crews crushed it.

Which left only a handful of spies in the New World, and even those got exposed from time to time—then promptly wiped out by Karl’s Pirates. Their intelligence division’s job was getting harder by the day.

“Hmm. The Whitebeard Pirates’ destination is most likely here.”

“Have all our troops been assembled?”

“Everyone’s in position, Fleet Admiral Sengoku.”

“But…”

Vice Admiral Tsuru hesitated, unsure if she should speak.

“What is it, Tsuru? Something else on your mind?”

Noticing Tsuru still lingering after her report, Sengoku finally looked up and adjusted his glasses, idly crumpling up the paper in his hand and passing it to his goat.

“It’s about the Four Seas.”

“The Four Seas?”

Recently, Sengoku had called back forces from the Four Seas and the First Half of the Grand Line to face Whitebeard’s assault, so he wasn’t up to date on the situation there.

“Yes. Things in the Four Seas are a mess right now. I just got the latest intel—twelve allied nations have been taken by the Revolutionary Army, and four of our bases have vanished.”

“Even…”

“Even four Holy Knights have been killed.”

“What?”

For a moment, Sengoku thought he’d misheard. When did things in the Four Seas get this chaotic? And weren’t the Holy Knights always deployed to guard Mariejois?

How could four of them die all the way out in the Four Seas?

Four?

Sengoku’s expression grew more and more serious. These were four fighters on the level of admirals—killed in the Four Seas for no apparent reason. Why hadn’t the World Government taken any action?

Could it be—?

“Most of our top men from the Grand Line’s bases have been drafted back, and that’s given the Revolutionary Army their shot. Three more allied nations in the Grand Line have already fallen to them.”

Tsuru’s next words only deepened Sengoku’s sense of despair.

He couldn’t believe that in just over ten days, the whole sea could change so violently.

Was he just sleep deprived? Maybe he should go back to bed and wake up to a different world.

“Wait—hold on!”

“How could the Revolutionary Army pull off all this in just ten days? We didn’t catch even a whiff of it before?”

“Has our intelligence branch failed to pick up even the slightest hint?”

Tsuru sighed helplessly. “The number two in intelligence is a World Government man. Any intel we get from them is always old by the time it reaches us. I only found out about these past ten days’ developments today myself.”

The gap between the Navy and the World Government had been growing for a long time.

What’s more, quite a few upright Navy officers—those who’d been wronged—were secretly in touch with the Revolutionary Army. If Tsuru hadn’t kept a lid on things, plenty of Navy officers might have already jumped ship.

Even as things stood, she couldn’t say for sure how many in the Navy were only loyal in name.

After all, compared to the World Government, the Revolutionary Army actually cared about people’s lives. Anyone faced with that kind of choice would know what to do.

She exhaled heavily.

“So how are things with our forces across the regions?”

“Not good. The public doesn’t trust us at all now—it’s almost impossible to get anything done, and recruitment’s become even harder. Plus…”

Tsuru quickly handed the thick file in her hands to Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

“Despite repeated crackdowns, corruption still lingers in the Navy. Now rumors are everywhere—someone’s leaked the dirty details of every base’s embezzlement. Some of our guys are trapped in their bases, unable to step outside.”

The foundation of the Navy had been shaken to the core. No wonder Tsuru felt so aggrieved—news like this, and the Navy was always the last to know. It seemed clear by now the World Government saw them as nothing more than loyal hounds.

Bang!

“If it isn’t one thing, it’s another!”

“I understand the situation. For now, focus on Whitebeard’s Pirates. I’ll deal directly with the Five Elders about the Four Seas and the Grand Line.”

“I’ll take my leave then!”

Once Tsuru stepped out, Sengoku let out a long breath. Feeling slightly calmer, he reached for the transponder snail beside him.

“Brrt, brrt, brrt…”

“Five Elders, if the Navy really doesn’t matter to you, I might as well find somewhere else to live. Click!”

As soon as the line connected, Sengoku fired off his message and hung up, throwing on his cloak and heading out.

“Looks like the Navy’s got quite a few complaints.” Marcus said, shooting a glance at Marcas with a faintly annoyed look.

The Navy receiving outdated intel was hardly a secret among those gathered here.

The truth was, after Marcas made his decision, he never bothered to consult the rest of them—a move that left the older Five Elders harboring no small amount of resentment.

“It was my idea. The Navy’s gotten a bit too much power lately—and with allied countries in the Four Seas suffering, the Navy shouldn’t get involved.”

This was just Marcas flexing his authority a bit, especially with the Five Elders’ handover coming up. His main focus now was picking the next round of candidates.

“Why not send in some army troops instead?”

“Then let’s dispatch the Fifth Army Corps.”

Woqiuli decided to send his newly formed army corps.

Though the Fifth Corps had only been around for half a year, its ranks already swelled to a million. Crushing the Four Seas rebellion would be a good way to toughen them up—and draw some blood.

Of course, the real reason was that the Fifth Corps commander was one of his own family. It was the perfect excuse to boost their military standing.