Chapter 501: Storm over the Desert: The Fifth Army Vanishes

Thanks to their mastery of life gene technology, awakening is just a matter of a single injection for them.

They used a massive number of Zoan-type Devil Fruits, providing more cannon fodder than anyone else for this war. No one expected they’d end up as mere prisoners in the end.

“Hey kid, I heard you’re planning to attack the World Government. Think us old-timers could lend a hand?”

“That’s right. Our fighting skills may not be top-notch, but causing chaos on the battlefield is something we’re pretty good at.”

After feasting on several Sea Kings, each nearly a hundred meters long, everyone finally recovered their strength to Admiral level. They might not be quite as strong as the Admirals at their peak, but they’re certainly a cut above a Vice Admiral, aren’t they?

“You can join, but don’t start hitting the wrong people and mess up my plans.”

“Otherwise, however you got out, I can send you right back the same way.”

Karl could tell these people were complete wildcards. He didn’t trust that they’d follow his rules, but as long as they didn’t interfere with his plans, he could always hunt them down later. Cleaning up wouldn’t be much trouble.

“Of course. We’ve waited centuries for our revenge.”

“Exactly! If those old geezers knew we were still alive, they’d just about have a heart attack.”

“Hahaha, I can’t wait to see the look on their faces.”

The few old men, still joking around, had no idea that among the many rebellious races and factions of the past, only one survived. Every other force had long since been wiped out by the current Celestial Dragons—they were just survivors among many.

Whenever a new king ascends, it’s only natural to trim down their supporters. Especially if those supporters wielded as much power as the monarch themselves—it means bloody methods are inevitable.

Only by doing so can the world be left with a single voice—the voice of the Celestial Dragons.

…

Just before dawn, Alsto arrived to deliver bad news to Viaz.

“What did you just say?”

“My fleet is down to just fifty ships!”

“Don’t tell me they just got separated last night?”

“It doesn’t look like they just got scattered. No matter how much I try to call, there’s no response at all.”

Alsto began organizing his troops and preparing for battle at sunrise. He was shocked to discover that only fifty warships remained on the sea.

That’s three-quarters less than the two hundred ships they started with. The change left him utterly stunned.

He immediately used the transponder snails to contact those who had gone missing, but no one picked up. Realizing things were going south, he tried calling every ship’s officer.

But still, not a single response. That’s when he realized this probably wasn’t just an accident—there had to be a huge conspiracy aimed at the Fifth Army Corps.

He didn’t dare delay for even a moment. With the news in hand, he rushed to General Viaz’s office to make his report.

“Give me the Den Den Mushi.”

Alsto handed over the command snail without hesitation. Viaz wasted no time and immediately tried calling the captains of the missing warships.

Buru buru buru!

In a sandy clearing somewhere in Alabasta, Ledfield sat quietly, feeling the tremendous energy gathering inside him. Hearing the sound, he glanced down at the hundreds of Den Den Mushi lined up on the ground.

“Buru buru buru!”

At first, Ledfield ignored the noise, focusing on refining and absorbing all that energy for himself. He was nearly done.

But when Den Den Mushi after Den Den Mushi started ringing, his patience frayed. He stepped forward and, the moment another snail rang, picked it up in an instant.

“Moshi moshi, this is General Viaz. Where are you all right now?”

“They’re all dead. That’s what you get, idol.”

Click!

Without hesitation, Ledfield hung up, then spread two huge black wings and soared into the sky. A storm of sand erupted as he swept over the area, burying the perfectly aligned Navy warships beneath the dunes.

Watching as every Navy warship vanished beneath the sand, he finally flew in the direction of Navy Headquarters.

If he couldn’t refine his new power in peace here, he might as well do it on the move. He was almost finished anyway—a little more wouldn’t matter.

“Damn it, this must be the work of the Revolutionary Army.”

“Only someone like Bartholomew Kuma, one of their leaders, could erase so many Navy warships like this in one go.”

Alsto really did deserve his reputation for intelligence—he instantly guessed who could have the power for something like this.

No one else even knew about their journey here. In this entire sea, who besides the Revolutionary Army would dare launch such a full-scale attack against the World Government?

“Hmph, against absolute power, all these little tricks are worthless—just like paper tigers.”

“Even if our massive fleet got sent somewhere else, they can get themselves out of trouble.” Viaz waved dismissively, caring nothing for the missing Fifth Army. “Now that we know who’s attacking us, there’s no need to hide anymore. Full speed ahead! I want to deliver the Revolutionary Army their final judgment.”

“Yes, sir!”

Alsto saluted sharply, then turned and walked out, passing on the general’s orders. The entire fleet instantly picked up speed, racing straight toward Goa Kingdom.

And right in the fleet’s path lay a deserted island just five square kilometers across.

Hidden behind the island were dozens of Revolutionary Army ships. Dragon and Kuma had been waiting there for a while.

“Chief, the Navy is in sight—thirty-five nautical miles out,” someone reported.

“Kuma, are you back to full strength yet?”

The battle ahead would pit them against three Armies and one Admiral-level force from the World Government’s Fifth Army Corps.

Dragon alone could only hold them off, not wipe them out—but with Kuma at his side, destroying the entire Fifth Army was suddenly possible.

“Dragon, looks like you’ve had everything under control from the start.”

With a normal recovery, Dragon never could have gotten Kuma back to peak stamina this fast.

But Karl had given him a Rejuvenation Pill—a single dose could restore anyone below Conqueror-level strength to full power in an instant.

This miraculous pill was one of their secret weapons for winning the war.

“Good. You handle signing off on the three deputy commanders. Leave the rest to them.”

Dragon looked up at Sabo and the others waiting on deck—these were his most trusted subordinates, each powerful in their own right. The Army troops they’d be facing were used to peacetime, not war, so it should be an easy task. And besides, he had a well-drilled Revolutionary Army behind him.

“I really don’t want to fight against you. Your schemes are scary.”

Kuma silently took two steps back, putting a bit of distance between himself and Dragon.

A few black lines popped up on Dragon’s forehead. “Seriously? Just half a step back? Doesn’t that hurt my feelings? And honestly, who am I doing all this for, anyway?”

“Haha, trust me, it’s better if we keep some distance. You know the saying: you are who you surround yourself with.”

“Wait—who are you talking about, Kuma?”

But Kuma ignored Dragon’s shout, eyes wide as he watched the Army’s fleet speeding toward the front of the island.

“Hey, Sabo, what’s the chief arguing with Kuma about?”

“Who knows? Anyway, the fight’s almost here. You ready?”

Sabo just replied casually to what Clarke said, eyes still fixed on the Navy fleet approaching across the sea.