Chapter 130: Bartholomew Kuma
“······We all know that a day like this would come sooner or later, hmm······ and that day has really arrived! Starting tomorrow, no, perhaps from tonight onward, we will become the targets of all-out suppression by the World Government and various kingdoms. Those coming to cause trouble will no longer just be the Navy; the sea and land armies of many kingdoms will join in as well.”
A deep and powerful voice echoed through the bar’s space.
This was ‘Shakky’s Nail Bar’.
However,
The bar’s owner was not here. Besides her identity as the bar owner, Shakky also had another identity as an information broker. Most intelligence came to her simply by sitting patiently behind the bar counter, but a small portion required her to go fetch it personally.
For example, intelligence from the Holy Land.
Just then, a group of particularly fierce customers had arrived at the bar. Shakky, not wanting to get involved in the trouble, temporarily handed the bar over to the customers to manage and left to retrieve the latest intelligence from the Holy Land. She believed these customers wouldn’t cause any damage to her bar, and even if something unexpected happened, she could get sufficient compensation.
The bar was packed with people.
These customers were dressed in all sorts of different styles, vastly varied, with even huge differences in races. The most numerous here were humans, but there were also Fish-Men, Mink Tribe, Longarm Tribe, Giants······ Because of his massive size, this Giant mister had to sit cross-legged on the floor, carefully tucking in his head, afraid of accidentally poking a hole in the ceiling.
These guys of different races from different places were all keeping quiet at the moment, listening to the leader’s speech.
Monkey D. Dragon, this mister regarded as the world’s most dangerous criminal, stood on a crude stage made of stacked wooden boxes. Since the Revolutionary Army’s leader was standing here, the identities of the customers with perked ears were self-evident.
Most of the Revolutionary Army’s high-level cadres were gathered here.
Except for those in prison and a small portion who had to stay behind at the base, the Revolutionary Army’s elite forces could be said to all be here. If the World Government seized the opportunity to gather forces for a surprise attack, they might be able to crush the Revolutionary Army directly.
Unfortunately, the World Government had no idea the Revolutionary Army had the guts to this extent, openly holding a gathering right in the Sabaody Archipelago, under the nose of the Holy Land.
The so-called darkness under the lamp probably referred to situations like this.
It was undeniable that Dragon’s guts were admirable. He actually chose the Sabaody Archipelago as the rendezvous point, summoning cadres who had rushed here from all over the world for a meeting.
“······Our days ahead will definitely become even harder. The World Government will surely make full use of the results discussed at this World Conference.” Dragon said this, pausing slightly, his gaze sweeping around. He saw no fear or hesitation on any partner’s face.
“However, the harsher the World Government’s methods to sanction us, the more it proves their inner fear is constantly growing. As long as we persist, victory and light will inevitably belong to us, to every ordinary person.”
“Clap clap clap!!!”
Applause surged up like tides and then fell.
Dragon stepped down from the crude stage. A short speech to slightly boost his comrades’ morale was enough; there was no need for long-winded explanations of why the Celestial Dragons were doomed to fail, nor repeated declarations of the Revolutionary Army’s inevitable victory······
Everyone present was basically high-level cadres, plus a group of young people drafted to act as waitstaff. Without exception, they were all staunch supporters of the Revolutionary Army. Some things didn’t need to be repeated in front of them.
With the speech over, it was now time for unconstrained free exchange.
The Revolutionary Army had grown into an extremely massive organization. Not only on the Grand Line, but across the Four Seas, the Revolutionary Army’s presence could be seen. As the organization grew massive, matters naturally increased. Cadres scattered across different branches rarely had contact with each other except during cooperative missions.
It wasn’t that private exchanges among cadres were prohibited, but cadres busy to the extreme rarely had time to coordinate mutual intelligence sharing.
Due to confidentiality requirements, they couldn’t casually pass it to subordinates or third parties. Though during major events, the main base would send messages to branch bases, Dragon still set aside free exchange time at every high-level meeting to allow cadres to communicate face-to-face.
At the same time, Dragon could casually talk to any partner.
“Dragon mister, water.”
Sabo pushed a glass of water in front of Dragon.
Dressed in a white shirt paired with a black vest, Sabo was temporarily playing the role of bartender. Of course, he hadn’t learned bartending skills, and such an occasion wasn’t suitable for alcohol anyway. The Revolutionary Army wasn’t a pirate crew; they had organization and discipline.
So what Sabo could provide was water and juice, as well as some non-alcoholic drinks. Right, Koala, who was working in the back kitchen with a few other partners, could provide some simple food.
“One serving of sausages, with crunchy bones.”
The baldy wearing a black feather coat and a bird-beak-shaped amplifier on his mouth sat down beside Dragon. He flipped through the crudely made menu, ordered his favorite food, and also got a mixed juice.
“The World Conference results······ will they affect the giant dragon trade?” While waiting for the food to arrive, this baldy customer asked Dragon the question on his mind. He was one of the Revolutionary Army’s four army commanders, the North Army commander, responsible for all operational missions across the entire North Blue.
“It won’t have any impact.”
Dragon said affirmatively: “As long as he doesn’t have any issues himself, I think the trade between him and us won’t be interrupted. In fact, because of this incident, this trade might even continue to grow—hmm, it should be said that the trade volume will definitely rise sharply again, and the price might drop a bit too. Carrot, be patient and wait. The storm brought by this World Conference is a test, but also an opportunity.”
The Revolutionary Army was a banner against the World Government.
If the World Government’s rulers desperately wanted to destroy the Revolutionary Army, this organization daring to openly raise its flag against the World Government, then by the same logic, rebels and ambitious people dissatisfied with the World Government’s rule would naturally do their utmost to support the Revolutionary Army.
Conveniently, in Dragon’s view, the Black Prince—Sokachio Elus, this young overlord of the sea, was an ambitious person sharpening his claws in the shadows. To keep the Revolutionary Army causing trouble and threats to the World Government, necessary support would not be lacking.
“That’s good.”
The North Army commander didn’t have many words.
He forked up the sausages from the plate, filling his hungry stomach.
As the Revolutionary Army’s highest operational commander in the North Blue, artificial giant dragons had played a huge role in multiple operations. These man-made powerful creatures effectively reduced the cadres’ casualty rate, making confrontations with the Navy, pirates, and other hostile organizations much more manageable.
If possible, he hoped to get more artificial giant dragons.
This biological weapon could dramatically reduce the gap between the Revolutionary Army and the Navy. At least until the Navy came up with more powerful weapons, artificial giant dragons provided significant strength supplementation to the Revolutionary Army.
“The next operations······ is there anything that needs fixing?”
Swallowing the sausage in his mouth, Carrot said via that bird-beak-shaped amplifier. The amplifier’s volume was already maxed out, but Carrot’s voice was so soft that the final output was just normal speaking volume.
“Everything as usual is fine.”
Dragon held the transparent glass cup, looking at the gently rippling water inside. His gaze pierced through to see Sabo busily providing juice and drinks to the numerous cadres. “There’s nothing that needs changing for now. Though the World Government is rotten to the core, such a colossal entity won’t fall that quickly.”
Unless a massive change sufficient to affect the world occurred,
And one detrimental to the World Government and Celestial Dragons’ rule at that, otherwise there was no hope of the World Government falling within the next five or six years.
Just as the two were talking,
Holding a book printed with the word BIBLE, a burly and robust man whose build was like a giant sat down on Dragon’s other side. Of course, he wasn’t a giant; his height of 689 centimeters could only be called a rather large human. Adult giants started at least at 1200 centimeters.
For example, that Giant member sitting on the floor right now—1500 centimeters tall would only count as a stunted shorty in the Elbaf Giant Kingdom. Never mind freaks like Oars among giants; most adult male giants could exceed 2000 centimeters.
Hmm, off topic. Back to this man dressed in black-and-white clothing, wearing a hat with round spots, looking like a black bear that had emerged from the deep mountains. He was Bartholomew Kuma, king of the Sorbet Kingdom, one of the Seven Warlords, and also one of the Revolutionary Army’s most senior high-level cadres.
Among the initial members who followed Dragon to establish the Revolutionary Army, this king was one of them.
“Kuma, something wrong?”
Dragon looked up at the partner sitting beside him.
After so many years of friendship, he knew Kuma’s personality. Kuma was a man of few words, very quiet, calm and composed in situations. Every mission he handled was flawless. He was deeply respected within the Revolutionary Army, and he was especially caring toward children—many of the Revolutionary Army’s little ones liked Kuma a lot.
Sabo and Koala had also been very close to Kuma before. Now that they were older, they weren’t as clingy as before, but Sabo and Kuma’s relationship was still extremely good. Without even needing Kuma to speak, Sabo brought over a glass of water—this was Kuma’s habit.
“A while ago, Vegapunk contacted me.”
“Hm?”
Dragon blinked. He took a sip of water; the liquid in the cup was indeed water, not alcohol······ so not a hallucination?
“Kuma, you said······ what? Vegapunk? That····· Vegapunk?”
“No mistake, it’s that Doctor Vegapunk.”
Kuma nodded and said.
Doctor Vegapunk.
The Revolutionary Army had always paid attention to this genius scientist’s affairs. Dragon had a father who was a Navy hero, and before founding the Revolutionary Army, he himself had spent some time in the Navy. Though he hadn’t personally contacted the heavily guarded Science Unit, relying on his father’s influence, he had indirectly obtained much secret intelligence.
He understood Doctor Vegapunk’s significance far better than those who only knew rumors.
This doctor was a variable capable of influencing the world’s future direction.
If not for the World Government and Navy watching so closely, Dragon would have snatched this doctor long ago. Unfortunately, the Navy even dispatched a general for personal protection—none other than the Glint-Glint Fruit ability user······ With that protection, taking Doctor Vegapunk was next to impossible.
And now—
This doctor had actually contacted Kuma?
This news shook even Dragon’s sturdy nerves briefly.
“······What did he want with you?” Taking a second to regain composure, Dragon began inquiring about the details. He suspected whether Kuma’s Revolutionary Army identity had been exposed, and the World Government was using Doctor Vegapunk’s name to fish.
However,
Dragon’s suspicion was quickly overturned.
This wasn’t a trap set by the World Government using Doctor Vegapunk’s name. Just before the World Conference, Kuma had gone to the Navy Headquarters, where he encountered Doctor Vegapunk. Under General Kizaru’s personal protection, the doctor met Kuma face-to-face and extended an invitation directly.
Vegapunk had taken a liking to Kuma’s ability.
Paw-Paw Fruit.
This Paramecia Devil Fruit, which sounded utterly unremarkable, unleashed unimaginable power in Kuma’s hands. In the World Government’s 800 years of historical records, none of the previous eleven Paw-Paw Fruit users had reached Kuma’s level.
One of Vegapunk’s experiments had hit a bottleneck due to certain issues.
To break the deadlock, Vegapunk tried many methods, poring over vast amounts of books, and finally······ by chance, he saw the World Government’s ability profile on the Seven Warlords members.
Bartholomew Kuma—his Paw-Paw Fruit ability gave Vegapunk hope.
“······He took a liking to your ability?”
Dragon furrowed his brows.
This matter······ was a bit troublesome, with danger and opportunity mixed together, hard to distinguish.
It might be a trap against the Revolutionary Army. The World Government was dead set on eliminating them now, so it wasn’t impossible for them to have Vegapunk take some risk to set a trap specifically for the Revolutionary Army. But this could also be an opportunity.
If this really was Doctor Vegapunk’s own idea, it might be the best chance to make contact with him.
“Kuma, what do you think?”
Dragon, hesitating for the moment, decided to hear Kuma’s own opinion.
Then—
“I want to go see.”
Kuma’s stance was clear.
“······This could very well be a trap.” Dragon said gravely.
“I know, but I feel that Doctor Vegapunk······ isn’t someone who would cooperate with the World Government or Navy to target us deliberately.”
Dragon fell silent.
With those simple two sentences, he already understood that this old friend had made up his mind to get close to Vegapunk to scout intelligence. Unless he issued an order as leader, no one could stop Kuma’s determination.
