Chapter 156: The Revolutionary Army Begins To Act
Cavendish and Eschbach’s encounter, which was ‘as expected,’ turned into a brawl. After destroying half of Doflamingo’s palace, under the grim attention of the Donquixote Family members and Vergo Vice Admiral’s somewhat anxious mediation, the seemingly serious battle came to an end.
Cavendish, who had been whipped away several times by Eschbach’s tail, angrily agreed to those ‘humiliating’ conditions, guaranteeing he would not go looking for trouble with Beautiful Sword Kurosel. To show sincerity, he even promised to leave the New World.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving Vice Admiral Vergo’s report. As long as there was no ridiculous incident where a newly appointed Seven Warlord was beaten to death, causing the entire Seven Warlords system to lose all its dignity, something trivial like Doflamingo’s palace being half-destroyed by their fight didn’t matter at all.
Vice Admiral Vergo’s words carried a hint of anger, and it was unclear who had upset this wooden man.
However, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who was soon busy to the point of takeoff, put this minor issue behind him. The term ‘day-to-day affairs’ aptly described how the Navy Fleet Admiral’s seat was not as easy to sit in as idlers imagined. It came with great power and prestige, but it was also like walking on thin ice, full of trepidation. His strong sense of justice and responsibility left no room for even a moment’s carelessness.
Besides the troubles in the New World, there were other troubles in Paradise that required his constant attention. Speaking of which, both matters were related to Elus, just like a plague god.
Muttering about Elus’s ability to cause trouble, he pressed the intercom on the table. The secretary in the adjacent room quickly entered. They were one of Sengoku’s old subordinates, so no extra words were needed. They held a stack of reports in hand. “Fleet Admiral, this is the routine report sent from Admiral Sakazuki.”
“Any issues there?”
Sengoku picked up the note clipped in the report and looked at it while asking the secretary.
The official duties he had to handle every day were so numerous that it was impossible for him to read every report in full. To avoid delaying work, multiple secretaries under him would first review the reports, summarize the key details, write them on small notes, and attach them to the reports.
This way, Sengoku only needed to read the notes to grasp the details of the report. For non-special matters, he didn’t need to read the entire report from start to finish, saving him a lot of time.
“Everything is safe. When Admiral Sakazuki sent the report, he had already landed in Alabasta. Alabasta dispatched the fastest-moving Super Giant Duck Force to receive Admiral Sakazuki. If there are no accidents along the way, they might arrive at the capital Alabarna by evening, and there should be a new report by night.”
The secretary reported clearly and unhurriedly.
“What about G2 Branch? Have they investigated the pirates and other unidentified forces near the Alabasta Kingdom?” Sengoku pressed.
To be fair, no matter how rotten things were inside the World Government, the Navy under the rule of successive capable Fleet Admirals was generally quite good. Leaving aside the disagreements among the top brass on justice, at least the Navy’s capabilities were reliable. Facing the evil waves of the Pirate Era without being crushed already showed its resilience.
Ever since news of the Devil Child Nico Robin in Alabasta was exposed, the Navy’s intelligence units had gathered quite a bit of information. Intelligence from multiple channels indicated that various forces had their eyes on Nico Robin.
Although an Navy Admiral had already been dispatched.
But those black forces opposing the World Government and the Navy could not be underestimated. For example, the Revolutionary Army, this elusive and indestructible opponent, had given the Navy Headquarters top brass a real headache. Striking pirates was their main job, but organizations like the Revolutionary Army were also their mission.
In fact, in the World Government’s view, striking the Revolutionary Army took priority over most pirates.
Worried that black forces like the Revolutionary Army would snatch the Devil Child, Sengoku contacted the nearest G2 Branch to the Alabasta Kingdom and instructed Vice Admiral Gumir of G2 Branch to investigate and clear out all illegal forces and organizations approaching the Alabasta Kingdom as much as possible.
And sure enough,
Sengoku’s concerns were far from groundless.
He had long received reports from the intelligence department about the Alabasta Royal Palace being attacked night after night. Fortunately, Elus’s subordinate did not disappoint and successfully took out all the attackers, protecting Nico Robin like an impregnable iron wall.
What he worried about most was Nico Robin being abducted before Sakazuki arrived. Now it seemed that such a thing should not happen.
“Vice Admiral Gumir’s report is attached at the end.”
The well-prepared secretary responded with composure. “The pirates in the sea areas near Alabasta have been completely cleared. Indeed, many were acting under orders. Currently known are Beasts, BIG·MOM, Revolutionary Army······”
He paused for a moment and continued, “And Donquixote Doflamingo.”
“Doflamingo······ that damned sea thug, sticking his nose into everything.” Fleet Admiral Sengoku’s brows furrowed. Mentioning this detestable guy made him feel as disgusted as if he had swallowed a fly. Among the Seven Warlords members, he despised this scumbag the most.
“Donquixote Doflamingo is not a threat. He’s still in the New World and can’t snatch anyone from Akainu with just his subordinates. The others······”
Mentioning the string of other names gave Fleet Admiral Sengoku a headache. Doflamingo couldn’t interfere in Alabasta matters, but that didn’t mean others couldn’t. Beasts, BIG·MOM, and the Revolutionary Army all had the strength to deal with an admiral.
“Can we confirm the current positions of BIG·MOM and Beasts?”
“The intelligence department cannot confirm if Beasts is in Wano Country. As you know, that country is inherently difficult to access and extremely closed off domestically. The intelligence department’s informants struggle to survive long-term. There’s insufficient intelligence on Beasts’ current location.”
“BIG·MOM can be confirmed to still be in Whole Cake Island. Half a month ago, she married a new husband and hasn’t left Cake Island for half a month.”
The secretary answered methodically.
Such answers were naturally unsatisfying, but Sengoku understood it wasn’t due to incompetence in the intelligence department. Wano Country was just too closed off. Investigating whether Beasts was there was extremely difficult. Compared to infiltrating that xenophobic and sealed country, it was faster to check from outside for traces of Kaido.
“BIG·MOM poses no immediate danger. Beasts······ if Beasts comes alone, even if he appears before Sakazuki, there’s no need to worry too much······” Beasts – Kaido, even with his reputation as the strongest in one-on-one.
But that didn’t mean he could single-handedly crush the admirals also standing at the peak of the world’s martial power. One-on-one, Beasts might defeat any admiral, but it would take him at least ten days to half a month. By then, Navy reinforcements would have arrived.
“What about the Revolutionary Army? Any discoveries on their trends?”
This question made the secretary shake his head with a grim expression.
Compared to the Pirate Emperors with known bases, the Revolutionary Army, always hiding in the shadows, had never had its specific base locations discovered. What they had destroyed before were often unimportant branch bases. Not even important branches, let alone the headquarters, had been breached.
Without finding the Revolutionary Army’s whereabouts, investigating their trends became an unsolvable joke.
This wasn’t the Navy’s incompetence. The arrogant agents directly under the World Government had also failed to grasp the Revolutionary Army’s trends. Even though high-ranking Revolutionary Army cadre, Ambrio Ivankov, the Great Line Army Commander of the Revolutionary Army nicknamed Okama King, was imprisoned in Impel Down, that was done by World Government agents using trumped-up charges.
In other words,
To this day, the World Government and Navy still saw the Revolutionary Army as through a fog, all blurry.
“······ Later, send a message to Sakazuki to hurry to Alabarna, take Nico Robin into custody, and be careful of possible attacks from Beasts and the Revolutionary Army.” Sengoku said with a soft sigh. Without solid evidence, he could only tell Sakazuki to be as cautious as possible.
·····
Alabasta Kingdom, the vast yellow sand desert.
The Super Giant Duck Force carried the distinguished guests at full gallop. Interestingly, the largest Karoo wearing a horned helmet, ‘Cowboy,’ after being ridden by Dillon, was chosen by Sakazuki and now carried the over three-hundred-centimeter-tall Sakazuki forward through the desert.
“How much longer to Alabarna?”
The galloping Karoo did not affect Sakazuki’s speech.
“Around evening.”
Igaram, riding on another Karoo’s back, shouted his answer to Sakazuki’s question. His eyes then glanced at the masked man sitting on the backs of two other Karoos. Having accompanied Cobra to the World Conference before, Igaram naturally knew of the existence of CP0, the ‘Shield of the Celestial Dragons.’
When he met Sakazuki at the port, he discovered that the people coming to receive Nico Robin included not only an Navy Admiral but also two CP0 members······ This immediately made him extra vigilant.
He had no fear dealing with an Navy Admiral.
But CP0 agents······ he kept his distance from those notorious guys.
“More than an hour still?”
Sakazuki glanced at the sky. The sun was on its downhill path, but still some distance from the horizon. After receiving the message from Navy Headquarters and learning of possible attacks from Beasts or the Revolutionary Army, he grew concerned about uncontrollable incidents happening before he reached Alabarna.
Although the subordinate of the Black Prince, nicknamed Executioner, had blocked wave after wave of attackers before, those enemies were just small fry. If the attackers were Beasts or strong persons from the Revolutionary Army, the outcome would not be optimistic.
However,
Sakazuki looked down at the Karoo galloping head-down beneath him. The duck’s speed impressed him. This was already the limit speed. In the short term, he could indeed go faster, but that wasn’t suitable for long-distance travel.
Moreover, in this desert lacking roads and landmarks, without a guide familiar with the terrain or local creatures like Karoo, even Sakazuki wouldn’t dare say he wouldn’t get lost.
————
In fact, Sakazuki’s worries were unnecessary.
The Revolutionary Army had no plans to snatch the Devil Child before Sakazuki could contact Nico Robin. Due to the deal with Elus, Revolutionary Army leader Dragon decided to give Sakazuki a surprise during the transport of Nico Robin.
Nanohana Port.
As the largest of Alabasta Kingdom’s major trade ports, the fleet brought by Sakazuki was docked here. The seagull flag fluttered in the wind, with rows of dark cannon muzzles extending from both sides of the ship’s side, deterring lawbreakers harboring malice.
But such a formation couldn’t scare the Revolutionary Army officers.
“Sabo.”
Accustomed to using this capable disciple, Dragon habitually brought Sabo along for major operations, and this time was no exception.
“Here’s a mission for you: find a way to sneak onto the Navy ships.”
“Eh?”
The question came not from Sabo himself, but from the East Army Commander, a beautiful woman who disliked wearing underwear, Belo Betty.
“Isn’t that too dangerous? The opponent is that Akainu.”
“Precisely because it’s Akainu, he’s the most suitable.”
Dragon said in a deep voice.
He himself went without saying. Having been in the Navy for a time, he wasn’t close to Sakazuki, but close contact would likely expose any disguise. As for the others······ the Revolutionary Army’s high-ranking cadres had somewhat distinctive appearances. The army commanders were outstanding in different ways, none suitable for infiltration missions.
Counting them up, Sabo had the most normal appearance, and his age was perfect for disguising as an ordinary Marine. His strength was decent, he was clever enough to handle emergencies, and upon careful consideration, he was indeed the most suitable.
“Dare to go? Sabo.”
Dragon looked at his disciple.
“My courage is pretty big.”
Sabo showed a brilliant smile, his white teeth reflecting the sunset glow. There was no trace of fear or hesitation on his face.
“Very good.” Dragon didn’t comfort Sabo; he knew his own disciple well. “Once on the ship, ignore everything else. Your job is to find out Nico Robin’s exact holding location. When we launch the attack, protect Nico Robin to prevent World Government agents from killing her. You might even face Sakazuki directly. How about it, scared? If you lack confidence, I’ll think of another way······”
“I’m no match for that Akainu, of course, but I’m still your student. I’m not so easily defeated.” Sabo said solemnly.
