Kong looked at this once-favored disciple with disappointment.
Sengoku seemed unable to meet Kong's gaze and sighed before saying, "Kong-san, the leader of the Revolutionary Army is Dragon. Monkey D. Dragon!"
Upon hearing this, Kong's eyes widened in shock.
Now he realized what had felt off.
Ever since the Revolutionary Army emerged, he had noticed that aside from their differing ideology from the Navy, they were remarkably similar to the Navy in many aspects.
Moreover, because Dragon had vanished from sight for so many years, Kong had forgotten about him.
'Who would have thought! Who would have thought!'
The leader of the Revolutionary Army, whom both he and the Five Elders deeply despised, was actually Garp's son—Monkey D. Dragon, who had once been an outstanding officer in the Navy.
Kong's face flushed crimson with rage as he said through gritted teeth, "What about that bastard Garp? Bring him to me!! I want to ask him just what he thinks he's doing?!"
Kong's fury was not directed at Sengoku, but Sengoku still felt immense pressure.
Bearing Kong's anger, he helplessly spoke, "Ever since the Navy began monitoring the Revolutionary Army, that bastard Garp has already left Marineford. He told me there was something in the East Blue that needed handling, and then he left."
Kong's temples throbbed incessantly as he frowned. "Now is a special time. Let's not worry about Garp for now. As long as he doesn't leave the Navy, he remains one of us. Dragon has chosen his own path, but we stand opposed to him. Set aside past affections, Sengoku. The Dragon of now is our enemy. The Five Elders are furious and demand that the Navy take appropriate action. So, begin the offensive against the Revolutionary Army now."
Sengoku's expression turned troubled. "Kong-san, those people are not Pirates, and they haven't attacked civilians. We in the Navy don't have sufficient reason to go after them."
Kong was momentarily at a loss for words.
After a long pause, he finally said, "Sengoku, as a member of the Navy, obeying orders is paramount. If you're concerned about old ties, I can reassume the position of Fleet Admiral."
Sengoku stared blankly at the teacher who had nurtured his growth, then silently nodded.
Yet, he turned his gaze to the banner hanging in his office—Justice That Reigns Over the World.
'Justice? What truly is justice?'
He grew increasingly confused and, inwardly, felt a deepening disappointment with the World Government.
...
The once-stable world order began to fracture under Sengoku's command.
Countless Navy soldiers abandoned their pursuit of Pirates and instead marched toward Revolutionary Army strongholds.
Acting on intelligence released by the Five Elders, they systematically cleared out Revolutionary Army contact points and branches.
Due to leaks within the Navy, the Revolutionary Army did not suffer the heavy losses the Five Elders had anticipated.
Although they lost some forces, this allowed Dragon to successfully purge internal instabilities and consolidate his authority once more.
Dragon understood clearly that his goal had never been the Navy or the Pirates, but the World Government, which had ruled for eight hundred years.
Thus, after consolidating and withdrawing the majority of his forces, he formally declared war on the World Government.
A revolution sweeping across the entire world erupted with fervor during the convening of the Reverie.
The conflict between the two sides escalated sharply, shifting from mutual probing to full-scale war, plunging the entire world into chaos.
The Pirates, too, were far from idle.
With the Navy easing its crackdown on Pirates, a flood of them surged into the New World.
...
Meanwhile, Shanks, captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, successfully defeated numerous foes in the New World, rising to become the third Emperor among the New World Pirates and simultaneously claiming the title of the World's Greatest Swordsman.
Renowned as the possessor of the strongest Conqueror's Haki and the World's Greatest Swordsman, Shanks now showed little interest in venturing further into the latter half of the New World.
Like the other two Emperors, he formed his own Red-Haired Grand Fleet, claimed a vast territory in the New World, and settled into a temporary lull.
...
Babit Hillburt, commander of the Revolutionary Army's 23rd District, anxiously checked his watch and urged.
"Hurry, hurry! The Navy will be here soon. Pack up everything quickly. When fleeing, do not hesitate. Even if a comrade is left behind, you must never look back."
His face was filled with urgency, for Admiral Sakazuki was hot on their heels.
During this period, as the Revolutionary Army had primarily focused its operations in the Four Blues, the revolution there progressed smoothly.
Over a dozen nations were successfully liberated, including several World Government Affiliate Nations.
However, the World Government was no pushover.
It launched a fierce assault on Revolutionary Army strongholds along the Grand Line.
Regardless of whether a location was confirmed as a Revolutionary Army base, if it was suspected, the World Government would dispatch large numbers of Navy troops and officers of Vice Admiral rank or higher to investigate.
Major strongholds even had Admirals personally stationed there.
Although Dragon had already issued orders for all Grand Line bases to evacuate, the onslaught came too swiftly and violently.
Many strongholds were already overtaken by the Navy before they could be properly evacuated.
So far, the Kamabakka Kingdom and several other islands that had been discovered were all reduced to scorched earth by the Navy.
They swept all the way from Marineford to the Grand Line.
At this moment, the Torrepot Kingdom was their last remaining base.
This was the Revolutionary Army's first foothold in the Grand Line, developed over several years.
In theory, they should have been able to launch an uprising here, but now they had no choice but to abandon it.
Moreover, because this was the first base, all other Revolutionary Army bases in the Grand Line had branched out from here.
As a result, this base contained a large number of confidential documents regarding the deployment of personnel and resources across the Grand Line.
Retreat is always slower than attack.
The Revolutionary Army needed to evacuate a large number of personnel, confidential documents, production materials, and other resources, while the Navy only needed to assemble their battleships and launch an assault.
Even though the Revolutionary Army dispatched a group of brave and fearless soldiers to hold off the enemy, they could only delay the advance for a few dozen minutes.
Lacking top-tier combatants, they stood no chance against the organized Navy forces led by Vice Admirals or even Admirals.
Holding out for half an hour was already a testament to the courage and fearlessness of the Revolutionary Army soldiers.