Chapter 134: Celestial Dragons
The Navy Encampment — Beneath the Dressrosa Palace
The relief camp had been hastily established in the underground chambers beneath the palace's eastern wing—the same chambers that had once housed Doflamingo's black market operations. The irony was not lost on anyone. Where slaves had once been traded and weapons stockpiled, Marines now distributed food, water, and medical supplies to the citizens they had nearly failed to protect.
Staff Officer Sicily approached the Admiral's temporary quarters with a Den Den Mushi cradled in both hands. The snail's expression was severe, its eyes narrowed in a way that Sicily had learned to associate with calls from headquarters. Calls that rarely brought good news.
"Sir." Sicily's voice was carefully neutral. "It's Fleet Admiral Sakazuki."
The snail's face shifted into a snarling approximation of Akainu's magma-scarred features.
"I can tell he's angry, sir."
"Of course he is." Fujitora accepted the receiver with the calm of a man who had been expecting this call for hours. "I would be more concerned if he weren't."
He raised the snail to his ear.
"Moshi moshi. It's me."
"You actually have the nerve to answer, Fujitora."
The voice that emerged from the snail was like stones grinding together in a furnace. Through the receiver, Fujitora could almost hear the hiss of molten rock dripping onto metal—the ambient sound of a man whose fury was so absolute it had become part of his physical being.
"I've been fully briefed on your actions. You cut contact with headquarters the moment you landed on this island. You ignored every call. You operated completely independently for the entire duration of this operation."
A pause. The sound of magma sizzling.
"And now I find out it was all for one purpose. To make yourself a hero. Was it worth it, Fujitora? All that scheming just to put your name in the headlines?"
"I apologize, Sakazuki. But you are mistaken."
Fujitora's voice was quiet. Steady.
"I am no hero. If you want to know who the true hero of this battle was..." He drew a breath. "It was undoubtedly the Straw Hat Pirates."
"WHAT IDIOCY ARE YOU SPOUTING NOW?!"
The snail's face contorted. Akainu's roar was so loud that Sicily flinched backward, nearly dropping his clipboard.
"A Navy Admiral! Taking actions of this magnitude without consulting headquarters! Without authorization! Without even the pretense of following protocol!"
"And then—AND THEN—you kneel before a deposed king and apologize ON BEHALF OF THE WORLD GOVERNMENT?!"
"WHY SHOULDN'T I HAVE?!"
Fujitora's voice erupted with such force that the lantern hanging from the ceiling swayed. Sicily had never heard the Admiral shout before. Not once. Not even during the battle.
"Doflamingo committed atrocities in Dressrosa for TEN YEARS! He enslaved an entire nation! He turned innocent people into toys and erased them from their families' memories! If the Straw Hats hadn't come—if they hadn't fought and bled and nearly died—the people of this country would STILL be living in his nightmare!"
His scarred hands trembled around the receiver.
"This tragedy was born from the World Government's Warlord system! From the Navy's willful blindness! From our refusal to see what was right in front of us!"
"Don't lecture me about your ideals!" Akainu's voice had dropped to a dangerous growl. "Your duty as an Admiral is simple. You receive orders. You execute them. Nothing more."
"That depends entirely on the nature of the order."
Silence.
Then: "Are you planning to rebel against the Navy, Fujitora? Is that what this is?"
The sound of a wall shattering echoed through the receiver. Akainu had clearly punched something—or someone—in his fury.
Fujitora did not answer. The silence stretched between them like a wire pulled taut.
When Akainu spoke again, his voice was cold. Controlled. The voice of a man who had made a decision.
"Where are the Straw Hats and Trafalgar Law? Have you apprehended them?"
"I apologize. This old man was incapable of capturing them."
"What?"
"I said... I was INCAPABLE of capturing them!"
"Then you are not fit to hold the rank of Admiral. Resign your commission immediately."
"Very well."
Sicily's blood ran cold.
"When I return, I will submit my formal resignation to you and to the highest levels of the Government. If that is what you demand."
"Sir—!" Sicily lunged for the receiver, his face pale. "Marshal Sakazuki! Please forgive the interruption! Admiral Smile is suffering from extreme exhaustion! His words are not—he's not thinking clearly—!"
He clutched the snail with both hands, bowing even though the Fleet Admiral couldn't see him.
"Admiral Smile led us to victory in Dressrosa! He coordinated the entire operation! Every Marine under his command witnessed his leadership! I beg you—please consider the results of this mission before passing judgment!"
Another long silence.
When Akainu spoke again, his tone had shifted. Not softer—nothing about Sakazuki was ever soft—but... different. Measured.
"Fujitora. Listen carefully."
"The Dressrosa incident has drawn the attention of the highest authorities. The Five Elders themselves are now involved."
Fujitora's grip tightened on his staff-sword.
"Regarding Doflamingo's arrest... Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru have already been dispatched. They will handle the prisoner transfer personally."
"As for you..." A pause. "Do as you see fit."
Click.
The snail closed its eyes.
Sicily collapsed into a nearby chair, his uniform soaked with cold sweat. "Sir... that was... I thought for certain..."
"Thank you, Sicily." Fujitora's voice had returned to its usual calm. "You spoke well on my behalf."
"Sir, your mood seems..." Sicily hesitated. "Forgive me for saying so, but you don't seem pleased. You're a hero now. Your name is spreading through the Navy as we speak. I received a call just this afternoon from a fellow officer at headquarters—a major who asked if he could transfer to serve under your command. He said many of the younger officers are inspired by your example of justice."
"Justice."
Fujitora spoke the word as if tasting it.
"Tell me, Sicily. What would you say if I told you that this 'justice' was not my doing at all? That every strategic decision, every tactical victory, every life saved... was the work of someone else?"
"I... I don't understand, sir."
"Neither do I." Fujitora's scarred face was unreadable. "Neither do I."
Before Sicily could press further, a liaison officer burst into the chamber. His face was flushed, his breathing ragged from running.
"Admiral Smile! Staff Officer Sicily! Urgent communication from headquarters!"
He thrust a paper into Sicily's hands.
"Encrypted fax. Marshal Sakazuki's personal code."
Sicily studied the paper. His brow furrowed. "This appears to be the new encryption standard. It hasn't been fully implemented yet, but... I believe the corresponding cipher is in your personal effects, sir."
"Fetch it."
Sicily returned moments later with a small leather-bound book—the code manual that Fujitora, like all Admirals, carried for classified communications. He dismissed the liaison officer and began the translation himself, his pen scratching across a fresh sheet of paper.
Then he stopped.
"What is it?"
Sicily stared at the decrypted message. His face had gone very pale.
"Sir... the decrypted text..."
"Read it."
"It's... it's only three letters, sir."
He turned the paper so Fujitora could see—though the Admiral's blind eyes perceived nothing.
The message read:
CP0
The Courtyard — Simultaneously
"In the end, I hope he'll use his position to do what true justice requires." Itachi's voice was quiet but certain. "Someone in the Navy needs to fight for something beyond orders."
Sabo nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. Then, with the sudden pivot of a man who had never quite learned to let serious moments linger, he grinned.
"Speaking seriously, Itachi. Have you ever considered joining the Revolutionary Army?"
"Absolutely out of the question!"
Zoro answered before Itachi could even open his mouth. The swordsman's single eye was sharp, his hand resting casually on Enma's hilt.
"Itachi is our nakama." His lips curled into a grin that was somewhere between protective and proud. "You might be Luffy's brother, but I'm not about to let you poach our crew."
"Alright, alright." Sabo raised both hands in surrender, still smiling. "Can't blame me for trying."
"You did just join, didn't you?" Franky rubbed his metal chin with a metallic squeak. "Speaking of which—we haven't officially voted on crew positions in a while."
"I vote for Itachi as first mate." Robin raised her hand with serene decisiveness.
"Works for me." Zoro lifted his sake bottle in agreement.
"SUPER agreement!" Franky's metal arms formed a star pattern above his head.
Law, still leaning against the garden wall with Kikoku across his lap, added: "I'm technically an outsider, but as your alliance partner, I support this suggestion."
Itachi shook his head, a faint smile touching his lips. "I appreciate the sentiment. But I'm still new to this crew. There's no need to rush such things."
The smile faded. His expression shifted—the subtle transition from companion to strategist that those who knew him had learned to recognize.
"Everyone. Especially since Sabo is here... I need to ask you something."
The change in his tone drew every eye in the courtyard.
"What do you know about the authority of the Celestial Dragons in this world?"
The reaction was immediate.
Law's fingers tightened around Kikoku's scabbard. Robin's serene expression flickered with something dark and old. Franky's metal jaw clicked shut. Even Zoro—who rarely reacted to anything with more than mild interest—set down his sake bottle.
"Celestial Dragons?"
"Itachi-ya." Law leaned forward, his voice suddenly very careful. "You're asking because... you know, don't you? About Doflamingo."
"Yes. I know he was a Celestial Dragon."
Law's eyes widened fractionally. "How—no. Your Tsukuyomi. You saw his memories when you trapped him."
Itachi nodded.
"Wait." Zoro's brow furrowed. "That Mingo bastard was one of those World Nobles? The ones who walk around with fishbowls on their heads and shoot people for fun?"
"That's why he kept calling himself a 'god.'" Robin's voice was quiet. Contemplative. "I assumed it was megalomania. I didn't realize it was... literal."
"There's more." Itachi's Sharingan had activated—not the Mangekyō, but the standard three-tomoe pattern, spinning slowly as his mind worked. "Doflamingo wasn't simply a Celestial Dragon. He was a Celestial Dragon who fell. His father chose to leave Mariejois and live among ordinary humans. The consequences were catastrophic. The family was hunted. Tortured. His mother died. He was beaten and strung up by a mob as a child."
The courtyard was silent.
"That experience forged him. The child who survived that night grew into the man who took over Dressrosa. He learned that the world's cruelty was absolute—and decided that if he couldn't be a god, he would become a devil instead."
"And you learned all this from his memories?" Sabo's voice was quiet.
"Every detail. Including secrets about the Celestial Dragons that he has never shared with anyone."
Sabo's expression had lost all trace of humor. As Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, he knew more about the Celestial Dragons than most—and what he knew was enough to make his blood run cold.
"The Celestial Dragons aren't just nobles, Itachi. They're the descendants of the founders of the World Government. The twenty kings who united to create the world order eight hundred years ago. Their authority is absolute. They can enslave anyone. Kill anyone. Destroy entire nations on a whim. The Marines exist, in theory, to protect the world's citizens... but in practice, the Admirals can be summoned to defend a single Celestial Dragon who decides to go slumming."
"The World Government's true purpose." Itachi's voice was flat. "Is to protect them."
"Exactly."
"And the national treasure of Mariejois. The secret Doflamingo used to blackmail the Government into granting him Warlord status. What do you know about it?"
Sabo shook his head slowly. "Nothing concrete. The Revolutionary Army has been trying to uncover that secret for years. We know it exists. We know it's powerful enough to shake the world's foundations. But what it actually is..." He spread his hands. "Only the highest levels of the Government know. The Five Elders. The Commander-in-Chief. And the Celestial Dragons themselves."
Itachi was silent for a long moment.
Then: "Doflamingo told me what it is."
Every person in the courtyard went completely still.
"He told me during our conversation after his defeat. I don't know why. Perhaps he wanted someone to know before he was imprisoned. Perhaps he was simply tired of keeping the secret. But what he revealed..."
Itachi looked up at the stars.
"...changes everything I thought I understood about this world."
(End of Chapter)
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