Chapter 22: The Letter from the Five Elders to Dragon!
Fleet Admiral Kong's question silenced the Office. The CP0, for some unknown reason, remained standing there, showing no intention of leaving, even though his Mission should have been over after bringing Dragon.
However, at this moment, all attention was focused on Dragon, and no one paid him any mind.
Just then, Dragon, who had been silent with his head lowered, slowly raised his head and looked directly at the old Fleet Admiral of Marine Headquarters before him, his gaze extremely firm.
"I originally thought the Marines were an Army of Justice that maintained Order in the Great Sea and protected the safety of the Citizens. But in recent years, everything I've seen and heard, aside from fighting Pirates, has had nothing to do with Justice. Because the greatest evil is precisely the Celestial Dragons protected by the Marines and the completely corrupt World Government!"
Throughout his years in the Marines, Dragon had personally witnessed Slave Ships filled with Civilians from Various Places sailing brazenly past Warships. The cries for help and wails carried to his ears by the Wind felt like hot oil poured onto his Heart.
He had questioned the captain at the time, asking why they let them go, when the World Government had long ago issued Rules prohibiting Slave trade!
But the captain's reply was that the Ship wasn't flying a Pirate Flag and they didn't see any Criminals with Bounties, so it wasn't their concern. The World Government had specialized Troops responsible for that, and they shouldn't meddle in other people's Matters!
Such an Attitude made Dragon's fervor feel as though it had been doused with ice water.
Afterwards, he had seen many small Nations that, unable to pay the Heavenly Tribute on Time, were arrested en masse by large Army Units, while the Marines he was part of were responsible for escorting them to the 'Bridge on the Sea' in the East Blue.
Dragon wondered at the Time, what had they done wrong?
Wasn't the World Government, which collected excessive Heavenly Tribute from them, the one at fault? Even he knew that different Nations had different Economy Strengths.
How could they collect the exact same amount? Did those people in the World Government not know?
What would happen if they collected a little less from these small Nations?
These repeated questions directed at the World Government in his Heart intensified his dissatisfaction with the World Government, and even his gaze towards his Father became cold.
Marine Hero?
Marines who protected such a World Government, what kind of Heroes were the Heroes among them!
The Key Point that completely disillusioned Dragon was two years ago when he was with a Troop responsible for guarding a Celestial Dragon. At that Time, he personally saw a child who, because his Father had forcibly held him kneeling on the ground and he couldn't help but complain, was shot and killed by a passing Celestial Dragon on the grounds of disrespect, and then the Celestial Dragon went to the Human Auctioning House as if nothing had happened.
At that Time, his fingers were white from gripping too hard!
He despaired. He despaired of the Marines, despaired of the World Government, and even more so, despaired of the Celestial Dragons. The World shouldn't be like this.
Perhaps favored by fate, he accidentally obtained the Logia System Hurricane Fruit. With it, he had a great chance of escaping the pursuit of the Marines and the World Government.
But fate played another trick on him; as soon as he stepped out, he was blocked by CP0!
Hearing Dragon's resentful Words, Garp fell silent, unsure what to say. Sengoku also frowned. Of course, he knew these were facts, but as a Soldier, obeying Government Orders was the proper Matter to do. Otherwise, what else could they do?
"Dragon, have you thought about what the World and the Great Sea would become if the World Government ceased to exist and there were no Marines, with everyone acting independently and no Order whatsoever?"
Fleet Admiral Kong finally spoke up. Without waiting for Dragon's answer after asking, he continued to speak.
"War! The entire World would turn into a Battlefield, becoming an enlarged version of the 'War-Torn Country'."
"Chaos! The entire Great Sea would be filled with plunder and slaughter. Far more Pirates and Slave trade groups than now would rush towards every inhabited Island."
"Dragon, why do you only see the side of Darkness? Do you not care about the Citizens of Various Nations who live peacefully thanks to the efforts of us Marines?"
Dragon met his gaze with an Expressionless face and said, "Where there is Justice, it should be maintained, but the areas of Darkness cannot be left unchecked. If Matters can be better, why not do it?"
"Corruption, rotten Laws, Slaves, Heavenly Tribute, and the Celestial Dragons should all be dealt with one by one!"
Speaking such words criticizing the World Government and the Celestial Dragons in front of the CP0 behind him clearly showed he was ready to die, without any fear.
"Impudent!"
Sengoku could no longer listen and said angrily, "Deal with them? How do you deal with them!"
"We are Marines. Where do we have the Authority to deal with these Matters? What you're talking about should be discussed and handled by the Kings participating in the Reverie!"
"The Military interfering in politics without authorization, do you think this Matter is right?"
"Order, Order, what is Order? Order is Rules. If even we Marines don't follow the Rules, wouldn't everything fall into complete chaos?"
Dragon opened his mouth but couldn't speak.
Indeed, if even the Marines started acting recklessly and arbitrarily interfering in such Matters, wouldn't they become a rogue Army, a rebel Army? At that Time, the World would truly be in great chaos, and who knows how many innocent Civilians would lose their lives because of it.
Even he had to admit that the Marines were indeed the last line of defense for World Order.
On this Key Point, even in the original Timeline, Dragon admitted that the enemy of their Revolutionary Army was not the Marines, nor the World Government, but the Celestial Dragons.
This showed that he understood right from wrong.
To put it bluntly, even if the Revolutionary Army truly eliminated the Celestial Dragons, the World Government and the Marines would still need to exist. This was a basic necessity for the Civilization of this Planet.
As for the Heavenly Tribute, it was essentially membership fees, a source of funding to ensure the World Government and the Marines could operate normally. It was just that the amount collected now was excessive and very unreasonable.
"Are you finished Speaking?"
At this moment, the CP0, who had been silently listening, spoke. Seeing the four people's gazes turn towards him, he said, "Then it's my turn to speak. Listen."
As soon as he finished Speaking, he took out a white Letter envelope from the pocket of his white Suit and handed it to Dragon.
"Take a look at this first. This is a Letter the Five Elders ordered me to deliver to you. After you've finished reading it, I will repeat what the Lords want to say to you."
Dragon took the envelope with a look of surprise and doubt. The Five Elders actually wrote him a Letter? What kind of Situation was this? He was just a mere Rear Admiral. Even being Garp's Son didn't seem like it would warrant such a big fuss, right?
Five minutes later, he finished reading the contents of the Letter. The resentment on his face had long since turned into extreme shock. His Pupils were trembling in his wide-open eyes.
Dragon simply couldn't believe everything he saw.
"Now I will say the Lords' Words. Listen carefully, I will only say it once."
The CP0 said coldly, completely ignoring the gazes of the other three Marine higher-ups.
"Dragon, we also know that the World Government currently has many problems. Therefore, starting from this year's Reverie, these problems will be gradually improved and addressed."
"During this process, you can observe, or you can participate. If there is anything you absolutely must ask during the process, write a Letter and hand it to the CP0 by your side to Communicate with us."
"But there is one Key Point you must understand: the Celestial Dragons cannot be touched. This is the World Government's bottom line."
"Whoever touches them, dies!"
"Furthermore, due to your outrageous behavior, for the next period of Time, two CP0 agents will be following you at all Times. If you attempt to escape again, they will directly kill you!"
After Speaking, he took out a Key and removed Dragon's Seastone Handcuffs.
Dragon looked at the other person in disbelief, completely frozen on the spot. It took him a long Time to react, and he asked softly, "Aren't you afraid I'll run away?"
"If you run away, we will atone with death. You are welcome to try." The CP0 replied lightly.
(End of Chapter)