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# The Departure of Dragon
Starting from the news of Sambell and the other two appearing, news of the Roger Pirates members' whereabouts appeared one after another across The Great Sea.
Roger appeared in the Whitebeard Pirates' Territory.
Gaban seized a Pirate Ship.
Kozuki Oden was eating heartily in a certain restaurant.
Even Rayleigh was discovered on an Island.
The four main fighters of the Roger Pirates are still alive, proving that the Roger Pirates still exist.
This completely shattered the previous rumors of the Roger Pirates' downfall.
The most important fighters are still alive; the so-called downfall is just nonsense.
As for the war between the Roger Pirates and the World Government, they weren't clear on exactly what happened.
However, the Roger Pirates once again escaped the encirclement by the Marines and the World Government.
This was naturally not good news for the Marines and the World Government.
Although the Roger Pirates suffered heavy losses, nearly thirty of their members were killed.
But the strongest few fighters are still alive.
This means their operation failed.
With the Roger Pirates' influence, if they wished, with a wave of their hand, countless pirates would be willing to join their ranks.
Replenishing their fighting force is a very easy matter.
If it were core members like Rayleigh or Gaban who died, they would feel somewhat better.
Their objective wasn't achieved, and conversely, they also lost one of their own important fighters.
Although Kong didn't die in battle, those who understood Kong's injury knew he was finished.
A severed arm and leg could be replaced with a mechanical arm.
But how could a mechanical arm compare to one's own flesh and blood body?
For some people, a mechanical arm has the role of increasing strength.
But the stronger the Strongman, the lower the role of the mechanical arm, and it becomes a fatal weakness.
Facing certain impacts or the internal destructive power of Haki, even the mechanical arm itself is unable to resist; even if covered in Haki, it will be affected over time.
Especially the wound where Kong's abdomen was pierced, it's even more impossible to fully restore; the damage to his body, the drain on his life force, the negative effects will continue into the future.
The Marines lost Kong, a Top Tier Combatant.
Symbolically, Kong had enormous influence in all aspects of the Marines.
Since the previous era, for decades until now, he has been an important pillar.
It would be fine if he were alive, but if he died, the blow would be extremely heavy.
The Army lost Army General "White Ghost", and the Holy Knights lost a Candidate Member.
There were also some fighter losses among others, totaling around ten.
Looking at it this way, the Marines and the World Government seem to have suffered some losses in this operation.
This was even though they had an absolute fighting force advantage.
How could they be happy about this?
Who could have imagined that the remaining members of the Roger Pirates, after being devoured by the terrifying Deep Sea whirlpool, could still survive?
Although some members are missing, likely dead, the strongest few fighters of the Roger Pirates are alive.
Due to the events that unfolded after this unknown war, the entire New World seemed to become somewhat lively.
The Roger Pirates are gathering.
Along the way, no one obstructed them at all.
Except for the Flying Pirates, no one dared to actively provoke the Roger Pirates.
The Marines and the World Government, due to Fleet Admiral Kong's situation, were no longer in the mood to take action.
They withdrew the many warships searching for the Roger Pirates and consolidated their strength.
It is a very dangerous matter to venture deep into the New World to target the Roger Pirates.
If those pirates fought individually, it would be fine.
As long as the Marines didn't actively provoke them, they generally wouldn't obstruct their operations.
But now, with the unprecedented status of Shiki "The Golden Lion" of the Flying Pirates, it's highly likely he will unite many Great Pirates to launch an attack on them.
Shiki is completely capable of doing such a thing.
Shiki possesses the same ambition as Rocks.
He would definitely not miss this opportunity to weaken the World Government and the Marines.
"What luck! Why didn't they die like that?"
Sengoku's face sank, his expression somewhat gloomy.
The huge psychological gap made people feel uncomfortable.
They painstakingly prepared for this operation, dispatched many fighters, and considered all necessary aspects.
Carrying the resolve to win, they ultimately did not achieve the desired results.
But luck wasn't on their side; this was truly a frustrating matter.
"Alright, since we failed, don't overthink it. Just do what needs to be done now. We've already done everything we could."
Tsuru, standing beside him, still had a peaceful expression.
She wouldn't show her worries too much on her face.
Sengoku was just complaining a bit; he also knew that such matters were inherently uncontrollable.
"Has the Fleet Admiral not woken up yet?"
Since Kong was brought back to Marine Headquarters, he had been in a state of deep coma, although his life wasn't in danger.
But this situation was truly somewhat worrying.
For Kong to wake up, it was something outsiders couldn't interfere with.
He might even become a living dead person; this situation was more sorrowful than death.
"Not yet, but the Fleet Admiral's condition is good. He should wake up within about half a month."
"He'll be fine."
Tsuru comforted him; she understood Sengoku's stress.
During the time Kong was in a coma, Sengoku handled the Marines' affairs.
Originally, he was supposed to guard the New World, assuming Kong would wake up within a short time.
But the Fleet Admiral still hadn't woken up after a long time.
So Sengoku was recalled to Headquarters early.
Headquarters had already prepared contingency plans.
If Kong didn't wake up after a long time, then Sengoku would become the new Fleet Admiral of the Marines.
Sengoku himself was being cultivated by Kong as his successor; this was a recognized fact at Headquarters.
And he had received the recognition of many Marine High Command, the Chief of Staff, and the Five Elders.
Of course, this probability was very low.
"What about Garp? Where has he been these past few days?"
Sengoku had been very busy these days and hadn't paid attention to his old friends for a while.
He suddenly realized that he hadn't seen Garp for a long time.
Facing Sengoku's question, Tsuru showed a difficult expression.
Sengoku frowned.
Had something happened?
"It's about Dragon."
After a long time, Tsuru sighed.
Sengoku would know sooner or later, so there was nothing to hide now.
"He left the Marines. He deleted his military records, left behind his military uniform and military emblem, and departed silently."
"Before leaving, Garp must have contacted him. Now his mood isn't good either."
"What! Why would this happen?"
Sengoku found it somewhat hard to believe why Dragon would make such a decision.
One must know that Dragon was the leading figure of the new generation of Marines after the establishment of the Elite Training Camp, highly valued and cultivated by Headquarters.
He was already an Admiral Candidate and was about to become the Marines' highest fighting force.
In the future, he was even highly likely to be the best candidate to become the Fleet Admiral of the Marines.
Yet at such a crucial moment, Dragon actually left the Marines.
Deleting his own records was a power only the Fleet Admiral possessed, but this couldn't stop Dragon from infiltrating.
This matter was enough to show Dragon's resolve.
"It might be related to the World Government."
This matter was actually quite easy to guess.
"Sigh!"
Sengoku didn't know what to say either.
(end of chapter)
Starting from the news of Sambell and the other two appearing, news of the Roger Pirates members' whereabouts appeared one after another across The Great Sea.
Roger appeared in the Whitebeard Pirates' Territory.
Gaban seized a Pirate Ship.
Kozuki Oden was eating heartily in a certain restaurant.
Even Rayleigh was discovered on an Island.
The four main fighters of the Roger Pirates are still alive, proving that the Roger Pirates still exist.
This completely shattered the previous rumors of the Roger Pirates' downfall.
The most important fighters are still alive; the so-called downfall is just nonsense.
As for the war between the Roger Pirates and the World Government, they weren't clear on exactly what happened.
However, the Roger Pirates once again escaped the encirclement by the Marines and the World Government.
This was naturally not good news for the Marines and the World Government.
Although the Roger Pirates suffered heavy losses, nearly thirty of their members were killed.
But the strongest few fighters are still alive.
This means their operation failed.
With the Roger Pirates' influence, if they wished, with a wave of their hand, countless pirates would be willing to join their ranks.
Replenishing their fighting force is a very easy matter.
If it were core members like Rayleigh or Gaban who died, they would feel somewhat better.
Their objective wasn't achieved, and conversely, they also lost one of their own important fighters.
Although Kong didn't die in battle, those who understood Kong's injury knew he was finished.
A severed arm and leg could be replaced with a mechanical arm.
But how could a mechanical arm compare to one's own flesh and blood body?
For some people, a mechanical arm has the role of increasing strength.
But the stronger the Strongman, the lower the role of the mechanical arm, and it becomes a fatal weakness.
Facing certain impacts or the internal destructive power of Haki, even the mechanical arm itself is unable to resist; even if covered in Haki, it will be affected over time.
Especially the wound where Kong's abdomen was pierced, it's even more impossible to fully restore; the damage to his body, the drain on his life force, the negative effects will continue into the future.
The Marines lost Kong, a Top Tier Combatant.
Symbolically, Kong had enormous influence in all aspects of the Marines.
Since the previous era, for decades until now, he has been an important pillar.
It would be fine if he were alive, but if he died, the blow would be extremely heavy.
The Army lost Army General "White Ghost", and the Holy Knights lost a Candidate Member.
There were also some fighter losses among others, totaling around ten.
Looking at it this way, the Marines and the World Government seem to have suffered some losses in this operation.
This was even though they had an absolute fighting force advantage.
How could they be happy about this?
Who could have imagined that the remaining members of the Roger Pirates, after being devoured by the terrifying Deep Sea whirlpool, could still survive?
Although some members are missing, likely dead, the strongest few fighters of the Roger Pirates are alive.
Due to the events that unfolded after this unknown war, the entire New World seemed to become somewhat lively.
The Roger Pirates are gathering.
Along the way, no one obstructed them at all.
Except for the Flying Pirates, no one dared to actively provoke the Roger Pirates.
The Marines and the World Government, due to Fleet Admiral Kong's situation, were no longer in the mood to take action.
They withdrew the many warships searching for the Roger Pirates and consolidated their strength.
It is a very dangerous matter to venture deep into the New World to target the Roger Pirates.
If those pirates fought individually, it would be fine.
As long as the Marines didn't actively provoke them, they generally wouldn't obstruct their operations.
But now, with the unprecedented status of Shiki "The Golden Lion" of the Flying Pirates, it's highly likely he will unite many Great Pirates to launch an attack on them.
Shiki is completely capable of doing such a thing.
Shiki possesses the same ambition as Rocks.
He would definitely not miss this opportunity to weaken the World Government and the Marines.
"What luck! Why didn't they die like that?"
Sengoku's face sank, his expression somewhat gloomy.
The huge psychological gap made people feel uncomfortable.
They painstakingly prepared for this operation, dispatched many fighters, and considered all necessary aspects.
Carrying the resolve to win, they ultimately did not achieve the desired results.
But luck wasn't on their side; this was truly a frustrating matter.
"Alright, since we failed, don't overthink it. Just do what needs to be done now. We've already done everything we could."
Tsuru, standing beside him, still had a peaceful expression.
She wouldn't show her worries too much on her face.
Sengoku was just complaining a bit; he also knew that such matters were inherently uncontrollable.
"Has the Fleet Admiral not woken up yet?"
Since Kong was brought back to Marine Headquarters, he had been in a state of deep coma, although his life wasn't in danger.
But this situation was truly somewhat worrying.
For Kong to wake up, it was something outsiders couldn't interfere with.
He might even become a living dead person; this situation was more sorrowful than death.
"Not yet, but the Fleet Admiral's condition is good. He should wake up within about half a month."
"He'll be fine."
Tsuru comforted him; she understood Sengoku's stress.
During the time Kong was in a coma, Sengoku handled the Marines' affairs.
Originally, he was supposed to guard the New World, assuming Kong would wake up within a short time.
But the Fleet Admiral still hadn't woken up after a long time.
So Sengoku was recalled to Headquarters early.
Headquarters had already prepared contingency plans.
If Kong didn't wake up after a long time, then Sengoku would become the new Fleet Admiral of the Marines.
Sengoku himself was being cultivated by Kong as his successor; this was a recognized fact at Headquarters.
And he had received the recognition of many Marine High Command, the Chief of Staff, and the Five Elders.
Of course, this probability was very low.
"What about Garp? Where has he been these past few days?"
Sengoku had been very busy these days and hadn't paid attention to his old friends for a while.
He suddenly realized that he hadn't seen Garp for a long time.
Facing Sengoku's question, Tsuru showed a difficult expression.
Sengoku frowned.
Had something happened?
"It's about Dragon."
After a long time, Tsuru sighed.
Sengoku would know sooner or later, so there was nothing to hide now.
"He left the Marines. He deleted his military records, left behind his military uniform and military emblem, and departed silently."
"Before leaving, Garp must have contacted him. Now his mood isn't good either."
"What! Why would this happen?"
Sengoku found it somewhat hard to believe why Dragon would make such a decision.
One must know that Dragon was the leading figure of the new generation of Marines after the establishment of the Elite Training Camp, highly valued and cultivated by Headquarters.
He was already an Admiral Candidate and was about to become the Marines' highest fighting force.
In the future, he was even highly likely to be the best candidate to become the Fleet Admiral of the Marines.
Yet at such a crucial moment, Dragon actually left the Marines.
Deleting his own records was a power only the Fleet Admiral possessed, but this couldn't stop Dragon from infiltrating.
This matter was enough to show Dragon's resolve.
"It might be related to the World Government."
This matter was actually quite easy to guess.
"Sigh!"
Sengoku didn't know what to say either.
(end of chapter)
