The battle in Block C of the colosseum had begun.
At the same time, the fight at Green Bit had also started.
"Tch, two battles at once. Hard to keep up. If only I had more eyes... If your eyes are useless, you could just give them to me," Roy said casually to the three CP0 agents beside him.
"Guernica, Gismond, Joseph."
The hearts of the three skipped a beat; those were their real names. They hadn't expected Roy to know them. As CP0 agents, they always wore masks during missions. Their identities were supposed to be secret.
CP0 agents wore masks in public because they represented the World Government. Once unmasked, they could be anyone, a general of a nation, a noble, even a pirate. No one but their superiors knew their true faces or names.
Just like Stussy, when masked, she was a CP0 agent. But without the mask, she was the Queen of the Pleasure District, or even a secret agent planted by Vegapunk within the World Government.
It might sound silly, but it was actually an ideal setup, it gave them more freedom than CP9 ever had. CP9 didn't even have the privilege of masks, and their infiltration efforts had failed.
The fact that Roy knew their names meant their alternate identities had already been exposed. Otherwise, how else would he know them? He even knew what they looked like under the mask.
To the World Government's intelligence division, this was a nightmare. CP0, its strongest unit, had been compromised. No wonder the three looked so tense.
CP0 identities were top-secret, and their names were taboo. They only used code names when addressing one another.
"Let's focus over there instead... since a Marine Admiral is involved," Roy said, closing his eyes. In his mind, a picture of the Green Bit battlefield appeared.
Meteors were falling. In the colosseum, battles raged. Out at sea, Nami and the others were fighting members of the Donquixote Family.
"Oh? Conqueror's Haki clash."
Roy opened his eyes and looked at the arena. Luffy and Chinjao were clashing with the Conqueror's Haki.
That brought back memories from over 30 years ago, when they used to roam the West Blue. They had visited the Kano Country, where Whitebeard and Chinjao once fought. Of course, Chinjao was no match, but the two hadn't become enemies; they ended up as friends.
Back then, Thatch had tried to convince Whitebeard to steal Chinjao's treasure. Roy gave them a scolding, saying stealing on someone else's turf was dishonorable.
Looking at Chinjao now, his iconic drill head was gone, destroyed by Garp in a single punch 30 years ago. The once-feared pirate had aged.
A 500 million bounty 30 years ago doesn't seem like much now, but adjusted for inflation, it would be roughly in the range of 2 billion Berries today.
He was someone who fought Garp and Roger multiple times.
Eventually, Chinjao was defeated. Roy leaned back and resumed watching the Green Bit battle.
"Tell me, is the world foolish, or are its people? Humans are sensory creatures, right? Feed them a lie enough times, and they'll believe it."
"Like how the World Government announced Doflamingo resigned as a Warlord, then retracted it a day later, calling it a 'mistake.'"
"After such blatant deception, will the world still trust them?"
"Maybe. But soon? That trust will shatter."
"The Celestial Dragons had betrayed their founding ideals. They enslave the world now. Will the people eventually rise up?"
The CP0 agents stayed silent. Their conditioning left no room for independent thought, only obedience.
"I can sense your inner doubts. You're still human, after all. Can you hear the voices around us?"
"Listen. A former king, framed as a demon. His granddaughter, hated by the very people she once ruled."
"Ten years under Doflamingo's rule. They think they're free, living in prosperity, but it's a gilded cage."
"This world runs on lies. Maybe ignorance really is bliss; most people just want to get by and live in peace."
"The people? They just want full bellies. So they choose chains." Guernica murmured.
"Guernica!!" The other two looked at him in shock, not expecting him to speak.
"Yeah, they… just want to eat. To live well. That's all."
"But the prosperity you see in Dressrosa is built on the blood of other places. Doflamingo provokes wars in other parts of the world and profits from them. Within his own country, anyone who knows the truth or opposes him is turned into a toy, and the Tontatta are enslaved."
"The people living here are trapped in a horrifying world. They have no idea what's really going on. All they know is hatred toward King Riku."
Just then, Rebecca stepped onto the colosseum stage. A beautiful 16-year-old girl.
Too bad Roy's kid was off somewhere. Otherwise, he might've introduced them.
"Haven't been home in a few days. I wonder how Rein's doing," Roy muttered.
"Rein?" Guernica asked. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝓷𝓮𝓽
"My daughter," Roy said proudly.
All three CP0 agents made a mental note, Roy had a daughter. If his son was already the No. 2 in the Beasts Pirates, who knew what the daughter might become?
Little did they know, she was less than a year old.
"Do you still remember who Chinjao is?" Roy suddenly asked them.
The three were confused. "Chinjao? Isn't that a type of stir fry?"
"Just as I thought... the Hobby-Hobby Fruit. Can completely erase a person's existence. Even I was nearly affected.
Things outside are getting messy again.
"I've got something to take care of. You guys want to follow? No? Then stay."
Roy stood up and looked at the three of them.
Suddenly, all three trembled violently and collapsed in pain.
The sudden collapse startled the nearby observers, but Roy had already left the colosseum.
He made his way alone to the royal palace of Dressrosa.
There, Doflamingo, Law, and Admiral Fujitora had all gathered.
"Yoyoyoyo, what are you two fighting for?" Roy said as Doflamingo kicked at Fujitora. The two were clashing inside the palace.
Just then, a voice from the window made them both stop.
A Yonko, a Marine Admiral, and a Warlord, all in the same small room. A rare scene indeed.
Lying on the floor, Law slowly opened his eyes.
Doflamingo was drenched in sweat. He had dared to attack Fujitora only because the Admiral wouldn't go too far with him. But he wouldn't dare make a move against an Emperor. Everything he was doing now was just an act to avoid being killed by Kaido.
"That one, I'm taking him with me. You two don't mind, right?" Roy pointed at Law.
"Why do you want to take him?" Fujitora asked.
"What do you think?" Roy looked over at Law.
And what Law said next... left both Fujitora and Doflamingo utterly speechless.
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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