When she returned, everything had changed. Her family was gone.
"Looks place isn’t livable anymore. We should head to a hotel," Liv said after snapping out of her daze, looking at the mess her home had become.
"We could clean it up and still stay here, we—"
"No need, Anya," Liv cut her off gently. "I’ll be leaving this place soon anyway. Even if we fix it up, I might never come back."
The others looked at each other and nodded.
They all walked out of Liv’s house. As Liv stepped outside, she paused after just a few steps and looked back at the small two-story home.
might never return again...
"Hello, are you the Dream Exploration Team?" Just as they stepped out, three men and one woman approached them.
"You must be from the Revolutionary Army," Robin said as soon as she saw their outfits and recognized who they were.
"Yes, Robin-senpai. We’re here under orders from Chief of Staff Sabo, to escort Miss Liv to the Revolutionary Army’s headquarters," the woman said.
"You’re already here? But I’m not... I’m not ready yet..." Liv froze on the spot when she heard they were from the Revolutionary Army.
"No need to leave just yet. We still have things to take care of in the Kingdom of Magiatsuka. We’ll be here for about two more weeks," said the woman, Kana, with a cheerful laugh.
"Why? What’s in this country that’s worth the Revolutionary Army staying that long?" Liv asked, confused.
"Because all the nobles in this country were wiped out by Akainu. The leadership is gone, and now’s your chance to get involved in the country’s politics, right?" Ryuen said before Kana could finish.
"Ryuen-senpai is exactly right!"
"This time, with Akainu taking out the nobles here, the Kingdom of Magiatsuka has lost its leadership. It’s the perfect chance for us to take control of the country!"
"That’s why Commander Dragon told us to do everything we can to bring this nation under the Revolutionary Army’s control," Kana said honestly, not hiding anything.
"That’s your Revolutionary Army business. We won’t get involved."
"Liv, are you going with them now, or...?" Ryuen waved his hand and looked at Liv.
"Taking over the Kingdom of Magiatsuka, huh..."
"Ryuen, I want to go with them now. After all, I’m part of this country too, and I want to do something for it." Liv didn’t hesitate long before making up her mind.
"Alright, we understand." Ryuen nodded, then looked at the four Revolutionaries. "We’re leaving Liv in your hands."
"Ryuen-senpai, we’ll make sure Liv gets to the Revolutionary Army’s base safely!" Kana promised right away.
"Goodbye, Liv," Ryuen said once more, turning to her.
The Dream Team members all said their goodbyes.
"Thank you. Thank you for taking care of me all this time," Liv said, deeply moved.
If it hadn’t been for the Dream Exploration Team, not only would she have failed to get her revenge — she probably would’ve been killed by the kingdom’s pursuers.
"Well then... Ryuen-senpai, we’re heading off now," Kana said.
And so, Kana and the other three left the area together with Liv, who still looked reluctant to part ways.
"Let’s get going too," Nami said quietly once Liv and the others were out of sight.
Everyone nodded and began walking toward the hotel.
Just then, a News Coo flew over to them.
"Back already?" Ryuen was a bit surprised to see it return so soon.
"The meeting’s over already? I thought it’d take a few days at least..." Nojiko was surprised too.
The News Coo politely handed Ryuen a copy of the Four Emperors alliance agreement, then flew off again toward Skypiea with the original.
Ryuen stared at the document. Even though he already knew Marco had asked the other three powers to step in, it still felt a bit unreal now that it had really happened.
"Let me see..." Nami took the papers from Ryuen, and the others gathered around to take a look.
As they read and talked about it, they continued walking toward the hotel.
Ryuen crossed his arms and lowered his head, deep in thought about everything that had happened recently.
Because of his arrival in this world, the original timeline had been completely changed.
Now, the entire Blackbeard Pirates crew had been thrown into Impel Down.
This gave the Marines a huge advantage in the New World, making their early efforts much smoother.
Originally, after Whitebeard’s death, Blackbeard’s crew had taken over all of Whitebeard’s territory.
With the power of the Darkness-Darkness Fruit and several powerful subordinates freed from Impel Down, even the Marines were wary of them.
Blackbeard becoming one of the Four Emperors felt well-deserved.
But now, with Whitebeard gone and no one strong enough to replace him, the Marines had no reason to fear the Whitebeard Pirates anymore.
So the Marines invaded their territory, and Marco and the other division commanders simply weren’t enough to hold up the entire crew.
With admirals leading the charge, the Marines had already taken over a third of the Whitebeard Pirates’ islands in a very short amount of time.
This outcome was definitely not what the other three Four Emperors crews wanted to see.
But because of the Whitebeard Pirates’ proposal, a defense pact among the Four Emperors was formed to stop the Marines from expanding in the New World.
Now, even though the Marines had gained a third of Whitebeard’s old territory as a foothold, the Four Emperors had teamed up, making it much harder for the Marines to grow.
"Ryuen, what are you thinking about?" Robin stopped and turned to look at him. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on Novᴇ(l)Fɪre .ɴᴇt
"It’s nothing, Robin. I was just wondering how long this Four Emperors alliance will really last," Ryuen said softly, snapping back to reality.
"The reason they’re called the Four Emperors is because of their strength. But now, the Whitebeard Pirates..."
"This is a very unbalanced alliance. That’s why I don’t think this so-called defense pact will last long," Nojiko said, rubbing her chin and frowning in thought.
"Unless... someone from the Whitebeard Pirates gets strong enough to stand on equal ground with the other Emperors and not lose," she added.
"There might be a chance. From what I’ve heard, Ace has started to gain a new understanding of how to use Conqueror’s Haki coating," Ryuen said calmly.
"Hm... the bloodline of the Pirate King, huh... it really is something else," Robin murmured.
"Alright everyone, we’ve arrived at the inn. Let’s take a bath and get some rest!"
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