Chapter 17: Raiju's Battlefield
May 14, 801 WG
Fujitora froze, as did his subordinates, at the abrupt interruption. Then he realized who was speaking. It was one of the Gorosei. Had they been listening in on the conversation? It shouldn't have surprised the admiral that they may have wanted to monitor the situation since the Pluton debacle was their brainchild, but that didn't make their sudden appearance any less shocking.
Fujitora studied the man within the cell, the one the Gorosei had addressed as Vice-Admiral Raiju. A vice-admiral, not surprising, considering the sheer gall he had displayed. Somehow Fugitora came to the conclusion that "Raiju" was a code name like his. He doubted anyone had named their child "thunderbeast". A vice-admiral with a code name… Only three could hold the title of admiral at any given time. There were bound to be vice-admirals that were at admiral level but couldn't be promoted due to the limitation. A code name signaled the presence of one. It gave Fujitora much to think about and a new respect for his prisoner.
Fujitora sensed a different emotion emanating from the ex-vice-admiral. While his subordinates were expressing shock at the interruption, Raiju was expressing triumph. Hmmm…
"Because it is what will happen if you go through with annihilating Alabasta," replied Raiju.
There was a pause before the Gorosei responded. The five men must have been talking among themselves about how to address him. Finally, they responded, "The point of this is to remind the world of our power and might."
"Wasn't that also reason behind Roger and White Beard deaths as well? Publicly execute Roger as a warning to would be pirates. Instead we ended up with this Great Pirate Era. You lured in White Beard to Marineford in an effort to demonstrate to all the might of the Marines. The seas are even crazier now than they were before."
Fujitora grimaced. He was one hundred percent right. They hadn't accomplished anything with these demonstrations of superiority. In a sense, the demonstrations had resulted in things becoming worse for them.
"Now," Raiju continued, "if the White Beard execution was secretly done to deliberately create chaos in an effort to thwart Dragon, that didn't work either. It wasn't a bad idea; people do tend to cling to whatever represents security in times of chaos rather than embrace change. So in theory, taking out a major stabilizer of the sea should have made it harder for Dragon to inspire rebellions in nations no matter how nasty their monarchs were.
"However, you lacked the follow through on this plan. The Marines needed to be set to step up their game to fight the chaos so people would want turn to the World Government for their continued safety. Because of that failure, people saw the whole thing as poor planning and lost faith. Dragon at least plans his revolutions all the way through to establishing a new governing system after the monarch falls. This includes military for keeping the country safe from invaders. Instead of being dependent on the Marines, the new nations are self-sufficient. People see that. That's why the rebellions have been increasing in the last two years instead."
Raiju paused, probably to let his words sink in. Fujitora mulled over his statements. How many people had lost their lives in the wake of Paramount because they had taken away their only protector? A protector they needed because the Marines couldn't, or, more accurately, wouldn't, protect them for various reasons. The Marines only protected the paying public after all and sometimes not very well then either.
"Honestly though, the Marines behavior following White Beard's demise was reprehensible. There are certain ethics that need to be maintained to protect the image of the Marines and that was violated on live camera. Do you honestly believe the image of Marines cackling as they run down beaten men while ignoring their injured comrades is going to inspire confidence in anyone? Or how about the image of an admiral attacking a cadet who rightfully called them all out on their questionable behavior? Why was it a Yonko that had to stop the senseless bloodshed and not our own officers? Marines should never behave worse than pirates. They should always be above that base nature and be an example of civilized people. That alone critically damaged the Marines' reputation with the world. The world saw Marines behaving no better than common thugs."
A sigh escaped the Den Den Mushi and the Gorosei speaker said, "That type of image was never supposed to be broadcast. The video was supposed to be shut down part way through the fight."
"Never assume you can control the narrative at all times. You set yourself up for situations like that. Especially nowadays when you've lost control of the World News."
"How do you know about that?"
"I suspected it from what was being printed of late. It isn't in line with the image you like to project to the world. But thanks for confirming it. It makes me feel better when I can verify my gut instincts."
Fujitora bit his cheek. Raiju hadn't had to say that last part. He might as well as stated they needed to mind their tongues, less they give him more information than he had. The Gorosei seemed to have heard that message too as the Den Den Mushi remained silent for a full minute.
"Black Beard was also a massive military mistake," continued the former vice-admiral when nothing was said by the others. "Your desperation to fill Crocodile's seat was made painfully obvious by your choice, especially following on the heels of Crocodile's slandering of the Nefetari name and attempted usurpation of their throne just so he could get a hold of Pluton's whereabouts."
"There was no way to foresee how he was going to act."
"There was plenty of warning signs if you bothered to remember pirates are human and have the same seven vices and seven virtues to govern their actions. You just dismiss all pirates as traitorous bastards. As such you fail to miss the dynamics of various crews. The way White Beard ran his, Black Beard's choice of actions should have contained enough red flags to make a parade. But you didn't bother to heed them. He gave you Fire Fist and you gave him the keys to the sixth level of Impel Down.
"Then there's the decision to not post new wanted posters for the fiends that escaped that level after Black Beard trashed the place. That was a brilliantly short-sighted solution to mitigate the Marines fallen credibility that is going to have some horrific long-term consequences. It's only a matter of time before those devils return to wreak havoc on the sea. How many more people will have to die at their hands because you didn't want to spend the effort hunting them while they were still weak from their long imprisonment? There using this time to recover, they aren't going to disappear."
"We are hunting them," said the Gorosei speaker. "We are just doing it discreetly."
"The monarchs aren't going to see it that way," replied Raiju. "And just how many have you managed to find never mind capture in these last two years?"
The silence was a telling answer.
Fujitora couldn't believe how long the conversation had gone on. The Gorosei were being scolded, by a former Marine that had just destroyed their precious weapon. Even more shocking they were listening. It also helped that it sounded like Raiju still saw himself as being on their side.
Raiju sighed. "With the way things are going you have to realize after Dressrosa, some nations might be thinking that you condoned Doflamingo's actions. You made him a warlord, allowed him to slander and usurp a ruling monarch, a member of the World Government no less, and drive his family into exile and enslavement if not outright killed. Given King Riku's ability to pacify warring nations, one might have thought he could undermine your division tactic. That would have been dangerous to your power. Letting Doflamingo go wild certainly solved that problem. Then Doflamingo went on to manufacture weapons that eventually were sold to countries that were fighting with Dragon. Double bonus!"
Fujitora shivered. Raiju's cold reading on Dressrosa's history changed his perspective on the situation. It was not a good change.
"We did not let that man run rampant in Dressrosa for any such reason, we just couldn't…" Silence again. They had caught themselves this time.
"What?" asked Raiju sounding disgusted. "Are you going to tell me that some lowly pirate had the capacity to blackmail you into inaction?"
More silence.
"Then perhaps you should give Law back his warlord title because he did you a massive favor. You only stripped him of that title because of his choice in ally but he did better work for the Marines than any of your other warlords. Except maybe Kuma but obedience due to a threat to his family and kingdom is not exactly something to be praised."
The Den Den Mushi kept quiet but the connection was still there. They must have hacked the line for Sakazuki to have not said a word this whole time. He probably was still listening, but he could no longer express his opinion. That was telling.
"Why did you choose those two to attack Pluton with?"
"Law's ability. I had another strategy to light the magazine on fire and let Pluton be destroyed by its own power but that carried too much risk to the person setting the blaze. With the Op Op fruit, he could cut the ship apart without trying and without having to be onboard. I just needed a means to get him close enough. I chose Mugiwara because his ship allowed for a means to disable the battleships while minimizing potential Marine casualties. However, I had missed the advent of the submarine to naval warfare, forcing us to revert to the original risky plan. And then I didn't realize how potent the ship's unique ammo was. I honestly hadn't anticipated the ring of absolute destruction. I'm only as good as the information I have. I'm not a god."
His honest sadness and regret carried in his voice.
"It's five times more potent when exposed to water but if you had managed to sink it before the magazine got wet the explosion would never have breached the surface nor affected the submarines. It would have remained contained."
Fujitora was surprised they had said that to Raiju. Raiju didn't say anything this time. Though he sensed the man's emotion roll from bitter regret to cold interest. He had warned them once to mind what they told him, thought Fujitora. Are they perhaps trusting him with that information?
"I think the only consolation you are going to get from this whole thing is Dragon having taken critical damage to his whole operation. He's not going to be able to continue his war with you as long as no one rushes to his aid now. I strongly suggest you don't give anyone the incentive to do so."
"If his son joins him, however, he won't need an army. We know what happened at Varian. And we don't doubt you already know something about it. You've been dodging all references to Mugiwara as someone of consequence, but we haven't forgotten."
Fujitora wondered why they felt that way. What was it about Mugiwara that made them so fearful? And what happened in Varian? Fujitora had heard Vegapunk's island had suffered an attack but no one would discuss the details, all having been ordered to silence.
"Mugiwara is not going to join his father," replied Raiju with only the briefest flutter of anxiety that the admiral alone could detect. "Dragon has too much guilt for agreeing to go alone with your failure of a project. That's why he disassociated from his son in the first place. He can make all the claims he wants about wanting his son to grow up free to live his own life, but he knew that wouldn't happen when he made the choices he made. No, Dragon abandoned Luffy because he didn't trust himself with the boy. He still doesn't."
"You know what happened at Varian and yet you call it a failure?"
"One hundred and forty-eight dead out of one hundred and forty-nine, yes I call it a failure. The whole reason the Revolutionary Army exists today is because of that project. Did you even bother reading the report of what Dragon did when he learned the truth? I had to supervise the cleanup of that mess. I had never known Dragon to be do anything except act in a calm manner at all times. What was left of those scientists and doctors after he vented his wrath… There was a reason why I parted ways with him back then. I truly feared his intentions afterwards. I would love to think my departure was the slap in the face he needed to return to his senses, but I think we both know what prompted him to stay his hand nineteen years ago."
The Gorosei were silent again. Discussing or contemplating it was hard to tell at this juncture.
"Dragon will never use his son like that. If they ever stand shoulder to shoulder on any battlefield it will be because they found themselves facing the same foe at the same time. Honestly, Pluton is the closest you've come to that moment."
"It would still be better if Mugiwara died before any such time comes."
"Take that up with the gods," said Raiju with a snort. "They've already shown their hand to me. They have their own agenda and Mugiwara is a large part of it. They will not let him die while he still has a job to do."
"What agenda?"
"No idea, but if you could kill him, he would be dead already. Lucci almost had him, should have had him, just last month."
"We've forgotten you are from a rather superstitious culture."
Fujitora thought that was rather insulting but Raiju merely snickered at their words. The sound carried a note of pity. Then he became serious.
"The one I fear most, is Helgram. I can't help but believe you've learned the truth of Escarto and know the part he played in that disaster."
"… Yes…"
"Maryanne gave you quite the gift with her brilliant storytelling to sidestep that issue with no injury to the Marines' image. How unfortunate it cost you her service."
"You were saying…"
"Helgram is a vindictive bastard. Willing to do anything to achieve his goals, even if it means killing the innocent and damning his comrades. He is also in the Revolutionary Army. Dragon is too kind. He knows what this man is capable of, yet he couldn't bring himself to kill him soon after they all parted from the Marines because of what happened. Dragon keeps him on a tight leash and gives him limited power. It had to have smarted when he gave the title, Second-in-Command, to that young whelp, Sabo."
"What are your concerns with that disreputable lout?"
"You knew the truth and let him become an admiral, anyway, don't act like his foulness upsets you. The concern is that Helgram will gleefully use Mugiwara. Helgram is good at figuring out a person's weakness and exploiting it. He knows Mugiwara is of the project. He just thinks he's a dud. If he learns otherwise…"
A curse slipped through the Den Den Mushi to Fujitora's shock.
"You can argue again that death to Mugiwara is the only solution and you can dismiss my claim to him being favored by the gods. However, I'm going to tell you something now that will prove that dismissal foolish and your solution unattainable."
He paused as he let them absorb his words.
"I was on the deck of Pluton but Mugiwara was the one that ran into the bowels of the ship and lit the magazine on fire with a torch. If he comes back alive from that…"
Fujitora barely suppressed his gasp. He only had his men's reaction to be able to judge the size of the ship. He only had Pluton's escort to tell him how deep the inside went. Only those that had been flung off just before the explosion had survived, that is. No one that had been inside had. If Mugiwara had been the one to light the magazine on fire, there was no way he escaped the explosion.
"In other words, this may have solved itself, or it will prove Mugiwara is untouchable."
"Perhaps you should focus now on what can be done to minimize the harm this whole scenario can cause," said Raiju. "This was far too much a spectacle to hope to just pretend it never happened. You need to quickly come up with a plausible story and do some sort of public address before the reporters start interviewing."
"And how would you suggest we approach this?"
"Something close to the truth. Alabasta caught wind of a threat to its nation and tried to get the people to safety. Marines caught wind of a threat to the people and wanted them to stay home instead of making themselves vulnerable at sea. Neither side had all the necessary information. Fujitora was holding steady to protect the people from what was believed to be an impending pirate raid or something similar. There have been tactics deployed in the past where the obvious battle was nothing more than a decoy to allow raiders to come in behind the defenders. Fujitora holding steady makes sense while another fleet was attacking what appeared to be the main threat, in case this was another two-prong attack. No one had any idea what they were really up against until the explosion occurred."
"That sounds like an excellent tale," said the Gorosei. "How about you and Fujitora hammer out the details and have the admiral here address the people. After Dressrosa, they should hold his word in high regard."
Fujitora stiffened. He didn't like being used like that. He knew it would hurt his reputation later if it ever got out. However, that was a minor concern. If they were going with his plan, then that meant… Alabasta was to be spared.
"Make sure you don't issue any new wanted posters for the Hearts Pirates or Straw-Hat Pirates."
"Why?"
"Even though you printed a tall tale about Smoker being the one to stop Crocodile two years ago, the savvy leaders of the world are capable of reading between the lines. More than doubling a rookie's bounty with no corresponding incident he's tied to but occurring in the wake of the one in Alabasta? That's a shout to all that it was really Mugiwara that defeated your warlord. Raise by any amount following this event and they will know that once again Mugiwara was responsible for saving Alabasta. His bounty is Yonko level as it is. Any increases would be mere pennies in comparison. There's nothing to gain issuing a new bounty and far too much to lose."
The Gorosei were silent for a moment then said, "We expect the address to occur by this evening."
Raiju laughed. "Please! I'll have it done within the hour."