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Chapter 53 - Chapter 53: A Pitiful Man Living at the Bottom of a Well

"Get lost!"

Vice Admiral Doll practically roared the words in fury.

"Why are you yelling so loudly? Be more ladylike, Vice Admiral," Roy chuckled.

"You damn pirates," Doll spat.

"I admit, pirates are damned. We've killed many of them. But there are also many who've turned over a new leaf and become good people. As I've always said, judge actions, not intentions. What kind of actions make someone a good person? I think everyone has their own scale in their heart," Roy said with a shrug and a smile.

"You've got quite the sharp tongue. You don't sound like a pirate at all," Vergo finally spoke.

"I know you. The undercover agent Donquixote Doflamingo planted in the Marines. One of the highest-ranking executives of the Donquixote Family. You've been infiltrating the Marines for over a decade, haven't you?" Roy grinned.

He hadn't planned on dealing with him, but Vergo had opened his mouth asking for it.

The moment Roy spoke those words, the expressions of every Marine present twisted in shock. Even the seven Vegapunks turned to stare at Vergo.

"You're slandering me," Vergo said darkly.

"Whether it's slander or not, you know the truth. Should I spell it out for everyone? Look at your precious Marines, a high-ranking Vice Admiral is nothing but a traitorous spy. And not just any spy, the very first base commander, stationed so close to Dressrosa. Did you really think Doflamingo's privileges came from nowhere?"

Roy laughed loudly. "If we're comparing corruption, the Marines are far worse. How amusing that scum like this can rise through your ranks, deceiving superiors and subordinates alike. Hilarious!"

"Vergo… is this true?" Doll's glare was razor-sharp.

Vice Admiral Hound, beside him, also narrowed his eyes.

Vergo remained silent for a moment. If Roy could expose him this thoroughly, his cover was already blown.

"Don't listen to him. I would never betray the Marines. I'm the commanding officer of G5," Vergo insisted.

"That's fine. I have no proof anyway, right? But if someone digs a little, they'll find out the truth. For instance, you don't actually have a sister. All those times you took leave to visit your 'sick sister,' you were really meeting Doflamingo in Dressrosa."

Roy smirked. "Oh, and let's not forget, you killed Fleet Admiral Sengoku's beloved foster son, Rosinante. Sengoku never imagined that the man he personally promoted would murder his own adopted son. Rosinante—a Celestial Dragon, Doflamingo's brother. How ironic."

"How do you know all this?!"

Vergo could have brushed off the earlier accusations, but now Roy had laid bare everything: his fake sister, his ties to the Donquixote Family. 

Vergo no longer tried to deny it. Instead, he demanded how Roy had come to know so much.

The surrounding Marine officers reeled from the shock.

A Vice Admiral, a base commander, was actually a pirate's spy?

And he had killed the Fleet Admiral's foster son, a Celestial Dragon, Doflamingo's brother?

What did that mean?

Was Doflamingo also a Celestial Dragon?

These were world-shattering secrets, yet Roy had revealed them so casually.

"Let's just say… a fortunate coincidence. The World Government and Marines gather intel on pirates, and over the years, I've collected some of my own, especially regarding the Marines and World Government branches in the New World. Unfortunately for you, my investigation uncovered your ties to Doflamingo," Roy said lightly.

"But you shouldn't have known about Rosinante," Vergo growled.

"That's harder to explain. Let's just say I know a lot about Doflamingo. Though I doubt you knew this, Rosinante was a Marine. Sengoku's foster son."

"I really didn't know that."

"This world is full of secrets, many you're unaware of. But now you know. So tell me, Vice Admiral Doll, do you still believe the Marines are the 'good guys'?"

Roy's voice turned cold. "A few bad pirates are nothing compared to the corruption within the Marines. It's because of the Marines' failures that the Warlord system exists, legalized piracy. Whose fault is that? The pirates'? Or the Marines'?"

"You're nothing but the Celestial Dragons' lapdogs. No, more accurately, lapdogs of the man sitting on the Empty Throne. The entire world, even the centuries-old Five Elders, is all the same. Pawns in a grand deception."

Roy turned to Vegapunk. "Isn't that right, Doctor?"

The Marines stared at Roy with something close to fear. For some reason, his words rang with terrifying truth.

They lived in a grand deception.

The Marines were pawns. Even the Five Elders were pawns.

Did the Celestial Dragons rule the world?

Or was it the person Roy mentioned, the one on the throne?

The world was far more complicated than they had ever imagined.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Vegapunk said flatly.

"That's fine. I believe you. Don't worry, once the Marines return Ace, I'll send all of you back unharmed. Even him." Roy gestured at Vergo. "He's the Marines' problem, not mine."

"Who the hell are you? How do you know so much?!" Vergo snarled.

"I don't know that much, really. For example, what happened during the Void Century? What did Joy Boy and Imu look like? Why did Nika, the Sun God, fail back then? So many mysteries."

Roy shrugged. "But of course, you wouldn't know. You're all living at the bottom of a well—your vision is limited to what's right in front of you. Though I suspect the good doctor here has seen a bit more."

"I know nothing," Vegapunk repeated.

BOOM!

A violent explosion erupted as Vergo shattered his cage, his arms coated in jet-black Armament Haki.

His identity was exposed. If he returned to Marine custody, he was dead, even Doflamingo couldn't save him.

His only option was to fight his way out.

"I'll kill you!" Vergo lunged at Roy.

Rakuyo and the other commanders moved to intercept, but Roy didn't even turn. He simply watched the clash with amusement before murmuring a few words to Vegapunk.

The scientist's expression shifted briefly before he schooled it back into neutrality. The others were too distracted by the battle to notice.

Vergo, despite facing the Whitebeard Pirates' commanders, broke through and charged at Roy's back.

"Big Bro!"

"Big bro, look out!"

Rakuyo and the others shouted in panic.

But Roy sidestepped effortlessly. In the blink of an eye, his hand was on Vergo's head, slamming it into the ground with crushing force.

BOOM!

The entire island trembled as Vergo's face met the earth.

...

If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.

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