As the people with hope for survival all boarded the ships.
The Revolutionary Army's grand vessel, however, did not set sail for a long time. Ivankov walked over and asked:
"Who are you waiting for, Dragon?"
A smile appeared on Dragon's lips:
"Yes."
"Waiting for one more... a kid who can shoulder the great banner in the future."
He had already sensed that kid.
-----
The path to survival, extinguished by the storm, was slowly reigniting.
At some unknown moment, a kid leaped out, a steel pipe in his hand, running on this path towards the shore, gasping for breath.
The flames behind him were chasing him closely...
But he looked at the grand ship, faintly visible at the end of the shore, and a happy smile bloomed on his face.
It felt as if he had inexhaustible strength within him, leaving the flames behind him far behind as he ran towards the grand ship.
This kid was the future Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, Sabo.
Unlike the original story.
Although he had still run away from home and lived in the terminal station of the discarded,
He had lived alone since Ace's disappearance, and his goal had not changed.
He wanted to leave this hypocritical nation and family.
He wanted to go out to sea, to be free, to become a pirate, to travel the world, and to write down what he saw and heard for posterity.
Until... knowing about the great fire that disregarded human lives merely for the sake of face, the last shred of hope in his heart collapsed.
These nobles were beyond redemption...
He wanted to inform the people in the terminal station, but was blocked by countless soldiers.
In despair, he met Dragon...
And found a goal different from before... He wanted to...
Change this world!!!
Suddenly, a fierce wind began to rage.
It swept Sabo's body up, soaring upwards, rushing towards the shore.
Dragon, on the Revolutionary Army's grand vessel, curled his lips:
"Set sail!!!"
-----/
Late at night.
A ship, surrounded by a giant red dragon, sailed across the sea. It was the Revolutionary Army's grand vessel, the Winter Grama.
The people who had been rescued and were in a state of tension had long since fallen asleep.
Unlike the original story where it took years of exploration to gain traction, the Revolutionary Army now, with 'The Little Red Book' in hand, had developed a complete system and goals over years of development, spreading its influence everywhere.
All they lacked was a catalyst for an explosive outbreak.
In the conference room at the top of the ship's cabin, the lights were bright.
The first generation of Revolutionary Army cadres were gathered, excluding Dragon, Bartholomew Kuma, and Emporio Ivankov, the three highest-ranking cadres.
There were also many representatives from the Revolutionary Army branches of various East Blue kingdoms.
After the last branch representative finished their report, Ivankov said:
"It has developed to this extent already."
"What do you plan to do, Dragon?"
"The World Conference is imminent, and the kings of various nations are heading to Mary Geoise."
"Now is precisely when their national strength is at its weakest."
Dragon shook his head:
"No, we will do nothing."
"The time is not yet ripe."
Then Dragon walked to a screen and pulled it.
Swish—
A giant world map appeared.
All known islands were drawn on it, even the location of Mary Geoise on the Red Line.
On the map, half of the islands were marked with red circles.
Most of the islands were marked with black circles.
There were also some islands with red circles encompassing black circles, occupying a very small portion.
Dragon spoke:
"As you can see."
"The red ones represent islands where the Revolutionary Army has developed."
"And the black circles are World Government member nations."
Pointing to the islands with red circles encompassing black circles, he said:
"Only within this small portion of member nations has our ideology spread and developed."
"But it is still far from enough."
"The World Government's more than 170 member nations still occupy a large part of the world."
"To become a member nation of the World Government,"
"One must possess either military might or financial strength."
"Undeniably, we are still far from being able to overthrow them."
"This world is too vast, and the World Government has ruled for too long."
"Without complete certainty, we cannot act rashly."
"However... that day will not be far off."
After speaking, Dragon's lips curled into a mysterious smile.
Ivankov looked puzzled:
"Oh?"
Dragon smiled:
"By the time of the next World Conference, it will be about time."
"And we have the Navy to thank for this."
"Look at these World Government member nations that we have developed. Do you see any difference?"
Those below frowned and looked for a while, all shaking their heads.
At this moment, the usually silent Kuma spoke:
"Is it the quantity?"
"The Grand Line has the most, followed by the North Blue, West Blue, South Blue, and then the East Blue."
Dragon smiled and said:
"Correct."
"Do you know why the Grand Line has the most?"
Ivankov said:
"Is it the oppression from pirates and the government?"
Dragon nodded and spoke:
"Indeed, Pirate King Gol D. Roger ignited the Great Pirate Era."
"The number of pirates worldwide, including the Grand Line, has sharply increased."
"Countless young people have set sail, yearning for that legendary treasure."
"A large number of young men and women from all the world's nations have flowed out, becoming pirates."
"Yet, the tribute paid to the Celestial Dragons by the various nations, the Heavenly Gold, has not decreased."
"Under these circumstances, the lives of those left behind are precarious."
"The pressure has doubled, which is why the Grand Line has the most nations where we have spread our ideology."
"Because without the suppression of that person..."
"Look at the ranking of the Four Seas. What do you think of?"
Kuma pondered for a moment and said:
"Sakazuki, the Tithing Operation."
Dragon said:
"Precisely, it is Sakazuki."
"This Fleet Admiral, known for his cruelty,"
"Carried out the Tithing Operation for several years, suppressing the Four Seas."
"This greatly struck at the rise of the Great Pirate Era, but it also provided us with the best period for development."
"The North Blue was the first place Sakazuki suppressed."
"For a period, his cruel methods of suppressing pirates were reported by the government's newspapers for months."
"It extinguished the desire of most young people within the Four Seas who wished to set sail."
"But when he moved to other seas, within two years, the young people of the North Blue lost their fear of him, and they all set sail to become pirates."
"And the North Blue, under our propagation,"
"Those people who were under increased pressure and could not bear the oppression of the World Government, joined us one after another."
"Developing and growing at an extremely fast pace."
"So, in a way, we should thank the Navy."
"It allowed us to spread our message peacefully for years before the eventual explosion."
Those below revealed mysterious smiles, and Ivankov was full of smiles:
"I'm afraid the Navy and the World Government would never have imagined that everything they did was actually helping us!"
"Hee~ha!"
Dragon chuckled and shook his head:
"That can't be said for sure. After all, their intentions were good."
"I have met Sakazuki a few times."
"He is fiercely hateful of evil, and though cruel, it is directed at pirates."
"It's a shame he stands on the opposite side of us."
"And... the Great Pirate Era ignited by Pirate King Gol D. Roger did indeed cause too much chaos."
"Even with someone like Sakazuki suppressing it for years, this momentum only delayed the rise of the Great Pirate Era,"
"Rather than completely suppressing it."
"We must find a solution in advance..."
Everyone in the cabin nodded in agreement. Some of them had been pirates, and some had been harmed by pirates.
They naturally knew what kind of people pirates were...
-----
Late at night.
Grand Line, Sabaody Archipelago.
A large warship that had just docked disembarked teams of soldiers heading to the commercial district for resupply.
As a prosperous island at the entrance to the New World, even at this late hour, countless lights were lit.
Sakazuki stood in the cabin at the top of the warship, looking through the glass at the busy soldiers below.
Enel sat on a sofa, crossing his legs, eating fruit.
Creak—
The sound of a doorknob turning.
Karol pushed open the door and entered:
"As predicted, they have not made any moves, Admiral Sakazuki."
Sakazuki chuckled and withdrew his gaze from the window:
"Quite calm. Good."
Karol was somewhat curious:
"How can you be so sure the Revolutionary Army won't make a big move during the World Conference?"
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed slightly:
"Perhaps the intelligence of generations of the Monkey D. family has all been passed down to Dragon."
"He has been dormant for years, and without certainty, he will not ignite the wave of revolution."
Karol smiled:
"You really understand him."
Sakazuki shook his head:
"It's just an analysis from a global perspective."
"From the Five Elders' perspective, whether it's pirates or the Revolutionary Army, no matter how much they thrash about, they are merely ants, while they are gods looking down upon them from above."
"And from Dragon's perspective, the World Government is just a giant standing on the ground. Even if we are ants, he believes that as long as there are enough of us, this giant will eventually be bitten to death."
"This is what 'many ants bite an elephant to death' means, isn't it?"
"However... what is 'eventually' is merely what is said. It does not exist in reality."
"The limitation of this era lies in the transmission and obstruction of information, and the vast differences in perception."
Karol nodded thoughtfully:
"Then what about us?"
Sakazuki chuckled:
"Us?"
"We are naturally the ones in the sky."
After smiling, his expression turned serious:
"If my prediction is correct, four years from now, during the next World Conference."
"It will be the time for the Revolutionary Army to erupt."
"After all, the booklet he 'discovered' back then contained quite a few secrets."
"Including the eight hundred year prophecy and the like."
"With the deadline approaching, they must have a period of stable development to solidify all of this."
"At that time..."
His expression was inscrutable, but he said nothing.
Karol and Enel's curiosity was piqued, and they looked at him eagerly.
But Sakazuki remained silent, a smile on his face.
Enel waited for a moment, becoming impatient, and asked:
"And then, Uncle!"
Sakazuki looked at him and said slowly:
"Of course, we do nothing."
"The Fleet Admiral then won't be me, what does it have to do with me?"
"Let Sengoku worry about it."
Karol and Enel's faces turned dark. This...
Sakazuki said:
"The early Revolutionary Army is destined to sweep the world."
"That's because most of the Four Seas are kingdoms from the agricultural era, and overthrowing them is easy."
"But when they reach the Grand Line, they will inevitably suffer greatly."
"Being able to establish a foothold would be good enough."
"The extreme weather and powerful individuals of the Grand Line are not easily dealt with."
"The World Government has suppressed the world's technological development for centuries, and their accumulated foundation is unimaginable."
"How can the ordinary wooden ships of the Four Seas withstand the government's official warships and cannons?"
"Not to mention those high-tech equipment. You have all seen the destructive power of the research done by the scientists in Punk Hazard."
"At that time, it will come down to ruthlessness."
"It remains to be seen how many people Sengoku will order to be killed, and how many people Dragon will sacrifice before they recognize the reality."
"However, it is likely that Dragon will recognize the reality first."
"After all, he is following a path of the common people."
"And Sengoku still has some loyalty to the World Government. Unless he is utterly disappointed,"
"He will still follow the World Government's orders, even if he cannot accept them."
Enel frowned:
"Then the Revolutionary Army has no chance of winning?"
"The Revolutionary Army cannot possibly withstand those weapons from Punk Hazard."
Karol chimed in:
"No, they won't."
"Although those weapons are powerful,"
"The World Government is, after all, an official organization."
"Without conclusive evidence, they will not openly engage in widespread slaughter."
"This pertains to the prestige and public support of the World Government."
"And besides, why would 'God' care about the number of ants?"
"In their eyes, no matter how many ants there are, they can be destroyed at will."
"So, a stalemate is most likely."
Sakazuki said slowly:
"At this point, we will have to give them an 'experience gift package'."
Karol sighed softly, thinking of Robin:
"Industrial Revolution..."
-----
Late at night, Mary Geoise.
In the still brightly lit grand hall.
The Five Elders were gathered, looking at the documents in their hands.
The Five Elder with the sword said:
"We underestimated this 'Dragon'."
"Unbeknownst to us, he has already developed such a large force."
The burly Five Elder snorted:
"His ambitions are not small."
"The member nations have already been infiltrated. What does he want to do, overthrow us?"
The curly-haired Five Elder, holding a cane, said:
"Let them stir up trouble. They are only infiltrating some worthless kingdoms."
"It's a good excuse to eliminate those embarrassing individuals."
"Those who were almost conquered by pirates should have been replaced long ago."
"The World Government has no energy to constantly manage those useless people."
"If a member nation is successfully overthrown by pirates, it is a naked slap in the face of the World Government."
The tall and thin Five Elder nodded:
"Indeed. But when did CP's efficiency become so poor?"
"We still haven't found the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army."
The blonde Five Elder said:
"It's not that we haven't found anything. We have confirmed about 20 or so locations."
The tall and thin Five Elder sighed:
"That's still too many. Even if Lord Im's power can easily destroy them,"
"For the World Government, destroying so many countries is not a good thing."
"Otherwise, the world's populace will not fear the government, but be terrified."
The Five Elder with the sword adjusted his glasses:
"No rush, the time is not yet right."
"Let CP continue to investigate. Having it controlled to a single digit is sufficient."
"Ants are ants after all."
"They won't affect the overall situation."
"When that day truly arrives,"
"No one will care about a few islands."
"The whole world will celebrate the birth of the 'King of the World'!"
-----
Several days later...
Sakazuki's warship finally arrived at Mary Geoise.
Glancing at Donquixote Doflamingo, who was like a dead dog in his hand, he walked towards that enormous palace...