Chapter 158 - 158: Industrial Revolution
"You—what do you think is the greatest possible extent power can reach?"
Robin heard Lorka's question and couldn't help but recall the great fire that burned down Ohara.
And the never-ending bombardment—the kind of power that wiped Ohara off the map entirely.
Lorka looked at Robin, who had sunk into memories, trembling in fear, and sighed.
He gently patted her head:
"Don't be afraid. It's all in the past now."
"So, you think of the Buster Call."
Robin's trembling body gradually calmed, and she gave a heavy nod.
Lorka sighed:
"That? That's nothing."
"It's just a weapon meant to intimidate ordinary people."
"You can't imagine the true power of the strong—just like the majority of people in this world."
"Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss."
Lorka paused for a few seconds.
"Do you think Cusque Island is big?"
"Compared to Ohara, I mean."
Robin did a rough mental comparison, her voice hoarse as she replied:
"Probably about twice the size of Ohara."
Lorka looked at her and said:
"What if I told you that someone could sink this island into the sea with a single punch?"
"Completely erase it from nautical charts—would you believe that?"
Robin's eyes widened instantly.
"How could..."
She stopped mid-sentence, unable to believe it.
She knew Lorka wouldn't lie to her—which meant...
Lorka sighed:
"You see, your mind, your knowledge—far beyond most people's."
"Yet even you find it hard to believe."
"So how would most of the people in the world believe it?"
"They'd just treat it as a story, a myth, even a joke."
"People only want to live within the limits of what they believe is real."
"That's how the Buster Call came to be."
"The masses may not understand the power of the strong, but they know exactly what happens when the shells of a giant warship explode around them."
"The Buster Call is nothing more than the government's way of keeping the world in check."
"And those with the power to sink an island in a single blow—they exist in both the Navy and among pirates."
"Now imagine the government, which stands above both of them."
"What kind of power do you think they have?"
Robin's mind went blank. She shook her head in despair—she couldn't imagine it.
Lorka said softly:
"Hmm... how should I explain it to you?"
"If you ever get a chance to visit the Grand Line—or even the New World—"
"You should look into the Skegli Sea."
Robin muttered to herself:
"Skegli Sea?"
Lorka nodded.
"That's right. The Skegli Sea."
"It's in the New World. Still shown on charts today, but all the islands on it have been wiped out."
"From this island to the next one, it takes us five days by ship."
"And the Skegli Sea used to be dotted with over a dozen islands, including countless deserted isles and massive reefs."
"Imagine how vast that area was."
"And all of it—just from a battle between powerful individuals."
"Every island in that vast sea was completely erased, all sunk to the ocean floor."
"And that was just the result of a clash between pirates and Navy."
"Raise the scale just a little—and you can probably guess what kind of power the government must possess."
"Like... the power to destroy an entire sea?"
"If they can destroy a sea, doesn't that mean they could destroy the world?"
"So what could possibly stand against them?"
"And where would you go to find the strength to destroy—or overthrow—that kind of force?"
"The scholars of Ohara, decoding history?"
"If history could save the world, then it wouldn't have become history."
Robin nodded... then shook her head:
"I..."
She didn't know how to respond. She couldn't find an answer. It clashed violently with everything she thought she knew about the world.
Lorka continued:
"You can't imagine it, right?"
"Here, let me show you something."
He turned and went to retrieve the backpack on the table.
After a quick search, he pulled out a newspaper from not long ago and handed it to Robin.
"Read the bottom two articles on page three."
Robin took it and read carefully. The pieces were short.
They reported two events: one was that a kingdom called Kodaga on the Grand Line had been overthrown by tens of thousands of laborers, who then elected a new king and implemented a series of excellent reforms.
The instigator behind the overthrow, according to government investigations, was known only by the alias "Dragon," the leader of an organization called the Revolutionary Army.
His ideology promoted liberation and freedom.
At the end of the article, there was a bounty notice for Dragon, along with a cloaked silhouette, noting the level of threat he posed.
Since Kodaga was not a World Government member state, the incident wasn't pursued deeply—just a token bounty was placed on this ideologically dangerous criminal.
Robin finished reading and handed the newspaper back to Lorka. He smiled:
"Any thoughts?"
Robin thought for a moment:
"Overthrowing a kingdom so easily suggests his ideology is dangerous, but..."
"But that's all it is. If he wants to overthrow the world—"
"Facing a government that powerful..."
"It sounds like a joke."
Lorka snapped his fingers.
"Exactly. That's all it is."
"His so-called liberation is purely ideological."
"The true core problem hasn't been solved at all."
Robin suddenly thought of something:
"The king?"
Lorka chuckled:
"Yes, the king."
"Even though he used that ideology to overthrow a kingdom—"
"For the country and its people—"
"It just meant a change of rulers. Policies improved a bit."
"But the real problem remains unsolved."
"They still live day after day as they always have."
"Maybe life's a little easier under the new king, but nothing has really changed."
"Decades from now, what if the next king turns out to be just as corrupt?"
"History will simply repeat itself. What kind of liberation is that?"
"Even if they overthrow half the world's nations..."
"As long as the government still controls that immense power..."
"They can just wear them down over time, or..."
"Cleanse the world in one swift move."
The scene Lorka described flashed through Robin's mind, sending a chill down her spine:
"A world cleanse..."
Lorka said:
"Terrifying, isn't it? But those people... they really could do it."
"So here's the core issue."
"History can't fix it. Revolution can't fix it."
"Then what can topple this behemoth?"
"How do you overthrow it?"
"Just one word."
"Technology."
Robin murmured:
"Technology, huh..."
Lorka said:
"That's right. Technology."
"Just like how you once couldn't imagine the might of true strength."
"Whatever you can imagine the government has, and even what you can't imagine—they still have it."
"To put it simply—what if we could build a ship that flies through the sky?"
"Hard to imagine, right? But the government really has that."
"And if this flying ship carried a full load of cannons?"
"And what if there were hundreds of such ships? Could any country really stand against that?"
"That's the problem technology brings."
"Because of the sea, this world has terrible inter-island communication."
"Ninety percent of countries are still stuck in the agrarian age."
"But some countries... they've got towering steel structures, advanced medical equipment, a fusion of biology and machinery."
"And all of it is constantly evolving."
"That's the gap."
"So if the whole world entered an age of machines..."
"If everyone were equipped with those flying ships and machines—don't you think it could shake the government?"
Robin answered firmly:
"It definitely could."
Lorka grinned:
"Exactly."
"Take the Kingdom of Kodaga, for example. Their economy is built on stone quarrying."
"Tens of thousands of laborers work just to mine stone."
"But if someone invented a massive machine that could easily smash through rock..."
"The efficiency would be dozens of times greater than before."
"That would free up tons of labor and the country would develop rapidly."
"And once neighboring nations see the power of technology, they'll start developing it too."
"One teaches the next, and eventually the whole world starts to stir."
"The economic base determines the superstructure."
"That's the rule of development."
"When supply can't meet demand, all kinds of conflicts will erupt."
"And the fastest, most direct way to resolve them—"
"Is through violent seizure."
"And when that happens, war will break out."
"A war that sweeps across the world, determining the future's path."
"And even a government with overwhelming power won't escape unscathed from such a war."
...
Robin's voice grew excited:
"Then we have to go tell them!"
"This... this is it!!!"
Lorka shrugged helplessly:
"You think the World Government is full of fools?"
"The truth is, they've already seen all of this coming. And those kings of the member nations..."
"To some extent, they're all in on it."
"No one wants to overthrow their own rule. So even if it means making the world a better place..."
"They'll strangle that possibility in its cradle."
"So... all we can do is imagine it."
Robin muttered, unwilling to accept it:
"There really is no way..."
Lorka paused in thought for a few seconds:
"Well... not none. Take Dragon, for example."
"The liberation of thought counts too. Even toppling a few countries—it's a kind of success, isn't it?"
Robin suddenly said:
"Then what if we combined technological development with his ideology?"
Lorka frowned slightly, then shook his head after a moment:
"No, that won't work. If he combined his movement with tech..."
"Dragon wouldn't last three days before the government crushed him."
"Ideological liberation only treats the symptoms—it's just a small-scale disturbance."
"But a technological revolution? That directly touches the government's bottom line."
"But..."
"If Dragon's movement grows large in the future—even toppling many nations..."
"Then at that point, introducing technology might become feasible."
"Because the world is only so big. Once a large part of it gets 'colored in,' the rest will start to shift too."
Robin nodded vigorously and made a note of it.
Seeing the serious look on her face, Lorka chuckled:
"Alright, enough heavy thinking."
"The future can wait."
"Besides, I'm not done living yet. Going up against the government...?"
"What a joke."
"I'm terrified of dying."
Lorka's exaggerated expression made Robin seethe in frustration.
Seeing her annoyed face, Lorka pulled out a book:
"Here. Take this."
"I wrote it myself."
"Whatever you do—don't let anyone else see it."
"This kind of thing could cost you your head."
"I was originally planning to bury it someday."
"But seeing you have that kind of spark... if you ever do something about it in the future..."
"Just don't say you know me if you get caught."
"I'm just a wandering traveler searching for the world's truths."
"I don't want to end up executed."
Robin took the book and looked at the four large characters on the cover.
Lorka said from the side:
"Only by combining industrial technology with ideological revolution can the world be reshaped."
"So I gave it a name..."
"Industrial Revolution."
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