Chapter 161 - 161: The Government and the Revolutionary Army
The sword-wielding Elder said coldly:
"Just another fool inheriting the will of D."
"They failed eight hundred years ago."
"And today, eight hundred years later, their success is even less likely."
"Yet they keep appearing one after another... what a nuisance."
The burly Elder spoke:
"Good. Let them stir up the world."
"Since it's inconvenient for us to take action, let them wipe out those useless nations."
"In any case, as long as that thing remains—"
"The world can be cleansed at any moment."
"This world ultimately rests in our hands."
The tall, thin Elder paused for a moment:
"Still, we mustn't be careless. After all, the eight-hundred-year cycle is nearly up."
"Those 'lights' are bound to appear and stir up the world."
"Keep an eye out, identify these 'lights,' and hand them over to Imu-sama to deal with."
"However, the chance of this Dragon being one of them seems low."
The Elder with the cane narrowed his eyes slightly:
"True, but it's not certain."
"Have CP0 investigate."
The sword-wielding Elder adjusted his glasses:
"It's not a big deal."
"Just let CP0 handle it."
"Right now, the most important matter is the situation in Flevance."
"We must ensure there are no mistakes."
"Otherwise, the government's credibility will be greatly undermined."
The Elder with the cane said:
"Everything is already in place. The lockdown has begun."
"By then, the world will only know that the globally renowned 'White Town'—Flevance—"
"Was destroyed by a horrific..."
"Plague."
...
South Blue, the Sorbet Kingdom.
Inside the royal palace, Bartholomew Kuma, who had already decided to follow Dragon, asked with some confusion:
"Launching operations across all four seas... isn't that a bit much?"
"Won't the government notice quickly?"
Wearing a cloak, Dragon replied:
"Do you know about Ohara?"
Kuma nodded:
"The official story is that they were attempting to study forbidden knowledge that could destroy the world."
Dragon looked at the map on the table and said:
"Exactly."
"But do you know how many years the government spent searching for proof that Ohara was researching forbidden knowledge?"
"They searched for decades, even centuries."
"Countless historians were arrested just for possible connections to Ohara."
"To justify destroying them."
"They clearly could've just wiped them out directly, but instead they insisted on finding proof. Do you know why?"
Kuma paused. He was stumped and shook his head.
Dragon smiled:
"Because they're too arrogant."
"So arrogant that they no longer see themselves as human—but as gods."
"And gods, to show how different they are from mortals, display unusual 'mercy.'"
"They need proof, so that you 'die convinced.'"
"That's also why I chose to secretly develop operations in non-member nations across the four seas."
"As long as it doesn't involve member nations, they won't interfere."
"They place themselves on a pedestal."
"Constantly maintaining the pride and authority of the government."
"I don't know exactly what cards they're hiding."
"But—"
"When the whole world is ablaze, no one can resist. Not even gods."
"Even gods can't stand against the will of the world."
Kuma murmured in deep thought:
"So that's it..."
"But targeting the whole world... that's a bit much..."
He thought Dragon was overly confident. After all, it was the entire world...
Dragon chuckled softly, reached into his cloak, and took out a book, handing it to Kuma.
Kuma received it, puzzled, and looked at the cover:
"Oppression and Resistance..."
As Kuma flipped through the pages, Dragon said:
"I used to be lost too."
"But after reading this book, everything became clear."
"The wisdom of our predecessors is boundless."
"They've shown us a path, and revealed the foundation of this world."
"The government's greatest mistake was underestimating that terrifying man—Roger."
"He dug out the government's roots, and they remain unaware."
"What we need to do is throw more fuel on the fire—to speed up the collapse."
Dragon quietly watched Kuma as he read.
Half a day passed in a flash.
Only when he reached the final page did Kuma snap back to reality and close the book, exclaiming:
"So this is where the word 'revolution' comes from..."
"So... what they overlooked was productivity?"
Dragon nodded:
"Exactly. They don't realize that this world is already falling behind."
"The Calm Belt and Reverse Mountain, along with the distance between islands, and the Sea Kings, pirates... all of it—"
"Have nearly brought global interaction to a standstill."
"Apart from some development on the Grand Line, the people of the four seas... they're the same now as they were 800 years ago."
"In the kingdoms of the four seas, the majority are still farmers."
"And the nobles are still the same ones. Add 800 years of accumulated exploitation—"
"The oppression is only getting worse."
"Perhaps it didn't matter before, because countless young people replaced the old farmers and became the new oppressed."
"But after Roger ushered in the Great Pirate Era, everything changed."
"Because of oppression, young people unwilling to live ordinary lives left their homes in the four seas to chase after the Grand Line."
"Wave after wave... in less than ten years, this generation will all be gone."
Kuma said:
"When all the young people are gone, and the unbearable burden of oppression falls on the elderly and children..."
"There will be no way to survive. And when there's no way to survive... they will rebel."
As a king himself, Kuma could easily foresee what would happen—and it sent a chill down his spine.
Dragon's form slowly faded into the breeze:
"Rebel?"
"No."
"A revolution."
Whoosh—
A gust of wind blew through, and Dragon vanished without a trace.
Kuma looked toward the doorway and revealed a faint smile.
The Queen Dowager of the Sorbet Kingdom, Conney, now with a few strands of white hair, walked in holding a baby dressed in pink.
Kuma quickly stepped forward and took the baby:
"You didn't need to carry her yourself, Mother."
Queen Dowager Conney smiled:
"This little one is shy—she won't let anyone else hold her."
"This little rascal is all yours now."
"I'm going to rest up. I'm exhausted."
But her beaming face showed no sign of fatigue.
Kuma nodded:
"Take care."
Queen Dowager Conney smiled and waved as she left.
Kuma looked down at the pink-haired baby in his arms and smiled with great tenderness.
He reached out his finger to touch her tiny hand:
"Bonney~"
The little girl named Bonney giggled and pointed at Kuma's bear-ear hat:
"~"
...
Navy Headquarters, Marineford.
Another day of routine alarms...
BZZZ—MMM—BZZZ—
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office.
Having just set down an urgent document—
Fleet Admiral Kong sat in the main seat, massaging his temples in frustration:
"Damn it, there's never a moment's peace."
"Tsuru, what do you think?"
As the chief strategist of HQ, Vice Admiral Tsuru frowned deeply:
"It's hard to say."
"This time, both Knock and Charlotte Linlin have mobilized nearly half their forces."
"The only two Emperors left in the New World at the moment."
"Such large-scale mobilization of troops..."
"This is..."
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