Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

The rat and Cleveland exchanged a glance; they hadn't really thought of that.

They only analyzed the Revolutionary Army's immense strength from intelligence reports, causing them to overlook its actual combat capabilities.

Because of the naval reform plan led by Raleigh, most of it now involves replacing naval branch chiefs and capturing pirates.

They did not engage in combat with the revolutionary army soldiers at all.

Cleveland asked, frowning.

But that doesn't explain why the World Government would send people to capture the Revolutionary Army's commander.

Furthermore, why didn't the World Government consider severing the foundation for the Revolutionary Army's development?

There's no reason why a world government that has controlled the world for eight hundred years wouldn't see something that we can all see.

Raleigh chuckled, then said in a teasing tone;

"It's not that there aren't smart people in the World Government, it's just that they see the problems but don't dare to bring them up."

"Since you've brought up this question, let me ask you: what is the foundation upon which the revolutionary army developed?"

Cleveland thought for a moment and then said...

It's probably because the nobles of the World Government's member states are too corrupt, and their taxes are too high, making it impossible for the people to survive. To survive, they have no choice but to join the Revolutionary Army for any hope.

Raleigh snapped his fingers and then said, "That's right, that's where the problem lies."

Everyone knows that to become a member state of the World Government, one needs to pay the World Government a large amount of celestial gold, and the source of this celestial gold is a country's tax revenue.

Therefore, in order to maintain the stability of their regimes, the kings and nobles of the member states of the World Government have no choice but to continuously exploit the people to obtain ample heavenly gold.

But have you considered that the world government can't possibly give up this heavenly gold?

"If someone within the World Government were to actually propose reforming the Celestial Gifts system, the first to die wouldn't be the Revolutionary Army, but rather the person who proposed it."

The World Government has stood in this world for eight hundred years, and I do not believe that no force has ever tried to challenge its authority.

"I won't go into things that are too far removed from the past, but didn't the Rocks Pirates only start targeting the World Government because their ambitions grew after they became the rulers of the New World? In the end, they were nothing more than wiped out."

Raleigh sighed and said:

In the eyes of the true rulers of the World Government, the Revolutionary Army, apart from its rapid expansion, is nothing more than a small-scale operation.

"You must understand that in this world, what truly determines victory is not the general public, but the top experts."

No matter how many ordinary people there are, they are nothing more than cannon fodder, countless to be killed or wounded by a single blow from a powerful being.

After hearing this, both the rat and Cleveland fell silent.

There's no way to refute it.

No matter how many ordinary people there are, they are useless against top-tier experts.

Even if they all control the artillery, they still have no way to harm the top experts!

Once Conqueror's Haki is activated, it can instantly knock out a large number of ordinary people.

For Logia-type Devil Fruit users like Raleigh and Sakazuki, if they were to unleash their full power, one of them could potentially wipe out a large kingdom.

This world is cruel; the opinions of ordinary people are like the buzzing of a mosquito to the powerful, and are not worth paying attention to.

"The only strong member of the Revolutionary Army who can stand on the table right now is Dragon. How can he fight against the two major military organizations, the Navy and the World Government, all by himself?"

"The Navy alone has six admiral-level powerhouses, and the World Government has at least three, not to mention the World Government's ultimate weapon—Uranus."

"That's what Raleigh said calmly."

The mouse lowered its head and said with a wry smile:

"So, does that mean no matter which path Dragon takes, he won't be able to fight against the World Government?"

Cleveland conducted simulations on the sand table, but no matter how he simulated them, he could not see any hope of victory for the revolutionary army.

He turned to Raleigh and asked:

"What should the revolutionary army's path be from now on?"

Raleigh gave a cruel smile and said:

"cannon fodder."

The only reason the Revolutionary Army exists is to serve as a smokescreen for the new naval plan. The higher the Revolutionary Army's status is in the eyes of the World Government, the less likely they will notice our plans.

A person's energy and time are limited. If you dump too many unimportant things on a person, that person will be distracted by a lot of trivial matters. Isn't that how we are dealing with the Warring States period's Grand Master?

In the dimly lit cave, Raleigh's terrifying voice echoed.

Sengoku would never have imagined that his routine job was actually meticulously planned. The reason why the battles between the Navy and pirates are so frequent now, and why Sengoku has to sign so many documents, is all because of the plan designed by Raleigh based on Roger's dying words.

Roger's wish was to usher in the Age of Exploration, because only by starting the Age of Exploration could this sea become a hotbed of chaos.

Only by causing chaos will Joy Boy, the man of destiny, arrive.

A large number of strong men went out to become pirates, and the heavy burden of the heavenly gold fell on the children, the elderly, the sick and disabled, and a small number of men left behind in their hometowns.

Such soil is the most suitable breeding ground for the development of the revolutionary army.

According to the prophecy Roger saw, only by uniting the Revolutionary Army, the pirates, and the Navy could they possibly overthrow the World Government's rule.

However, Raleigh's ideas were quite different. He didn't like to follow the predetermined plot. Since he had already come to this world, he had to make a name for himself in this world.

Being a naval admiral is not his final goal, nor is being a naval admiral.

His true goal is to unite people all over the world, so that they will no longer kneel down and can truly stand up and be masters of their own destiny.

The mouse suddenly interjected!

"Would things have turned out better if the dragon had followed the forged historical text we sent out?"

Raleigh scratched his head and didn't say anything.

He had previously sent out the historical text about the Industrial Revolution, but for the same reason.

Even if the revolutionary army launched an industrialization movement and freed up a large labor force, it would at most provide fresh blood for the growth of the revolutionary army.

It is clearly impossible to overthrow the world government based on this alone.

"Alright, let's leave the discussion about the Revolutionary Army here. Let's talk about our current internal problems."

Raleigh changed the subject.

Actually, his most important thing is to understand how his plan is progressing.

The mouse and Cleveland nodded, and the mouse spoke;

In recent years, our people have gradually begun to take over the positions of branch leaders in the Four Seas branch, but just as you said, corruption has emerged within our ranks.

Many people, once they reach the position of branch secretary, begin to follow the same path of corruption as their predecessors.

"What they don't know is that we secretly send people to evaluate them every six months. Regardless of the evaluation results, they are all compiled and appear on our desks in the end."

Raleigh didn't seem to be angry.

He had already anticipated that not everyone would uphold their belief in justice.

Many people become corrupt little by little. Even among the naval branch chiefs that Raleigh and his men replaced, many had earned their high positions and riches through bloodshed and sweat for the cause of justice.

Time is a terrible weapon; it can change a person's perception without them even realizing it.

"Rayle sighed."

Sometimes he also thought, 1

What would happen if we didn't care about the world?

With his strength, he could live freely in this world without having to depend on anyone.

Even the Celestial Dragons couldn't affect Raleigh.

However, such ideas are often rejected by Raleigh after only a short time.

What he truly needs is not a noble status or powerful strength, but rather to have no one standing above him.

The Celestial Dragons treat all races as slaves; only they are the noble gods.

Raleigh, however, felt a strong aversion to such beings.

The absence of Celestial Dragons is really important to Raleigh. "I wonder if the Dragons have the same courage to make a tough decision like us."

After all, they were all trusted confidants who had followed him for many years, and many of them had been steadfastly by Long's side since the very beginning of the Self-Defense Army.

Raleigh said regretfully that an organization that had only been established for a few years had grown up on a vague dream and without any strict rules, and had expanded to become the largest force in the world in terms of the number of people.

Raleigh couldn't even imagine how many corrupt people could be in such an organization.

The mouse and Cleveland's lips twitched, and after a long while, they finally uttered two words:

"Really?"

The North Sea, one of the four seas, is the northernmost country.

We have a special guest today.

A naval warship bearing a dog's head emblem stopped at a port in the far north.

To the surprise of the people in the port, the soldiers on the ship did not disembark; instead, only one man who looked very strong stepped off.

He wasn't wearing his naval uniform; instead, he changed into a brightly colored shirt and walked into the harbor as if no one else was there.

In the port of the far north, there are many Revolutionary Army soldiers and spies who report everything in the port to the Revolutionary Army headquarters. After confirming Garp's identity, they immediately dialed the Den Den Mushi to contact the Revolutionary Army headquarters.

"This is a port patrol team from the Far North. We have discovered Vice Admiral Garp's warship, and someone has disembarked. We have confirmed that the target is Vice Admiral Garp."

After the messenger cautiously informed the Revolutionary Army headquarters, a square-faced man appeared before him.

A gift!

A sharp dagger swiftly pierced Garp's chest.

Ding!

Garp easily deflected the intelligence officer's attack with just two fingers, looking at him innocently and saying:

"Why did you attack me? I came to see your leader."

Garp had a completely matter-of-fact expression on his face.

Unfortunately, not everyone knows that Dragon is Garp's son.

Long has never revealed anything to the outside world.

"Don't even think about getting the location of the Revolutionary Army headquarters out of me. I'll fight you to the death."

Upon seeing the Revolutionary Army soldier with his dagger bound, he immediately dropped his weapon and threw a punch at Garp's face.

Bang! A huge bump appeared on the head of the Revolutionary Army soldier, and he was knocked unconscious by Garp's iron fist.

Garp took the Den Den Mushi he had just used to make the call from his pocket and then dialed the number.

"Hey, this is Vice Admiral Garp. I need to see your leader, Dragon. Please pass this message on to him."

Garp said nonchalantly, not afraid at all that his words would get out, nor that the dragon would even see him.

The revolutionary army's intelligence agents were startled, and then immediately took the information to Dragon's office.

After the dragon read it carefully, he gave the instructions;

"Since it's Vice Admiral Garp of the Navy who's come and wants to see me, then I'll go see him. Not going would make us Revolutionary Army look like cowards."

The guard in charge of the dragon's safety immediately retorted:

"Chief, aren't you worried this is a trap?"

The dragon showed no sign of worry and spoke directly:

If it were Fleet Admiral Sengoku inviting me to meet, I would be extremely worried, but it was Garp who came.

As far as I know, Lieutenant General Garp has always been a man of his word.

"Besides, this is our Revolutionary Army's headquarters, not Marineford of the Navy. Even Vice Admiral Garp isn't afraid of being detained by us, so why should we be afraid of him?"

Dragon didn't want the Revolutionary Army to know about his relationship with Garp, so he decided to meet Garp elsewhere in the Revolutionary Army.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

That's Luffy.

He needs to entrust Luffy to Garp's care because Dragon's affairs are becoming increasingly prominent and attracting more and more attention from the World Government.

The Far North has become unsafe, and if necessary, Dragon must evacuate from the Far North at any time and head to one of his other bases, a small secret base of the Revolutionary Army.

Because Dragon was going to meet Garp here, the Revolutionary Army cleared out everything and everyone in the secret base beforehand.

When Garp stepped into this secret little base, there was only Dragon and a child in his arms.

All the recording Den Den Mushi were also taken away.

Garp sat on the cold stool, looking at the dragon in front of him who had clearly matured considerably, and said:

"Long, you've changed. You're much more mature and composed now than before."

Sengoku told me that the Revolutionary Army has been targeted by the World Government, and I came here hoping you would abandon the Revolutionary Army.

Having served in the Navy, you naturally know the number of powerful individuals within it. Do you think the Revolutionary Army has the strength to contend with the Navy?

Dragon stared at the sleeping baby in his arms, then looked up at Garp:

"Father, I have seen the truth of this world."

"The Navy cannot fulfill my ideals. After all these years in the Navy, you should understand all of this. The Navy is not a messenger of justice; they are merely carrying out the orders of the World Government."

The Revolutionary Army is no match for the World Government, but if no one steps forward to do so, the world will never achieve true peace.

Garp's expression turned unusually serious:

"Dragon, is this your idea? Are you sure you've thought it through?"

Dragon handed the baby in his arms to Garp across from him, and said to Garp, who looked on with confusion:

"Father, now that you're here, I'm entrusting Luffy to you."

"In the days to come, I can't even guarantee my own safety, but Luffy can."

Seeing Garp's still puzzled look, Dragon spoke again:

"Because Luffy is my son!"

Garp held Luffy, his eyes wide open, staring blankly at the sleeping baby in his arms. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.