Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 265 I'm still young, so it's not impossible for me to go down the same old path again!

Bane originally intended to loot Egherd, but Dragon said that everything that could be moved from Egherd had already been taken away by their revolutionary army.

Apart from a few pacifists who stayed on the island with Dragon, there was nothing else left.

Upon realizing there was little to gain, Bane set the entire Egherd ablaze and then prepared to flee.

"Your Revolutionary Army has really struck it rich this time," Bane said to Dragon in the ship's cabin.

Eghead is a cutting-edge research base built with countless Berry investments from the world's major governments. The buildings on the island are the least valuable; the research equipment is the most valuable.

Now, all those scientific research equipment, as well as a large amount of research funds, materials, and other miscellaneous items stored in Eghad by the World Government, except for a very few that cannot be moved, have been packed up and taken away by the Revolutionary Army.

Fortunately, Bane wasn't too concerned about this matter. He had plenty of funds; on the contrary, he couldn't possibly spend them all. He was afraid that if he spent too much at once, he would disrupt the financial market.

As for research equipment, Dr. Genos didn't care at all; Melvure had his own, which was far superior to Eghead's.

"I'm used to living a hard life, and it's not easy to finally get a little bit of oil and fat," Dorrag said modestly, waving his hand.

"You don't need to pretend like that. I'm not interested in those devices, instruments, or data, and I don't care about funding. Where is Dr. Vegapunk?" Bane asked.

"Judging by the time, they might have already arrived at our Revolutionary Army headquarters, right?" Dragon didn't hide anything and said after thinking for a moment.

Hearing this, Bane grinned and said, "Dr. Vegapunk is a close friend of Dr. Genus in Melvure. I came to Eghead this time at the request of Dr. Genus to rescue him. Now that you've sent Dr. Vegapunk away, it will be difficult for me to explain to Dr. Genus when I get back."

Dragon looked at Bane in silence for a moment, then said, "Dr. Vegapunk and I have been friends for many years."

"Your revolutionary army simply can't afford to support him, can you? Scientific research is very expensive. Although I don't know much about it either, I at least understand that it's a process of trial and error, and every mistake will come at a heavy price. I'm afraid your revolutionary army doesn't have the foundation to bear those costs," Bane said softly.

"We really couldn't afford it before, but we've made a fortune thanks to Eghard, haven't we? I can't say for sure about other things, but we can still take care of Dr. Vegapunk for the time being," Dragon said, his tone neither too firm nor too soft.

After saying this, the two fell silent, looking at each other without speaking.

However, just as Bane's gaze became increasingly dangerous, Dragon raised his hand and said, "Alright, alright, I really can't refuse you. To be honest, Dr. Vegapunk also plans to go to Melvure to join you. As you said, our Revolutionary Army really can't afford to support him. Although we've been friends for many years, that guy is always a snob. Back when he hadn't joined the World Government, I invited him, but obviously, it failed."

Before Bane could speak, Dragon continued, "However, our Revolutionary Army is very interested in information related to the Void Century. Dr. Vegapunk is also willing to help us understand this. His trip to Baldigo is to help us organize the information our Revolutionary Army has acquired over the years on this topic. After these matters are settled, I will send him to your Melvure."

There's no need to worry about Dorrag deceiving you here; there's no need, especially given the high probability of future cooperation between the two sides.

Therefore, the hostility and danger in Bane's eyes quickly dissipated, and a smile appeared on his face as he said, "I see. Then I'm relieved. As for that hundred-year history, we're not really interested. Whether it's being a person or doing things, I firmly believe that we must look forward to go further. Being constantly entangled by the past is not a good thing."

Dragon didn't bother arguing with Bane about these grand principles. Instead, he said in a serious tone, "Perhaps you don't care much about these things, but there's something I must solemnly tell you. According to Dr. Vegapunk's research, a catastrophe that will sweep across the entire world will occur within the next few years. It's not..."

But before Dragon could finish speaking, Bane waved his hand and said, "If you're trying to say that sea levels are rising and the ocean will swallow everything, then we already know that. Otherwise, why would we have set up our headquarters in Melvure?"

Dragon was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him with a hint of realization and said, "I see."

But soon he asked again, "Even so, it can't solve this catastrophe; at best, it can only be considered self-preservation."

"In the face of such a world-destroying crisis, being able to protect ourselves is already quite good. We in Melvure are also carrying out the 'Sky Tree' project. When you visit this time, you will be able to learn about the project. It can be considered as making some contribution to dealing with this crisis. Or do you have a better solution?" Bane raised an eyebrow and asked.

"It's not exactly a better solution," Dragon shook his head, then said, "The ancients predicted this situation, so I wondered if there might be some solution hidden in history. That's one of the reasons I needed Dr. Vegapunk to help us organize those materials. Secondly, compared to Melvure, the Red Line is obviously much larger. While it might not be able to save everyone in the world from this disaster, it's enough to support a huge population. But unfortunately, the Red Line is considered a forbidden zone by the world's ruling government, which doesn't allow anyone else to live there, and even exterminated all the original inhabitants for this reason."

"Is this your reason for attacking Mary Geoise?" Bane asked, slightly curious.

"No, of course not, or rather, not entirely. After all, I only recently learned about this world-ending disaster. Before, I was just like you, simply unable to stand them," Dragon said, shaking his head.

Hearing this, Bane didn't say anything.

Dragon quickly continued, "As a Marine Admiral, you should know that the World Government controls a path to heaven on Mary Geoise, which I think is also an effective way to deal with this crisis."

"You mean the summit of the Western Paradise?" Bane asked, suddenly realizing the answer.

"Yes, it's a route fraught with danger, but it's an effective way to reach the Sky Islands. The sea level is rising, threatening to submerge islands and other marine life, but the Sky Islands are completely unaffected by this crisis. Compared to the Red Line, Melvure, and other places, the Sky Islands obviously have a much larger living space. If we can conquer Mary Geoise and seize this route, then we can maximize our chances of saving ordinary people on the sea, right?" Dragon said with some excitement.

Bane could tell that he meant what he said.

Dragon is a difficult character to judge. He has many flaws. You could say he's stupid, having led the revolutionary army for so many years without making any significant progress, and you don't know what he's been doing. You could also say he's incompetent, failing to effectively counter the transformation of his comrades into war machines.

However, it cannot be denied that Dragon's heart is pure; he values ​​the ordinary people at sea more than himself.

Indeed, they are constantly exploring and searching for a new path that can truly make people in this world human.

Standing on the shoulders of giants and having experienced the information explosion, Bane can naturally arrogantly point out all the faults and shortcomings of Dragon and the Revolutionary Army.

But if we put ourselves in their shoes, in such a corrupt and decadent world, in a sea that has been suppressed and dominated by the world's government for over eight hundred years, under such circumstances, Dragon has no ideas or experiences to draw upon. It is already quite remarkable that they have come this far by feeling their way across the river step by step.

These processes undoubtedly tempered his inner self, making him more determined to move forward.

Bane felt he had no right to lecture such a person.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

It is impossible to shake Dragon's will, otherwise all the trials and tribulations he has gone through over the past few decades would be nothing but a joke.

"You're right, that's indeed a good idea," Bane said after thinking for a while.

"Many years ago, Dr. Vegapunk was researching technologies such as island cloud manufacturing, which are now mature. So even if there isn't enough living space on the sky islands, as long as we hurry, we can create more suitable environments. Therefore, in my opinion, attacking the World Government and destroying Mary Geoise is something that should not be delayed, the sooner the better. This is one of the reasons why our Revolutionary Army, even though we don't yet have the strength to overthrow the World Government head-on, still declared war at this year's World Conference. I originally thought this path was destined to be difficult, but I didn't expect to meet you in Eghardt." Dragon's smile brightened considerably as he said this.

"If your new navy could cooperate with our Revolutionary Army, it would undoubtedly be a great choice for both of us, and it would also speed up the conquest of Mary Geoise, wouldn't it?" Dragon said excitedly.

He thought he was destined to be alone and helpless on this path, but when he turned around, he found a huge force hidden in the dark that was exactly in sync with them. How could Dragon not be happy?

"You make it sound so easy," Bane rolled his eyes at Dragon. "But our goals are different, you should understand that, right?"

"I know. Although this is only our second official meeting, I can sense that you are an ambitious person. You don't represent justice; you just chose justice because it can help you," Dragon said without hesitation.

After a slight pause, he looked at Bane and asked, "So, what do you want?"

"I want to stand at the top of that world and become its king," Bane said with a grin.

Then, he looked at Dragon and asked, "And you? What do you want?"

"I want to change the world!" Dragon said quite frankly. "I don't know how far I can go. Over the years, I've studied many ideas, systems, and even philosophies, fantasizing about using these thoughts to change the future of the world. But ultimately, I can't see whether these things will make the world better or worse. But anyway, I want to make a change."

"Because you can't imagine a world any worse than it is now?" Bane chuckled, teasingly.

"Call me unimaginative or naive, but I really think that the world is already so bad that there's not much room for it to get any worse, right? Perhaps even the slightest change could make the world a better place, and that's what has kept me going all these years," Dragon smiled and nodded.

"So, even if I become the king at the top, it doesn't actually conflict with your ideal of changing the world?" Bane asked.

"As you said, there is no conflict," Dragon replied earnestly.

If the world can become a better place by changing its king, then why not?

"What if you eventually find that the world doesn't get better, but actually gets worse?" Bane pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked in a teasing tone.

Dragon was also taken aback for a moment, then laughed heartily and said, "I am still young, and the Revolutionary Army has successors. It is not impossible to follow the old path again."

"Hahahaha, that's spirited, I love it!" Bane laughed loudly upon hearing this.

(End of this chapter)