Lorca turned around and grabbed the backpack on the table. He then rummaged through it briefly and pulled out a newspaper from a few days ago, handing it to Robin.
"Look at the bottom of page three, those two news reports."
She took it and studied the articles closely. They weren't long.
One reported that a kingdom on the Grand Line called Kotaga had been overthrown by tens of thousands of laborers. A new king had been elected, and a series of progressive policies were implemented.
The one who had orchestrated the overthrow, according to the government's investigation, called himself Dragon. He was identified as the leader of a group known as the Revolutionary Army. Their ideology was centered on liberation and freedom.
At the end of the article, the government announced a bounty on Dragon, showing an image of a cloaked figure's back, labeling him as extremely dangerous.
Since Kotaga was not a World Government member nation, the matter wasn't pursued deeply. The bounty was more of a gesture, a warning against such dangerous ideas.
Robin finished reading and handed the paper back to Lorca.
"Any thoughts?" he asked with a smile.
She hesitated for a moment, then replied, "To topple a kingdom so easily shows how dangerous his ideas are, but…" She paused before continuing. "That's all there is to it. If he wants to overthrow the world, against a government with such overwhelming power, it feels like a joke."
Lorca snapped his fingers. "Yes. That's all it is. His so-called liberation is purely ideological. The real problem isn't solved."
Robin's eyes lit up as a thought struck her. "The king?"
"Hm, the king." Lorca agreed. "He used his ideas to overthrow one kingdom. But for that country and its people, it only means a new king and slightly better policies. The fundamental issue remains untouched. They still live the same day-to-day life. Maybe things get easier with a better king, but nothing truly changes.
"What if the next king, decades later, becomes corrupt or incompetent? The cycle repeats. What kind of liberation is that? Even if they overthrow half the world's kingdoms, as long as the government holds that overwhelming power, they can simply outlast them or…"
Lorca's tone grew heavier. "Cleanse the world."
The image painted by his words sent a chill down Robin's spine. "Cleanse the world…" she whispered.
"Terrifying, isn't it?" Lorca said. "But those people, they would really do it. So here's the core question. History can't solve it. Revolution can't solve it. What can bring down such a colossal force? The answer is one word. Technology."
Robin murmured under her breath. "Technology…"
"That's right. Technology," Lorca continued. "Just like how you couldn't imagine the strength of true monsters, you can't imagine what the government possesses. The things you can think of, they already have. The things you can't think of, they have too.
"Let me give you a simple example. Can you imagine building a ship that can fly in the sky?"
Robin's brow furrowed. "…No."
"But the government already has one." His voice dropped slightly. "And if that flying ship carries a full load of artillery? What if they have hundreds of these ships? Most countries wouldn't stand a chance. That's what technology brings.
"Because of the vast oceans, communication and progress between islands are slow. Ninety percent of the world is still stuck in an agricultural age. But some nations? They have towering steel structures, advanced medical systems, and even fusion of biology and machinery. The gap lies there.
"So, if the entire world advanced to a mechanical era, if everyone had flying ships and machines… wouldn't there be a chance to challenge the government?"
Robin said firmly, "It can be done."
Lorca smiled. "Exactly. Take the Kotaga Kingdom for example. Their economy relies on quarrying, with tens of thousands of laborers working to mine stone.
"But if someone invented a large machine that could smash rocks effortlessly, with efficiency dozens of times greater than before, wouldn't that free up a huge amount of labor and allow the nation to develop rapidly?
"As neighboring countries see the power of technology, they will start developing it too. One country influences another, and soon the entire world will begin to stir.
"The economic base determines the structure above it. That's how the world evolves. When demand can't be met, conflicts will erupt. The fastest and simplest solution will be violent seizure.
"That's when war will come. A war that will engulf the entire world and decide its future path. Even the World Government with overwhelming power will not emerge unscathed from such a global war."
Robin became excited. "Then tell them! If we spread this knowledge… then… then we could!"
But Lorca sighed and shrugged. "Do you really think the World Government is stupid? They already understand all of this. And the kings of the member nations? They are complicit in maintaining the system. No one wants to overthrow their own rule. Even if something could make the world better, they would strangle it in its infancy. So… it's just an idea, nothing more."
She clenched her fists. "Is there truly no way…?"
Lorca's expression grew thoughtful. "There is… perhaps. Take this Dragon, for instance. Ideological liberation is still a kind of liberation. Whether he topples a few countries or many, in some sense, that's already a success."
Robin suddenly asked, "What if we combined the development of technology with his ideology?"
Lorca frowned. After a short silence, he shook his head. "Impossible. If he mixed technology into his revolution, that Dragon wouldn't survive three days before the government crushed him. Ideological liberation is just surface-level, small-scale rebellion. But a technological revolution would directly hit the government's bottom line. However…"
His tone shifted slightly. "If Dragon's movement grows strong in the future, if he overthrows enough nations, then developing technology might have a chance.
"The world is only so big. When a considerable portion of it is stained with one color, the rest will begin to change as well. And a large snowball, once it starts rolling, grows very fast."
Robin nodded solemnly, committing every word to memory.
Looking at her serious expression, Lorca chuckled. "Alright, stop thinking too much. The future can wait. Besides, I'm not done living yet. Going against the government? What a joke. I'm terrified of dying."
His exaggerated tone made Robin glare at him angrily.
Noticing her pout, Lorca took out a book and gave it to her. "Here. This book was written by me. Don't let anyone else see it. You could lose your head for this. I was planning to bury it someday. But since you have that ambition, if one day you act on it… don't you dare say you know me if you're caught. I'm just a traveler searching for the truth of the world. I don't want to end up on an execution block."
Robin accepted the book and looked at the three bold characters on its cover.
Lorca's voice rang in her ear. "Only a revolution that combines industrial technology with ideology can reshape this world. That's why I named it…'The Industrial Revolution.'"
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