New World, Clifford Kingdom. Palace Entertainment City.
Bang!
The room door was pushed open, and Oliver, Arlan, Dimitri, and Millie strolled in, immediately taking seats on the central sofa.
"Captain, the Marine warships are right outside. Aren't you going to respond to the World Government's mandatory summons?" Oliver asked.
"What's the rush? We still have a week."
Aeridar, on the sofa, looked up and said calmly, "Besides, even if we left now, let alone the Marine warships, even our steam-powered ships would only barely make it from here to Marineford in a week. They just want to confirm when I set off."
"Heh heh~ Captain wants to wait and see the movements of the Whitebeard Pirates and the other Yonko, right?" Millie chuckled softly.
"The Marines have already publicized Fire Fist Ace's public execution. Whitebeard will absolutely never allow one of his own to die. They knew this, yet they still made this decision. A war is practically ninety percent certain to erupt," Arlan casually lit a high-grade cigarette and said coolly, "It looks like the World Government intends to seize this opportunity to suppress Whitebeard, and it's even possible they plan to dethrone him completely."
"Those guys always want to maintain the balance of the seas. If they take out Whitebeard, that balance will be lost. What exactly are they trying to do?" Oliver asked, full of confusion, knowing the World Government's usual conduct.
Dimitri glanced at Oliver and said, "The World Government and the Marines were likely forced into this."
"Forced? By whom? Who can force them?" Oliver asked, puzzled.
"Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach. The moment he delivered Fire Fist Ace alive to the World Government to secure his position as a Warlord of the Sea, it meant the World Government and the Marines were already backed into a corner, because the reason for Blackbeard's ascent is something they can't possibly conceal." Arlan explained.
To become a Warlord of the Sea, one needed not only strength but also prestige. If the World Government concealed the news of Fire Fist Ace's capture, then Blackbeard Teach could not ascend to the position. Even if he did, he would lack sufficient prestige and be ridiculed by outsiders for the World Government's lack of judgment, thus failing to deter other pirates.
But once the news of Fire Fist Ace's capture was released, a confrontation with the Whitebeard Pirates would still occur unless the World Government deliberately let Ace go. It was a no-win situation.
However, if the World Government were to release Fire Fist Ace, and that news broke, the situation would be even more serious and the fallout even more troublesome than a war with a Yonko.
"Blackbeard Teach, that guy is truly insidious!" Oliver clicked his tongue.
"If Whitebeard falls, won't a Yonko position open up." Dimitri said, his eyes fixed on Aeridar, exclaiming excitedly, "Then doesn't that mean the Captain has a chance to take that spot! In the New World right now, who is more qualified than the Captain?"
Hearing Dimitri's words, the four were briefly stunned, then immediately came to their senses and looked at Aeridar with excitement.
The position of a Yonko!
That represented the pinnacle of piracy! The true top of the world!
"Exactly! In the New World, who is more qualified than the Captain!"
"The Yonko! We've struggled for so many years, and now we're finally reaching this step!"
"The Captain will be a Yonko even younger than Shanks!"
"The future King of the Pirates must be the Captain!"
Oliver, Arlan, Dimitri, and Millie were all extremely agitated, practically wishing they could eliminate Whitebeard immediately so Aeridar could ascend to the Yonko position.
"The Yonko, huh…"
For a moment, a fiery ambition flared within Aeridar's heart too.
However, Aeridar quickly calmed himself, taking several deep breaths to suppress the internal heat.
"No. The Yonko is not my goal." Aeridar's words were like a splash of cold water, instantly sobering the four present.
"Why? It's a Yonko position!" Dimitri asked, confused.
"Captain, do you have a different plan?" Arlan raised an eyebrow, asking thoughtfully.
Hearing Arlan's question, the four looked at Aeridar with curiosity.
"What's so great about being a Yonko? What about Whitebeard? Don't forget, in this world, strength is everything," Aeridar said coolly. "What are we? Warlords of the Sea? Clifford Kingdom? Yes, all of them."
He paused, then continued, "But don't forget that we are a Neutral Zone! If we become a Yonko, placing us in direct opposition to the Marines and the World Government, can we still be a Neutral Zone?"
"That's right, if we become a Yonko, our Neutral Zone status will be invalidated." Millie nodded slightly.
"When you put it that way, a Yonko is just… well, a Yonko. They just have a bigger territory. The important thing is still one's own strength." Having spent so many years in the New World, Arlan knew that strength was paramount. No matter how great the fame, there would always be challengers. Only one's own power was the foundation, and the Yonko title was not a panacea.
"The Yonko title has its pros and cons, and not having the title doesn't really result in any loss," Oliver considered carefully, realizing the position of a Yonko was nothing extraordinary.
The Yonko rule the New World, with most of their wealth coming from protection money paid by various nations, towns, and factions. They do not have a robust, developed industrial system of their own.
For example, two years later, Eustass Kid destroying two of the Big Mom Pirates' ships resulted in huge losses for the Big Mom Pirates, and Baron Tamago even suggested to Charlotte Linlin that they use the three great treasures given by Luffy to make up for the losses. This shows that the Yonko are not necessarily affluent.
Aeridar, however, was different. He ruled a powerful kingdom, had the kingdom's various tax revenues, and earned massive wealth from the Palace Entertainment City and the sale of arms, illegal drugs, and other important goods. Coupled with the Clifford Kingdom's unique tourism resources and the security provided by its Neutral Zone status, the resulting flow of people generated untold wealth.
With the status of a Neutral Zone, Aeridar could slowly expand his influence without needing to become a Yonko to rapidly accelerate it.
Becoming a Yonko would only drag him into a quagmire of conflicts with all sides, which would be detrimental to the development of the Clifford Kingdom and the Chris Pirates.
In any case, Aeridar did not fear whoever became a Yonko. With immense wealth and formidable strength, he could stand up to the Yonko, and if it came down to a war of attrition, he could even wear one down.
If that was the case, was there any need to fight for the position of a Yonko? It was nothing more than a slightly louder title.
Accumulate provisions widely, claim kingship slowly.
That was Aeridar's true goal.
"...The Yonko are nothing special. Our goal is to make the New World a place of 'Ironclad Neutrality, with a revolving door of Yonko!'" Aeridar let out a vicious laugh, his ambition clear. "The World Government? The Marines? The Yonko? We… are going to establish our transcendent status! We are going to rise above the world!"