Late at night, Jake first took out the white Den Den Mushi to prevent anyone from eavesdropping on the call, then dialed Smoker's Den Den Mushi.
"Tomorrow afternoon, have all the Marines ambushed stationed in the city and the abandoned area prepare to close the net. I'll inform you of the pirate crew's location the next day. Those guys aren't too strong, but don't act recklessly—their strengths are still unclear to us. Before the battle, I need to weaken them further."
The Den Den Mushi puffed on a cigarette, sounding puzzled.
"Further weaken them? What do you mean?"
Faced with Smoker's confusion, Jake explained.
"Internal strife. Tomorrow, I'll use some methods to make the pirate crew turn on each other. But that will only happen after the pirates have killed most of this country's nobles. Our job is to clean up the aftermath."
"Tomorrow, under the guise of a doctor, I'll meet the king alongside the pirates. During that time, use the identities you've constructed to lead a group of citizens in an uprising. The royal army will be killed by the pirates by then, so the uprising shouldn't be too difficult.
But be careful not to expose your identities—especially any distinctive features. It's best if your fake identities also 'die' during the uprising."
Hearing this, Smoker nodded and replied.
"There will be many participants in the uprising, especially those from the forsaken land. According to reports from other squad members, even within the city, many are deeply dissatisfied with the Celestial Tribute.
The production of Hero is also causing trouble—there are too many gangs. They'll likely help suppress the uprising since the nobles and gangs in this country are practically allies."
To Smoker's concerns, Jake responded calmly.
"Don't worry, I'll find a way to deal with the gang issues. As for the Hero production sites, you need to figure out how to completely destroy them. The massive debt problems involved are the previous government's responsibility and have little to do with the current administration, so there's no need to worry too much. The growing conditions for Hero are extremely demanding. I'll have Monet use her Devil Fruit abilities in that area to completely obliterate it."
At this moment, Hina's voice came through Smoker's Den Den Mushi, tinged with concern.
"Hina has concerns. A significant portion of this country's population is involved in Hero production, transportation, and sales. If we eliminate all Hero, can these people really survive? Some of them are civilians, even orphans. What will become of them in the end?"
Hearing this, Jake replied softly.
"The total bounties and wealth of the Black Hawk Pirates are enough to sustain this country briefly after the uprising. We've also observed the revolutionary candidate—they're a good leader. As for this country's final outcome, we can't decide that. Some people are destined to perish along with Hero, but that's inevitable. There's no bloodless revolution."
After a moment of silence, Hina asked with a trembling voice.
"Will our actions truly bring a new dawn to this country? What if after we leave, this nation becomes even darker?"
"Now is the darkest time. Even if we don't bring more change this time, we've at least given them a glimmer of hope for a fresh start. Those who've seen the light will never tolerate darkness again. Even if things revert to how they are now, another group will rise to overthrow it."
"This country's future cannot depend on Hero! As for other solutions, I've already reported to Zephyr-sensei. He told me that as long as the annual Celestial Tribute remains unchanged, the World Government won't interfere excessively. If they can pay more taxes, the World Government might even provide help."
"I've also asked Vice Admiral Borsalino for help. He discovered something on Egghead Island, besides Hero, there's another plant with high medicinal value that grows in similar conditions. Transporting it here for production would have the same effect. Zephyr-sensei said he'll handle the initial investment and seed costs!"
Hearing this, Smoker exhaled a puff of smoke and remarked slowly.
"Tch. Feels like we're still relying on others at every turn."
"That's fine. We've reached the limits of our abilities. This time, we absolutely cannot fail!"
As Jake hung up the Den Den Mushi, he let out a weary sigh.
Monet had already fallen asleep—she hadn't rested for days.
Originally, she hadn't planned to sleep today either, but Jake had forced her to get proper rest.
Too many things had been compressed into these past few days, leaving most people in a state of sleepless exhaustion.
Truth be told, even Jake didn't have absolute confidence in what they were about to do.
But he knew that relying on a poison like Hero would only cause this country to self destruct, just like those nations in his past life.
****
Early in the morning, Jake put on his mask and boarded the carriage.
After the familiar journey, he arrived once more at the small wooden house.
Boars was smiling, looking no different from the day before.
He greeted Jake with a grin.
"Doctor, you've finally come. What have you brought for me?"
To this, Jake merely responded with a cold laugh.
"Of course, I've brought you medicine for your treatment. That dose from yesterday probably didn't have much effect, did it?"
Hearing this, Boars expression changed slightly as he lowered his voice.
"How did you know?"
"You're my patient. I can tell your condition at a glance."
Upon hearing this, Boars dropped his pretense, his face showing sorrow.
"It seems there are traitors on my ship too."
"That medicine yesterday was my test. There are quite a few on your ship with treacherous intentions. If you're still the captain, kill them all! I don't want to hand over goods later only to find the captain has changed. I hate all things that change."
"You used it as a test? So you noticed something was wrong yesterday, Doctor?"
"I didn't notice, but testing never hurts. You vomited black blood yesterday, didn't you? Don't worry, that was just the effect of the medicine—it won't harm you. Today's medicine is the real deal."
With that, under Boars slightly surprised and delighted gaze, Jake injected the medicine into his body.
Along with the surge of vitality and vigor came the 'Amber lead disease'.
"Doctor, would you join my ship? The position of vice-captain could be yours."
"It seems you've made your decision, but I'm too old to board your ship."
Boars sighed, his expression darkening.
"What a pity~ It looks like my vice-captain position will remain vacant for a long time."
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