Dragon had always been very clear that the development of his organization was hampered by two major obstacles, and until he could overcome them, he would feel stifled and constrained.
The first obstacle was the issue of public perception, or image.
Dragon was now infamous as the 'World's Worst Criminal,' so it was easy to imagine the public opinion and image surrounding those who sought revolution. He could never solve this problem because the general narrative was controlled by Mariejois, the Grand Nobles, and the officials. The interwoven interests were too severe for him to change much.
For example, the World Economy News Paper had become the world's largest newspaper, and Morgans was one of the most influential people in the world. But could he afford to provoke Mariejois or the Gorosei? Obviously not. At most, he would only dare to contradict the Gorosei on some less serious issues to elevate his own prestige. If he dared to whitewash Dragon's organization in the World Economy News Paper now, the paper would collapse within a year, and the Gorosei would certainly cultivate a replacement newspaper. All the Grand Nobles and royal families worldwide who opposed Dragon would try everything to destroy 'Big News' Morgans.
Therefore, in terms of image and public opinion, Dragon had always been at a disadvantage, constantly maligned. Most people had never met him or interacted with his organization, so their main source of information was the papers and news. When the papers branded Dragon a criminal and an evildoer who murdered countless people, it inevitably had a huge impact on him and his organization.
Meeting people and merely introducing themselves often led to a first impression of 'the World's Worst Criminal'—a heinous killer, evil to the core.
Who would dare get involved with him? Were they tired of living, so they wanted to engage in a suicidal business?
This was the image problem faced by Dragon's people, and it remained unresolved. They could only achieve a decent reputation in areas where they had performed actual deeds.
The second obstacle was the issue of funding.
To this day, their organization operated in the shadows. Even Dragon's friend, Koshiro, had to secretly arrange food supplies for them. It was evident that Dragon lacked any formal, legitimate channels for making money.
The strategy his organization had pursued all along could essentially be summarized as 'crush the nobles and redistribute the wealth.' They would ruthlessly target nobles, seize their wealth, share it with the local populace, and simultaneously build up their own organization. At most, they might run some shady side businesses in the underworld, and that was it.
For many years, Dragon had been struggling in this mire but couldn't pull himself out. He knew very well that relying on this method of 'crush the nobles and redistribute the wealth' might solve immediate needs, but it was impossible to consistently and stably supply the organization with resources and foster long-term vitality.
He had considered many solutions, but ultimately, none were effective or practical. He knew that a person with his image could not run legitimate businesses, so to make money, he needed to cultivate a competent 'white glove'—a proxy to operate openly on his behalf.
This idea was similar to Diarmuid's approach. Since Marine regulations prohibited large-scale commercial activities, Diarmuid secretly set up the Calm Belt project. Afterward, he began arranging 'black gloves' for the Marines, as the Marines were already the 'white' power.
Now, the Calm Belt project was essentially run by Boa Hancock of Amazon Lily and Smoker. Momonga at G-7 merely stood as the Marine's oversight force. Hancock handled internal development, and Smoker managed external sales, making for a smooth partnership. Jinbe was also doing similar work deep underwater.
The surface identities of these people were pirates, so they weren't violating Marine regulations. Yet, in reality, they were all Diarmuid's people, all part of the Marines. This was the importance of using a shell identity.
Dragon naturally understood this; he also wanted a shell, but he couldn't find one. His reputation was like that of a rat in the street. Who would dare cooperate with him? That would be a deal that risked the lives of their entire family.
This was the importance of status and image. Look at Diarmuid, an Admiral—his foundation was solid. Now look at Dragon, the 'World's Worst Criminal'—he sounded like someone who would be taken down sooner or later. No one wanted to get unnecessarily entangled with him.
Dragon had consistently failed to find a suitable partner like the ones Diarmuid had in Jinbe, Smoker, or Hancock. Of course, he didn't know these people were Diarmuid's partners; he only knew that Queen Stussy was...
But now, looking at Outlook Sabo, he felt a flicker of excitement.
Heroes like Dragon never lacked wisdom, and there were plenty of intelligent people in this era. He wasn't the only one, like Crocodile or Doflamingo, who would think about usurping a nation.
Now, looking at Sabo, Dragon felt he was looking at a king, a king who shared his ideals. He even felt a hidden regret that he hadn't fully 'recruited' Bartholomew Kuma earlier. If he hadn't, maybe he could have established a base in the South Blue now; the Sorbet Kingdom was also quite suitable. He could only say that he hadn't thought that far ahead initially; Dragon had been crossing the river by feeling the stones all along.
Now, the emergence of the young Sabo showed Dragon a new path. Before this, Dragon had been focused on the 'general public' route, or more broadly, the 'bottom-up' approach. He didn't intend to abandon this route, as it was one of the fundamental reasons their organization had survived until now; every CP attempt to eradicate them failed to wipe them out completely—they always regenerated, like grass in the spring wind.
However, Dragon was also preparing to establish a new route, one he intended to start with Sabo.
"Are you truly certain you want to join us?" Dragon asked, taking a deep breath and his tone very serious.
Sabo immediately nodded. "Of course, Dragon-san."
"Very well. I will accept you as my disciple. Once I have thoroughly investigated your background and confirmed that you pose no problems, I will approve your membership," Dragon said with a smile.
In truth, he basically believed Sabo already. After all, the boy had offered the life of a World Noble as a pledge of allegiance. How could he not believe him?
As for whether Sabo would dare to lie about this? It was unlikely. Even if it was a lie, it was still leverage. Given Dragon's identity, if he simply spread the word that the Outlook family conspired with him to murder a World Noble, regardless of whether others believed it, the CP organizations would definitely have to wipe out the entire Outlook family to salvage their reputation. Therefore, Dragon only needed to confirm if Sabo was indeed a member of the Outlook family. That would be simple.
"Dragon-san, after I join your side, can I travel the world with you?" Sabo's eyes shone brightly.
Dragon smiled and shook his head. "No. After you join us, you need to go back to the Goa Kingdom..."
Sabo: ???
I ran away because I couldn't stand that place, and I joined your side.And now you want me to go back?
"Why?" Sabo asked, clearly reluctant.
"Because only there can you better utilize your talents, better contribute our strength, and change this world!" Dragon said earnestly.
Children are easily swayed by grand ideals, and the concept of 'changing the world' was very appealing to Sabo. Dragon, being adept at ideological persuasion, immediately began filling Sabo's head with these lofty concepts. Sabo was no match for Dragon and was quickly won over.
"Once you return to the Goa Kingdom, we will find a way to make your Outlook family the royal family..." Dragon said solemnly.
Sabo wasn't stupid. His father was still alive. Even if the Outlook family became the royal family of the Goa Kingdom, it wouldn't be his turn to give orders. In reality, Sabo's biological father died around the year 1520 of the Sea Calendar. At that time, Sabo was already working under Dragon, and his family presumed him dead. Consequently, the throne of the Goa Kingdom was inherited by Sabo's adopted brother.
Dragon was a ruthless man, so he naturally wouldn't wait until 1520 to start plotting in the Goa Kingdom. However, he couldn't simply kill Sabo's father for the sake of Sabo's feelings. But this matter could still be arranged, as Sabo killing the World Noble was Dragon's vital bargaining chip to control the Outlook family.
When Sabo raised his concerns and told Dragon that his father was a typical, heartless Grand Noble, Dragon simply told Sabo that he would resolve it.
When the time was right, and the Outlook family naturally ascended to the throne, that would be Dragon's moment to reveal himself. At that point, he could completely threaten the Outlook family. If you don't cooperate with me, Dragon, I will publicize the fact that Sabo killed the World Noble, and then I'll spread a conspiracy theory, claiming that the Outlook family secretly murdered the World Noble to seize the throne, framing the former king in the process.
Evidence? Evidence wasn't needed. When it involved the life of a World Noble, who needed evidence? As long as the logic held up, it was enough. At that point, the Outlook family would inevitably face utter annihilation. Conversely, if they cooperated with Dragon, his organization could fully support the Outlook family and help them stabilize the situation in the Goa Kingdom.
With the Goa Kingdom as an official, legitimate front, Dragon could start operating many things that his current identity prohibited, solving his funding problem. He even felt it would be best to support the Goa Kingdom in becoming the most powerful nation in the East Blue, and then gradually use the Goa Kingdom's influence to infiltrate the other countries in the East Blue.
In a brief moment, he seemed to have planned everything: he was going to play a major game in the East Blue, grasping the common people with one hand and the nation's nobles with the other. This had great potential!
Diarmuid had no idea that a single flap of his butterfly wings had caused Sabo to join Dragon in an entirely new capacity. And from this moment on, Dragon's trajectory of development changed.
Whether Dragon and his group would succeed and what they would develop into now was truly hard to say! The revolutionary organization led by Dragon entered a brand new turning point at the end of the year 1512 of the Sea Calendar.
And all of this was currently unknown to anyone else.
After sending Sabo off to rest, Dragon pondered for a long time, then picked up the Den Den Mushi and contacted Moria.
"Boss Dragon?" Moria sounded very surprised on the other end, as Dragon rarely contacted him first.
"Moria, what is the situation in Alabasta?" Dragon asked.
"It's still the same, half-dead. Crocodile probably thinks his influence isn't strong enough yet, so he hasn't done anything more drastic. Nefertari Cobra is a good man and broad-minded, but as a King, he's simply naive and foolish..." Moria spoke eloquently. It was evident that his mind and ideology had matured rapidly over the years; he would never have considered these things when he was a pirate.
After a slight pause, Moria continued, "Boss, about Kaido in the New World..."
"He won't die. You'll have your chance for revenge, don't worry," Dragon reassured him first, then asked, "What is the Nefertari family's perception of us?"