East Blue, the port of Shimotsuki Village.
Dragon stood on the harbor pier, smiling as he said, "This shipment of grain is important to us. Truly, thank you, Koushirou."
The man standing opposite him was indeed Shimotsuki Koushirou. He looked young, already wearing glasses, a warm and gentle smile on his face. Hearing Dragon's gratitude, he shook his head lightly. "You're a man with great ambitions. As your friend, this is the least I can do. The grain will be placed in the usual spot. Take it whenever you need..."
Koushirou was the major landowner of Shimotsuki Village—a fact reflected in the village's very name. And Shimotsuki Village wasn't an isolated hamlet but part of a kingdom in the East Blue. While Koushirou wasn't nobility, he was still a wealthy landowner and respected local gentry with notable influence.
There wasn't much he could help Dragon with, but quietly gathering some grain to support him was an effortless favor.
Even though Shimotsuki Village was remote, the longer Dragon remained, the greater the risk for both sides. So he didn't linger on pleasantries. After bidding farewell, he boarded his ship and departed immediately.
Before long, the vessel sailed past the horizon of Shimotsuki Village.
Inside the cabin, Dragon held a sheet of papers in hand. He crossed out a line with his pen, his brows knitting as he said with a troubled expression, "These past two years… fewer and fewer friends are willing to keep supporting us."
Since the Reverie of Sea Circle Calendar 1502, the Revolutionary Army had been officially designated by the World Government as an "illegal armed anti-government organization." Before that, Dragon still had a route of return.
But now, as the leader of the Revolutionary Army, he'd been branded an extremely dangerous and vicious criminal. Although he hadn't yet earned the title of "the world's most dangerous criminal," the message was clear. Under such circumstances, people willing to risk execution just to remain his friends naturally dwindled.
Those who remained either valued their bonds—like Koushirou, who still provided whatever discreet help he could—or were opportunists betting on the Revolutionary Army, hoping to gain benefits from their rise, such as Ortoren.
Still, Dragon referred to anyone who supported his cause as "friends."
After Dragon spoke, Ivankov, seated opposite him, shrugged with a hint of resignation. "The situation these past two years has been far too tight for us. Whether it's the World Government's crackdown or the level of attention they're giving us, everything is much harsher than before. Our space to operate keeps shrinking, and that means the confidence some outsiders have in us shrinks with it. I think that to break this stalemate, we must win a beautiful, decisive victory. Only by proving to the outside world that we still have enough strength to oppose the World Government will we gain more covert support..."
Listening carefully, Dragon nodded in agreement.
Although the Revolutionary Army had hidden bases scattered across the world, they still lacked a true foundation—a proper stronghold. Without this, they couldn't sustain themselves or produce their own supplies.
In such a situation, their survival hinged on "exploiting noble lords" to secure large amounts of wealth—in other words, continuously attacking the aristocracy, raiding and plundering their fortunes.
They then relied on their "friends" to convert that treasure into the resources they needed.
But with the increasing pressure these past two years, the Revolutionary Army's situation had grown difficult. Although they'd accumulated considerable wealth from toppling nobles and spreading revolutionary ideals, much of it was now stuck.
The number of allies willing to risk helping them liquidate assets had diminished. Not everyone could withstand the pressure.
As a result, Dragon possessed plenty of wealth that could not be turned into momentum for the Revolutionary Army.
Reduced external momentum limited their operations. With their movements constrained, even their ability to obtain wealth in the future would sharply decline, plunging them into a vicious cycle.
The Revolutionary Army's strength would gradually wither, eventually becoming nothing more than a minor nuisance, easily crushed by the World Government.
This was precisely the strategy the World Government was using. As mentioned earlier, throughout its 800-year history, the World Government had periods of support, but its eras of tyranny were just as many. In those periods, they had dealt with countless groups similar to the Revolutionary Army and had no shortage of experience.
Dragon knew this all too well. And Ivankov's proposed solution was indeed an effective way to break free.
This world had no shortage of ambitious individuals. Even Ortoren had once assessed the Revolutionary Army's nature. At least at this current stage, in the eyes of such ambitious people, the Revolutionary Army served as a "forerunner paving the way for kings"—a force used to test the strength of the World Government.
If he could expand and strengthen his power, all kinds of investments would naturally follow. Some might even start forming similar organizations of their own, preparing to carve up the World Government. But if he faltered, and everyone realized the World Government remained as strong as ever, the Revolutionary Army would be abandoned in an instant. Every ambitious faction would fall back under the Government's great banner, continuing to act like one big harmonious family.
Ortoren, in the middle of building up G-5, was no different from those ambitious opportunists. He was using the Revolutionary Army as well.
Now that the Revolutionary Army was showing signs of decline, if Dragon still wanted support from his various "friends," he needed to create a major incident—something big enough to prove to these "investors" that they still had the strength to confront the World Government head-on. If he could pull off a big enough event, the situation would change drastically.
As Dragon pondered how to create such a shock—something that would let every "friend" witness firsthand that the Revolutionary Army was still capable and formidable, that this was the early stage of their uprising and the time to invest, secure a stake, and reap benefits when victory came—the Den Den Mushi on his desk suddenly rang.
Dragon's personal Den Den Mushi had only a few stored frequencies capable of reaching him. Anyone who could contact him through it was someone Dragon considered valuable. So the moment the Den Den Mushi rang, he looked immediately—and confusion flickered in his eyes.
The caller was Benn Ortoren.
"What the hell does that bastard want now?" Dragon muttered, puzzled.
He readily admitted Ortoren was an incredibly valuable person—especially after witnessing the "Great Era" Ortoren had predicted arrive right before his eyes in Loguetown. That only made Dragon more intrigued by him. Back then, Ortoren had clearly possessed the ability to prevent the situation from escalating, yet he didn't intervene. Instead, he laughed like a lunatic. How could Dragon possibly trust someone like that?
But although he acknowledged Ortoren's value, he also knew perfectly well that the man was trouble incarnate.
The bastard hadn't screwed him many times, but every time he did, it nearly got Dragon killed. Even now, many at sea believed half the chaos of the Great Pirate Era should be blamed on him—the "vicious criminal" who supposedly held secret meetings with Pirate King Roger in South Blue.
Heaven help me, when did I ever meet Roger in secret!? Utter nonsense!
After hesitating briefly, Dragon took a deep breath and answered the call.
"Ortoren?"
"Ahahaha! Long time no talk, Dragon. How've you been lately?" Ortoren greeted him with an overly familiar tone.
Dragon's expression twitched. Anyone listening would think they were lifelong friends.
"So-so..." Dragon replied offhandedly before getting straight to the point. "You haven't contacted me in years. If you're calling now, you definitely need me to take the blame for something, don't you?"
"Haha..." Ortoren let out an awkward laugh. "What do you take me for? I'm your father's close friend. I heard the Revolutionary Army hasn't been doing so well lately, so I came to offer you some advice."
"Great. Just from those few words, I can already tell you're up to no good," Dragon said bluntly.
Still, despite mocking him, Dragon intended to listen. He wanted to hear what kind of disaster Ortoren planned to dump onto the Revolutionary Army this time. If the price was right, Dragon honestly didn't mind being the scapegoat. His reputation was already beyond repair—what worse could happen?
Empty talk meant nothing. It all depended on the benefits. If the payoff was high enough, then even knowing Ortoren was a walking pitfall, Dragon was still willing to step right in.
...
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