"Moshi moshi."
Doflamingo's voice oozed through the receiver of the Den Den Mushi, carrying that distinct, arrogant drawl even through a static-filled connection.
Raleigh frowned, glancing at the clock on his office wall.
He couldn't understand why Doflamingo was calling him now.
It wasn't check-in time.
"What's going on, kid?" Raleigh asked, leaning back in his chair.
Far away, on a deserted, nameless island near the edge of the East Blue and the Grand Line, the scenery was apocalyptic.
The earth was scorched, rocks were sliced cleanly in half, and the air smelled of ozone and blood.
Doflamingo stood in the center of this barren battlefield.
His flamboyant pink feather coat was tattered and stained crimson, and he was covered in blood—some his, mostly not.
Yet, he held the receiver with a nonchalant, almost bored expression.
Nearby, Bell-mère, looking exhausted and battered, walked over to a golden-haired teenager who appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen.
She handed him a glass of water, her hands trembling slightly.
If it weren't for this young maniac falling from the sky at the most critical moment, their entire group would be dead.
Steele—the CP9 agent—had been terrifying.
Truly a monster in human skin.
Bell-mère had been in the depths of despair, her finger on the trigger of her rifle, ready to take her own life rather than be captured.
That was when Doflamingo descended from the clouds with a wicked, unhinged grin, blocking Steele's Finger Pistol with a web of invisible threads.
'You must be from the World Government.'
That had been Bell-mère's last coherent thought before the sheer pressure of their clash knocked her unconscious.
When she woke up, Steele was gone, and the island was a ruin.
....
"Fufufu... The target this time was quite strong, I'll give you that," Doflamingo laughed into the phone, wiping blood from his lip.
"I couldn't kill him—slippery guy—but he didn't get off easy either. I severed one of his arms with my Five Color Strings."
Doflamingo looked at his own trembling hands, not out of fear, but out of adrenaline.
"Theoretically, my mission is complete. These ants won't encounter any more troublesome people before leaving the East Blue. The Government is going to be licking its wounds for a while."
He spoke with supreme arrogance.
Although the fight with Steele had been genuinely difficult—perhaps the hardest fight of his life so far—the final result was undeniable.
Steele had fled in disgrace, missing a limb. It was a glorious victory for the Donquixote Family.
More importantly, the lingering psychological trauma from being effortlessly beaten by Raleigh back in the North Blue was completely wiped away in this battle.
He had proven his strength.
Now, Doflamingo had regained his former confidence.
He could feel it buzzing in his veins; his Conqueror's Haki had unconsciously grown a bit stronger, sharper.
"Not bad, Doflamingo. Not bad at all," Raleigh's voice came through, sounding unimpressed as usual.
"But I have a new request now. Bring the survivors intact to the Eryoku Kingdom in the North Blue."
Raleigh was already calculating the next ten moves in his mind.
After resolving the East Blue mess, it was time for the next phase.
Bell-mère needed to come to the North Blue to stir up trouble.
He had already placed several pieces on the chessboard of the Eryoku Kingdom, just waiting for her to enter and trigger the conflict with the World Government.
"Also," Raleigh added, tapping his pen against his desk, "Cleveland, spread the word through the underground channels. Tell them the leader of the workers' uprising from ten years ago seems to have reappeared... and this time, they have powerful backup."
He grinned to himself.
"I'll call the World Government personally and demand more intelligence personnel. We need to make this pot boil."
"Hey, hey, hey!" Doflamingo interrupted, his tone turning sharp. "This isn't what we agreed on before! You said I'd just handle the East Blue matter, right? I'm not your taxi service!"
Doflamingo was very dissatisfied.
This was supposed to be a quick job.
The Donquixote Family was in a period of rapid development; he needed to return to his crew, not play babysitter across the calm belts.
"I'll increase your payment," Raleigh cut in smoothly. "After this matter concludes, I'll provide you with a large sum of liquid cash. Enough to fund whatever 'family business' you're building."
Raleigh didn't withhold too much.
His relationship with Doflamingo was purely cooperative, transactional.
If he pushed too hard without offering a carrot, Doflamingo might snap and sabotage the whole operation.
Such incidents had happened before with other pawns.
Adding sugar doesn't always make things sweet, but adding salt will definitely make them salty.
"Cash..." Doflamingo paused.
The gears in his head turned quickly.
He knew confronting Raleigh directly would lead to a bad ending; the man was a monster.
The Donquixote Family's foundations were all in the North Blue.
If he refused, the family might become history before he even returned to base.
However, Raleigh was being generous.
"I'll consider it," Doflamingo said slowly. "But I don't want funding. I have money. I want Fine Iron."
"Fine Iron?"
"The high-grade stuff produced by the Eryoku Kingdom. I want a shipment of it."
Raleigh smiled.
"Deal."
This pleased Doflamingo greatly.
It made him feel that Raleigh treated him as a partner, not just a tool.
"Good. I'll immediately take them to the Eryoku Kingdom."
Doflamingo hung up, cracked his neck, and turned to lead the group he viewed as mere ants across the Red Line.
Raleigh ended the call and immediately dialed another number. Buru buru... Clatch.
"Moshi moshi."
"Is that you Raleigh? What do you need me to do this time?"
A cheerful, booming voice came from the other end.
It was the Marines Commander of the East Blue.
His mood had been excellent lately.
Due to Bell-mère's constant provocations and "escapes," the World Government had been forced to activate deep-cover agents to catch her.
In doing so, they accidentally exposed many spies that the Marines didn't even know existed.
Some of these spies had been embedded in the Marines for twenty or thirty years, leaking intel.
Now, thanks to the chaos, they were flushed out.
Better yet, the government official in charge of the East Blue had been disgraced and removed from power for his incompetence.
The Commander's political enemies were dropping like flies.
"I heard many spies in the Navy have been uncovered," Raleigh said casually. "I assume you hasn't forgotten who set that domino effect in motion?"
"Of course not! Hahaha! I knew you'd come asking for favors, kid. You never call just to chat. Just say it—what do you want? Promotions? Ships?"
"I don't want items," Raleigh said, his voice turning serious. "I want a word from you."
"A word?"
"In the coming days, if World Government officials pressure the Navy regarding my actions in the North Blue... I hope you can speak up to protect me when the time comes."
Raleigh didn't care about the petty rewards the East Blue Fleet Commander could offer.
Those things held little value to him.
He preferred political capital.
In the game of politics, the more friends and fewer enemies, the better.
But having a high-ranking Navy official perpetually in your debt was a dangerous asset—it was best to cash it in when the stakes were high.
And the stakes were about to get very high.
What Raleigh planned to do in the Eryoku Kingdom would certainly enrage the World Government.
When the dust settled, as the base commander, he would undoubtedly be the target of their wrath.
He needed a shield.
....
Meanwhile, deep underground in the damp, dimly lit rebel hideout within the Eruyorobu mines.
"Dragon-san... are you saying our uprising is likely to fail?"
Karasu looked at Dragon in total disbelief.
He thought he had found a true comrade, a savior who would lead them to victory.
But Dragon's first major strategic analysis was a wet blanket of pessimism.
Dragon sat upright at the rickety wooden table, holding a cup of hot water as if it were fine wine.
His eyes were calm, filled with a terrifying sort of determination.
"Yes," Dragon said, not sugarcoating it. "Before meeting Raleigh, I originally believed this place had sufficient conditions for a standard uprising. But ever since returning from that encounter, I've been analyzing the variables. To be honest, Karasu, I don't approve of the uprising you're currently planning. If you launch it now, everyone in this room will die."
"How could that be, Dragon-san!" Karasu stood up, extremely agitated, his shadow flickering against the walls.
"This is the culmination of over a decade of effort! We have the numbers! We have the anger!"
"Karasu, calm down," Dragon said gently. "We are not enemies. Sit down. Let's talk this through."
Dragon pushed a cup of hot water toward the agitated giant.
Karasu took a deep breath, his massive chest heaving, and sat down on the small stool, which creaked dangerously under his weight.
He couldn't understand.
Why would Dragon, a staunch revolutionary, oppose the revolution?
Was it because of that Marine, Raleigh?
"From the very beginning, I fell into a misconception," Dragon began, his voice low and magnetic.
"Because I entered the mine first, I saw the suffering. I saw the people. I thought that was enough. But I forgot one thing: the System."
Dragon tapped the table. "The influence of the Marines. The priorities of the World Government. I recently started overlooking them in my emotional response to your suffering."
Dragon showed a rare expression of self-blame.
At this point in the timeline, he was not yet the world's worst criminal, the supreme leader of the Revolutionary Army.
He was still learning.
He was still figuring out the "how."
In the East Blue, some kingdoms had been toppled by popular uprisings.
The World Government ignored them because they were poor, unimportant islands.
But Eryoku was different.
"Karasu," Dragon said, locking eyes with him. "The Eryoku Kingdom has experienced over a dozen large-scale uprisings in its history. Without exception, each one was brutally suppressed. Why?"
"Because... the King's Guard?" Karasu guessed weaky.
"No. Because of Coal and Iron," Dragon stated firmly.
"What the World Government needs is an obedient king and factories that can produce massive quantities of resources for their war machine. They do not care about the people. They care about the product."
"Their attitude toward uprisings here is zero tolerance," Dragon continued. "That's why, even though your last major uprising ten years ago was nearly successful, the Marines stepped in and crushed it. They will send Admirals if they have to. They will Buster Call this island if it stops the iron production."
Cold sweat broke out on Karasu's back.
He realized he had been playing checkers while the World Government was playing chess.
"Then... what do we do?" Karasu asked, his voice trembling. "Do we unite and fight to the death? Living like this is just waiting for death in despair anyway!"
"Foolish!" Dragon snapped, his aura flaring. "Without even weapons in hand, fighting the Royal Army is suicide. Fighting the Marines is erasure! I was once a Marine officer. I know their firepower. They could suppress this entire island with three branch divisions and a coffee break."
A look of total despair spread across Karasu's face.
"Then... we just watch our comrades die?"
"Of course not," Dragon said, his tone shifting to one of intense focus.
"We don't revolt blindly. We seek Direction."
"First," Dragon held up a finger. "Unite. Not just the miners, but everyone. We need total solidarity."
"Second, We need Logistics. Collect firearms and ammunition by any means necessary. Steal them. Buy them from the Black Market. Revolution isn't won with bare-handed courage; it's won with supply lines."
"Third," he leaned forward. "An Exit Strategy. If we succeed in burning this kingdom down, we cannot stay here. Eruyorobu is a trap surrounded by Marine bases. We must secure an escape route before we fire the first shot."
Swore, standing in the corner, asked, "Leader, what is our immediate mission?"
Karasu looked up, totally yielding to him. "Dragon-san, please. Lead us."
"Karasu," Dragon ordered, "use your underground channels. See if we can purchase quality weapons from the North Blue's Underworld—maybe even from that guy Barena's contacts. The rest of you, recruit. Quietly."
The tension in the room broke.
Dragon's presence transformed their despair into a plan.
"Oh, and Karasu," Dragon added, standing up and pulling his hood over his head.
"Escort me out. I need to meet someone."
....
Deep in the night, the Marine base was silent, save for the howling wind.
Only one office remained lit.
Raleigh sat at his desk, sipping lukewarm black tea, scribbling furiously in a notebook.
A gust of wind blew through the room, ruffling the papers.
A mysterious figure seemed to materialize from the shadows in the corner.
Raleigh didn't flinch.
He didn't even look up.
"You're quite late," he said lazily, scratching out a sentence. "The hot tea I brewed for you is almost cold."
"You knew I was coming?" The mysterious man stepped into the light, removing his hood to reveal a resolute face marked with a geometric tattoo.
"Monkey D. Dragon," Raleigh recited, finally looking up with a grin. "Outstanding graduate of the Marine Officer Academy. A man I deeply admire as your junior. How could I not understand you?"
Dragon picked up the tea and took a sip. It was indeed tepid.
"I was delayed with some... personnel management in the mines," Dragon said dryly.
"Christian Raleigh. I don't have much memory of you from the academy. I only knew you as Borsalino's younger brother. Now it seems... both you and your brother are monsters in your own right."
He gestured to the desk.
"What are you writing?" Dragon was curious.
He had met many powerful people, but Raleigh was an enigma.
A Marine who acted like a pirate, thought like a politician, and fought like a demon.
"Writing about how to guide people in an uprising against the rule of kingdom nobles," Raleigh said casually.
"What?!" Dragon stiffened.
He couldn't believe those words came from a Marine's mouth.
Raleigh chuckled, finishing the last sentence with a flourish.
He closed the notebook and slid it across the desk.
"These are my humble opinions as your junior. A little... cheat sheet, if you will. Please take a look, senpai."
With a surprised expression, Dragon accepted the notebook.
He opened it, intending to skim it.
Ten minutes passed.
Then twenty.
Dragon's eyes widened with every page.
It was all there.
Guerrilla tactics. Propaganda. Economic warfare.
The importance of winning the "hearts and minds."
Concepts that Dragon had only vaguely felt were now codified in ink.
"This..." Dragon looked up, his eyes burning. "So you also want to overthrow this corrupt rule, Raleigh?"
He felt a surge of excitement.
A kindred spirit!
"Join me," Dragon said impulsively. "With your mind and my will, we could change the world."
"I currently have no intention of leaving the Marines, senpai," Raleigh said with complete seriousness, taking the wind out of Dragon's sails.
"The benefits are too good. And the dental plan is amazing."
Dragon blinked.
"The... the dental plan?"
"It's a joke, senpai. Mostly." Raleigh leaned back. "But seriously. Your path is hard. I prefer to rot from the inside out. But," he pointed to the notebook, "that book is dangerous. If it were distributed, I would become the world's most wanted criminal. So, take it."
"You're giving this to me?"
"I have a favor to ask," Raleigh said, his eyes gleaming. "Soon, there will be a major upheaval here. The CP agents are going to die. The nobles are going to scream. When the dust settles... I hope you will step up and take the blame."
Dragon looked at the notebook, then at Raleigh.
He burst out laughing.
"You rascal! So you're using this revolutionary manifesto as a bribe to make me your scapegoat?"
"Is it a deal?"
"Deal," Dragon grinned, tucking the notebook into his cloak.
He valued Raleigh more than the book.
This man was a wild card!
"One last thing," Dragon said, his mood sobering. "I figured you recognized me at the steel factory. So, I wanted to ask... what do you think of my plan for this island?"
Raleigh stood up and walked over to the large tactical map hanging on the wall.
He tapped the location of the Eryoku Kingdom.
"Look at this map, senpai. Eryoku is surrounded by four Marine branches. And right here," he tapped the center, "is a massive Marine base commanded by a very lazy, very powerful man."
Raleigh turned around, a mysterious, challenging smile on his face.
"To be frank, I admire your courage. But launching an uprising under these circumstances? Without a twist? That looks like sheer suicide to me."
Dragon nodded slowly. "Indeed. That is why I need to know... will that 'lazy man' be looking the other way?"
Raleigh sipped his tea.
"Depends on how interesting the show is."
---------
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