As his mind raced, Diarmuid asked, "Have you heard of the Revolutionary Army?"
Stussy paused, then nodded. "I have. It's a new anti-government organization. They tried to stage a coup in a kingdom in the East Blue recently, but they failed. It caused a civil war and a river of blood. The World Government has officially classified them as a criminal organization and ordered Cipher Pol to deal with them. Why?"
"A failed coup?" Diarmuid was surprised. He hadn't expected Dragon to mess up, but then again, everything starts from nothing. It was normal for him to fail in the beginning. What revolution didn't fail? What failure didn't lead to bloodshed?
From Stussy's tone, it was clear that neither the World Government nor Cipher Pol was taking the Revolutionary Army seriously yet. The organization had not become the world's largest "anti-government organization" yet.
"Yeah, it's normal for them to fail. Every year, a bunch of random organizations like them pop up, cause a little trouble, and then get suppressed," Stussy said with a chuckle.
Diarmuid had a vague memory of this. Many people rose up in revolt during this era; Dragon wasn't the only one with great ambitions. He remembered that in twenty years, that Swamp-Swamp Fruit user, Caribou, would inexplicably join a revolutionary organization…
He stopped thinking about such unreliable things and said softly, "The leader of the Revolutionary Army is Monkey D. Dragon."
The moment he said that, Stussy gasped on the other end of the Den Den Mushi. "What? Dragon?!"
Diarmuid trusted Stussy. They had cooperated very well on the Roger case and on the matter of his lineage. After the heartfelt conversation they had just had, it was clear she considered him her ally. So, Diarmuid wasn't going to play games with her. As for Dragon's identity, it would be exposed sooner or later. Telling his ally now was no big deal.
"That's right," Diarmuid said softly.
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Stussy was stunned. To be honest, she hadn't taken the Revolutionary Army seriously before… but now, it was a different story.
First, Dragon was the son of the famous Marine Hero Garp. He was a well-known figure and had a halo of justice around him. He had been out of the public eye for years, but if he were to reappear, his influence would be immense. His identity as a hero's son would also be a major blow to the World Government's reputation.
This was only one of the reasons for Stussy's shock. The second reason was that as a veteran Cipher Pol agent, she knew that Dragon was being groomed for the Admiral position. How could someone like that be a nobody?
From Dragon's past performance in the Marines, she knew he was a powerhouse. So, even though the Revolutionary Army's coup had failed, Stussy immediately realized that they could become a major problem for the World Government. And organizations like this were usually handled by Cipher Pol, which meant they were about to face a very tricky enemy!
"We have to find a way to nip them in the bud. If Dragon gains momentum, he'll become…" Stussy said urgently. She thought Diarmuid was returning the favor, she had just told him about Cipher Pol's plan against the Marines, and he had given her a key piece of intelligence in return. But before she could finish, Diarmuid interrupted her. "There's no need. On the contrary, don't you think Dragon can be an asset to us?"
"An asset?" Stussy said, baffled.
"That's right. Both you and I can use and cooperate with Dragon," Diarmuid said softly.
After a moment of silence, Stussy replied, "Feeding the tiger to gain influence?"
"And also eliminating our rivals," Diarmuid added.
The principle of "feeding the tiger to gain influence" was self-explanatory. The start of the Great Pirate Era was a kind of "feeding the tiger" for the Marines. With more pirates, the Marines had to be strengthened.
This was one of the reasons the World Government had begun to be wary of the Marines. They wanted to end the Great Pirate Era but also restrain the Marines' power, and they hadn't found a way to do both yet.
Dragon's existence didn't mean much to the Marines as a whole, but Diarmuid could use him.
This was an opportunity he was already taking advantage of.
For Stussy, Dragon's existence could be used to gain influence, but it was too risky. If she fed the tiger too much, it would turn on her. So, her best move was to use Dragon to eliminate her internal rivals.
In short, she would "borrow a knife to kill."
She would find a way to get her rivals to take on the mission to deal with the Revolutionary Army, then secretly sell them out to Dragon through Diarmuid. With the information, Dragon could effectively counter them and help Stussy get rid of her opponents.
This way, Diarmuid could undermine Cipher Pol's image with the Gorosei, Stussy could eliminate her rivals and get her promotion, and Dragon could weaken the World Government. Everyone would win.
As an intelligent woman, Stussy immediately understood what Diarmuid meant. After a moment of thought, she said in a hushed voice, "Do you have an alliance with Dragon? Or a way to contact him?"
If he didn't, what he was saying was just empty words.
Diarmuid chuckled. "No alliance, to be honest, he's always trying to get me to join him, but I've refused every time. As for contact, I can reach him anytime."
He figured Dragon probably kept his old Marine Den Den Mushi, and if he called, Dragon would answer.
Diarmuid didn't think much of it, but Stussy's breathing quickened. She was a high-ranking member of Cipher Pol and was confident that she would hold even more power in the future.
Diarmuid, after her warning, would surely find a way to become a Marine Admiral in the next few years and possibly even the Fleet Admiral!
As for Dragon, with his ability, he would eventually build up the Revolutionary Army. With Diarmuid and her secretly helping, his growth was assured.
The three of them, the leaders of the Marines, Cipher Pol, and the Revolutionary Army, would form a stable triangular alliance. What kind of impact would that have on the world?
Stussy was incredibly ambitious and couldn't resist the temptation. She thought that if this alliance were to happen, they might be able to truly change the world.
But she quickly calmed herself. She could tell Diarmuid wasn't thinking that far ahead yet, and it would be too presumptuous of her to propose such a grand idea. It would make her seem "unhinged" if she brought it up now.
'I need to test Diarmuid's thoughts on this. I'll slowly reveal my ideas to him and see if he's interested before I do anything else,' Stussy thought to herself.
"So, you're saying we can cooperate with Dragon on certain things?" Stussy asked, pretending to be nonchalant.
"Something like that. What do you think?" Diarmuid responded.
"I think it's interesting. But aren't you scared?" Stussy suddenly asked.
"Scared of what?" Diarmuid asked, confused.
"Dragon is no simple man. He's a hero no less than you are. In fact, if he were still in the Marines, you wouldn't have become an Admiral Candidate so easily. Are you confident that you won't be feeding the tiger only to have it turn on you?" Stussy was testing him.
Diarmuid laughed. "Stussy, even if we feed the tiger, it's not going to turn on the Marines. There's a fundamental truth you don't understand. Do you know why, unlike Cipher Pol, the Marines can occasionally oppose the World Government and still stand tall?"
"Why?" Stussy asked, though she had a feeling she already knew the answer.
"Because no matter who is in power, the Marines must exist. This world can do without Cipher Pol and the Revolutionary Army, but it cannot do without the Marines. Do you understand?" Diarmuid said with a smirk.
Even if Dragon succeeded and overthrew the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, would he dare to take out the Marines? No one in the world could do such a thing.
A pirate might want to take out the Marines, but those who stood for order would never want to. Dragon might be the leader of the Revolutionary Army, but he was a man of order. He knew that while the Marines had many flaws, if they were to fall, the world would be plunged into chaos.
It was impossible to build a new military organization as big as the Marines overnight. Even the Revolutionary Army at its peak couldn't do that!
This was why Diarmuid wanted to become the most powerful man in the Marines. He knew the World Government might fall, but the Marines would never fall. Especially if the Marines could solve their own funding problems, they would be completely unshackled, and no one would ever be able to defeat them!
"You're right. No matter how strong Dragon gets or what the Revolutionary Army becomes, you Marines have already won…" Stussy whispered.
"Something like that," Diarmuid said. "I'm telling you about Dragon to let you know that the Revolutionary Army is a serious matter. Don't get involved with them. It's better to get your rivals to deal with them, then stab them in the back, isn't it?"
"It is," Stussy said with a laugh. "And you'd be able to weaken Cipher Pol's image with the World Government, create a powerful external enemy for Cipher Pol, and distract us so we don't meddle with you Marines and cause trouble, right?"
"Hahahaha! You're a smart one," Diarmuid said with a laugh. He also thought about how he could extort Dragon and gain favors from him that he could cash in on later.
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