"Lindbergh, the meeting is about to begin."
Dragon's voice rang out, but it clearly didn't have much effect.
It wasn't until Rowan took his seat and raised a hand to tap the table that Lindbergh, who had been pestering Vegapunk, and Ginny, who had been whispering with Belo Betty, finally quieted down and sat properly, turning their attention toward Rowan at the head of the table.
Dragon let out a helpless sigh, though he was already used to this.
Because of the ideological enlightenment and the fact that Celestial Dragons had truly been killed, the entire Revolutionary Army had always deeply respected and revered Mr. Spark, who carried an almost innate halo around him and had even been somewhat deified.
At this moment, Rowan was wearing a mask.
With a slightly apologetic tone, he said, "I don't want to hold this meeting using a fake appearance, but revealing my true appearance would involve some important matters. So I hope everyone can understand."
A hoarse voice came from the speaker attached to Karasu: "There must be a reason for Mr. Spark's decision. We are all willing to trust you."
Lindbergh and the others nodded one after another.
Seeing this, Rowan began explaining the decisions to be made at this expanded conference.
The Revolutionary Army's headquarters at Baltigo had been discovered, so they had been forced to carry out a relocation.
During the operation, they had once again schemed against Mary Geoise, killing another Celestial Dragon and freeing a group of slaves. Those slaves had now been properly settled.
In addition, Vegapunk would distribute the new communication devices that could connect with the Sky Island headquarters.
At present, the new equipment would be affected by the magnetic fields in the New World, but it would be improved in the future if subsequent operations went smoothly.
Furthermore, because of the exposure of the Revolutionary Army's East Army commander, the headquarters had nearly suffered a devastating blow.
Combined with Ginny's appearance and the fact that she had been exposed, she was no longer suitable to continue serving as the East Army's commander. Belo Betty would take over the position.
Ginny, meanwhile, would become the deputy captain of the logistics and transportation team, working alongside Bartholomew Kuma.
As soon as this decision was announced, Ginny jumped up, hugged Kuma, and planted a kiss on his forehead, looking as happy as a nearly thirty-year-old child.
In addition, the East, West, North, and South Armies, along with the New World and the first half of the Grand Line, would begin establishing intelligence networks.
The intelligence wouldn't be limited to the Marines, World Government, and pirates.
Each region would also collect records of the tragedies suffered by ordinary people and send the documents to headquarters through the new communication devices, providing material for the New Era Newspaper.
For now, they could also record the Revolutionary Army's covert activities, but those records could only be compiled at headquarters and would not be published.
Furthermore, after each region sent the information to headquarters, all local records had to be destroyed.
Finally, within the New World Second Division under Olvia, thirty newly trained instructors would be selected. They had to be capable of adapting to changing circumstances, after which they would be arranged to infiltrate the Marines.
Borsalino and Kuzan had both served as Marine Vice Admirals for many years, and countless officers had come from under their command. Arranging for thirty people to be scattered among them wouldn't be a problem.
However, Rowan didn't say this part aloud.
The instructors' mission was to subtly influence people rather than openly conduct ideological classes. That was precisely why the selected candidates needed to be adaptable.
At this point, Kaido, who had been patiently waiting until Rowan finished speaking, raised his hand.
"Mr. Spark, I think we can declare war on Totto Land!"
Kaido's burly face still bore cracks. Compared to several years ago, his will had become even more resolute in his Impure World Reincarnation state, and his Conqueror's Haki was now even stronger.
If not for the limitations of his reanimated body, his combat strength would undoubtedly have already surpassed what his original self had possessed several years ago.
At this moment, Kaido was impassioned, waving his arms as he spoke.
"The people of Totto Land are suffering under that old woman's oppression! They have to give up an entire month's worth of their lifespan every year as the price for living there! That's unreasonable! It's unacceptable!"
"And another thing! That old hag goes around the sea plundering nations just for the sake of satisfying her appetite, destroying entire countries!"
After a passionate speech, Rowan simply listened in silence.
He waited until Kaido had finished.
At this point, Kaido was completely different from the Kaido who had been in Wano several years ago.
After being brought back through Impure World Reincarnation, Rowan had originally needed to use the power of the technique to restrain him several times.
But after completing his ideological education, Kaido seemed to have become an entirely different person.
Considering his background, it wasn't difficult to understand why. He had initially been loyal to his king, only to be sold off and used as an experimental subject.
Later, there was the experience of his homeland being schemed against while he was aboard Rocks' ship, as well as witnessing the power of the World Government at God Valley.
All of these experiences had contributed to the violent, alcoholic Kaido of the past.
But after seeing hope now, his understanding of the world and his own values had undergone a fundamental change.
It wasn't just him. King had changed in much the same way.
The only one who hadn't changed much, yet had submitted to both strength and Vegapunk's knowledge, was the old fox Queen.
Inside the meeting room of the Sky Island headquarters, Rowan waited until Kaido's passionate speech was over before encouragingly nodding.
Seeing this, Kaido, who had just sat down, seemed to become even more enthusiastic.
"Although that old hag is pretty damn powerful, there are quite a few of her sons and daughters who possess Paramecia-type Devil Fruits related to food."
Kaido looked toward Dragon. "I'm not just saying this on a whim. Food created through Paramecia Devil Fruit abilities can actually be eaten. That could greatly reduce the pressure on the logistics department."
Dragon thought for a while before looking at Kuma.
"How's the pressure on logistics?"
Kuma thought about it before answering, "The number of members in every region is constantly increasing, so the expenses for our activities are unavoidable. For now, thanks to that kid Tesoro, we aren't under too much pressure."
"Of course, if we could completely eliminate our food expenses, we'd have more funds available to stockpile gold. Mr. Spark mentioned before that this is a strategic reserve."
Hearing this, Vegapunk nodded in agreement.
"Since we haven't obtained a sample of that giant mechanical soldier yet, we don't know exactly how gold can be used to produce energy. But even if gold can't be converted into energy, the records from Ohara still indicate that stockpiling gold is of the utmost importance."
Rowan nodded.
"Continue increasing our gold reserves. As for the Big Mom Pirates, we'll have to put that matter on hold for now."
Kaido froze for a moment and looked at Rowan.
"Sir?"
Rowan pressed down a hand, signaling him to remain calm.
"For now, the situation on the sea will gradually stabilize, and that stability may continue until the balance is broken."
"The first member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea has already been selected. Crocodile, who was defeated by Whitebeard, has accepted the appointment. The competition for the Four Emperors among the pirates of the New World will continue as well. Until the fourth Emperor emerges, the pirates will continue slaughtering one another. This is exactly what the World Government and Marines want to see."
"And the struggle over the Four Emperors will also determine the candidates for the Seven Warlords. Thus, the overt balance of power on this sea will be: the Seven Warlords, the Marines, and the Four Emperors."
"Taking down Big Mom might not be particularly difficult for us right now. Although that woman has a body like an iron balloon, and her Haki and Devil Fruit abilities are equally extraordinary, she also has a fatal weakness."
Rowan paused.
"The minds of the world's people haven't awakened yet, and the New Era Newspaper has only published one issue. Rising up against the World Government is easy enough, but the crisis we'll face in doing so will also be enormous."
"The time hasn't come yet. They want balance, and so do we. People whose minds haven't awakened will be satisfied as long as they can stay alive. But that's not the kind of world we want, is it?"
"When everyone has seen the truth of this world, when they realize that their minds have been imprisoned and that even simply staying alive has become so difficult and that this is wrong that will be the time for us to begin acting."
When Rowan finished speaking, everyone in the meeting room seriously contemplated their mentor's words.
In the end, with Dragon taking the lead, everyone including Kaido and Olivia agreed on the overall strategy of continuing to focus on development.
Afterward, the commanders of the various regions began raising their respective problems.
Kuma took out a document and handed it to Rowan. "This contains some of Tesoro's ideas for raising funds for logistics, but it requires substantial support from the organization."
"Substantial support?"
Rowan picked up the document and flipped through it. Beneath his mask, he couldn't help but smile.
When he had first encountered this man in the Sabaody Archipelago, he had already been desperately trying to make money so he could buy Stella.
Later, the beautiful woman with the enchanting voice in that slave trader's possession had caught the eye of a Celestial Dragon and been taken away.
It had happened to be the very day Tesoro finally managed to gather enough money.
After rescuing the two of them, Rowan hadn't paid much attention to Tesoro anymore.
However, because he remembered the potential of the future Golden Emperor, Rowan had given him some instructions from time to time. Tesoro's performance in the ideological classes had actually been quite good.
Yet after going around in circles, this future Golden Emperor had still chosen this path. Only his original motivation had changed.
[Entertainment City Project]
After reading through the proposal, Rowan placed it on the table and tapped the document with his finger.
"We cannot cross our bottom line. We absolutely cannot engage in pimping."
"Fundamentally, the idea is to use class as an excuse to prohibit ordinary people from entering, allowing only nobles from various countries and Celestial Dragons inside. The intention of entertaining them while extracting their money is good, but it's very difficult to control the degree to which this goes."
"If we make even one wrong move, especially if it's our own people doing the manipulating, then sometimes corruption is much easier than maintaining one's principles."
Kuma frowned as he thought for a moment, then nodded. "Then I'll reject the proposal. If the Entertainment City is going to attract these people, there are indeed quite a few aspects that would cross the line."
Rowan shook his head slightly.
"There's no need to reject it outright. But there are many things that need to be changed."
"First: Not only ordinary people, but all Marines are prohibited from entering."
"Second: Once the Entertainment City is established, apart from Tesoro himself, not a single member of our Revolutionary Army is allowed to be involved, whether as staff or as a guest."
"Third: You can make it clear to him that if he himself becomes corrupted in the future, then he will also become an enemy of the revolution."
"Fourth: He must personally select all the employees of the Entertainment City, and he will be responsible if anything goes wrong. He has studied the Revolutionary Army's laws, so he should understand them. He can use new methods to attract these nobles, but he must never sacrifice ordinary people to please them."
"Fifth: When the organization tells him to stop, he must stop immediately, and the entire Entertainment City must be shut down. If he refuses, I'll personally go there and make him stop."
After laying out all five points in one breath, Rowan still wasn't finished. He continued, "The pursuit of pleasure and luxury is one of the most effective ways to corrupt a person's will. Tell Tesoro that we can add more restrictions to the project whenever necessary depending on the situation. We won't rule out the possibility of shutting it down at any time."
"You can approve the initial funding for him. And tell him this: creating stars makes more money than pimping."
Kuma recorded all of these amendments, then proceeded to report on the logistics department's supplies and financial situation.
There was also the maritime trade that had been launched using the new routes as their foundation. The profits generated through the circulation of goods were quite substantial.
After the logistics report was finished, it was Ivankov's turn to report on the first half of the Grand Line.
Compared with the New World in the second half, the first half had also been thrown into considerable chaos by the Four Emperors incident. Alabasta in particular had been invaded by pirates time and time again.
Fortunately, the country's security forces and royal army had fairly decent combat strength, so the Revolutionary Army hadn't needed to commit too much manpower.
Alabasta.
Rowan thought about everything he remembered regarding this country.
The first thing that came to mind was Vivi, who was only a few years old at this point, as well as the queen from eight hundred years ago who had refused to move to Mary Geoise:
Queen Lily.
Putting aside these fragmentary clues that currently led nowhere, Crocodile had already become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
That meant that in a few years, he should begin scheming to uncover the whereabouts of Pluton, and his once-firm will would gradually begin to crumble.
That would also be the best moment for the Revolutionary Army to liberate Alabasta.
Very soon, Ivankov finished his report.
Next came Kaido, who had just delivered his impassioned speech.
The current situation in the New World was somewhat chaotic, but for someone who had already secured a position among the Four Emperors, it wasn't much of a problem.
After his death, he had lost the Azure Dragon form of the Fish-Fish Fruit, but he had also gained the immortal body granted by Edo Tensei.
After finding a new conviction to hold onto, Kaido's Conqueror's Haki and Observation Haki had both improved tremendously. At present, his only real shortcoming was the basic physical strength of his body.
After listening to his report, Rowan looked toward Vegapunk.
"Perhaps the research institute could develop a set of armor for him?"
Vegapunk shook his head slightly.
"His body's basic strength can't keep up, and since it isn't a flesh-and-blood body, there's a limit to how far his Armament Haki can go. Combined with Conqueror's Haki, he can unleash extremely powerful attacks, but his own body won't be able to withstand them."
"Armor can indeed solve part of the problem, but if he's fighting someone like Big Mom, armor won't mean much."
Rowan frowned and thought for a moment.
"Let's give it a try first. His body can recover rapidly, so perhaps it could allow him to rapidly repair and reassemble any internal damage while the external armor buys him a little more time."
Vegapunk agreed, then brought up the energy system for the giant mechanical soldier that he had been obsessing over.
Afterward, Belo Betty, as the newly appointed commander of the Revolutionary Army's East Army, began explaining her plans for the East Blue.
The abilities of the Pump-Pump Fruit were quite unusual, and they were also one of the reasons the East Army had been developing so rapidly in the East Blue.
The reports from the Four Blues were completed quickly. Their strategy had always been to develop covertly, and with Kuma handling logistics, there wasn't much that needed to be reported.
Only in the North Blue did Karasu explain the arrangements for the survivors of Flevance.
Trafalgar Law had lived up to expectations.
Combining his medical skills with the Op-Op Fruit, he had already cured nearly half of the people suffering from Amber Lead Disease. Among the first ten batches, most had gradually joined the Revolutionary Army under his influence.
The remaining people would have to wait until everyone had been cured and the deserted island was abandoned before they could be given enough travel money to leave.
Soon, the expanded meeting began its final summary.
Afterward, Rowan personally sent the commanders from each region back to their respective locations. The people remaining at the Sky Island headquarters were now only the founders and other high-ranking officers.
"For now, Ginny's problem still hasn't been resolved. If she's transferred to logistics and has Kuma beside her, it should be fine."
Dragon frowned, while Ginny clearly understood the reason as well.
Rowan replied, "Regardless of whether we resolve it or not, after this incident, the World Government will undoubtedly become even more cautious toward us. Moving the headquarters to a Sky Island was indeed the right choice."
"From here on, we need time. They need stability as well. Also, there haven't been any Celestial Dragons appearing on the Sabaody Archipelago anymore.
Since we've already spread our operations across the world, help me keep an eye out for any appearances of Celestial Dragons and gather information on them."
Dragon nodded to show that he understood.
Although he didn't know the exact reason Rowan had killed those Celestial Dragons, he could still infer some of it.
After all, possessing multiple abilities like Rowan did had been unprecedented before this.
Ivankov looked toward Rowan, his usual frivolous attitude completely absent when speaking to the others.
"Mr. Spark, there's news from Alabasta in the first half of the Grand Line. Information about the Ancient Weapon Pluton has surfaced."
"Although there aren't many people who know about this information, I'm afraid we aren't the only ones. If that's the case, then we..."
Rowan waved his hand.
"Pluton isn't in Alabasta. The information about Pluton can indeed be found on a Poneglyph somewhere beneath the desert, but Pluton itself isn't there."
Dragon knew about Wano, but he didn't explain further.
There was no need to make everyone aware of such things.
Finally, Rowan proposed a change in the direction of the New Era News.
Previously, out of caution, the newspaper's content hadn't been particularly radical.
But now that the Revolutionary Army's headquarters had moved from Baltigo to the Sky Island headquarters, they could afford to make the newspaper somewhat more aggressive, as long as they remained careful.
At the same time, if the newspaper's direction became more radical, then once the research institute successfully developed the small radios, they could be used to subtly spread and instill the new ideology.
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