The voice of the Elder holding the sword rang out:

“We need a proper explanation for what happened to the Germa Kingdom, Sakazuki.”

“After all, they’re a member nation of the government. If word gets out, what will happen to the government’s credibility?”

Sakazuki replied:

“The technology Germa possesses is far too dangerous.”

“With enough resources, they can produce elite soldiers in their twenties within five years.”

“Such dangerous technology is better kept under our control.”

“Besides, isn’t Vegapunk’s research currently at a standstill?”

“Vinsmoke Judge used to work with Vegapunk, though their research paths diverged.”

“I had Enel deliver the data to Dr. Vegapunk, to see if it might spark any new inspiration.”

The Elders on the other end of the Den Den Mushi fell silent for a moment.

To be honest, they were also intrigued by Judge’s technology.

An infinite soldier production technique—when it comes to resources, who has more than the World Government?

But it wasn’t easy to make a move. If the World Government blatantly seized the technology of a member nation—even one as poorly reputed as the Vinsmokes in the North Blue—

No matter what, the government cannot act openly.

But if it’s an independent action by a Navy Admiral…

Then…

The Elder with the sword finally spoke:

“Let it be, then.”

“But don’t let it happen again.”

“As for the aftermath, figure it out yourself.”

“It must not be leaked.”

Sakazuki gave a short grunt:

“Understood.”

Clack—

The Den Den Mushi line was cut.

Enel looked astonished:

“That’s it?”

Sakazuki chuckled:

“Of course not.”

“We still have to handle the aftermath.”

He turned to Bullet:

“Bullet, go again.”

“Break both his legs.”

“Let him remember the lesson.”

“Redirect all the hatred to me.”

Bullet gave a short laugh:

“No problem.”

“Leave it to me.”

With a stomp, his figure vanished.

…

Not long after, a battleship slowly pulled out of port.

At the harbor, Enel frowned as he watched Bullet’s departure. He suddenly asked:

“Hey, old man, handing Vinsmoke Judge’s tech over to Dr. Vegapunk—”

“If that Pacifista Project is successfully developed, won’t it be even harder to deal with?”

“In the future…”

Sakazuki shook his head:

“Don’t worry. It won’t succeed.”

“At the earliest, it would take twenty years.”

Enel tilted his head, confused.

Sakazuki chuckled:

“How do you know Vegapunk… isn’t one of us?”

Enel’s face instantly froze into a dumbfounded expression.

“What the hell… Why didn’t I know about this?!”

Sakazuki said calmly:

“There’s plenty you don’t know.”

“The Elders… heh.”

“They don’t understand a damn thing about technology.”

“We decide when something gets developed.”

Enel’s face was full of black lines. You don’t understand either, do you…

Smack—

A lightning-fast finger flick landed on Enel’s forehead.

Sakazuki’s voice rang out:

“I think you’re having some improper thoughts.”

Enel immediately straightened up:

“Nope! Absolutely not!”

“Old man, you’re number one!”

Sakazuki laughed lightly:

“It’s not that I’m hiding it from you.”

“It’s that there’s no use in you knowing too much.”

“You’re not needed for this. Just grow up properly.”

Enel protested:

“Hah? You’re underestimating me, old man.”

“I may not be as scheming as you guys, but I’m smart too.”

Sakazuki looked at him:

“Then let me test you.”

“What’s the real purpose of Cleansing Campaign?”

Enel answered quickly:

“To crack down on the pirate craze sparked by Roger.”

“To halt the rising tide in the shortest time possible.”

“To stabilize the world’s situation.”

Sakazuki shook his head:

“That’s just surface-level cover.”

“You got the last part right by pure luck.”

“The real purpose is to stabilize the global situation.”

“The pirate era Roger ushered in can’t be stamped out.”

“Desire only grows stronger with time.”

“All we need from this operation is to suppress the pirate wave for at least three years.”

“Do you know why?”

Enel looked bewildered and shook his head.

Sakazuki explained:

“Because only by suppressing the urge to go out to sea in the short term,”

“can we prevent the Revolutionary Army from drawing attention. It also gives them time to grow.”

“If we didn’t carry out this operation, the number of young pirates heading out each year would double.”

“Soon, the government would notice a global decline in productivity.”

“A simple investigation would reveal the cause.”

“Even without a good solution, under such pressure, the ideals of the Revolutionary Army become very dangerous.”

“The government would move to eradicate them immediately.”

In the original story, Dragon spent over a decade finding his own path before starting a widespread revolution.

But now it’s different, it’s impossible not to develop. If the urge to go to sea isn’t suppressed,

In just a few years, once the government investigates the reasons,

The Revolutionary Army, carrying such dangerous ideas, would be the first to be wiped out.

But because Sakazuki suppressed that urge, the situation changed.

Even though global productivity declined slightly, it wasn’t by much.

The government didn’t care. After a few years, once people forgot their fears,

A massive wave of expeditions would begin again. By the time the government noticed the productivity drop, more years would pass.

By then, the Revolutionary Army would already be flourishing everywhere—it would be impossible to wipe them out.

At the right time, they’d send Robin in, and with the industrial revolution bonus package…

Sakazuki continued:

“That’s why we have to keep this suppressed.”

“The government can’t see the Revolutionary Army’s threat yet, because productivity hasn’t dropped.”

“Even though many people live in hardship, they can still survive.”

“But once large numbers of youths leave, productivity drops, and the Heavenly Tribute doesn’t decrease—”

“Then people will no longer be able to survive under that pressure.”

“And when they can’t survive, what do they do?”

“Revolt.”

“Once a revolution breaks out that affects the entire world,”

“The fools in the Holy Land won’t be able to sit still.”

“At that time, we just need the right opportunity…”

“Heh…”

Enel still looked completely confused. Yeah, this really wasn’t his game…

“But… old man, if the Revolutionary Army gets too big, what do we do?”

“We can’t kill them all, can we?”

Sakazuki shook his head:

“Just take out the leader.”

“Didn’t I have you record Dragon’s electromagnetic field? Just decapitate him.”

“Their ideology may be solid, but it’s been cut down heavily.”

“Revolution seems noble… but not everything in this world can be solved through revolution.”

“This is not a world governed by ordinary people.”

“What they always overlook… is the power of the strong.”

At first, things might go smoothly. Most nations in the Four Blues are agrarian. They have strong people, but the Revolutionary Army can manage.

But once they hit the Grand Line and the New World, they’ll be brutally beaten.

Those pirates won’t show mercy… no matter how many come, it won’t be enough.

To put it bluntly: even if the Revolutionary Army gathered 100,000 or 200,000 men… it’d still be nothing compared to a single berserk Knock.

They’d all be turned into stew… what kind of revolution would that be?

—

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