"One Piece:The True Codex"Chapter 364: The Star Wars Plan
Holy Land Mariejois.
The scar-faced elder, who had been silently staring at his cane, seemed to snap out of his thoughts upon hearing the words "train network." He turned his head toward Dampier and said, "It seems you deliberately traveled here on one of the ships from Water 7, just to prove that you have the connections and capabilities to participate in the construction of sea trains. Iceburg, if I recall correctly, is the disciple of Tom, the Fish-Man who invented the sea train."
"However," he continued, "while the sea train is indeed a remarkable invention with the potential to revolutionize people's lives, its widespread implementation is far from simple."
The benefits of the sea train were not lost on the World Government. After all, one of the few existing train tracks in the world was laid on Enies Lobby, a government-controlled island.
This convenient and efficient mode of transportation could expand the Government's effective control, reduce administrative costs, and, compared to the free-roaming ships on the seas, the trains running on fixed tracks were much easier to regulate.
If possible, the World Government would naturally want to lay train tracks across various regions. In fact, if William hadn't appeared, following the original timeline, when Akainu became Fleet Admiral and shifted the Marines' focus to the New World, the Government would have begun experimenting with building sea trains on islands with Marine bases in the New World.
However, compared to Dampier's proposed train network, those efforts would have been mere small-scale experiments.
Several practical realities constrained the World Government from pursuing such a project on a grand scale.
For one, the World Government was a coalition government, not a unified nation. While it wielded military authority, it rarely interfered directly in the internal policies of its member nations. For a sea train network to be implemented, it would need to cross multiple countries and cities. Given the varying cultures and the differing capabilities and temperaments of the kings, coupled with disputes over the benefits of train operation, the project was bound to face endless bureaucratic hurdles.
While the World Government could theoretically intervene to resolve these issues, the real question was whether they could manage it effectively.
The last large-scale project spearheaded by the World Government was the "Tequila Wolf" bridge kingdom, which had been under construction for seven hundred years without any hope of completion. The Government had poured immense manpower and resources into the project, only for it to be easily corrupted in the East Blue, where even the officials were bribed and colluded in human trafficking. The instigator of this corruption was none other than William himself, who now stood before them.
After Garp and the Marines' disappearance, and especially after Gin's defection, the World Government and Marines intensified their scrutiny of East Blue operations, which led to the discovery of William's corruption of Tequila Wolf officials.
Moreover, building a sea train network required an enormous amount of funding. Even with slave labor, the construction of Tequila Wolf had astronomical costs. The sea train, being a relatively new technology, would demand even more resources.
The member nations of the World Government were already burdened with the annual tribute of Heavenly Gold paid to the Celestial Dragons, a heavy economic strain on both the nations and their citizens. Imposing additional taxes to fund the train network would likely provoke widespread rebellion long before the economic benefits of the train network could materialize.
Even if the construction time for the train network were drastically reduced compared to Tequila Wolf—say, to just a hundred years—the World Government simply couldn't afford to wait that long.
"William is well aware of the World Government's difficulties," Dampier said. "That's why he has proposed a solution: a joint-stock system."
The elder with long, flowing hair chuckled dismissively. "Involving private capital might solve the initial funding problem, but it won't help with maintenance. The seas are teeming with pirates, and only with safe train operations can there be profits. Everyone understands that returns require security. Ultimately, this responsibility would still fall on the Marines and the World Government. But if we had enough manpower, would we even need you to propose this plan?"
Dampier smiled. "William's idea is to involve the Seven Warlords of the Sea as shareholders! Use their wealth to solve the company's initial funding needs, use their fearsome reputations to ensure the trains' safe operation, and most importantly..."
Dampier spoke slowly and deliberately, emphasizing each word: "To save the Seven Warlords system!"
"To bring the system back on track and refocus the attention of these seven great pirates on the first half of the Grand Line!"
As the supreme leaders of the World Government, the Five Elders were quick to grasp the implications. Even those who had initially dismissed the idea now wore serious expressions.
William's two proposals, when considered individually, might have seemed like mere fantasies. But together, they complemented each other, turning what seemed impossible into something that appeared feasible—and with multiple benefits.
The introduction of the sea train would significantly strengthen the World Government's rule. Having the Seven Warlords as stakeholders could address the manpower and funding gaps for the trains' construction and maintenance. Moreover, it would reinvigorate the increasingly criticized and seemingly obsolete Seven Warlords system, bringing it back to its original purpose.
After all, the Seven Warlords system was established to hunt down the troublesome pirates swarming the first half of the Grand Line. But now, the seven conscripted pirates were each doing their own thing, straying far from the system's intended purpose.
The Five Elders found it difficult to reject these two plans—or the man who proposed them.
Why wasn't William worried that the Five Elders might listen to his plans and then kick him aside? The answer lay in the fact that these two plans had to be implemented together, and their execution required his personal involvement.
Without the centralized efficiency of a modern government, without the cohesion provided by nationalism or patriotism, a massive project like the train network was beyond the World Government's capabilities.
Even if the Five Elders had the resolve to proceed—gritting their teeth and pouring all their resources into the project—and even if the citizens of every member nation wholeheartedly supported the Government's decisions, adored the Celestial Dragons, and willingly tightened their belts, the plan would still face insurmountable challenges.
If the Government diverted all its resources to this plan, what would happen to the rest of the world? Would they abandon the New World and the Four Seas? Would they stop containing the Four Emperors?
Of course, if the Five Elders and the World Government decided to proceed with the plan while sidelining William, he would be more than happy to turn to the Four Emperors, developing his influence in the New World while the World Government's power waned. He might even orchestrate a scenario reminiscent of the Soviet Union's collapse, turning the train network plan into an otherworldly version of the Star Wars Plan, dragging the World Government's fragile economy into ruin.
(End of Chapter)
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