Baltigo was a name Dragon himself had chosen for the island. He had selected a desolate place, unmarked even on most maps, as their base of operations, ensuring that even the Government's top intelligence organization, Cipher Pol, couldn't find their traces.
In the past two weeks, two events had transpired that were not monumental, but certainly not trivial.
First, the bounty of Z, the ace of the Immortal Pirates' Trash Disposal Unit, had surpassed 800 million Berries. It was confirmed that he had eaten the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Titan, a Mythical Zoan of the same type as Fleet Admiral Sengoku's. His assessed strength level was said to surpass that of an Admiral and even showed signs of reaching the level of a Yonko.
Second, the former First Mate of the Red-Haired Pirates, Ben Beckman, appeared on Ivalis's ship. Using extremely clever tactics, he easily routed the Immortal Pirates' old rival, comprising three warships of the Beasts Pirates, causing a sensation.
Could it be that Beckman had joined the Immortal Pirates? How was that possible? His most beloved and assisted captain, Shanks, had died at the hands of Alucard.
These two consecutive pieces of news led Dragon to call a temporary general meeting, and the first order of business was to propose the view: "The Immortal Pirates can be defeated."
Gilteo, the Revolutionary Army executive wearing a bear hat, frowned. "Dragon, the objective of the Revolutionary Army is to overthrow the Government. Are you perhaps paying too much attention to Alucard?"
A flicker of unease crossed Dragon's eyes, but it quickly vanished, and he regained his usual composure. "Hear me out first."
Dragon couldn't deny his personal motives, which concerned his son, Luffy. After the previous incident where Luffy was kidnapped and he himself was thrown into Impel Down, he became like "a man who is twice shy of a snake after one bite" when it came to Alucard. He had determined that Alucard was a great enemy to his family. Furthermore, Luffy would inevitably go out to sea and become a pirate. When that time came, the boy, with the blood of himself and Garp running through his veins, would surely stand before Alucard and challenge him.
Having clashed with him once, Dragon understood Alucard's terror even better. He did not want that terror to fall upon his son, so he hoped to deal with Alucard as soon as possible, or at least, weaken his power significantly.
However, Dragon couldn't voice this publicly. Instead, he approached the matter from a strategic perspective, addressing the Revolutionary Army executives around the meeting table: "Everyone, I actually hope we can win over former Marine Admiral Zephyr, who is now Z, the ace of the Immortal Pirates' Trash Disposal Unit."
No one was unfamiliar with "Z"; his new wanted poster had been front-page news just two days ago. Dragon used the word "win over," but in reality, he meant poaching him.
A few seconds of silence passed over the table. Then, an old man wearing a leopard-print cap spoke. "Z, leading the Trash Disposal Unit, has had outstanding success in recent years. He's practically one of the representative figures of the Immortal Pirates, similar in standing to the Three Calamities in the Beasts Pirates. How can such a person be 'won over' just by talking?"
The old man voiced the common sentiment of everyone present except Dragon. With such a high position in the Immortal Pirates, how could Zephyr possibly be poached by the Revolutionary Army?
Dragon smiled confidently. "You only see Z's superficial glory, but you've forgotten the conflicts he had with Alucard back when he was the Chief Instructor several years ago."
As Dragon spoke, he nodded to his side. A short-haired woman dressed like a secretary stepped forward, holding a data sheet, and began to read: "According to our statistics, Alucard and Zephyr have had four total small skirmishes and major battles, with three involving their respective groups. Our rough estimate shows that over 3,700 Marines under Zephyr's command have died at the hands of Alucard and his crew."
Everyone's expressions changed slightly. Dragon's eyes held a shrewd gleam. "Now you all understand, right? Zephyr has countless disciples who died at the hands of Alucard and his people. They have a deep-seated feud."
Dragon finally sat down in the main chair and analyzed: "Zephyr left the Marines almost certainly due to disappointment in the actions of the Marines or the Government. He joined Alucard because he temporarily felt that doing so was the most advantageous way to achieve his own goal. When that goal is achieved, he... will probably become an enemy of Alucard; of course, only if he has the capability to do so."
"Now that you put it that way, Dragon, he truly might become our ally," the old man conceded. "Should we try to recruit him under the banner of an 'Alliance to Overthrow the Government'?"
"Don't be too hasty. Recruitment is a must, but we need to proceed step by step. I was too impulsive last time, which is why I was defeated so easily." Recalling his devastating loss to Alucard in the East Blue, Dragon couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
He had heard from Garp that Luffy planned to set sail at age seventeen. If so, he still had over four years to make a move, and he couldn't afford to rush.
"But, Dragon," Gilteo interjected, "even if we manage to recruit Zephyr, Alucard won't let it go. How will we avoid him?"
The question caused a chill among those present.
Alucard's most recent known achievement was defeating two great pirates, Kaido and Byrnndi World, six months ago. Everyone ranked him on the same level as Whitebeard, with some even saying, "Whitebeard is dead, so Alucard is the strongest in the world." Being targeted by such a man would be an unimaginable disaster.
"In that case, we just need to create more chaos for him," Dragon replied, a hint of meaningful laughter in his tone.
Dragon spoke with renewed vigor: "Z is a powerful force, and I hope we can win him over. As a former Marine Admiral and Chief Instructor, his influence is unquestionable."
"However, the Immortal Pirates are a behemoth. We cannot act rashly. Let us first focus on liberating the nations suffering under Government persecution."
As Dragon finished speaking, everyone rose in an orderly fashion and responded, "Haii! (Yes!)"
…
Meanwhile, in the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Looking at the new wanted posters for Z and Ben Beckman, Sengoku was deep in thought. While his conclusions differed from Dragon, who was a world away, their underlying lines of thinking were somewhat similar.
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[1] Gilteo wore a bear hat here instead of a kangaroo
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