Chapter 30: Killing Crocodile will benefit the whole world
After choosing a temporary direction, Bane started to think about expanding his team again.
If Nami wants to join the navy in the future, the new recruits shouldn't be pirates, and she is somewhat against this idea.
Because of this, there are not many candidates who catch Bane's interest. Most of the talented people he knows right now are pirates. For example, Trafalgar Law, who recently caused major trouble in the North Sea.
Trafalgar Law may not be a true villain, but he can be a problem, especially because his abilities are unique. If he joins the navy, it could be very dangerous for him. Who knows what the people in Mary Geoise might do to him.
After considering this, Bane thought that none of the players from the Worst Generation seemed suitable.
'Enel is actually okay,' Bane suddenly thought of the user of the Thunder Fruit, who was a local tyrant on Sky Island.
First, Enel's background is not an issue. Although he did bad things on Sky Island, he is not really a pirate and can be seen as a ruler.
Also, he has never been wanted by the navy or the world government. The plan would be to go to Sky Island, defeat him, recruit him for our group, bring him to the surface world, and make him atone for his past wrongdoings.
His talent may not be exceptional, but it is decent, especially his observation Haki. When combined with the power of his Thunder Fruit, he is impressive. He has just been king of a small place like Sky Island for too long, so he is narrow-minded. If he has time to train on the vast ocean, he could become a strong fighter.
"But getting to Sky Island is tricky. I need to think about it carefully later. " Bane shook his head in frustration again.
Usually, there are only two ways to reach Sky Island. The first way is to ride the upwelling current from Gaya Island in a very risky manner.
However, this upwelling current only happens once a year, and this year's current will last a long time. This is what the Straw Hat Pirates experienced in the original story.
Bane may not have the time to wait, nor does he want to.
The second traditional method is to use a secret route managed by the navy. Bane does not have clear information about it. He only knows that this route exists.
Besides these traditional methods, everything else depends on your own abilities. If you can fly, there will be no problem. Powerful individuals like Shiki the Golden Lion and Kaido the Beast can reach Sky Island easily.
After thinking for a long time, Bane couldn't come up with a good solution. He could only take things one step at a time and see what happens.
After dinner, Bane, Nami, and Zoro checked into the hotel. Alone in his room, Bane took out a notebook and started planning what he needed to do to follow the earlier plan. "First, we must continue to improve our strength. This is essential. In this sea, power is what counts. So we need to try Little Garden," Bane decided on his first plan.
Next, he thought about what would happen after joining the navy. From any angle, Zephyr's "New Navy" was a promising project, but he was progressing too quickly. He had recently gathered a team to work independently, but he was about to make a major move. He wanted to destroy three islands linked to a massive magma pool under the New World. This would trigger a catastrophic underwater magma explosion, wiping out all the pirates in the New World.
From his perspective, he wanted to eliminate everyone in the New World. For this reason, calling him the biggest terrorist in history isn't wrong.
Considering this, Bane thought this man must be insane. Doing this would be like digging his own grave. Not only would the pirates in the New World not allow Zephyr to succeed, but the Navy, the World Government, and the people of the world would also oppose him. However, Bane didn't think Zephyr was completely crazy, so why did he choose such an extreme method?
After some careful thought, Bane wondered if Zephyr's age was a factor. He knew that as a new navy, he might achieve some success for a time, but eventually, as he became a "relic of the old era," he would end up like the Whitebeard Pirates, with no one to continue his legacy or ambitions.
In fact, Zephyr's new navy has this issue. It has many troops and elite soldiers, but almost no one at the top can lead. Neither Ain nor Zephyr's other subordinates are strong enough to manage everything. So, Zephyr thinks his new navy won't last long. Instead of slowly falling apart, he prefers to go all in and aim high. He wants to use the new navy to take over the entire new world!
Bane believes he can fix this problem. Wouldn't it be great if he became the successor? With the team he has formed in management, he could easily take over Zephyr's team.
He wants to give Zephyr hope. If Zephyr can see that the new navy can improve and has a better chance of defeating pirates, then he won't need to make extreme choices. After all, he isn't truly a madman or a killer at heart.
The second point is the long-term growth of the new navy. The new navy was created mainly because of Zephyr's personal charm and reputation. He has spent many years in the navy. Most of the current senior officers are his former students. They can be considered influential figures among navy leaders.
When he announced he wanted to start his own venture, he got a lot of support within the navy. He quickly gathered a capable team, at least among the middle and lower ranks. Also, since he has a variant version of the Pacifista, there should be a group of skilled members from the navy's scientific corps who left with him.
However, these people can be inspired by passion for a while, but they can't keep following Zephyr and acting recklessly forever. First, it would be unreasonable if he doesn't address their pay. The navy is largely controlled by the world government because it can't handle its own funding issues alone, which leads to various restrictions and makes it the 'guard dog' of the world government.
The new navy's downfall in just two or three years happened partly because Zephyr died in battle, but another major reason was the lack of successors and sustainable financial support. After everyone worked hard for their passion for some time, they could no longer keep going.
Therefore, this might be one reason that led Zephyr to take the risk.
As a high-ranking official in the navy, Zephyr has a long-term vision. He knows about this problem, but he can't solve it quickly. In the end, he decides to take extreme measures.
Bane thought this point was the hardest to handle compared to the first one.
In the original story, Zephyr's new navy could only survive temporarily by stealing from pirates. This method wouldn't last long. He needed to find an industry to support the new navy.
When thinking about this industry, Bane immediately thought of Crocodile from Alabasta. This man is very wealthy. He has the Baroque Works operating throughout the first half of the Grand Line. Although this organization is criminal, its boundaries are unclear. Besides trying to overthrow the Alabasta regime, most of the time, the Baroque Works fights pirates for bounties, takes on assassination jobs in the underworld, smuggles contraband, and does intelligence work.
Bane doesn't really see these so-called crimes as hard to accept. There are both good and bad sides, and it's all mixed together. The world isn't just black and white, and he isn't simple-minded.
Even though Baroque Works has a complicated internal structure, it gives Crocodile a constant flow of money. This allows Crocodile to prosper in Alabasta. He has opened the most luxurious casino in the first half of the Grand Line and makes a lot of money every day. He can also fund hundreds of thousands of Alabasta rebels.
Who is this person? A wealthy man!
Since I will be dealing with him myself, it makes sense for me to take over Crocodile's wealth after I am done with him, right?
Crocodile used this wealth for his evil plans to take over Alabasta, but Bane would use it to support Zephyr's righteous cause. What is this? It's a wonderful opportunity that will benefit the whole world!
"It just so happens that with Robin's identity, it isn't suitable for her to join the navy openly. But since she is the second-in-command of Baroque Works, she is perfect for handling these matters. " Bane felt that this plan was simply ideal.
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