"It sounds like a very lofty dream, but Mr. Kaido…"
Kurosaki Rei's tone shifted.
"You now hold absolute dominion over Wano. Yet over the past ten-plus years, has this place actually become a just land?"
Kaido froze for a moment.
He suddenly realized that Wano was not like that at all.
Although he had implemented some of his ideas in certain areas—such as the merit-based labor system in Udon Prison, which he personally controlled—most of Wano was nothing like the world he envisioned.
Figures like Kurozumi Orochi, these so-called 'nobles,' were in direct contradiction to his ideals.
"I never intended to govern Wano in the first place."
Kaido said slowly.
"I only meant to use it as a factory base—a foothold for accumulating power."
In his view, he had handed governance to Kurozumi Orochi, so he couldn't be blamed entirely.
"In my hometown, there's a saying,"
Kurosaki Rei replied calmly.
"'If you can't even sweep your own house, how can you sweep the whole world?'"
He looked straight at Kaido.
"Mr. Kaido, if you couldn't even get Wano under control, do you really think you can realize your dream and make the entire world just?"
Seeing Kaido's heavy expression, Kurosaki Rei continued:
"I know what you're thinking. You see Wano as a means to an end. And for the sake of your great dream, the methods you use don't matter. Is that right?"
"So what if it is?"
Kaido answered bluntly, without trying to hide it.
"I admire your straightforwardness and your strength, Mr. Kaido."
Kurosaki Rei said evenly.
"But forgive my frankness—if you continue with your current philosophy, it will be very difficult to achieve your dream."
Kurosaki Rei was deliberately guiding him.
He believed Kaido wanting to overthrow the Celestial Dragons wasn't wrong. But if that goal was pursued by squeezing the people dry, burning and looting across nations, then the problem became enormous.
Kurosaki Rei was willing to help Kaido oppose the Celestial Dragons—but he had no intention of becoming an accomplice to even greater suffering in the world.
Kaido frowned deeply.
"Then according to you, Kurosaki Rei, what should I do to overthrow the Celestial Dragons?"
As Kurosaki Rei said, Kaido truly didn't care about the means.
His core belief was survival of the fittest—hence his idea of a world where ability determined worth.
But in truth, with his level of education, he had no idea how to govern a world or implement ideals.
What drove him forward was nothing more than childhood trauma and long-accumulated hatred toward the Celestial Dragons.
The country he was born in had been poor, yet it had to pay enormous Heavenly Tribute every year.
To afford it, they had no choice but to wage constant wars, earning money by fighting for others.
In such a hellish nation, the people lived in misery.
Kaido had come to despise the world ruled by the Celestial Dragons.
To put it plainly—he didn't care what the world became like. He didn't care about the methods.
As long as he could crush the Celestial Dragons, that was enough.
"This will be an extremely difficult plan."
Kurosaki Rei said slowly.
"Even I don't know whether it's truly feasible. But if the Governor wishes to hear it, I can explain it step by step."
Kurosaki Rei knew Kaido had already reached a moment of awakening.
At this point, as long as his plan showed even a hint of feasibility, it would change Kaido's future course of action.
The other executives present all held their breath, their expressions solemn.
They felt as though they were witnessing the birth of something momentous.
"Go on."
Kaido said, his tone unusually courteous.
"I'll take it under consideration."
This no longer sounded like Kaido speaking to his daughter's friend—it was how he addressed a trusted senior officer.
"First,"
Kurosaki Rei began,
"we must govern Wano properly. You must truly become this country's Guardian King—a protector in the eyes of the people, not a brutal pirate."
Kurosaki Rei felt that he was attempting the greatest act of persuasion in his life—
He was trying to talk a Yonko, Kaido, into going legit.
"And what benefit does that bring?"
Kaido asked, frowning.
He wasn't the type to feel joy simply from being loved by the people.
"I've already said this before."
Kurosaki Rei replied.
"Free workers are far more productive than slaves. Extending that logic—citizens in a peaceful nation, living safely and happily, will naturally create far more value than people who are starving and living in fear."
"Wano is our base."
"Only when Wano grows strong can we grow strong."
"Now let me ask you—what determines whether a nation is strong?"
"Military power."
Kaido answered without hesitation.
"Economic strength and military strength."
King added.
Since the question was open to all, the other executives also thought it over and offered various answers—most aligning closely with Kaido's.
After everyone spoke, Kurosaki Rei nodded.
"That's right. Military power and economic power are both crucial."
"But where do these forces come from?"
"In the end, they are built upon people."
"Wano already has an excellent industrial foundation. We can produce powerful weapons ourselves."
"The people here, with just a bit of training, can become fearless warriors—or what they themselves call samurai."
He circled the word 'People' on the blackboard.
"So the army you want, Mr. Kaido, has always been right in front of you."
"We have strong industry, powerful weapons, and a readily available source of soldiers."
"The problem is—this potential army currently rejects the Beasts Pirates."
Kurosaki Rei had no intention of telling Kaido some naive nonsense about overthrowing the Celestial Dragons without war, or relying solely on cultural revolutions.
Yes, history had examples of regime change without bloodshed—but the vast majority of revolutions required force.
And in the world of One Piece, strength was truth.
If your fist wasn't big enough, you had no right to speak.
Without military power, the World Government could wipe out your home base with a single Buster Call.
Not to mention that Im, the true ruler of the Celestial Dragons, possessed terrifying weapons capable of erasing entire nations—essentially a game of "point and delete."
Opposing such enemies without bloodshed was nothing but a fantasy.
Even Luffy wouldn't be that naive.
So Kurosaki Rei didn't deny Kaido's desire for war.
In fact, it was almost the only path to resisting the Celestial Dragons.
If you couldn't ignite a world-spanning war—one that drove people everywhere to rise against the World Government—then victory was impossible.
But how that war was fought mattered.
Under Kaido's original approach, even without Luffy knocking him out in Wano, he would never succeed.
All he would achieve was catastrophic global casualties.
A truly successful campaign had to be decided at the strategic level from the very beginning—not through blind troop hoarding and waiting for battle.
Kaido's own thinking was simple.
He believed that once he made a move, others—like the Revolutionary Army or nations crushed by the Celestial Dragons—would naturally respond.
But reality was harsher.
People were pragmatic creatures.
As long as they could barely survive, they wouldn't rebel.
In the end, the only ones storming Mary Geoise might be Kaido's own forces.
And then?
He'd likely face a nightmare lineup: three Admirals, the Five Elders, the Seraphim army…
The so-called "Strongest Creature" still had limits.
In a duel, Kaido was terrifying—his stats were absurd, he could tank and hit like a monster.
But in a group fight, that advantage vanished.
Even in Wano, Kaido ultimately fell after endless attrition and being worn down again and again.
Therefore, if the Beasts Pirates truly wanted to oppose the Celestial Dragons, strong military power was essential.
And that power could not come from the Gifters.
It had to come from Wano's elite samurai.
"Samurai…"
Kaido sighed.
"They're certainly powerful. But they're far too proud and unruly. They'll never serve me."
He acknowledged their strength and loyalty.
But precisely because of that loyalty, they were difficult to bring under his banner.
He had once admired several samurai and spared their lives, imprisoning them instead, hoping they'd submit.
They never did.
"Mr. Kaido, you must understand something."
Kurosaki Rei said.
"What people call 'loyalty' changes with social conditions."
"Under feudal ideology, those samurai who fought you in the past believed in absolute loyalty to their lord."
"Their devotion to the Kozuki clan was near-total."
"That's why, even after years of forced labor in Udon Prison, they never submitted."
"And even ten more years from now—if a Kozuki were to return, they would still kneel."
Kurosaki Rei then shifted his tone.
"But the new generation of Wano is different."
"After everything Wano has been through—its gates blasted open by the Beasts Pirates, the dark tyranny of Orochi, and countless hardships—the people who have just regained their lives have already, psychologically, begun to separate themselves from the Kozuki rule of the past."
"What do you mean?"
Kaido asked, clearly confused.
"Simply put—right now, you can treat them as a people without a master."
Kurosaki Rei explained.
"Whoever treats them well, they'll follow."
"That's exactly why Yamato and I are pushing benevolent governance."
"Is it really that simple?"
Kaido found it hard to believe.
Mainly because he had never encountered such a 'benevolent ruler' in his own life.
He had fought desperately to protect his homeland—only to be sold out by its king.
"Simple to say. Much harder to do."
Kurosaki Rei replied.
"Fortunately, we've already completed the first step."
"Right now, Wano's people have begun to change their impression of us."
"Especially those who received food aid or participated in building the new factories—they are the direct beneficiaries."
"Without us even instructing them, they'll unconsciously help spread the word, letting others know that the new Shogun, Yamato, is not brutal—but a wise ruler."
Kurosaki Rei circled the word 'Economy' on the blackboard.
"As long as the people develop a basic sense of recognition, public sentiment will stabilize."
"Once hearts settle, the economy will grow rapidly."
"And economic growth improves lives even further."
"With comparison, people will realize that life under Yamato is far better than under the Kozuki clan."
"At that point, very few will still cling to the past."
"Meanwhile, as the nation grows rich, we gain more options."
"We can promote education across various fields, train skilled factory workers, and cultivate warriors fit for the battlefield."
"All of these new talents will owe their success to Beasts Pirates rule."
"Naturally, they'll develop strong identification—and a degree of loyalty—toward us."
"At that point,"
Kurosaki Rei concluded,
"the army you desire will exist—and it will be of very high quality."
In Kurosaki Rei's view, Wano's people might be stubborn and somewhat dim—but this land truly had enormous talent potential.
In the original story, many great swordsmen came from Wano.
If proper academies were established to teach martial arts and swordsmanship, even more powerful figures might emerge.
At this moment, after long contemplation, King spoke again:
"Mr. Rei, I agree with most of what you said."
"But is a military truly necessary?"
"You yourself mentioned that Devil Fruit armies aren't reliable. So if we recruit samurai armies in Wano—will that really be useful?"
"Mr. King, you've misunderstood."
Kurosaki Rei explained patiently.
"The Gifter army isn't entirely useless. And samurai armies certainly have their roles."
"As you said—ordinary fighters are nothing more than grass before top-tier powerhouses."
"But if we want to oppose the Celestial Dragons, it can't be just a handful of monsters fighting alone."
"We need people operating outside the main battlefield as well."
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