"York?!"
Harald heard the name. Following Rocks' gaze, he locked onto the young man eating quietly at the table.
As the King of Elbaf, Harald feared few men. But his apprehension towards Atlas D. York exceeded even his wariness of Rocks.
York's reputation was terrifying. To a man with a wife and daughters, the "Fallen Succubus" was a walking nightmare. His ability didn't just kill; it corrupted.
"Me?!"
York, currently chewing on a roasted sea-king leg, looked up, stunned. He hadn't expected the conversation to pivot to him.
"You want me to persuade Harald? We aren't close. Why would he listen to a pirate?"
York had no desire to get involved.
Harald had shaved his head—a Giants' ultimate sign of submission. His resolve was set in stone. Unless someone used high-level hypnosis (like Kotoamatsukami from that ninja manga), mere words wouldn't work.
"You damn brat!!"
Rocks slammed his mug down.
"Let me rephrase the question! If you were Harald, what would be the correct move right now?!"
Chomp.
York ignored him, biting into a massive Elbaf grape—a fruit over 1.5 meters in diameter. Juice splattered everywhere.
"..."
Veins popped on Rocks' forehead. He started to rise, his hand drifting to his sword hilt. He needed to vent his frustration, and York looked very slashable.
"Stop."
Harald raised a massive hand, blocking Rocks.
"Don't do it, Xebec. This is Ida's bar. If you destroy this place, you are banned for life."
Rocks huffed, sat back down, and aggressively downed a tankard of ale to cool off.
Harald turned his gaze to York.
"York, was it? You are young, but if Xebec values your mind, you must have unique insights. Would you honor me with your thoughts?"
York swallowed the mouthful of grape. He wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"Your attitude... is indeed that of a wise King."
York stood up, dusting off crumbs.
"Very well. Since you asked sincerely, I will answer generously."
He held up a finger.
"If I were you, First: I would never actively seek to join the World Government."
"Things given for free are worthless. If you beg to enter, you enter as a servant, not an equal."
Harald frowned but nodded. It was a harsh truth.
"Second: I wouldn't join the Rocks Pirates either."
"You are correct in your fear. Joining Rocks is political suicide. It would sever any chance of Elbaf ever being recognized as a legitimate nation."
"Third: Militarily conquer the nations that helped you!"
Harald's eyes widened. "What? Attack my friends?"
"Not to kill them," York corrected. "But to declare to the world: 'These nations are under Elbaf's protection.' Annex them as protectorates. Whoever invades them declares war on Elbaf."
"Fourth: Total War."
York's eyes turned cold.
"Attack any entity that touches your protectorates. Pirates, Kingdoms... or the World Government. If a Marine ship fires on your friends, sink it. Kill everyone. Pickle their heads and send them to Marineford in a box."
"Fifth: Crush the Buster Call."
"When the Government retaliates, they will send a Buster Call. Confront it head-on. Destroy the fleet completely. Prove to the world that their ultimate weapon is useless against the might of Elbaf."
"Sixth: Wait for the Invitation."
York sat back down.
"Once you have done all this, the World Government will realize they cannot control you, and they cannot destroy you. They will have no choice but to offer you a seat at the table to appease you."
"At that time, your warriors can join the Marines with honor, as allies, not as conscripts."
"But above all," York finished, pointing at Harald's bald head, "Always prepare for war. Diplomacy is just the shadow cast by your cannons. Without the strength to destroy them, your 'sincerity' is just a joke."
Silence descended on Ida's Tavern.
Harald sat frozen. Ida stopped cleaning glasses. The Rocks Pirates stopped eating.
Even Rocks stared at York, mouth slightly open.
The logic was brutal, Machiavellian... and flawless. It was a blueprint for an Empire.
"York... you little..."
"That's my suggestion. Whether the King listens is his choice."
York shrugged, turned around, and took a bite out of a steak the size of a bed.
WHOOSH!
Rocks blurred. He leaped from the bar, landing on York's table with a crash. He grabbed York by the collar and spun him around.
"Brat! I knew you had a brain in there!"
Rocks' eyes were burning with intensity.
"Since you have a plan for Harald, you must have thoughts on my ambition! You know I want to be King of the World!"
"Tell me! What is your advice for me?!"
York gulped down the beef. He looked at the manic Captain.
He wanted to say, 'Why should I tell you?'
But over the last two years, despite the abuse, Rocks had taught him Haki. He had given him a platform.
York sighed. He pushed Rocks' hand away.
"You really want to know?"
"Speak! Whether I listen is my business!"
York paused. He looked Rocks in the eye.
"For you, the path is simple. But you're doing it wrong."
"To be King of the World, you need two things."
"First: A Nation. You need a massive population and an army loyal to you, not just a gang of pirates who want treasure."
"Second: You need to storm Mary Geoise."
"Go head-to-head. Break the Marine defenses. Kill the Celestial Dragons. Sit on the Throne."
Rocks blinked, then burst out laughing.
"Wahahaha! Is that it?! Establish a nation? Storm the Holy Land? That's your grand plan? You're still a kid! Your ideas are too naive!"
"Are you saying my plan is naive because you think I don't know the 'Secret of the Flowers' in Mary Geoise?"
York cut through the laughter like a knife.
Rocks froze. His laughter died instantly in his throat.
The temperature in the room dropped. Rocks stared at York, his pupils constricting.
"How... how do you know about that?!"
York smiled calmly.
"A secret is only a secret when one person knows it. When a second person knows, it's just information."
Rocks fell silent, his grip on his sword tightening. The "Secret"—likely regarding the Empty Throne or the ancient weapon hidden by the Gods—was something he thought only he knew.
York continued, unfazed.
"You need to build a legitimate nation while secretly searching for a way to counter that 'Secret'. Both lines must progress simultaneously."
"These two are indispensable."
"Let's assume you ignore the nation-building," York said, leaning forward. "Suppose you storm Mary Geoise tomorrow and win. You kill the Celestial Dragons. You sit on the throne."
"Then what?"
"Do you think the World Government officials—the bureaucrats, the cipher pols, the logistics officers—will serve you?"
"Do you think the Marines will obey you just because you killed their masters?"
"Even if they bow, can you trust them?"
York sneered.
"If you don't have your own people to run the world... if you don't have a system to replace the one you destroy... then does it make a difference if you sit on the throne or not?"
York tapped the table.
"A King whose orders don't leave the room... is just the King of Nothing."
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