"Arara... this is truly... unifying the entire world? You really have some bold ideas!"
Aokiji never expected to hear such words from a pirate's mouth.
If it were anyone else's idea, Aokiji would have scoffed at it.
But Buggy was different, because he truly possessed that kind of [power].
The hall was packed with cadres; it was a force capable of shaking the world.
Buggy's ideas were somewhat similar to those of the Revolutionary Army; both sought to overthrow the rule of the Celestial Dragons and reshape the world order.
But Aokiji didn't think highly of the Revolutionary Army because their strength was too weak.
If the Four Emperors hadn't tied up most of the Marines' energy, the Revolutionary Army wouldn't have been able to develop at all.
Once the Marines could free up their hands, they would be fully capable of wiping out the Revolutionary Army.
Buggy was different. He had too many underlings with him, plus his messy connections—he was linked to Shanks, Luffy, and the Revolutionary Army.
He might even have support from members of the Roger Pirates.
For a moment, Aokiji felt a stirring of interest.
As a former Marine Admiral, he had witnessed far too much darkness.
Just as Buggy said, the world becoming like this was largely due to the Celestial Dragons.
As long as the full amount of the Tenryubito tribute was paid, the World Government didn't care who the ruler of a country was or how the commoners lived.
TheMarinese fought desperately to maintain order and justice, but they could only act as firefighters, unable to solve the root problem.
It wasn't that the Marine high command didn't realize this issue, but they couldn't think of a solution, or rather, they didn't dare to.
Opposing the World Government would only plunge the world into endless flames of war.
But if Buggy could truly eradicate the Celestial Dragons, the world might head in a different direction.
However, this was also a bloody path; Aokiji could hardly imagine how many people would die in the process of unifying the world.
"You want human wisdom not to be wasted on survival and combat, yet you first want to start a war that spans the whole world..." Aokiji said, "Is it worth it?"
"It's a necessary price. Otherwise, what? Will those with vested interests hand over their power?" Buggy asked.
"As long as the strength is sufficient, we can negotiate with them..."
Aokiji had just voiced his opinion when he was interrupted by Buggy's cold sneer.
"That's why you moderates will never get anything done. Your minds are only filled with thoughts of compromise; you are kind but foolish. If you had become the Fleet Admiral, it would have only made the Marine worse!"
Between Aokiji and Akainu, Buggy appreciated Akainu a bit more.
Akainu knew that achieving justice required the necessary [sacrifice], and he would lead by example.
He knew that compromise wouldn't earn understanding; it would only make the other side push their luck further, so he confronted the Gorosei directly.
"You know very well what the cancer of the world is. It's not pirates, it's the Celestial Dragons."
"There are many pirates, but I can kill them until they dare not go to sea. And then what? Will the world change?" Buggy asked.
No, it wouldn't. Aokiji knew the nature of the Celestial Dragons; without pirates, they would only downsize the Marine to save money for their own pleasure.
But Aokiji still couldn't make up his mind. This was different from joining the Blackbeard Pirates; he had joined them specifically to betray them.
But if he joined the Buggy Pirates, it would be to change the world together, truly, Buggy said.
If he stirred up a bloodbath in the world and it ultimately didn't lead to a good result, Aokiji couldn't accept those consequences.
"Go to Wano Country and see for yourself. That is my pilot site for transforming the world."
Buggy knew it would be hard to convince Aokiji; coming from the Marine, his perspectives were different from a pirate's.
"If you can't accept the policies of Wano Country, then just leave. If you plan to join us, then be prepared to have your hands covered in blood," Buggy said.
"I need like-minded companions, not indecisive, wishy-washy people."
"I understand. I'll go take a look at Wano Country, then give you an answer." Aokiji made up his mind.
"What you guys are talking about is so complicated, I don't understand it at all. But if you're going to Wano Country, I'll go along too," Luffy said.
"What are you going there for?" Buggy asked.
"To see if you've kept your promise to let everyone eat their fill!"
Luffy swallowed the food in his hand. "I don't understand the other stuff, but as long as you can make sure everyone is full, then you're doing a great job!"
"Go ahead. It just so happens Denjiro and the others are on the ship. Let them take you back to Wano Country; they can serve as guides."
Since there were no hostages on Cake Island, Buggy had directly carried out a nuclear-level carpet bombing, so Denjiro and the others hadn't even had a chance to fight.
"They're still alive? I thought you killed them like Momo..." Luffy said.
This guy was just like Roger—extremely concerned about his own companions, but very open-minded about everything else!
It seemed Momonosuke and the Nine Red Scabbards were not included in Luffy's scope of 'companions'.
Buggy suspected that only Law had been included in Luffy's scope of companions, while Kid didn't get that treatment.
Kid's plot armor was likely about to expire... Since Luffy and the others were leaving Cake Island, Law and Kid naturally wouldn't stay behind either.
Before they left, Hawkeye gave Shiliew's sword, the [Famous Blade · Raiu], to Zoro, who was radiating a ghostly aura.
Zoro drew Raiu, and a bloody scent immediately wafted out.
"The final request of a swordsman: he didn't want this weapon to be buried in obscurity," Hawkeye explained, which was rare for him.
"A Cursed Blade?"
Unlike the gentle Shusui, Raiu was an eerie, Cursed Blade.
Zoro didn't care about the eerie aura on Raiu; his willpower was enough to tame this Cursed Blade.
But he still missed Shusui... Raiu's blade was quite long, and when Zoro tried holding it in his mouth, he found it a bit unfamiliar.
"Three-Sword Style is truly strange," Buggy said as he watched this scene. "Can that sword in the mouth really play a role in battle?"
"...Perhaps this is the persistence of a swordsman."
Although Hawkeye also had some doubts about the Three-Sword Style, it was normal for swordsmen to have some quirks.
"Luckily, Kuina isn't a dual-wielder, or else Zoro would have ended up with a Four-Sword Style," Buggy remarked.
"That wouldn't be very easy, unless his sphincter muscle was quite developed."
Of course, the world of the strong was hard to understand.
The bald guy next door could pull off a 'Serious Fart,' and Magnetic Field experts had ultimate killing moves like the 'Ultimate Bladder Sword' that defied common sense.
Zoro might actually be able to train a Sphincter Four-Sword Style.
"Can you say a little less?" Hawkeye couldn't stand it when he thought of that image.
"Tch, if it succeeded, it would be a style with both physical and mental strikes."
Hawkeye didn't want to discuss it any further. If only his slashes weren't useless against Buggy... "Alright, we should get to business. In three days, we start clearing out the pirates within our sphere of influence," Buggy said.
"Before that, I need someone to go to the Dark Drum Kingdom and kidnap King Wapol."
---
A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San