White Soil Continent.
Baltigo.
Revolutionary Army Headquarters.
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Dragon frowned deeply.
So, from start to finish, it had all been a misunderstanding, and that misunderstanding had snowballed into the current crisis?
Compensation... or war?
War was out of the question. One wrong move and the entire Revolutionary Army could collapse into chaos.
But compensation... five Devil Fruits, and they couldn't be "trash" abilities.
If he remembered correctly, the Revolutionary Army only had two unassigned fruits in their possession. Acquiring three more in such a short timeframe was simply unrealistic.
Then, should he abandon Belo Betty and the entire East Army?
That was equally impossible. Belo Betty, in particular, possessed an ability that was far too vital to the Revolutionary Army—one that could be called indispensable.
Sean had truly presented him with a nightmare scenario. It was a triple bind.
'''
At the same time, aboard the warship returning to the 16th Branch.
"Tell me, which choice do you think Dragon will make?"
"Will he pay five Devil Fruits to buy your freedom?"
"Or will he gamble the future of the entire Revolutionary Army and go to war with me for your sake?"
"Or perhaps he'll only buy back a few of you? For instance, trading two fruits for Belo Betty and abandoning the rest?"
Sean asked with genuine curiosity, looking at Belo Betty and the others who were now locked in cages.
Silence fell over the group.
Belo Betty, especially, remained quiet. She knew all too well that regardless of the choice, none of them were good for the Revolutionary Army.
Sean wasn't just capturing them; he was systematically dismantling their convictions.
"Sean, as our leader said, given your usual way of doing things, you probably aren't on the side of the Celestial Dragons either. So why..."
"Why what? So I can do what you do? Incite civilians across the globe to overthrow tyrants?"
"Overthrowing the Celestial Dragons is the best way to—"
"Stop right there!"
Sean had heard enough and cut Belo Betty off mid-sentence.
"In all the years the Revolutionary Army has existed, you've overthrown the rule of three nations, correct?"
"That's right. It proves that our strategy is correct. One day, even the World Government will—"
"Give it a rest!"
Belo Betty tried to continue, but Sean ruthlessly interrupted her again.
"A year ago, in the Vivia Kingdom of the West Blue, three hundred thousand civilians rose in rebellion and overthrew the King. That was your handiwork, wasn't it?"
"It was!"
"Then tell me, what happened afterward?"
Belo Betty froze.
"Afterward... due to the joint suppression by the World Government and the Marine, we were forced to retreat."
"Right. And what about those three hundred thousand rebels in the Vivia Kingdom?"
"That..."
Belo Betty was stunned by the question.
"From what I know, the Revolutionary Army took the ones with decent strength with them. As for the remaining three hundred thousand civilians..."
"Over two hundred thousand died. Even those who survived were exiled to the Land of the Bridge, where they now await an eternity in purgatory!"
"Don't tell me you didn't foresee this outcome when you incited the people of Vivia to rebel."
Had they not foreseen it? No, they had.
It was obvious. How could the World Government possibly allow an Affiliated Nation to be overthrown and do nothing about it? A massive military crackdown was the inevitable result. This was predictable from the moment the rebellion began.
The only ones who hadn't foreseen it were the ordinary civilians they had stirred up.
"So, knowing full well what the result would be, you still incited that rebellion, leading to the deaths of over two hundred thousand people and leaving the survivors in a state worse than death."
"And the Revolutionary Army? As the architects of the chaos, you conveniently vanished the moment before the World Government and the Marine arrived!"
As Sean spoke, his eyes were filled with disdain—even a hint of disgust.
Belo Betty found herself speechless.
When that operation was planned, there had been many opposing voices within the Revolutionary Army. Sean was right; everyone knew the cost of overthrowing an Affiliated Nation. It would inevitably trigger a bloody, large-scale suppression by the World Government.
The Revolutionary Army simply didn't have the strength to repel the combined forces of the World Government and the Marine. Therefore, retreating was the only logical choice.
So, if they knew the outcome, why did they start it?
The reason was simple: the Revolutionary Army needed to grow, and growth required a track record of success.
But this "success" couldn't come from a direct confrontation with the World Government or the Marine, as they lacked the power for such a fight. Instead, the track record was built on... successfully overthrowing the Affiliated Nations of the World Government.
After all, you have to show the world that you have the capability to challenge the World Government if you want more people to join your cause, right?
Furthermore, the Revolutionary Army needed more power—specifically, battle-hardened elites with unwavering will. How do you get that kind of force?
By picking fights with the World Government or the Marine just to train veterans? Forget it. If they tried that, the Revolutionary Army would be wiped out in no time.
Therefore, inciting a rebellion to overthrow a kingdom and then hand-picking the strongest among the participating civilians was a far more efficient method.
Finally, by letting the World Government and Marine carry out a bloody purge, those who were "rescued" became even more devoted to the Revolutionary Army's faith and grew to hate the World Government even more.
Despite knowing the endgame, most of the Revolutionary Army had agreed to the plan because it was overwhelmingly beneficial to their organization.
When stripped of the rhetoric, it came down to two words: profit.
When the profit was high enough, the Revolutionary Army was, in some ways, even more ruthless than the forces they fought.
Belo Betty and her comrades knew this. But for a long time, they had convinced themselves with excuses: 'Sacrifice is inevitable on the road to overthrowing the Celestial Dragons,' or 'these losses are worth it compared to the final goal.'
But those were just justifications.
The reality was that the conflict between the Revolutionary Army and the World Government was simply a struggle for power. Nothing more.
'''
Sean left.
But his words left every officer of the East Army in a heavy, suffocating silence.
After a long while...
"Betty... is the path we're walking truly the right one?"
"Ashiru, you..."
"To be honest, I'm starting to waver!"
Hearing those words, Belo Betty's eyes widened in shock.
She knew Ashiru far too well, and she was intimately aware of the tragedies of her past. To hear such a confession come from Ashiru was something she had never, in a million years, expected.
'So... was our way truly wrong?'
'If we were wrong, then what was the right answer?'
If Sean could hear the desperate cry echoing in Belo Betty's heart, he would have given a simple answer:
Obtain overwhelming power.
Power sufficient to topple everything in its path; only then would every obstacle cease to be a problem.
The way of the Revolutionary Army—operating in the shadows, engaging in clandestine activities that only served to lead wave after wave of civilians to their deaths—was a path destined for failure. Because...
This is a world where might makes right.
Overthrowing the existing order is actually quite simple.
You simply acquire the most powerful force in the world.
And then...
You reign supreme over all!