Dragon temporarily suppressed the indescribable joy in his heart. With a friendly smile, he extended his hand toward Nagasawa and said, "Nagasawa, the Revolutionary Army welcomes you."
Nagasawa also smiled as he reached out and firmly shook Dragon's hand, saying sincerely, "I've finally found my organization. In this rotten world, revolution is the only way forward."
Dragon nodded in agreement. That was precisely why he had founded the Revolutionary Army.
Instead of following his father, the Hero of the Marines, and becoming a Marine himself.
Because Dragon knew that even if one became the so-called Fleet Admiral, they would still only be a tool of violence for the World Government. The root of the people's oppression lay with the World Government. Becoming Fleet Admiral could never solve that problem. Only by overthrowing the World Government could the problem be eradicated at its source.
But just as Dragon tried to withdraw his hand, he realized that Nagasawa was still gripping it firmly.
Dragon looked at Nagasawa in confusion, only to see him wearing an enthusiastic expression, continuing to speak without pause.
Dragon assumed that Nagasawa was simply too excited to have finally found the Revolutionary Army for the first time, so he smiled reassuringly and patiently chatted with him.
Half a minute later, Nagasawa finally stopped talking and released Dragon's hand. In Dragon's eyes, this meant Nagasawa had realized he had been overly enthusiastic and was trying to compose himself.
Dragon was extremely satisfied with this new member of the Revolutionary Army, and he was also very interested in what Nagasawa would accomplish after joining.
"The sea has become unpredictable once again," Rayleigh said softly as he watched Nagasawa successfully join the Revolutionary Army.
At first, he had only thought that a bold hidden powerhouse had joined the Revolutionary Army. He had never expected there to be so many astonishing twists.
Not only had the man become a Marine Admiral through the World Military Draft before joining the Revolutionary Army, but even a mere clone possessed such overwhelming power. Just how powerful must the original body be?
And with a Marine Admiral serving as an undercover agent, the Revolutionary Army's future development would likely become much smoother.
"I thought this guy was mysterious enough already, but he's even more complicated than I imagined," Shakky said with a complicated expression.
At first, she had assumed he was just a lucky white-haired man who somehow obtained information. Later she discovered he was an unbelievably powerful reckless fighter. But that still wasn't everything—he had even hidden the identity of a Marine Admiral.
Shakky could only be grateful that she had been cautious enough not to show any hostility before learning Nagasawa's background.
No one doubted Nagasawa's claim of being a Marine Admiral, because it was far too easy to verify. There would be no point in using such a lie when it could be exposed so easily.
Besides, the two newly appointed Marine Admirals had indeed both been promoted directly from civilian recruits.
In the end, Nagasawa boarded Dragon's ship, while Rayleigh and Shakky returned.
On board, Sabo eagerly asked Nagasawa about life as a Marine Admiral.
"Being a Marine Admiral isn't really that impressive. There aren't many missions, and you rarely have to go out..." Nagasawa said with a smile.
Whenever the Marines were mentioned, it was impossible not to bring up the amusing old man Garp. Nagasawa began recounting many of Garp's funny stories.
"You and Luffy's grandfather actually held a party in the office to celebrate when a Celestial Dragon died?" Sabo said in astonishment.
Dragon's mouth twitched. Listening to someone tell funny stories about his father left him with rather mixed feelings.
But he also had to admit that it really did sound like something his old man would do.
"What's wrong with that? It's not like we held it in front of Sakazuki. What's wrong with celebrating in our own office?" Nagasawa laughed.
"But I didn't expect the former Fleet Admiral Sengoku to be that kind of person. I thought he'd be much more serious," Sabo said.
"Well, he's basically half-retired now. The Marines aren't his responsibility anymore. After dedicating his entire life to them, it's about time he enjoyed himself," Nagasawa explained.
The retired Sengoku was clearly much less stern than when he had still been Fleet Admiral. Otherwise, the grilled meat and alcohol that day would probably have been confiscated.
"Enough about that. I still don't know much about the Revolutionary Army. Why don't you tell me about your organization?"
"We have established five armies. The commander of the Grand Line Army is Emporio Ivankov. The East Army..." Dragon began explaining the Revolutionary Army's current strength.
Nagasawa shook his head and interrupted him.
"That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking what the Revolutionary Army is fighting for, what its goals are, and what you plan to do after overthrowing the World Government."
Nagasawa wasn't interested in the Revolutionary Army's current strength. Even if it was lacking now, with him around, its growth was only a matter of time. What he cared about was the Revolutionary Army's ideology.
Dragon fell into thought before answering firmly,
"We fight for the oppressed people and nations of the world. We fight for everyone's freedom! The Revolutionary Army will establish a brand-new government and create a peaceful and free world."
Sabo and Koala both nodded in agreement. They completely believed in Dragon's ideals.
But Nagasawa wasn't satisfied. He continued asking,
"When you establish a new government, how will it be better than the current World Government? What about the nobles? What about the kings? How will the different races coexist?"
For a moment, Dragon had no answer.
He had never thought that far ahead. Overthrowing the World Government was already an incredibly difficult challenge. The Marines alone were capable of crushing the current Revolutionary Army. How could they even talk about overthrowing the World Government?
If they couldn't overthrow it, then there was no point in discussing how to become a better government.
"Our current priority is still to strengthen ourselves and overthrow the World Government. Those questions can be considered later," Sabo felt Nagasawa was thinking too far ahead.
Nagasawa shook his head.
"No. This is extremely important. If we fail to address it, then we'll only create a second World Government and a second generation of Celestial Dragons. What would be the point of the revolution then?"
Just as Sabo was about to respond, Dragon spoke first.
His somewhat fierce-looking face showed agreement as he nodded.
"You're right. This is indeed extremely important. We've overlooked it until now."
"In that case, let me tell you some of my ideas," Nagasawa said with a smile as he drew upon the knowledge from his previous life.
The unique circumstances of the One Piece world had left the Revolutionary Army lacking in ideological development. He would complete that missing piece.
As Dragon listened to Nagasawa's various ideas and theories, his eyes gradually widened, revealing even greater astonishment than when he had learned Nagasawa was a Marine Admiral.
There had once been a time when Dragon believed no one understood revolution better than he did.
Now he realized someone truly did.
If he himself was still in the stage of exploration, then Nagasawa's understanding had already formed a complete system.
Dragon once again felt an indescribable joy.
With his keen sensitivity toward revolution, he knew he had found something the Revolutionary Army desperately needed.
Even if Nagasawa had been an ordinary person, Dragon would still have appointed him to the Revolutionary Army's highest ranks based solely on what he had demonstrated.
Because Nagasawa had brought with him a great ideology.
Dragon was actually very curious how someone who had supposedly lived in seclusion could develop such profound ideas, but his joy outweighed his curiosity.
Sabo and Koala also looked at him with newfound respect.
After Nagasawa finished speaking and saw the three of them looking puzzled, he smiled and answered,
"It is all thanks to the wisdom of those who came before."
Nagasawa said nothing more.
Being a transmigrator was simply too unbelievable. Even if he told them, no one would believe it. Sometimes it was better to remain mysterious.
P.S. Due to certain special reasons, I won't go into detail regarding those theories. As for why, I think you all probably understand.
...
Zefa and Nagasawa discussed whether to bring his two surviving students along to eliminate Whitebeard Jr.
Nagasawa's reasoning was, "The deaths of so many classmates and your severe injuries that day must have left deep scars in their hearts. Letting them witness the downfall of their enemy might help them heal a little."
Zefa thought Nagasawa's reasoning made sense, so he spoke to Ain and Binz about the operation against Whitebeard Jr.
"I'm going!" Ain quickly declared. She wasn't afraid despite nearly dying at Whitebeard Jr.'s hands back then. She immediately insisted on accompanying her teacher to eliminate that unforgivable pirate.
Binz was equally determined and immediately declared that he would also go. His thoughts were exactly the same as Ain's.
Zefa smiled and gently patted their heads, feeling deeply gratified. But whenever he recalled the horrific scene of his disciples dying that day, he wished he could find Whitebeard Jr. immediately and kill him.
Not long afterward, once the Marines confirmed Whitebeard Jr.'s location, Zefa brought his students to Nagasawa's office.
"Admiral Nagasawa, according to confidential intelligence, this pirate visited the Beasts Pirates' Onigashima some time ago. He may have some connection with the Beasts Pirates," Tashigi said as she reviewed the Marine intelligence on Whitebeard Jr., pointing out an important detail.
Zefa's expression darkened, but Nagasawa's next words immediately brightened his mood.
"It doesn't matter. So what if he's connected to the Beasts Pirates? They're just a slightly bigger group of pirates. If they're together, I'll wipe them out while I'm at it," Nagasawa said with a smile.
"Tashigi is unhappy. Admiral Nagasawa is far too overconfident," Tashigi said bluntly.
If a single Admiral could wipe out one of the Four Emperors' crews, the Four Emperors would have been eliminated long ago.
Although the strength of one Emperor's crew was less than the Marines', if two or three Emperors joined forces, their combined power would become truly terrifying.
Not only because of their top-tier fighters, but also because each Emperor commanded a massive pirate force that couldn't be ignored.
During the Summit War, Whitebeard's more than forty allied pirate crews had played a significant role, tying down a large number of Marines.
"Haha, then just wait and see, Tashigi. Wait for the day I wipe out the Beasts Pirates," Nagasawa laughed, unconcerned that she didn't believe him.
"Confidence is a good thing. The Marines will eventually eliminate all pirates," Zefa stood on Nagasawa's side.
"Teacher Zefa, even you..." Tashigi started to say before falling silent.
"Let's go!" Nagasawa shouted with great enthusiasm as he took the lead and walked out of the office.
At 180 centimeters tall, Nagasawa wasn't particularly tall by One Piece standards. There were plenty of people over two or even three meters tall. Even Tashigi was one centimeter taller than him.
Yet at that moment, the aura he displayed as he gave the order made everyone in the office pause. Looking at the Justice Coat draped across his back, he somehow seemed much taller.
Besides Zefa and his three disciples, Nagasawa also brought many of his own subordinates along. After all, this was considered an official mission, and they were traveling aboard a Marine warship.
On the warship, Nagasawa chatted with Zefa. Eventually, the conversation turned to Zefa's years as a Marine instructor and his former students.
"When Tashigi was still at the Marine Academy, she was already an outstanding student. In the blink of an eye, she's already a Rear Admiral," Zefa said with emotion.
"I'll be a Vice Admiral very soon," Tashigi added happily after hearing her former teacher praise her.
"I'm so jealous of you, Tashigi. I've never experienced the joy of promotions. I became an Admiral all at once and missed out on all the fun of climbing the ranks," Nagasawa said with an envious expression.
The smile on Tashigi's face immediately froze.
Without question, compared to Nagasawa's lightning-fast promotion straight to Admiral, her own promotion speed was nothing remarkable.
Tashigi kept a straight face and said, "Tashigi is unhappy. Admiral Nagasawa, that was well said. Please don't say it again."
Watching the interaction between superior and subordinate from the side, Ain couldn't help but laugh.
Not long after graduating, Ain had joined Zefa's Neo Marines to hunt pirates, living under constant pressure. She had rarely experienced such a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere like the one between Nagasawa and Tashigi.
"I wonder how Smoker is doing these days," Zefa suddenly said, remembering Tashigi's classmate.
Although Tashigi was excellent, Smoker had been the strongest student of their class.
"After the war ended, he requested a transfer to G-5. He's already a Vice Admiral now," Tashigi replied.
Since they had graduated together, the two had maintained a good relationship. Compared to Smoker, Tashigi was slightly weaker, but also much more rational.
"G-5..." Some memories flashed through Zefa's mind.
G-5 was one of the few Marine bases located in the New World.
"Perhaps he'll soon become your colleague," Nagasawa suddenly said.
Since requesting several Vice Admirals at once had failed, this time he had only requested Smoker. He felt the chances were much better.
"Enemy pirate ship spotted ahead!"
While everyone was chatting, a lookout suddenly shouted.
It was already nighttime, but thanks to the pirate flag, the Marines were still able to identify it as their target.
The Marines spotted the pirate ship, and the pirates also noticed the conspicuous Marine warship.
"Mom, there's a Marine warship ahead. What should we do?" Edward Weevil asked with a foolish grin as he sniffed, the snot hanging from his nose nearly dripping to the ground.
"Annoying Marines. Since they ran into us, it's just their bad luck. Kill them all," Miss Bakkin said indifferently.
"Bring the ship closer. I'm going to kill every last Marine," Edward Weevil ordered his men.