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"My objective," Karasu said, "is to eliminate the man who runs the orphanage and the noble behind him. We'll incite the exploited dockworkers and miners to rise up and overthrow the tyranny of the Ilusia Kingdom. Besides," he added, "at the last Levely, King Thalassa was the one who pointed out the danger of the Revolutionary Army. He's hunted down and killed many of our brothers in the past. It's time we got revenge for them."
"Dragon sent me here to help you," Betty said. "And I've brought some weapons."
"Weapons?" Karasu's eyes lit up.
"Yes."
"That's fantastic. That's what we need most. Thalassa, fearing an uprising, has banned all guns and swords. It's been almost impossible for us to get our hands on anything decent."
Betty's men brought six long crates ashore.
"My East Army is also short on weapons," she said. "Fortunately, the people in the Kano Country were willing to sell us some. They're not happy about the West Blue's incursions. They sold us a batch of their new models at cost."
"New models?" Karasu's eyes widened. He opened a crate. "Are these the new rifles that appeared in the Kano Country?"
"The Kar98k," Betty confirmed. "A hundred of them, with five thousand rounds of ammunition. Fifty of them are armor-piercing. An ordinary person can punch a hole through a 10mm steel plate from several hundred meters away. There are also two RPG-7s and ten rockets."
"It's enough," Karasu said, his confidence surging. "Once we take the orphanage, we can arm two thousand men with the weapons there. With your ability to rally the troops and these new weapons, our chances of success are even greater."
"Taking the orphanage, mobilizing the workers, and liberating Boloni is just the first step," Betty said, her expression serious. "After that, we'll have to face the counter-attack from the royal family and the other nobles, as well as the intervention of the World Government. We can't let our guard down."
Karasu nodded. The royal family and the nobles weren't the real threat. The real threat was the World Government, a behemoth that had ruled the world for eight hundred years.
"Don't worry," Betty said. "Dragon said this is just a test. The main goal is to divert the attention of the World Government and Cipher Pol. The 'Life Coach' has advised us to use guerrilla tactics, to preserve our strength and lead the Marines and the World Government on a wild goose chase."
Karasu nodded.
The "Life Coach" was a mysterious figure...
Ever since Dragon had brought back a short essay written by him, the entire Revolutionary Army had been fired up. Dragon had been corresponding with him ever since, and his revolutionary theories had been a breath of fresh air. Under his guidance, the Revolutionary Army had begun to transform. For many, he was now a figure of reverence, second only to Dragon himself.
"Do you have a battle plan?" Betty asked.
Karasu glanced around. "It's too dangerous here. Let's go back first."
Betty agreed. They quickly left the docks and headed for their hideout, an abandoned mine.
Karasu had already recruited a number of the oppressed miners. He gathered them and his own men.
"This is Belo Betty, an officer from headquarters," he announced. "She'll be fighting alongside us."
He introduced the miners' representative, a man named Antonie, and a man named William, who cleaned the latrines at the orphanage. It was William who had first discovered the orphanage's dark secret, after finding the bones of more than one child at the bottom of a cesspit.
It was clear that Karasu's work in Boloni had been effective. He had established a network of contacts throughout the main city, the port, and the five surrounding villages. The people were already chafing under Ilusia's tyrannical rule. All they needed was a leader.
After the introductions, they sat down, and Karasu unrolled a map.
"This is the orphanage, the weapons factory," he said. "It's built underground. The man in charge is a local noble named Vinsmoke. He has a man with the Paramecia Speed-Speed Fruit. He's one to watch out for. Tomorrow, Vinsmoke will be visiting the orphanage for a photo-op. That's our chance to strike."
"That's a bit sudden," Betty said.
"We can't miss this opportunity."
Betty knew she was only here to provide support. She didn't want to interfere with Karasu's decisions. "What do you want me to do?"
"After we capture Vinsmoke, I'll need you to control the crowd," Karasu said. "With your Rally-Rally Fruit, we can cut our losses by more than half."
"Alright."
Karasu slapped his hand on the map. "Let the flames of revolution be lit in Boloni! For the liberation of all!"
"For liberation!" the others whispered.
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Pangaea Castle.
The Five Elders were discussing this year's Levely and the impact of the Winter Blossom Kingdom's New Year's Eve Gala. They had been too busy in January to discuss it.
The main topic of discussion was what kind of treatment to give Jin at the upcoming Levely. Not every king among the hundred and seventy-plus member nations was given the royal treatment. There was a clear distinction between the major and minor powers.
As for the gala and Jin's reforms, those were internal affairs. The World Government had no right to interfere. Unless, of course, he started to have an impact on the world. Then Cipher Pol would report to them, and they would deal with it.
But Cipher Pol was currently focused on the Revolutionary Army, as well as the Four Emperors and the other major pirates. Any one of them was a greater threat than a king who threw a party. And so, their attention on Jin had naturally waned.
From their perspective, all Jin had done was spend some money to promote a few celebrities to make even more money.
The commoners were moved?
They were just peasants. What did it matter?
Were they even "people"?
No.
They were not worth mentioning.
Why would the Five Elders concern themselves with the amusements of a bunch of peasants? If they worried about every little thing, they would have worried themselves to death long ago.
Their only concern was Jin himself. Other than him, would any of this have any impact on the World Government?
No.
Were his reforms, his development, of any consequence?
A single blast from Uranus would solve that problem.
Let the peasants live like pigs and dogs.
Although they didn't understand why a man with Jin's power would choose to govern a country instead of enjoying his life, they respected it. A hobby, perhaps? Like Cobra, who was so concerned with his reputation.
As long as Jin remained loyal to the Celestial Dragons and stayed in line with the World Government, nothing else mattered.
The God's Knights were already keeping an eye on him.
This year's focus was the Levely. Their main concern was whether Dragon and Kuma would cause trouble. That would be a major blow to their prestige.
And sure enough, a call came in from CP9.
"King Thalassa Lucas of the Ilusia Kingdom is requesting assistance. The Revolutionary Army recently launched an uprising in the port of Boloni, killed a noble, and took the port. They've seized weapons and have formed an army of over ten thousand men. They're now marching on the capital. Two of the Revolutionary Army's commanders are leading the operation. There are also signs of revolutionary activity in the Lubneel Kingdom in the South Blue... and someone has recently spotted Kuma the Tyrant near a lead amber mine in Flevance in the North Blue."
The Five Elders' attention shifted from Jin and the Winter Blossom Kingdom.
—————————
Mid-February.
A piece of news even more shocking than the last was exclusively reported on the front page of the World Economic Journal.
[A YONKO CREW SPLITS?? SWEET COMMANDER KATAKURI DEFECTS FROM THE BIG MOM FAMILY!]
"What??"
Marco, Vista, and the other commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates all stared at the newspaper, a look of utter disbelief on their faces.
"How is that possible?"
"Big Mom values her family above all else! And Katakuri is her masterpiece! How could they have had a falling out?"
"Is it real? It must be fake news."
"Hey, this is the World Economic Journal, not some second-rate rag put out by the Marines."
"Did Jin break up the Big Mom family?" Jozu joked.
The other commanders just scratched their heads. It wasn't funny.
Aboard the Red Force, the ship of the Red-Haired Pirates, which was plastered with posters of Uta, the entire crew was in a state of shock.
In Wano, Kaido couldn't understand it. "I must be drunk," he muttered. "Hey, Yamato, sober me up."
Yamato's eyes lit up. She'd never heard such a welcome request.
Without a second thought, she brought her club down on his head.
Kaido rubbed his head, looked at the newspaper again, and muttered to himself, "I'm not drunk. Linlin has lost her mind."
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