"Lily..."
After a laugh, Sage slightly bowed his head, picked up the wine glass beside him and drank it all in one go, "Prepare to initiate the next step of the plan, bring out those troublemakers, I'll handle them personally. It's time to show the world that not following my will can lead to serious consequences."
"Yes..." Lily said, "I'll prepare the list after the luncheon."
How could there be no resistance to Sage's tyrannical rule on the seas, after all, there are too many stubborn individuals.
Claimed to unify the first half of the New World, there are still some who stubbornly resist, attacking them is too troublesome. Originally the plan was to launch a general offensive after dealing with the surroundings, but these places have been subdued by Sage.
He needs some 'fodder.'
Now, the World Government cannot confront him anymore, and according to the agreement, he cannot go to the Four Seas to tackle those powerful nations. The latter half is now at his disposal, really, he's just idle.
The ones left were originally for his second fruit.
Power, if not used, is not called power.
Leaving those difficult ones, even if just to extract nutrients from them, also helps him familiarize with abilities.
The luncheon ended quickly, and when Sage returned to his bedroom, Lily arrived with a stack of documents, along with Kuzan.
Kuzan came on his own after hearing the news.
"You're quite leisurely..."
The first sentence upon meeting, Kuzan was full of resentment. Long hours of work had made his originally tall and slender body somewhat hunched, not physically but mentally, looking worn out like someone who stays up long hours but without dark circles, just eyes filled with fatigue.
Work, endless work, every day there's unfinished work.
Sometimes he hates himself for agreeing to join Sage in O'hara. What was so remarkable about this name, after all it was just the destroyed O'hara?
His friend Saul is still alive, and Robin, who he watches over, is well, what's not O'hara here, why come here?
Speaking of it, back when Sage was two, Kuzan didn't even know him!
But wanting to back out, the sense of responsibility brought by handling those tasks makes him keep pushing on.
Livelihood, economy, order... everything is being changed under his pen.
Two million people in O'hara, all experiencing different lives based on his revisions.
It's not about power desire, nor is it about achievement, instead it's cautiousness, fearing mistakes, while needing boldness to decide who is sacrificed or prospers.
The longer Kuzan works, the more humble he becomes.
Is Logia-type a disaster?
No, even if he freezes the sea for three years, the damage may not match the slip of mistakes in his work.
Yet, if decisions succeed and are flawless, the changes brought forth are visible.
Now he cannot retreat, for if he does, no one will share the heavy workload, decisions would be delayed, and some matters are time-sensitive, once missed, they are forever lost.
"Oh, Kuzan, you came too, planning to rest today?"
Sage pointed at the chair across, gesturing for Kuzan to sit down, and poured him a glass of wine.
Now O'hara's integration is so swift, Kuzan contributed greatly, policies implementation and scheduling, transforming based on local resources, population segmentation, these are tasks.
Lily is now joining Sivier, yet it's still not enough; Kuzan's contributions have made the plans proceed smoothly.
"Ah la la, unlike you, you're the boss with the right to rest, while I feel like a plow ox and pack horse in fields, continuously working."
Kuzan sighed, and after sitting down, didn't drink wine, saying directly: "Anyway, I disagree with you moving now, we're already on a volcano. Intelligence shows the Divine Knight Order has descended, opposing the Revolutionary Army, Straw Hat has left Elbaf and gone to Lodestar Island, seemingly discovering something... Now the world is moving."
"The World Government on one side, Revolutionary Army, Straw Hat, and those opposing government forces on the other, and we as the third party."
"Our weapon sales have already raised suspicions, yet we've been low-key lately, so no one's focusing on us. Stirring up a big event suddenly will draw attention to us, then it may not just be one side targeting us, but everyone."
"During this period, shouldn't we be more restrained, sell enough weapons first, gather the parameters, and after they've fought enough, then we show to the world, and by then we could..."
"Dominate the world."
Sage completed Kuzan's unfinished sentence, then laughed, "Wanting pure world domination, following your approach, there's a significant chance of success. It's pretty much Teach's path, right, Kuzan."
Kuzan was stunned, nodded, admitting without denying.
Indeed, this is Teach's ambition and plan.
According to Teach's original idea, manipulating the qualification of Pirate Kingdom as an affiliate nation, then hiding behind the scenes, strengthening his power, ideally cultivating an army of Ability Users, waiting for the world to change.
Teach knows the history of Sun God; he also bets Nika will stir the world, combined with the Revolutionary Army already in the spotlight, and Straw Hat tangled forces, once conflict arises, he can capitalize on the chaos to ultimately dominate this final world.
The Void Throne has a master, not just Sage alone knowing, Teach has suspicions.
He wants to become the King of the World, hoping to gain that power.
But with Sage emerging abruptly, all plans changed, it's no longer a matter of retreating behind the scenes, but retreating means never coming out again.
Yet Sage now holds this qualification, with a high probability of securing victory.
If he replaces the World Government, becoming the new King of the World, O'hara's model could change the world, then justice would no longer be confused...
"That's not what I want, Kuzan."
Sage said seriously, "It's merely a position; titles don't matter. What I want goes beyond absolute domination, also sharing the prosperity of my glory. Taking over a broken world is meaningless, what's meant to be remains, moreover, the planning effort invested is no small thing."
"My vision is simple, abandon that throne, wrapping the core from the periphery, you fight your battles, I fight mine. Their chaos is their businesses, while our plans will steadfastly proceed, that's sufficient."
"But those left... You're planning to destroy them, right?"
Kuzan said, "We obviously lack population; they could be retained."
He can see those few forces, long encircled, known as 'troublesome' in the first half of the New World. If Sage personally moves, it means direct destruction.
"There must be a few examples, otherwise how can my knockoff Peacekeepers be sold?"
Sage raised a finger, smiling, "Business is like warfare, showing the effect before making others buy it. And newly acquired powers also need to be displayed to the public. Do you think this is for confidence? For me? Or for you? Certainly for the world to see."
"As long as I'm strong enough, those buyers can feel at ease, not fearing World Government's sanctions. The stronger I am, the more daring they are to purchase. The world is so vast, do you expect the pirates of the latter half to disrupt the whole world? Not realistic at all; they can only raid peripheral areas, they cannot reach powerful nations."
"Yet strong nations also need wars. Since it's already so chaotic, why not let it be chaotic a bit more. Regarding attracting attention... Have you been dealing with documents too long, inducing a mental shift? When were we ever not noticed by the world? It's just now they have no time to bother with us."
"Let them determine the victor, no matter who, the next target will inevitably be me. Take action first, stir the waters, so I can do business."
Sage grinned, "Just right, let's see what my impact on the world will be."