Chapter 184: Countermeasure Two
A sneer slipped from Axel's lips.
He had known this matter would not end so easily.
No, perhaps it could not end at all.
As long as even the smallest suspicion remained, the World Government would never let go. That suspicion was unavoidable. The blueprints had truly appeared in this world. Their existence had shattered the fragile illusion of peace around Pluton.
The Pluton blueprints were no longer some distant relic buried in myth.
Once that illusion was broken, what followed was endless doubt.
Axel leaned back and thought for a moment.
If he were in their position, what would he do?
Spandam would definitely exaggerate his refusal. That idiot had a talent for making trouble worse, which was probably the only talent he had.
From the World Government's perspective, Axel's lack of cooperation would only prove one thing: there was a possibility he was hiding the blueprints.
But that was exactly what Axel wanted them to think.
Whether the blueprints still physically existed in this world was very important to the World Government, but not to him. Since he could not fully clear himself of suspicion either way, he might as well take the initiative and create an illusion.
The blueprints are with me.
So don't push me too far.
That was the threat hidden beneath his actions.
And the World Government's reaction would most likely be what he expected: compromise.
A massive organization could not act like a lone wolf. The larger the organization, the more things it had to consider before moving. Every decision came with weight, consequences, and chains.
Axel was different.
In fact, he held four advantages.
The first was his identity.
With Garp's influence in the Marines, the World Government could not move against Axel without considering Garp's reaction. Garp had never been someone who obediently followed rules, and worse, he possessed both terrifying strength and immense prestige. If the World Government used force too carelessly, the consequences would not be simple.
The second was Axel's strength and potential.
A child had defeated the elite agents carefully trained by CP9. Did that not mean he had the potential to become a future Marine Admiral? If he truly reached that level, the value of an Admiral would not necessarily be much lower than Pluton itself.
The third was the era.
The Great Pirate Era had thrown the seas into chaos. More and more people were taking to the sea as pirates, and the Marines were already struggling to maintain control. At the same time, the Revolutionary Army had begun to make the World Government feel a real crisis brewing beneath its rule.
This was another advantage.
Right now, the World Government could not afford internal conflict with the Marines. If they forcibly arrested Axel, they would have to consider how the Marines would feel about it.
The fourth was the World Government's own confidence.
It had ruled for eight hundred years. Beneath it stood more than 170 allied nations, the Marines, Enies Lobby, the Cipher Pol agencies, and the Science Unit. That confidence had been cultivated by overwhelming power.
They believed that a clever person like Axel would eventually make the correct choice.
To Axel, however, that confidence looked more like arrogance.
It was like Cao Cao before the Battle of Red Cliffs, arrogance born from absolute military superiority.
Because of these four points, the World Government had not taken truly forceful action so far. Even the orders given to CP9 had not been to fight him to the death, but merely to investigate whether the destruction of the blueprints was genuine.
But now that a summons had appeared, Axel could not help wondering if the balance was beginning to break.
Or perhaps some unknown variable had appeared.
If the balance had truly shifted, he had to act before disaster arrived.
Axel picked up a pen and began scribbling across a sheet of paper.
Before long, lines covered the page.
At a glance, the drawing looked meaningless. It was neither a map nor a proper diagram. If anyone else saw it, they would probably assume it was a child's random doodle.
In truth, it was not.
Axel was using lines to represent the ideas forming in his mind. What looked chaotic actually contained hidden frequencies within every fluctuation. Countless complicated frequency lines formed the structure of his thoughts.
It was a pre-built offensive pattern, constructed through his Calculation Power.
No one but him would be able to read anything from it.
At most, they would think he had been amusing himself by scribbling nonsense.
Axel wrote his thoughts down one after another. After a long while, his pen finally stopped.
"Good," he murmured. "Let's use this one."
He had decided to take the initiative.
If he remained still, the World Government might prefer to maintain the current balance. But that was not Axel's style. Especially not in a matter like this.
Waiting would be the same as placing his fate in someone else's hands.
He refused to do that.
Rather than wait, he would strike first.
He would seize one more advantage from the World Government and force the balance to tilt toward his side.
That would be a true victory.
If anyone knew what he was thinking, they would probably laugh at him for overestimating himself.
A single person trying to win a round against the World Government?
Nonsense.
The World Government had more than 170 allied nations and over a million soldiers under its influence. Its accumulated wealth over eight hundred years was staggering, even if the nobles had already corroded much of it from within.
By comparison, Axel's base had only two people who truly dared oppose the World Government with him: himself and Tom.
As for wealth, he had Franklin's merchant funds and the reserves of the Navy Base.
Added together, they probably could not compare to the treasury of a single noble family from one kingdom.
This was not a duel.
It was a crushing difference in scale.
The sort of match where the result seemed obvious before it even began. And once the outcome looked certain, most people would lose interest in watching.
Axel, however, did not think that way.
Because he had never considered failure in the first place.
If he wanted to win, then in this battle, he needed to create a miracle.
A miracle that could decide the outcome.
Axel smiled faintly.
Since the decision was made, it was time to move.
He crumpled the paper in his hand and tossed it casually.
The paper ball drew a smooth arc through the air before landing neatly in the center of the trash can.
It looked almost like a declaration of confidence.
Axel stood, stretched, yawned, scratched his head, and walked out.
Outside, Levi was wearing his full Marine uniform, covered in sweat as he shouted instructions to the Marines under him.
Nearly a month had passed since the battle with CP9, but the destruction to the base had been too severe. Repairs were still ongoing. Many Marines were carrying building materials back and forth, treating construction work as a form of physical training.
When Levi saw Axel approaching, he immediately stopped and saluted.
"Captain Axel!"
"Still energetic as ever, Levi."
Axel yawned lazily.
Levi was already used to this. Although Captain Axel usually looked idle, the amount of work he handled was no less than anyone else's. The only reason he could afford to look lazy was that his efficiency was simply too high.
"Do you need something from me, Captain Axel?"
"Relax. I'm not making you work as a construction laborer this time."
Levi scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed that Axel had seen through his thoughts so easily.
Axel's expression then shifted slightly.
"There's an important matter. Gather all the officers immediately."
Levi's face turned serious at once.
Assembling all officers meant this was no small issue.
"Yes, sir!"
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]