Momonga did not immediately answer Raleigh's request to stay.
Instead, he flicked the long ash from his cigar over the marble railing and gazed out at the city below.
The capital was glowing with lights, but beyond it, the industrial sectors were still shrouded in the remnants of the smog.
"Raleigh, look over there," Momonga said quietly. "Ever since you began orchestrating all this, the thick, toxic fog that has enveloped this kingdom for decades has finally started to thin." He turned to face his friend.
"But we both know... if you don't intervene in the King's affairs, if we let a weakling inherit the throne, that black fog will rise again in a few years. Corruption is heavy; it settles."
"That's why I need you here," Raleigh said, topping up his drink.
"I can't," Momonga shook his head.
"The 133rd Branch in the East Blue... that is where you and I started. It's our foundation. I left it in the hands of subordinates, but until I find a truly suitable successor to guard the East, I can't rest easy staying here in the North."
Raleigh understood.
Though he felt a twinge of regret, he knew he couldn't force his old friend on this matter.
Both locations were strategic: while the Eryoku Kingdom was a resource engine, the 133rd Branch was their home base and a critical checkpoint.
Moreover, Raleigh had already stationed Miles and Belo Betty here.
With the CP agents dead and the nobles purged, the immediate danger had passed.
Whether Momonga remained wasn't strictly critical for survival.
"Fine," Raleigh accepted it calmly. "Go back. Keep the East Blue clean for me."
He raised his glass.
Momonga smiled and gently clinked his against it.
"Speaking of leaving," Momonga said after swallowing his rum, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked into the shadows of the roof.
"I originally planned to depart immediately after the purge. But... someone else hasn't departed yet. So, I had to stay to ensure he didn't do anything foolish."
A flicker of confusion passed through Raleigh's eyes.
Who could be worth Momonga delaying his departure for two extra days?
Whoosh.
A sudden, strong breeze swept from behind, stirring Raleigh's hair and extinguishing the candle on the table.
Feeling this familiar, heavy atmospheric pressure, a figure suddenly appeared in Raleigh's mind.
"Could it be...?"
Raleigh's expression turned peculiar.
He never expected the main character of this grand play—the man who should be fleeing the World Government right now—to still be hanging around the crime scene.
"Raleigh. You've finally come."
A tall, robust figure stepped out from the shadows of the spire.
As always, he wore a heavy cloak that shrouded his face beneath a deep hood.
Monkey D. Dragon.
Raleigh's eyes widened momentarily before his heartbeat steadied.
Facing his senior, the future World's Worst Criminal, it was impossible not to feel tense.
Yet, Raleigh didn't fear that Dragon would try to fight him.
They were accomplices now.
"Senpai," Raleigh asked, feigning confusion. "Why haven't you left yet? The Marines are securing the port. It's dangerous."
Dragon unceremoniously took a seat on a stool right beside Momonga.
He removed his hood, revealing his resolute, tattoo-free face.
Clearly, Dragon had been in excellent condition these past two days.
His vitality was evident; the success in the Eryoku Kingdom had greatly inspired his spirit.
But there was a question burning in his eyes.
"There are some issues I can't figure out myself," Dragon said with remarkable humility. "So, I can only come to learn theory from you. My... revolutionary mentor."
Dragon always maintained utmost tolerance and respect for capable people.
In his eyes, Raleigh was someone with a profound, almost supernatural understanding of the revolutionary path.
"I want to ask," Dragon said, leaning forward, "how should revolution be developed in this world? What is the next step?"
Dragon posed a startling question right from the start.
Raleigh felt defeated by his senior's directness.
It seemed the Monkey family's straightforward nature—from Garp to Dragon to Luffy—was innate.
Even if Raleigh had answers—which he didn't really, he was just plagiarizing history books from his past life—such information couldn't be easily disclosed.
In this world, Raleigh trusted no one completely.
Though he developed his power through the Marines, he never revealed his full ambitions to anyone.
"Every faction has its own agenda and interests," Raleigh said with a peculiar smile, dodging the question.
"Perhaps in this event, shared interests allowed for cooperation..." He looked Dragon in the eye.
"But never forget, Senpai... when interests conflict, even brothers may turn against each other. You ask me for a blueprint, but I am a Marine."
"Senpai," Raleigh added, "even if I truly had the answer... it would come at a price you couldn't afford."
Looking at Raleigh's enigmatic smile, Dragon didn't feel disappointed.
Even as he asked the question, he knew Raleigh would likely evade.
"What price?" Dragon asked, half-jokingly. "Are you asking me to give you my position as Leader?"
To his surprise, Raleigh responded with complete seriousness.
"Senpai, even if you offered me the Revolutionary Army on a silver platter, I wouldn't want it. The Marines' benefits are better. And the food is consistent."
"Yes, I know the Marine's treatment is superior," Dragon sighed, then drained the rum from Momonga's bottle in one gulp.
He wiped his mouth, his expression turning somber.
"Here is my problem, Raleigh. After storming the palace and completing this uprising... I tried to persuade the workers to leave with me. To join the cause permanently."
Dragon looked at his hands.
"I polled the men. Out of the 150,000 workers who stormed the walls and seized the city... only 30,000 are willing to board the ships. That is a 20% retention rate."
"The other 80%—roughly 120,000 men—once the old aristocratic system was overthrown, saw their revolutionary fervor fade instantly. They began returning to their homes in the coal district, believing a new life awaits them here. They refused to go further."
Dragon's expression grew distant, his eyes staring blankly ahead.
"Why?" he whispered. "We won. Why do they stop?"
Raleigh understood exactly what was happening to Dragon.
When one's idealistic plans clash starkly with human reality, it leads to deep self-doubt.
This Dragon was far from the wise, calm Revolutionary Army Supreme Commander who would later terrify the World Government.
The current version still had a long way to go.
Raleigh placed a fresh cigar before Dragon.
"Humans are the most complex creatures in the world, Senpai. The same event can be interpreted differently by different people."
"What's more troubling," Raleigh said, lighting the cigar for him, "is that those who can see the 'truth' of the world are always a minority. Most people... are just trying to survive."
"Although the uprising in the Eryoku Kingdom was massive, did you truly understand each person's needs?" Raleigh asked.
"Those who followed you... they either saw the darkness beneath the system, or they placed all their bets on you personally."
Dragon took a puff, coughing slightly at the strong tobacco.
"I... I conducted surveys. They said they wanted freedom."
Raleigh shook his head earnestly.
"That's impossible. People are experts at lying to themselves. Most don't even know what they truly want."
"I've been to the mines, Senior. I know their mental state—dazed, exhausted, barely thinking about tomorrow. What kind of high-minded ideals do you think such people have?"
Raleigh leaned in. "They joined your uprising simply to change their miserable lives today. They wanted the whip off their back. They wanted bread."
"Once they succeeded... once the nobles were dead and the whips were gone... they believed they had achieved the life they wanted. They see no need to risk death on the high seas for a concept like 'World Liberation.'"
"To be honest," Raleigh continued, "no matter where they're from, ordinary people's desires are simple: a job to sustain their lives, a home, and a partner. The reason the workers rebelled so easily is that they were proletarians with nothing—exploited and deprived. In that state, they were willing to gamble everything."
"But now? They have something to lose again."
Dragon fell silent, absorbing the harsh truth.
This was why Raleigh had no intention of taking the Revolutionary Army's path.
It was exhausting.
It required converting souls, one by one.
There were far too many reasons for choosing the Marines, but the most important was that naval personnel already possessed faith.
Regardless of what form of Justice they chose, they were people with convictions.
Such individuals were easier to sway than ordinary civilians who just wanted to eat dinner in peace.
"Senpai," Raleigh said softly. "Don't despair over the numbers. You have 30,000 soldiers. That is not a small number. That is an army."
"Focus on nurturing them properly. Forget the 120,000 who stayed behind; they are the soil. The 30,000 who came with you... they are the seeds."
"In the days to come, training their physical fitness and fostering their understanding of the Revolutionary Program are what matter most. If you try to save everyone, you will save no one."
In Raleigh's view, Dragon's current foundation was already much better than it originally was in the canon timeline.
Originally, Dragon likely started with a handful of people in the Freedom fighter army.
Now? He was leaving the North Blue with a fleet, a treasury, and a legion of battle-hardened veterans. The dragon had its wings.