"Lately, people on our island have been frequently attacked by a mysterious force. We can't fight back—their weapons are far too advanced! They shoot beams of light, and their armor deflects our bullets!" Alice poured out her grievances through the Den Den Mushi, tears welling up in her eyes, her voice trembling with fear.
"We sought help from the nearest Marine branch, but they couldn't find any trace of the enemy. They said we were imagining things. But the moment the Marines leave, our island gets attacked again! Raleigh-sama, please..."
Raleigh frowned, his feet dropping from the desk.
The playfulness was gone.
"What are their objectives? Any specific characteristics? Think, Alice."
Raleigh unfolded a large nautical chart of the North Blue on his desk, his eyes scanning the sectors near the Salisbury territory.
"I... I don't know," Alice stammered. "Their appearance locations are never fixed, and their targets vary each time. Sometimes they hit a warehouse, sometimes a village. But they always abduct a certain number of able-bodied men. And the weapons they carry seem slightly different with each attack—like they are testing them."
She paused, taking a shaky breath. "Also... their ship is very strange. My lookouts saw it through a telescope. It appears to have no sails."
'No sails?' Raleigh's eyes narrowed instantly.
Alice's description left Raleigh unable to think of any standard pirate force in the North Blue that matched this profile.
If they were pirates, it seemed unlikely.
First, pirates primarily aim to plunder wealth—gold, jewels, rum. Abducting specific numbers of men isn't usually their main goal unless they are slavers.
Second, pirate weapons are generally outdated—flintlocks and cutlasses—often less advanced than those of the Mafia families.
Third, judging from the ship style Alice described, it didn't resemble the slaver ships of human traffickers either.
Slaver ships still rely on speed and old-fashioned sail structures.
A ship without sails in this era usually meant one of two things: A Marine paddle-ship coated in Seastone (unlikely to be attacking civilians) or... technology.
"Alice," Raleigh said, his voice calm and authoritative. "I'll head over immediately. Keep your head down. Gather more intel, but do not engage. Wait for me."
After ending the call, Raleigh ordered his messenger to bring recent intelligence reports on the North Blue.
He then made another call.
This time, to the underworld. Buru bururu... Katcha.
"Fufufufu... calling me so soon, Marine?"
"Doflamingo," Raleigh said curtly. "Watch out for a strange sail-less ship in the North Blue. If your family spots it, notify me immediately. Do not engage it alone unless you want to lose your merchandise."
"Sail-less?" Doflamingo's voice lost a hint of its amusement. "Interesting. I'll keep an eye out."
Raleigh hung up, leaning back in his chair.
A name and an image surfaced in his mind, but he felt deeply uncertain.
'A sail-less ship... Could it be him?'
...
The Far North Nation (North Blue).
The morning sunlight spilled over the icy landscape of the northernmost nation.
Here, the air was crisp and biting, a stark contrast to the smog-choked atmosphere of the Eryoku Kingdom. In what was once a vast, frozen wilderness, dramatic changes were underway.
Monkey D. Dragon had changed out of his heavy cloak into work-appropriate clothing—rough trousers and a woolen shirt.
He was knee-deep in snow and mud, clearing vegetation and hauling rocks alongside a group of Revolutionary Army soldiers.
Sweat dripped from his brow into the frozen soil, steaming in the cold air. Yet, everyone worked with unwavering determination.
Back when they toiled in the Eryoku Kingdom, their efforts were merely for survival—slave labor for a king who hated them.
Now, they labored to build a home. They labored to build a future. The difference in morale was night and day.
The Revolutionary Army soldiers—nearly 30,000 of them—had been here for over a month.
During this time, the landscape had been transformed beyond recognition. In just one short month, vast stretches of pine trees were felled, systematically transported to makeshift lumber mills, and processed into useful materials.
Cabins were rising from the snow. Smoke curled from chimneys.
Among the soldiers, talents were emerging. Some were skilled builders, others cooks, farmers, or fishermen.
Skills they had been forced to forget in the mines of Eryoku were gradually rediscovered on this northern island.
Dragon paused, leaning on his shovel, looking upon the scene with deep satisfaction.
Since parting ways with Raleigh and Momonga, he had come to deeply understand the importance of logistics.
'Ideals feed the soul,' he thought, recalling Raleigh's cynical advice. 'But bread feeds the man.'
After establishing order, he personally joined the construction.
This simple act of a leader working alongside the subordinates did more for loyalty than a hundred speeches.
What surprised Dragon was that these men, who had been nearly zombified in spirit during their time in the mines, now erupted with extraordinary creativity.
They were problem-solvers. The camp was visibly expanding, turning into a town.
Although food shortages still constrained the Revolutionary Army's development, they could temporarily sustain themselves by hunting the massive elk and bears in the mountains.
The resources in the Far North Kingdom were relatively abundant.
Compared to the unpredictable climate of the Grand Line, the climate here followed recordable patterns.
Dragon arranged for large tracts of land to be cleared and converted into cold-resistant farmland.
Based on his research, potatoes and winter wheat matured once a year here. As long as they could endure this first winter, they would achieve self-sufficiency.
Not to mention, the Revolutionary Army currently possessed substantial wealth.
After plundering the Eryoku treasury, Dragon had obtained gold equivalent to several years' worth of Celestial Tribute.
However, Dragon didn't squander it.
He lived as simply as his men. He set aside half of this wealth for a war chest, burying it deep in secure vaults.
But labor wasn't enough.
Dragon felt that, combining his own ideas with Raleigh's suggestions, he needed to establish the "software" of the revolution.
He required Revolutionary Army cadres to attend nightly meetings at his cabin to study the Revolutionary Program.
"Dragon-san," Karasu, the soot-covered commander, approached him, wiping coal dust from his bald head. "Since we've gradually stabilized the housing situation... shouldn't we teach them some combat skills? We have miners, not soldiers."
Dragon slapped his forehead with a look of genuine frustration.
"I've been so busy with the farming logs that I completely forgot about the most important part."
"Good thing you reminded me, Karasu. We can definitely start implementing this."
Although Dragon hadn't yet clarified his approach for the future geopolitical path, what he learned from Raleigh told him that nobody ever complained about having too much strength.
Whether pursuing gradual reform or armed uprising, military might remained the guarantor of freedom.
"However," Dragon added, his expression turning serious, "if individual power becomes too extraordinary without a moral compass, it leads to tyranny. We don't want to create a bandit army. So we must still emphasize ideological education."
He demonstrated a clear understanding of the corrupting nature of power.
He knew that in this world, men with Haki could destroy cities.
If a person's ideological level failed to keep pace with their growing power, they would transform from a glorious Revolutionary into just another pirate king.
"Fortunately, our land reclamation project is nearly complete," Dragon decided, mapping out the schedule in his head.
"Starting tomorrow, Swore will be responsible for teaching Swordsmanship in the mornings. He's the best blade we have."
"Karasu, you will handle Physical Combat and stamina training."
"And in the afternoons," Dragon picked up his shovel again, his eyes gleaming, "we will all study the Revolutionary Program and engage in labor together. The mind must be as sharp as the sword."
If Dragon had arrived here without experiencing the reality check of the Eryoku Kingdom—and Raleigh's harsh truths—he would have merely cheerfully discussed with everyone how to "be free."
He would have believed that uniting the people through speeches alone could change the world.
But the Dragon who stood in the snow today was no longer naive. He knew that true power was a gun in one hand and a book in the other.
To achieve a successful revolution, one must possess an army that belongs to oneself, loyal to an idea, and invincible in battle. '
This path is not easy,' Dragon thought, looking at the rising smoke of his new city. 'Raleigh warned me it would be rugged. But I will walk it.'
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