Diarmuid then went on to explain his plan to Dragon. Dragon's confusion only grew with every word.
"What? You're telling me that a Fish-Man Island adventurer was captured and taken to Mariejois as a slave, but now he's escaped and wants to get revenge? And you suspect he's going to cause a massive rebellion, so you want to take advantage of the chaos and loot Mariejois's wealth? And you want my Revolutionary Army to do it? And you get sixty percent, and I get forty?" Dragon asked, his voice full of disbelief.
Honestly, if he hadn't known Diarmuid for so many years—since their days as good friends in the Marines—Dragon would have thought Diarmuid was insulting his intelligence. Mariejois had countless slaves, and a few strong ones managed to escape every few years, but how could Diarmuid possibly believe Fisher Tiger would be brave enough to seek revenge on Mariejois? And even if he was, how could a single person cause so much trouble for Mariejois? It sounded completely ridiculous.
In reality, at that moment, it did seem impossible. Before Fisher Tiger burned down Mariejois, no one would have imagined such a thing was possible, nor would anyone have believed that Mariejois could be so easily upended by a single escaped slave.
If Diarmuid hadn't been an isekai protagonist with foreknowledge, he wouldn't have believed it either. But the impossible had happened. The Holy Land, Mariejois, which seemed impervious to any threat, was burned down by Tiger. Thousands of slaves were freed, causing a massive rebellion and leading to incalculable losses and humiliation for the World Government.
And that was just Tiger acting alone. With the support of the Revolutionary Army, the results would be even better. With enough preparation, they could use the chaos to loot Mariejois's wealth. The World Nobles were all filthy rich. Besides money, there were also rare treasures like Devil Fruits and famous swords—enough to make a fortune.
All in all, this seemingly preposterous idea, if properly executed, could be a massive success for both Dragon and Diarmuid.
"As incredible as it sounds, it's true," Diarmuid said softly.
Dragon was silent for a long time before speaking. "Are you really that confident in this Fisher Tiger?"
"Yes," Diarmuid said without hesitation.
Dragon's breathing grew heavier. He was starting to wonder if Diarmuid had set up a trap in Mariejois to take down the Revolutionary Army in one fell swoop. But on second thought, if that were the case, Diarmuid would have given him a more plausible reason to lure him there. It made no sense to sound so unbelievable. What if Dragon called his bluff and refused to go? Considering that, the story seemed a little more credible.
Even though what Diarmuid said sounded completely absurd, Dragon couldn't help but feel tempted by the scenario Diarmuid described. Being able to deliver a heavy blow to the World Government and loot—no, that's not right—the Revolutionary Army had a higher purpose: to save and liberate the oppressed slaves. The wealth was just a bonus. Such noble actions shouldn't be described with a word like "looting," which pirates use. They were performing a righteous deed!
Freeing the slaves in Mariejois would undoubtedly boost the Revolutionary Army's reputation, change how the public saw them, and bring them immense prestige. As Diarmuid said, it was an event unprecedented in eight hundred years. If successful, it would be a monumental humiliation for the World Government.
And since the Revolutionary Army was built from the ground up, Dragon was always short on money. If this plan worked, it would go a long way in solving their financial problems. At the same time, the newly freed slaves would likely be absorbed into the Revolutionary Army, strengthening their organization.
After thinking it over, Dragon concluded that if this plan succeeded, it would be extremely beneficial to the Revolutionary Army. It was worth the risk. From this perspective, there was no reason for him to refuse Diarmuid's proposal. But the prerequisite was that Diarmuid's ridiculous story had to be true. Otherwise, it would be a huge embarrassment.
"I have to admit, I'm tempted, but... it's really hard to trust your absurd judgment," Dragon said, sounding conflicted.
"You know, the Marines have a good relationship with Fish-Man Island lately. We have our own intelligence sources there. Trust me," Diarmuid said, trying to persuade him.
Absurd.
The Marines had no intelligence sources on Fish-Man Island. But Dragon didn't know that. Diarmuid's unwavering confidence made him feel a little more at ease, but it still sounded too far-fetched.
"Think about it another way, Dragon. Even without Tiger, can't your Revolutionary Army do this alone?" Diarmuid suddenly asked.
Dragon was silent for a moment. If it were two years ago, they definitely couldn't have. It was too hard to get into Mariejois. They couldn't all climb the Red Line, could they? That would be crazy.
But now, they could get in. Two years ago, a new giant-race officer named Morley had joined the Revolutionary Army. His power could allow the Revolutionary Army's members to sneak into Mariejois unnoticed and cause havoc.
Dragon had never thought about this before. After all, Mariejois was the Holy Land, with hundreds of years of prestige. It wasn't something a normal person would even consider attacking. But Diarmuid's suggestion opened his mind to the possibility.
If what Diarmuid said was true, Mariejois, which seemed impregnable, was actually full of holes. If one escaped slave could cause such a mess, then the Revolutionary Army had no reason not to succeed.
In reality, Mariejois was indeed unprepared. For hundreds of years, nothing major had happened there. The so-called "Army" stationed there had become lazy. It was just a place for noble children to build their resumes. If something happened, you couldn't count on them. They'd probably run faster than anyone else.
It was only after Fisher Tiger's attack on Mariejois that the Gorosei and other World Government leaders realized how vulnerable they were and how corrupt the defense system and regulations of Mariejois had become.
After that, Mariejois was rebuilt, and the defenses were reorganized, which made the Holy Land much more secure. After that, no one could pull off what Tiger did again. The Revolutionary Army's surprise attack on Mariejois during the Reverie years later was a complete failure, proving the point.
In other words, if they didn't take advantage of this opportunity with Tiger, they might never get another chance.
Dragon was starting to understand these twists and turns. He was silently weighing the feasibility and the success rate of the plan.
Just then, Diarmuid spoke again. "I'll make sure to spread out the headquarters' forces to the Four Blues. I'll get them as far away from Mariejois as possible. When things go down, I can help stall them."
After a brief pause, Diarmuid continued to persuade him. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Dragon. Whether the Revolutionary Army can make a name for itself and get rich is all on this one mission. You could save yourself years of work. Why are you hesitating? Are you afraid of the World Government's retaliation?"
Dragon laughed when he heard this. "What retaliation? All they can do is try to hunt down the Revolutionary Army and kill us all. But even if I don't attack Mariejois, aren't they already doing that? Do you think I'm worried about that?"
That was true. The World Government already considered the Revolutionary Army their mortal enemy. Whether Dragon messed with Mariejois or not, the World Government would still do everything in its power to destroy them. So, the consequences were meaningless to the Revolutionary Army.
"A man with nothing to lose fears nothing."
"Then what are you still hesitating about?" Diarmuid roared with laughter.
"I'm afraid you're setting me up, you bastard!" Dragon said honestly.
"Seriously? That's not cool. How many times have I helped you? I turned a blind eye when Moria joined your Revolutionary Army. If it weren't for me, Bartholomew Kuma wouldn't be a Warlord of the Sea. If it weren't for me, your son Luffy would probably still be a wild kid in the mountains. And your old man? He's all alone. Isn't it me, an Admiral, who's taking care of him in Headquarters? And you still doubt me? That's too much!" Diarmuid said, sounding genuinely annoyed.
Dragon thought about it. The last point was a little weird. My old man needs you to take care of him? He's having the time of his life in Headquarters!
"You're really not setting me up?" Dragon asked one last time.
"Do it or don't. I don't care. I'll just go talk to Doflamingo. I'm sure he'd be very interested in this..." Diarmuid said, cursing under his breath.
Doflamingo would definitely be interested. If he knew about this, he'd be all in. But Diarmuid didn't want to use him. Doflamingo was usually smart and rational, but when it came to Mariejois, he'd probably lose his mind. What if he went on a rampage in Mariejois and refused to retreat, getting himself captured? It wouldn't matter if he got caught, but if he dragged Diarmuid into it, that would be a problem.
So, in Diarmuid's mind, the most suitable person to take on this mission was still Dragon. He was far more capable than Doflamingo and wouldn't lose his mind during the operation. With the element of surprise on their side, the chances of the World Government capturing Dragon were almost zero. So, Diarmuid would have no risk at all.
As for whether Dragon would hold this over his head later?
He was kidding himself. This was such a ridiculous story that Dragon still wasn't sure if Diarmuid was lying. If Dragon told someone afterward that Diarmuid had foreseen Fisher Tiger's attack on Mariejois and convinced him to join in, no one in their right mind would believe him.
Besides, Dragon had no reason to threaten Diarmuid. He knew Diarmuid wasn't the kind of person who would respond well to threats. If you threatened him, he'd fight to the death.
There was no reason to create such an enemy.
"Alright, fine, I'll trust you this one time, Diarmuid. This is a huge gamble for me. I'll personally go to Mariejois and do this. I hope our friendship of all these years doesn't disappoint me!" Dragon said, gritting his teeth.
"Don't worry, just go for it! If anything goes wrong, it's... ahem... your fault. I'll take good care of your old man and your son for you. You won't have to worry about a thing. The Monkey family line will not end. Go on, be bold..." Diarmuid said with a straight face.
If Dragon's wife weren't already deceased, Diarmuid would have shouted, "Go! I'll take care of your wife!"
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