An enormous warship, flying the World Government's flag, sailed arrogantly across the sea.
The people on board were relaxed.
They embarked on such voyages every few months, ferrying tribute and resources, and no one had ever dared to attack a World Government ship in the North Blue.
The Marine escort consisted of only one fleet, led by Rear Admiral Zakri.
Before this ship, loaded with fine iron and bound for Mary Geoise set sail, Zakri had approached Raleigh with a desperate request to lead the escort mission.
Since his last humiliating confrontation with Raleigh, Zakri had realized his influence in the North Blue had evaporated.
Now, apart from a few die-hard sycophants, his entire command had been absorbed by Raleigh.
Rather than waiting here to be cornered or "accidentally" disappear, he decided to take his soldiers to Mary Geoise.
He planned to leverage his family connections to secure a transfer to another sea.
After all, the North Blue wasn't the only place where one could profit.
Seas like the East Blue and South Blue were weaker, with simpler, more honest folk.
Less danger. More suitable for a pampered heir like Zakri.
Raleigh had thought it over.
He didn't inform Zakri about Byrnndi World
. After all, it wasn't his obligation.
Sending subordinates to their deaths was something Raleigh generally avoided, but Zakri wasn't his subordinate.
He was a rival, a liability, and a fool.
Zakri's proposal suited Raleigh perfectly—his status was sufficient, his rank was adequate, and if anything went wrong, the World Government couldn't pin the blame on Raleigh.
He hadn't ordered Zakri to go; Zakri had begged for the mission.
Standing on the rooftop of the Marine base, Raleigh watched the distant ships of the World Government and Zakri's escort warship disappear over the horizon.
He silently waved his hand.
'Zakri,' he thought, his expression unreadable. 'Although the debt between us has been settled, you're the one who barged into this matter. The weak can only be used as pawns.'
Even if Zakri hadn't voluntarily disclosed his plans, Raleigh had considered using "special methods" to remove him.
However, at the time, he thought Zakri's family background was too influential, and assassination would be too easily to traced.
"If you weren't about to be blown to pieces by Byrnndi World," Raleigh murmured to the wind, "I would have made you a decent coffin. Shame."
After saying these words, Raleigh's figure vanished from the rooftop like a gentle breeze.
....
Deep within the mines of the Eryoku Kingdom.
In a very hidden mining tunnel, Dragon and Karasu were silently waiting.
The air was thick with anticipation.
"Dragon-san," Karasu squeaked, shifting his massive bulk nervously. "What kind of person could possibly be worthy of your time?"
Since meeting Dragon, Karasu had felt that Dragon was omnipotent.
He could easily identify flaws in plans, propose genius revisions, contact Mafia families to purchase weapons, and seemingly conjure money out of thin air.
To Karasu, Dragon was already a revolutionary deity.
"You'll know soon," Dragon said, his eyes fixed on the tunnel entrance. "He's someone with a profound understanding of revolution. He has given us tremendous support."
Dragon patted the notebook in his pocket.
"That Revolutionary Program you love reading so much? It was obtained by him. He hand-copied it for me."
Dragon's mind conjured the image of a man who always wore a lazy expression.
Raleigh didn't seem like a Marine.
He didn't seem like anyone.
He was always full of secrets and there was one more thing Dragon had never told anyone: Raleigh, who appeared to be slacking off constantly, possessed strength not far from his own.
Dragon had no absolute confidence in defeating such a powerful opponent if it came down to a fight.
Whoosh...
In the dark mine, a current of air seemed to stir.
The candles lit by the rebels flickered violently, their flames dancing.
"He's here." Dragon's Observation Haki had already sensed the presence.
Similarly, Raleigh had detected everything in the mining tunnel even earlier than Dragon—that gust of wind had already scouted the entire layout for him.
'No ambushes.'
It seemed Dragon truly trusted him.
This made Raleigh feel a slight, fleeting twinge of guilt.
Very slight.
"You're here, Raleigh," Dragon said.
From the shadows beyond the candlelight, a mysterious figure in a dark cloak emerged.
"Dragon," Raleigh's voice came from beneath the hood.
"Are you all prepared?"
Raleigh glanced at the rebel soldiers around them, his eyes focusing on the weapons in their hands—fine standardized rifles produced by the Donquixote Family.
"Not yet," Dragon admitted, showing a rare hint of embarrassment. "Many rebels have never handled weapons before. Our troops still need time to train. We can't just hand them guns and hope for the best."
"Miners have no human rights," Dragon continued. "They can only secretly practice at night. At this stage, I'm not considering their accuracy at all—I just hope they don't accidentally shoot their own comrades in chaotic battles."
After listening to Dragon's cautious training plan, Raleigh sighed, holding his forehead with his left hand.
"Dragon," he said, sounding like a disappointed teacher. "You're being too cautious. Again."
"I know you want a perfect uprising, but your approach is wrong. You're thinking like a general preparing an army for a campaign. This isn't a campaign. It's a riot."
Raleigh stepped forward. "While people can improve through training, now is not the time. We don't need marksmen. We need volume of fire."
"First," Raleigh instructed, "conduct a large-scale screening. Identify those with natural talent for firearms—hunters, former soldiers—and form them into the uprising army's elite musket squad. The remaining rebel soldiers? Give them swords, mining shovels, picks, whatever. They are the wave."
"Why rush?" Dragon asked, perplexed. "We could wait a few more days. Refine the tactics."
"That's not the case," Raleigh's steady voice cut him off. "I came here specifically to bring you the latest information."
He leaned in.
"The time is almost upon us. A world-shocking event will erupt in the North Blue waters. At that point, the naval forces on this island will be depleted, distracted, and panicked. That will be your perfect opportunity."
"Your time is running out, Dragon. Seize the chance."
After dropping this bombshell, Raleigh didn't wait for questions.
He had other matters to attend to. His figure merged back into the darkness.
Soon after, Raleigh's presence disappeared from the range of Dragon's observation Haki.
Only after Raleigh left did Karasu and Swore finally breathe a sigh of relief.
When that man had been present, the pressure in the room was suffocating.
"Leader," Swore whispered, "since when have we had such an ally?"
"Dragon-san," Karasu asked, "why did that person cover his face? Is there some inconvenience?"
Dragon clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back.
"Everyone, there's no need to speculate about that person's identity," Dragon commanded. "He has his own path to follow. It isn't the same as ours. It's just that at this stage, we happen to have an opportunity for mutually beneficial cooperation."
Dragon's face hardened.
"If circumstances change in the future... we might even become enemies."
Although Dragon was grateful, he had his convictions.
If Raleigh remained with the Marines, their clash was inevitable.
"Raleigh," Dragon vowed silently, "you've helped me a lot. When I can help you, I won't hesitate. But I won't follow you."
"Karasu! Swore!" Dragon barked orders, filled with renewed urgency. "Gather all the rebel soldiers. We conduct the screening immediately. Raleigh's method is brutal, but efficient."
"Karasu, contact those overseers we've turned. Tell them to relax their supervision of the miners for the next few days. We need rest before the storm."
"Understood, Dragon-san!"
Currently, most workers at the coal mines and steel factories had been drawn to the Revolutionary Program.
The majority identified with the ideas in that book.
As for the resident supervisors from the port—the loyalists—Dragon decided to leave them in the dark.
They would be dealt with when the shooting started.
With Dragon's order, continuous gunshots echoed through the spacious mine tunnel as they began live-fire testing.
Karasu used his Devil Fruit ability to seal the tunnel entrance, muffling the sound.
....
Raleigh left the underground mine but didn't return directly to his Marine base.
Instead, he went to a deserted rocky island near the port.
Today was the day Doflamingo and Bell-mère were scheduled to arrive.
Raleigh stopped at the desolate rendezvous point, resting on a large rock, seemingly asleep.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
Zwing.
A nearly invisible string silently cut through the air, descending sharply toward Raleigh's neck.
Doflamingo, who had just landed, saw Raleigh "sleeping" and felt his killing intent instantly trigger.
'Perfect opportunity!'
Hidden behind his sunglasses, Doflamingo's expression distorted with hatred.
The string didn't disappoint.
It effortlessly sliced through both Raleigh's body and the large rock beneath him.
Slash.
Looking at the mirror-smooth cut surface of the rock, Doflamingo nodded with satisfaction.
"Since you've already noticed," Doflamingo called out to the empty air, "why bother with such boring tricks?"
"Tsk tsk," a voice came from behind another rock. "You're not cute at all, kid."
Raleigh emerged, yawning, while the figure that had been cut slowly faded—an afterimage created by high-speed movement and wind refraction.
"It was an afterimage!" Hans gasped from the boat.
"Raleigh-sama combat skills have improved so quickly!" Beck marveled.
"Bullshit, Hans," Bell-mère said, lighting a cigarette. "Raleigh-sama strength has always been this formidable; he just didn't reveal it back in the East Blue."
"Welcome to the North Blue, Bell-mère, and my excellent subordinates," Raleigh strode over, completely unfazed by the attempted murder.
Seeing this, Doflamingo chuckled darkly and shifted his gaze.
Inwardly, he cursed bitterly: 'Damn it. This guy seems to have grown even stronger. How am I supposed to kill him if he keeps evolving?'
Doflamingo was frustrated.
He was in his fastest phase of growth, yet compared to Raleigh, his progress seemed insignificant.
"Doflamingo," Raleigh taunted, "you're still far from breaking free from my control. Go home and train for a few more years, kid."
"You wretched bastard," Doflamingo hissed, his face flushing, "I will absolutely, without a doubt, kill you!"
Raleigh just laughed heartily.
"Since everyone is here," Doflamingo spat, "I suppose I can take my leave now."
He wanted to get as far away from Raleigh as possible.
"Don't rush off," Raleigh said, blocking his path. "I have a small favor to ask. Come with me later to close a deal—we're selling Bell-mère and the others into slavery as miners in the Eryoku Kingdom."
"Sell..... sell us???" Hans and Beck screamed in unison.
They never imagined that upon reuniting with their beloved commander, they'd be sold off as slaves.
"Just pretending, you idiots," Raleigh rolled his eyes. "You have a more important mission."
"Oh! Phew!" Hans wiped his brow.
"Raleigh-sama hasnt change. He instantly brings back the feel of Branch 133."
"That's the spirit," Beck agreed. "I'm convinced. Only Raleigh-sama could pull this off—anyone else, and I'd have stabbed them already."
Hans and Beck gazed at Raleigh with tear-filled, worshipful eyes.
Raleigh stared blankly at the two brothers, a trio of sweat drops appearing above his head.
"Doflamingo," he whispered, "did these two knuckleheads fall and hit their heads when you released your Conqueror's Haki?"
"Fufufufufu," Doflamingo laughed, finding rare relief in Raleigh's embarrassment.
"I can't speak for others, but these two held their ground. There's no way they landed on their heads. They're just naturally like that."
Raleigh scowled. "Forget it. I won't bother with these two."
He turned to Bell-mère. "Bell-mère, I'll take you to the port later. I've already arranged for you to be 'captured' by the local Mafia. Change into shabby clothes. Pose as slaves. My requirement is that once you're inside the rebel camp, find a way to show intentions of escaping and fighting. Gain their trust."
"There are rebel forces in Eryoku. Although they're temporarily our allies... nobody can predict the future. I need you to infiltrate them. Be my eyes."
Under Raleigh's direction, the Revolutionary Army was accelerating.
Dragon would become famous.
Therefore, Raleigh was willing to spare no expense to plant moles now, while the organization was young.
"Rear Admiral Raleigh," Doflamingo said, his interest piqued. "You seem quite optimistic about the future of these... workers."
His gaze beneath the sunglasses was sharp.
Doflamingo believed that someone like Raleigh would never do anything useless.
If he was planting moles, this "rebel army" must have value.
"Maybe I should plant some people too..."
Raleigh glanced lightly at Doflamingo.
His eyes were cold.
"Kid," he said softly. "There are things I can do that you cannot. That's the rule. Understand?"
"You!!!"
Raleigh's single, arrogant sentence instantly enraged Doflamingo.
But Raleigh did nothing—he just looked calmly at the pirate.
And that look was enough to make Doflamingo suppress his impulse.
"Fine," Doflamingo ground out. "I understand!"
He cursed Raleigh inwardly but maintained an obedient expression.
He knew Raleigh truly didn't care about his Celestial Dragon identity.
And he knew Raleigh would kill him if he pushed too far.
Seeing the usually arrogant Doflamingo being put in his place so effortlessly made Hans and Beck admire Raleigh even more.
"Our Boss," Beck whispered, "is the king of monsters."
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator