At this point, Finn stopped blaming Smoker.
He'd scolded him enough already. What else could he do to the guy? Beat him to death?
Finn slowly lit a cigar, exhaled a stream of smoke, and looked at the somewhat embarrassed Smoker. "All right. Go on. What were your original ideas and plans?"
Smoker calmed himself, then spoke carefully. "At first, I just wanted revenge on Big Mom. I didn't plan to get fully involved. But that old man Whitebeard was too quick. He seized the intelligence and support I gave him and made two major moves at once. Then the whole world knew I'd teamed up with him. Now the rumors outside are all saying I've allied with the Whitebeard Pirates. This can't be undone..."
"Of course you can't undo it." Finn shot him a sharp look. "You teamed up with Whitebeard to cause such massive chaos. You even fought two consecutive naval battles involving tens of thousands of combatants, and won both. Even if you jump out now and say you want to quit, that you haven't allied with Whitebeard, nobody will believe you."
That's right. Whitebeard had made this a foregone conclusion.
Even if Smoker announced he didn't want to play anymore, would Charlotte Linlin or Kaido believe it? They'd probably think Smoker was scheming something else.
And since Smoker had played such a trick on them, Charlotte Linlin would definitely seek revenge. There was no reason for Smoker to stop now.
From the moment he'd entered the game, there was no turning back.
"If it can't be undone, then I won't try." Smoker's voice dropped, becoming more serious. "The truth is, our Amway Group's business has reached a bottleneck. My identity as one of the Seven Warlords can only support me this far. If I want to continue expanding operations, I must take another step forward and become a real top-tier pirate on equal footing with Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, even Whitebeard."
"Do you really want to be the Pirate King?" Finn's tone carried helpless exasperation.
Smoker smiled awkwardly but said nothing.
Finn was silent for a moment, then glanced at Queen Stussy.
The Queen nodded slowly. "That's about right. Even with our support, Smoker as the visible figurehead has definitely reached his ceiling."
Finn tapped ash from his cigar, ignored the comment for now, and gestured. "Continue."
"So I thought, since things have come to this point, I might as well stand with Whitebeard and join forces to defeat Charlotte Linlin and Kaido. Then maybe I can advance another level." Smoker's voice was steady, calculated.
Finn's face twitched slightly. "I'm really irritated by this idea of yours." He paused. "All right, let's assume you and Whitebeard can defeat them together. Let's tentatively assume you reach that position. But what's the foundation for you to hold onto it? You don't actually think that after you and Newgate win, you can stand firm on your own, do you? Do you have the personal strength of Newgate, Kaido, or Charlotte Linlin?"
What Finn said made perfect sense. Although Smoker's strength was considerable now, he could never reach the level of Kaido, Whitebeard, or the others.
After winning the battle, it would be impossible to continue an alliance with the Whitebeard Pirates. Even if he wanted to, Newgate probably wouldn't agree.
By then, Smoker wouldn't be able to leverage Newgate's influence. It would be impossible to hold that position based on personal strength alone. That would be extremely awkward.
After a brief pause, Finn continued. "And how exactly do you think you'll win? What if you team up with Whitebeard and both of you lose? Then there'll be no place for you in the entire New World. The Amway Group will be carved up directly. Do you know how much chaos and trouble that would cause for the Marines?"
Smoker wasn't panicking at all, as if he'd already prepared for this. His voice remained steady. "This is exactly why I rushed from the front lines to see you, Admiral."
Finn blinked in surprise. Had this guy's intelligence actually improved? He looked confident.
Finn frowned. "Speak."
"If I could get your support, Admiral, and the Marines' backing, how could I possibly lose?" Smoker said with conviction.
"You mean you want the Marines to help you?" Finn's voice turned sharp. "What's your justification?"
"I'm one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. From an institutional perspective, I'm also affiliated with the World Government. We're a sister organization to the Marines. There shouldn't be any problem asking the Marines for help, right?" Smoker smiled.
"Get to the point." Finn ignored the deflection.
Because Smoker was spouting nonsense. Did he really think the Marines should give full support to one of the Seven Warlords? Crocodile would laugh himself to death.
What's more, it wasn't convenient for the Marines to support Smoker so openly. Wouldn't that be advertising that Smoker had connections with the Marines?
Smoker didn't dare play games with Finn anymore. He leaned forward slightly, voice dropping. "I'll give three billion berries to the World Government. Can you convince them to send the Marines to help me?"
Finn paused, surprised. Oh, that's actually a decent idea.
He glanced at Queen Stussy, who pondered for a moment before speaking. "It should be possible. You know, Mary Geoise has been undergoing reconstruction since the incident. Rebuilding the Holy Land is an enormous financial burden on the World Government, especially funding-wise. Actually, the World Government has already withdrawn funds from me multiple times since the Mary Geoise raid. I'm sure it's the same for other institutions."
"That's right." Finn nodded. "Marine military budgets have also been temporarily frozen for periods. I assume they're trying to balance the books."
"Therefore, the World Government should be quite short on funds at this stage." Queen Stussy's voice was thoughtful. "If Smoker really offers such a substantial contribution to the World Government, it should be possible to persuade them. Or rather, the World Government should welcome establishing good relations with a wealthy Warlord like Smoker. If the World Government issues a transfer order, the Marines can reasonably participate in this war. I just don't know if it will disrupt your Marines' plans?"
"This bastard has already disrupted the Marines' plans completely." Finn glared at Smoker. "Right now we have no plan at all."
Before this happened, the Marines definitely wouldn't have been suitable to wade into this mess. They'd have just sat back and watched Charlotte Linlin and Whitebeard tear each other apart.
But now, the Marines' original strategy had been completely overturned. Fleet Admiral Kong had pressed Finn multiple times to come up with a feasible new plan to resolve the New World situation.
Smoker spoke excitedly. "Since it's feasible, I'll bribe Mary Geoise. If three billion isn't enough, I'll offer five billion. I don't believe they won't be tempted. What's more, this benefits them too. Once the Marines can support me openly, I'll join forces with Whitebeard and we'll definitely be able to kill Big Mom and Kaido—"
"Killing them won't work." Finn cut him off directly. "We still need them active for a while. Didn't I just say? We can kill them anytime we want, and we don't need you to do it. We just want them to live longer so we can avoid the situation where useful tools are discarded after their purpose is served. We need to buy time for the Marines to prepare our escape from the World Government!"
To kill Big Mom and Kaido, he still needed Smoker jumping around?
The Marines currently had numerous masters. They were the true overlords of the seas. As long as they were determined, they could definitely wipe out these so-called great pirates. There just wasn't a need yet.
Smoker paused, then quickly adjusted. "Then we'll defeat Big Mom and Kaido. By then, even if Whitebeard and I separate, with full World Government backing and Marine power, I'll be able to stand on equal footing with them. Moreover, it'll create a three-way balance of power. I'll have greater influence in the New World and can help the Marines better stabilize the situation, buying more time. Then the Marines' plan will be back on track, right? After all, it doesn't matter whether they fight or not. What matters is buying time, correct?"
Listening to Smoker's words, Finn stroked his chin and remained silent for a while.
Put simply, wasn't this just about helping Smoker ascend to the throne and become one of the Four Emperors?
If he thought carefully about the scenario Smoker described, it actually seemed feasible. Moreover, if Smoker could truly stand equal with Whitebeard and the others, he'd be incredibly valuable to the Marines. At that point, his power would elevate the Amway Group's business to another level entirely. The benefits would be too numerous to count.
At that moment, Queen Stussy smiled. "If you use Marine and World Government power to forcibly divide the New World with Whitebeard and the others, everyone will look down on you. Especially the pirates."
Smoker didn't care at all. He waved his hand dismissively. "Do I need their respect? My reputation's been trash since I became a Warlord, hasn't it? Aren't those people already calling me a World Government lapdog behind my back? Fine. I'll show them what being a lapdog really looks like. Besides, why do I need a pirate's reputation? I'm a damn Marine!"
Finn threw his head back and laughed. "Yes! I appreciate what you just said. Profits are what matter. Reputation means nothing to you. You're not a real pirate. Once we deal with them all, you'll transform back into a Marine. I wonder how many people will be shocked. Hahahaha!"
After his laughter subsided, Finn rapped his knuckles on the table. "Since you've already made such a proposal, I'll accept it tentatively. I'll report everything to Headquarters and let them evaluate whether there are any major flaws. If Headquarters approves your plan, you can implement it. For now, start preparing so you're not caught off guard."
He paused, then looked at Smoker sternly. "If you mess this up again, I'm going to kill you."
Smoker nodded quickly. "Yes, Admiral!"
"Mm." Finn's stern expression softened slightly, replaced by a smile. "You've improved recently. You can actually come up with this kind of plan?"
Smoker smiled at the compliment. "Actually, this wasn't entirely my idea. I recently recruited a new subordinate in East Blue. His strength isn't particularly impressive, but he's very intelligent."
Finn's interest was piqued. "Really? Who is he?"
"Just a nobody. He was a small-time pirate before, called Kuro. His bounty was over ten million. He was known as 'Kuro of a Hundred Plans' in East Blue." Smoker's tone was casual. "These analyses came from him. Of course, he only suggested bribing Mary Geoise based on my status as a Warlord. He doesn't know I'm actually a Marine officer."
Kuro of a Hundred Plans? Kuro?
Finn immediately recognized the name. If he remembered correctly, that was the guy who'd caused trouble in Usopp's hometown in the original timeline.
No doubt his strength was weak. But he was said to have extremely high intelligence. According to official settings, he ranked among the top minds in the world.
How had this guy ended up under Smoker's command?
But thinking about it, Smoker was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. It made sense he'd recruit talented people.
Therefore, Finn didn't ask more questions. He simply nodded. "Just handle it yourself. Don't let him manipulate you."
"Understood." Smoker nodded seriously.
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