DD Meeting

After chatting with Robin, who was disguised as the big-haired beauty Rebecca, Yang Yunzhi checked the time. It was only a little past nine in the morning.

The morning sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, filling the room with a hazy warmth.

Ordinarily, this atmosphere would have been perfect for doing something that made everyone happy, but Yang Yunzhi glanced at Robin beside him.

Having just poured her heart out to Yang Yunzhi, she was in a state of happiness, relief, and slight sensitivity.

The mood was right, but the person was not.

Forget it. Better get some work done.

He stood by the window, his gaze passing through the walls and settling on the sea thirty-two kilometers away. Within the Byakugan's field of vision, a cargo ship was slowly leaving Glazed Town's harbor, while sailors on deck busied themselves coiling ropes.

"Master, the <Report on the Necessity and Feasibility of Establishing a Base> you asked me to compile has been sent to Hina, Robin, and Bezos's chat interfaces."

Little Bean's voice rang out in his mind, sounding livelier and more natural than it had a month ago.

Yang Yunzhi nodded and drew back his attention.

To bring reform to this world, they absolutely could not remain at the theoretical level.

They needed an experimental ground, a place that could prove that "ordinary people can live better after noble rule is overthrown."

And Ghost Mulberry Island was currently the most suitable choice.

"Little Bean, how are the preparations for the meeting at six-thirty this afternoon?" Yang Yunzhi asked.

"The meeting interface has been debugged. The voice and text synchronization functions are operating normally. As requested, access restrictions have been set—only the four people you designated may enter the meeting channel."

Little Bean replied, "In addition, I added a simple raise-hand function and a file-sharing module to the interface."

"Very good." Yang Yunzhi nodded in satisfaction.

He turned toward the desk, picked up the report he had written the night before, and carefully read through it again.

The report was divided into three parts: why they needed to establish a base, why Ghost Mulberry Island had been chosen, and what they would do after the base was established.

The report was detailed, but Yang Yunzhi knew that what would truly convince everyone was not the text itself, but the clear line of thought and feasible plan he would present at the meeting.

At six twenty-five in the afternoon.

Marine Base 36, Hina's office.

The pink-haired female marine frowned at a floating light screen hanging in midair. The words "DD Meeting About to Begin" were displayed on it, with a countdown beneath them.

"This thing really is convenient..." Hina murmured.

Five days ago, when the light screen had first appeared before her, it had genuinely given her a fright.

Only after Yang Yunzhi explained it did she understand that this was a communications interface developed by Little Bean using the Link-Link Fruit's ability.

Not only could it support real-time text chats, it could also hold remote meetings like this one.

The instant the countdown reached zero, the display changed and split into four sections.

Yang Yunzhi's face was in the upper left, Hina herself was in the upper right, a beautiful woman with long black waves—Rebecca—appeared in the lower left, and an ordinary-looking middle-aged man with shrewd eyes—Bezos—was in the lower right.

"Everyone, can you see and hear me?" Yang Yunzhi's voice came clearly through the screen.

"Clearly." Hina nodded.

"No problem." Rebecca—or rather, Nico Robin—said with a smile.

"My lord, everything is normal on my end." Bezos said respectfully.

"Good. Then the meeting officially begins." Yang Yunzhi's expression turned serious.

"First, thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this senior organizational meeting. I am Yang Yunzhi, code name 'Disciple.'"

He looked at the three people on the screen in turn. "Major Hina, code name 'Threshold Guard'; Miss Rebecca, code name 'Historian'; Bezos, code name 'Eyes and Ears.' From now on, we will address one another by our code names within the organization."

"Understood," the three replied at once.

"First item on the agenda: unifying our thinking." Yang Yunzhi pulled up a document and shared it on the screen. "This is the report I sent everyone this morning. Please briefly explain your understanding of it and any questions you may have."

Hina spoke first. "I finished reading the report. Its core point is this: we need a base to validate our governing philosophy, cultivate talent, and accumulate funds. Ghost Mulberry Island was chosen because it already has an industrial foundation and schools, while its remote location makes it difficult to discover. Once the base is established, we will use the identity of a 'mafia' organization as cover to conduct social governance experiments."

"That is an accurate summary." Yang Yunzhi nodded. "Rebecca, what do you think?"

Robin pondered for a moment. "Based on the report, establishing a base is indeed imperative. But I have two questions. First, how can we ensure that we can take Ghost Mulberry Island? The Oniki Clan's strength cannot be underestimated. Second, even if we take the island, how can we ensure that the World Government will not notice?"

"Bezos?" Yang Yunzhi looked toward the intelligence chief.

Bezos wiped the sweat from his forehead. "My lord, I am only responsible for intelligence work. But according to the information I currently possess, the Oniki Clan is indeed very powerful. They command more than three hundred rigorously trained armed personnel. At least five are at the General level, while more than twenty are at the Pillar level. In addition, the steelworks and weapons workshops they control are all equipped with defensive fortifications..."

The Oniki Clan's "Generals" were actually equivalent to rear admirals, while their Pillars were equivalent to colonels.

"Hm?" Yang Yunzhi turned to Robin. Why is this different from the intelligence you gave me?

Robin had already bared her heart to Yang Yunzhi, so she certainly had not been lying before.

After thinking it over, she said, "I followed Oniki Nobuko and was always involved in legitimate business, so my understanding of the Oniki Clan's deeper strength was indeed somewhat one-sided!"

Looking at it this way, the Oniki Clan was even stronger than they had previously imagined!

"So, with our organization's current strength, a frontal assault is practically impossible?" Yang Yunzhi asked.

"Yes." Bezos nodded honestly.

Yang Yunzhi turned to Hina. "Based on your experience, how much force would it take to wipe out a family like this?"

"If we evaluate the Oniki Clan as though it were a marine base, it would take at least five marine branches joining forces to surround and eliminate them, with a vice admiral-level expert overseeing the operation."

Hina said, "And the biggest problem is— the Oniki Clan is not a pirate group. We marines have no reason to mobilize troops against them. Even if I could participate in a personal capacity, the more than three hundred recruits at our Base 36 would be no match for the Oniki Clan."

Silence fell over the screen for a moment.

Robin said softly, "Disciple, do you already have a plan?"

Everyone's gaze focused on Yang Yunzhi's face.

Hina also spoke. "Stop putting on airs here. Everyone will listen to you!"

Yang Yunzhi was somewhat speechless. He had originally planned to establish his position within the organization through one victory after another.

After all, as the saying went, one was not recognized because one became a leader; one became a leader because one was recognized.

But what he did not know was that the links created by Little Bean had a loyalty function, causing everyone to instinctively trust Yang Yunzhi. It had directly spared him countless steps that would otherwise have been needed to establish authority and credibility.

So many of Yang Yunzhi's performances had indeed been completely unnecessary.

Hearing Hina's words, Yang Yunzhi gave an awkward smile. Rather than answer directly, he asked, "Everyone, when do you think an organization is at its most vulnerable?"

"When it is in internal turmoil," Robin immediately answered.

"Exactly." Yang Yunzhi nodded. "The Oniki Clan may appear powerful now, but beneath the surface, they are roiling over the question of succession. The three sons are openly and secretly fighting each other, but do those Generals and Pillars who have served the family for decades truly intend to remain subordinates forever?"

Bezos frowned. "But Disciple, this is how mafia families in the West Blue pass down their power. The next family head is either a son or a grandson. At worst, it has to be a son-in-law... It has already become customary."

"Custom does not mean it is reasonable, much less that everyone will accept it." Yang Yunzhi's tone was firm. "Especially the Ghost Wood Family—they rose to power only a few decades ago and have yet to develop deeply entrenched habits of inheritance. Those Generals and Pillars followed Oniki Isshin to conquer the world in their youth. Now that Oniki Isshin is old, do they not want to be their own masters?"

Hina looked thoughtful. "You mean... provoke internal strife?"

"Not provoke it. Accelerate it." Yang Yunzhi pulled up another document. "According to the intelligence gathered earlier by Eyes and Ears, there are already three factions within the Oniki Clan: the Foreign Trade Faction supporting the eldest son, the Local Faction supporting the second son, and the Order Faction supporting the third daughter. The contradictions between these three factions run deep. All it will take is a single spark to set them off."

Robin pressed further. "What exactly will we do?"

"Three steps." Yang Yunzhi held up three fingers. "First, deepen our intelligence. Eyes and Ears, I want you to infiltrate your intelligence network into the Oniki Clan's core within two weeks—focus on monitoring the confidants, maids, and servants around the three young masters, as well as the private dealings of those Generals and Pillars."

Bezos looked troubled. "My lord, two weeks may be..."

"I will provide technical support." Yang Yunzhi cut him off. "Little Bean will use the Link-Link Fruit's ability to help you establish an encrypted communications network. Your intelligence agents will be able to transmit information in real time through it. In addition, I will give you operational funding."

"If that is the case... this subordinate guarantees that I will complete the mission!" Bezos perked up.

"Second, create conflict." Yang Yunzhi continued. "Oniki Isshin has decreed that his three children cannot kill one another. But judging from the Historian's assassination attempt, assassinating their subordinates is feasible. Then we will start with their subordinates. Assassination, framing, sowing discord... I will make separate arrangements for the specific methods."

Hina frowned. "Wouldn't that be a little too..."

"Too underhanded?" Yang Yunzhi looked at Hina. "Threshold Guard, you need to understand that we are not merely facing the Oniki Clan, but the entire order of the old world. If we do not use extraordinary methods, we will never break through that high wall."

Hina fell silent for a moment before ultimately nodding.

"Third, win over and divide them." Yang Yunzhi looked at the three people on the screen. "When the Oniki Clan's internal conflict reaches its peak, we will need an insider—someone among the Oniki Clan's upper ranks who is willing to cooperate with us and accept our leadership after the matter is done."

Robin's eyes lit up. "You want to install a puppet?"

"No, a partner." Yang Yunzhi corrected her. "What we need is not a puppet, but a comrade who truly identifies with our ideals and is willing to work toward building a new order. As for the candidate... I will choose one personally."

The meeting room fell quiet for a brief moment.

As Bezos digested Yang Yunzhi's plan, sweat began to bead on his forehead again.

He had never expected this young marine lieutenant to be so seasoned and meticulous when it came to plotting.

Robin, meanwhile, reassessed Yang Yunzhi in her heart.

She had thought this man was merely an idealist, but now it seemed that he possessed not only ideals, but also the means and determination to turn them into reality.

That only made her trust Yang Yunzhi even more.

After all, in this world, kindness alone was not enough.