The Plan Begins

Hina looked at her lover, who was speaking eloquently on the light screen, her eyes filled with admiration.

She admired Yang Yunzhi's wisdom and strategy, and took even greater pride in her own choice.

See? This was her man—strong, capable, handsome, and brilliant!

"Does anyone have any other questions?" Yang Yunzhi asked.

Robin raised her hand—a hand-raising icon appeared in her section of the light screen. "Disciple, I have another question. Even if we successfully take Ghost Mulberry Island, how can we ensure that the World Government does not discover our base? Although the World Government's control over the West Blue is weak, it is not entirely without Eyes and Ears."

"Good question." Yang Yunzhi gave Robin an approving look. "So, outwardly, we will operate under the name of the 'DD Party.' In the West Blue, conflicts and annexations between mafia families are perfectly normal. If other mafia groups can occupy an island, then so can we. As long as we do not openly raise the banner of overthrowing the World Government like the Revolutionary Army, the World Government will not pay us too much attention."

He paused before continuing. "Besides, Ghost Mulberry Island is extremely remote. Regular shipping routes do not pass through there at all. As long as we control the ships entering and leaving the island and maintain information isolation, we can remain hidden for several years, or even longer."

"I understand." Robin nodded.

"Then the operation plan is officially approved," Yang Yunzhi announced. "Eyes and Ears, begin the first stage immediately. Historian, assist Eyes and Ears in compiling and analyzing intelligence. Threshold Guard..."

He looked at Hina. "How is the training of your recruits going?"

"They will be combat-ready in another month," Hina answered. "But while these recruits can handle ordinary pirates, they are still far from capable of dealing with the Oniki Clan's elite."

"The Marines will not participate in this battle," Yang Yunzhi said. "But the forces under our command are developing, and we cannot stop moving forward either. We need to hurry up and catch pirates so you can get promoted!"

Hina nodded, then suddenly felt that something was off.

No, wait, who exactly was whose adjutant here? Why was he giving her orders?

But after thinking it over, she decided to let it go. She had to leave him some face in front of so many people.

Besides, within the Marine system, she really was his superior.

But within the system resisting the World Government, she was instead a subordinate Yang Yunzhi had recruited.

So during a meeting like this, she really did have to listen to Yang Yunzhi.

The meeting continued for another half hour as they discussed several more details.

At last, Yang Yunzhi gave his summary:

"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. This operation to seize Ghost Mulberry Island is the first major operation of our DD Organization, and it is also a comprehensive test of our intelligence-gathering, planning, and execution abilities. Everyone, let us work together."

"Yes!" the three replied in unison.

The light screen went dark.

That night, Marine Base 36, Hina's bedroom.

Yang Yunzhi had barely returned through the portal when Hina pinned him against the wall.

"What is the deal with that wavy-haired Rebecca?" Hina stared into his eyes, a hint of jealousy in her voice. "We had only been apart for a few days, and you already brought back a beautiful woman?"

Yang Yunzhi's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm. "Threshold Guard, I swear in the name of justice that there is absolutely nothing between her and me. She is talent I recruited. She has studied since childhood, possesses an eidetic memory, and is proficient in historical documents. She is exactly the kind of think-tank talent we urgently need."

"Really?" Hina was skeptical.

"Of course." Yang Yunzhi raised a hand in oath. "Having you is enough for me right now. How could I possibly have the mind to pursue anyone else?"

That was only half true—he truly had no such thoughts about Robin right now, but in the future... who knew?

Hina stared at him for a long while before finally releasing him. "All right. I'll believe you this once."

She walked over to the window and sat down, changing the subject. "By the way, I forgot to ask last time. What is the deal with that Little Bean?"

The last time Yang Yunzhi linked her had been afterward. Hina had been exhausted, so she had not thought much about it.

It was only later that she gradually noticed something unusual about Little Bean. A chat window was one thing, but now it could even be used to hold meetings?

Seeing that Hina was no longer pressing the matter, Yang Yunzhi breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "It is actually a portable intelligent lifeform called Little Bean. I had it eat the Link-Link Fruit, and it developed all these communication functions."

"An intelligent lifeform?" Hina asked curiously. "Like a Den Den Mushi?"

"Much more advanced than a Den Den Mushi." Yang Yunzhi sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. "Little Bean has powerful computing abilities and can process massive amounts of information at once. This chat interface is only the beginning. Later, I also plan to develop news feeds, mission postings, knowledge-base searches, and other functions."

Hina nodded as though she understood, then suddenly remembered something. "By the way, when will that intelligence network spread to our side? My recruits have been training for two months. It is time for them to see some blood."

"In the next few days," Yang Yunzhi promised. "I will make the trip myself and establish intelligence points on several nearby islands. Once that is done, we will know immediately whenever pirates appear anywhere."

"Now that is more like it." Hina smiled in satisfaction and wrapped her arms around Yang Yunzhi's neck. "Then tonight... are you leaving again?"

Feeling the soft, warm body in his arms, Yang Yunzhi swallowed. "Leaving? The mission is finished. Tonight, I'll risk my life to accompany you."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Hina blinked.

The next second, the two were already on the bed.

The curtains closed automatically, leaving the bedroom filled with springtime passion.

At the same time, in a shabby inn on an island somewhere in the West Blue.

Robin—now using the alias Rebecca—sat at the table, lost in thought as she looked at the records of the meeting that had just ended on the light screen.

"DD Party... base... social governance experiment..."

She softly repeated those words, complex emotions flickering in her eyes.

When she was eight, Ohara had been destroyed by a Buster Call. Afterward, she had spent ten full years drifting from place to place.

During those ten years, she had only stayed in three places, yet she had already witnessed too much of humanity's darkness—betrayal, deception, greed, and cruelty.

She had once believed that this world was beyond saving, that those lofty nobles and World Government officials would never care whether ordinary people lived or died.

Until she met Yang Yunzhi.

This man was different.

He had not only seen the root of the world's sickness, but had also presented a cure.

His ideals were not empty slogans, but practical plans that could be carried out step by step.

"Maybe... he really can change this world."

Robin murmured to herself, her fingers unconsciously tracing that strange symbol on the tabletop—two capital Ds, back to back, forming something like a butterfly.

This was the emblem of the DD Organization, which Yang Yunzhi had displayed at the end of the meeting.

"Using the name of the Marines to carry out real reform..." Robin's lips curved slightly. "What a bold idea."

She turned off the light screen, walked to the window, and gazed at the sparse stars in the night sky.

At the other end of the West Blue, Bezos was sweating profusely as he assigned tasks to his subordinates; in a corner of Ghost Mulberry Island, Ajilu had just finished a day of training; in a bedroom at Marine Base 36, Yang Yunzhi was entwined with Hina.

And all of this was only the beginning.

A reform carried out in the name of the Marines was quietly brewing.

Before a storm arrived, the sea was always especially calm.

But beneath the waves, the undercurrents had already begun to surge.