Revolt, Empress!

Join Me

From the initial leak of intelligence on the World Government, to his contempt for the Four Emperors in the middle, to his final criticism of the World Government's system, it had all ultimately been meant to lead into one final point: the problem of the system.

Although he had long since developed an allergic reaction to discussions of systemic issues on Weibo in his previous world, in some respects, those people who twisted right and wrong had been correct. Some causes really were systemic problems—it was just hard to say whose system was at fault.

And now, the World Government was the largest institutional structure in this world, and also its greatest problem.

Having read the manga, he naturally knew that the World Government could maintain its system only because there was a monster who had lived for several hundred, perhaps even over a thousand years—Imu—ensuring the consistency and continuity of its policies. Together with pillars like the Five Elders, the World Government, and the Marines, this had allowed the World Government to rule the world for so many years, artificially disguising the existence of a certain mechanism.

But that was not actually the case. Everyone thought the Celestial Dragons possessed some weapon capable of destroying the world, which was why the Marines treated them with such deference and endless patience. But the real reason was simple: the Celestial Dragons' ancestor, Imu, was not dead. With the greatest backer supporting them, the Celestial Dragons had been raised into pigs over hundreds of years, yet nothing had happened to them.

Sometimes, the world was simply that cruel and straightforward.

But he could not directly tell the Empress such a secret. It was not that she was untrustworthy, but this secret might be the greatest problem in the One Piece World. Before he was certain she would join him, telling her this secret might only harm her.

So... he had no choice but to attribute the World Government's success to its system:

"What does the World Government control? The authority of kings! They possess the Red Line. They control the world's most stable sea routes and the routes of the Four Seas. They control the vast majority of the world's nations. They possess most of this world's intelligence. Their system is extremely powerful, layer after layer continuously cultivating powerful figures loyal to them from new recruits who wish to drive out pirates. Their system may have flaws, but it is still powerful."

He carefully explained the Marines' advantages to the Empress and Gloriosa. "First of all, the hearts of the vast majority of people in this world stand with the Marines and the World Government. Although the Government exploits them heavily, humans are creatures who compromise easily. Just like the old me: at first, when the Celestial Dragons gave me something tasty, I felt somewhat grateful to them. Then they gave me a little freedom, and I began to entertain fantasies. Finally, they handed their family business over to me, and I started getting carried away.

"Most ordinary people are the same. If a nation initially levies extremely high taxes, then loosens them even a little, the people will be deeply grateful and forget those earlier heavy taxes. But looking at it from the other direction, those are their internal conflicts. No matter how harsh those internal conflicts become, they will still unite against pirates from outside. In other words, if pirates do not come, they have internal conflicts. But once pirates arrive, they unite against the outside. Can you understand this difference between internal and external fronts?"

A trace of confusion crossed the Empress's beautiful face. It seemed as if she understood some of it, yet also as if she did not.

Gloriosa truly deserved to be the Amazon Lily Emperor from three generations ago. A thoughtful expression appeared on her face.

"Pirates, kings—governments—and commoners create a situation where pirates prey on kings, kings prey on commoners, and commoners are preyed upon by both sides, yet join forces with kings when facing pirates. In that way, the arrival of pirates actually eases the conflict between them, becoming an intervening third party and even giving the Marines an excuse to station troops in their countries and interfere in their internal affairs."

"So tell me, are pirates good or bad for the World Government?"

Leo was really nothing more than a petty bourgeois, the sort who only half understood theoretical knowledge. Fortunately, he had taken required courses in university.

That was why he had stumbled over his words at first, unable to express his thoughts very well. But the more he spoke, the smoother he became, gradually making his meaning clear.

"So if you ask whether I think highly of pirates, my answer is naturally no. Pirates are nothing more than a knife. Even if someone became the One Piece, even if they brought the Four Emperors under their command, their influence, combat power, and potential would still be unable to contend against the World Government, which represents the will of the world's people."

"Pirates are the desperate way out for people whom the World Government has continually oppressed until they can endure no more. But they have not figured out who their enemy is. Instead, once they go to sea and are no longer bound by the law, they become the very people they hate most. Then, as knives of the World Government, they turn themselves against their own nations and their own people."

"After all, not every pirate goes to the Grand Line. They do not have such great ambitions. After escaping the oppression of their original kingdoms, they go on to pillage other villages, cities, and kingdoms, becoming exploiters themselves before being killed by the Marines."

"It is precisely because this world has no mechanism to restrain ordinary kingdoms—henceforth, kingdoms will be used in place of governments—that such problems arise."

"This was supposed to be the World Government's responsibility. Yet every year, the World Government collects outrageous Heavenly Gold while recognizing only the royal family's legitimate right to rule within each kingdom. They never interfere in the internal affairs of those nations. It looks extremely wonderful, but they are merely shifting responsibility onto the royal families after exploiting them, then reaping the benefits without lifting a finger."

"Is this normal? Is it right?" Word by word, he broke down the World Government's nature and forced it into the Empress's mind. This was the world as he had coldly observed it, the core mechanism by which this world operated, and the cruel world ordinary people could not see. Most people saw only what was before them, what had passed, what was today, what was tomorrow, what was in the future—but they could not see what was right beside them, yet did not exist."

"The only way to change this is to stand openly against the World Government and defeat it through honorable means. Only then can all ordinary people be liberated."

"So, come with me, Her Highness Empress." His calm gaze rested on the Empress, who leaned against Orochi without the slightest intention of getting up, as he softly asked.

PS: Getting a contract is a huge problem. I do not even know where there is a print shop open. Having a printer at home is so important.