Infiltrating the Enemy

Leo's words made a great deal of sense. They could even be said to have struck at the heart of this world.

The Empress and her two sisters, sitting on the railing behind them and listening, had long since come to see Leo as a man with powerful strategic vision because he repeatedly cut straight to the heart of matters. They believed in him immensely.

Because whenever he spoke, he always pinpointed the source of the problem.

"To be honest, the existence of the Red Line is far too strange. I strongly suspect that the Celestial Dragons built it to obstruct the world's trade, movement, exchange, and flow of information."

"Of course, that is only my guess. Let's return to our original topic."

"How do we know when the time for revolution has come?"

Leo's words were vivid and struck directly at the core of the issue. They listened with absolute concentration, not daring to let their minds wander in the slightest.

Even Ace and Iska, who had been flirting nearby, gradually turned their attention toward him.

"First, we'll split into three groups."

Pointing at Iska, Leo said, "Iska, you'll take them and return to the base pretending that you've suffered a defeat. You'll become our hidden pieces within the Marines. I'll give you a method for identifying and assessing those who possess the seeds of revolutionary inclination. When you encounter such people, I want you to observe them over a long period, become friends with them, and then draw them into our organization."

This was the path of infiltrating the enemy from within.

It was an extremely dangerous and perilous path, but this was the first task Leo had assigned her. How could Iska possibly refuse him?

She swallowed and nodded.

"You must work hard to grow stronger. We'll teach you how to train Haki. Once you've become stronger, you must apply to further your studies at Marine Headquarters. You must become sharp blades that pierce directly into the enemy's heart. The enemy will not even know that a sword is pressed against their chest. Gradually, you must occupy their heart, occupy their blood, and transform the Marines from within until they are brought over to our side."

"I know this is difficult, but we are not making plans for one or two months from now, nor are we making plans for one or two years from now. What we are making now are plans for five years from now, ten years from now, perhaps even twenty years into the future."

Everyone fell silent.

They knew Leo was aiming high, but they had not expected him to aim this high.

"I can even foresee that some of you may be nothing more than ordinary people, ordinary Marines, right now. But as you rise ever higher, some of you may betray your own class for the sake of your interests. For the sake of power, you may expose the existence of your comrades."

His words sent a shiver through everyone.

Only then did they realize that the people around them were people too, with human nature just like anyone else.

Right now, they had nothing, so they could follow Leo in plotting how to seize the world.

But once they gradually climbed upward and became mid- to high-ranking officers in the military, they would hold important positions.

They would have their own property, families, and careers. At that point, who could guarantee that they would remain loyal to the revolution instead of advancing further by reporting it?

"So my requirement is this: once you return, immediately use your defeat as an excuse to cut off contact with the people around you. Then immediately apply to the military to be transferred to Marine branches in the other Four Seas."

"With your combat skills and Haki training methods, you should be able to make a name for yourselves in local branch bases in no time!"

"You do not need to come to the Grand Line. Once you become the person in charge of a base, carry out your duties properly, protect the ordinary people within your territory, and develop the people at that base into our people. As for everything else, wait for us to contact you. Contacting one another is absolutely forbidden!"

"That is roughly it." After Leo explained a few points, the Marines' hearts began to surge with excitement.

Once they scattered, everyone would be safe, and everyone could develop in peace.

In truth, Leo had considered even deeper matters.

Although these Marines were not soldiers from Headquarters, as soldiers of the Grand Line, they were fundamentally different from those of the Four Seas in terms of combat strength. Once they went to the Four Seas, they would at the very least become commissioned officers, perhaps even directly become the commander of a Marine base like Axe-hand Morgan.

By then, the sky would be the limit and the sea would be theirs to roam.

As the highest authority in their own small kingdoms, no matter how they developed their comrades, no one would be able to hinder them anymore.

And with so many Marines here, after they scattered and several years passed, by the time they had risen to high positions and wanted to betray their own class, they probably would not even remember what the Marines around them looked like anymore.

Only Iska, as the strongest prospect, would likely receive great attention after joining the Marines. Once she entered the upper ranks and witnessed the Marines' inhuman deeds, she would become even more loyal to the revolution.

And by then, if Iska, holding a high position in Marine Headquarters, could truly be brought down by reports from certain people in the Four Seas branches, then the Marines might as well stop functioning altogether and simply spend their time reporting on one another.

"So during these days, aside from carefully memorizing how to train Haki, you must also listen attentively to my lessons. The coming days may be rare and precious. Once we scatter, how you deal with the environment around you will depend on yourselves." Leo said seriously, "No taking notes. You may only remember it in your minds, and you must fully understand what I mean. If you do not understand it, you will not be able to connect it to reality and apply it to the environment you find yourselves in."

"Your future will be extremely dangerous, even beyond the Four Seas, because a pirate tide that comes only once in a century is about to begin."

"The motives that drive these pirates to sea and the formation of this pirate tide are extremely complicated. I'll explain them clearly to you later. But right now, all of you at the various bases in the Four Seas are in great danger. You must learn Haki properly. Otherwise, if you let your guard down and lose your lives to pirates of the new generation, people like Ace, no one will be able to help you."

Leo's words made every Marine straighten solemnly.

He spoke clearly and directly. Even an illiterate person could understand him. No one dared to take matters lightly any longer, and they all began listening earnestly.

PS: Second update. Please send some recommendation votes.