"You have Poneglyphs?"
Yake's thoughts surged. Dragon definitely wasn't after Robin, because that would anger Yake, and Dragon wasn't that foolish. Then he must have wanted Robin to help translate the Poneglyphs. But Robin was known within the Revolutionary Army as "the Flame of Revolution." What exactly did Dragon want?
Dragon smiled faintly, took out a stack of documents from his coat, and placed them on the table.
The writing was far too familiar. Yake recognized at a glance that these were Poneglyph Rubbings. Dragon actually had so many!
But considering that he was the leader of the Revolutionary Army, it was hardly surprising. He had launched rebellions across the world and seized control of nations, so Dragon undoubtedly understood the importance of Poneglyphs. If certain countries contained Poneglyphs, Revolutionary Army officers would surely make copies and send them to Dragon. They had simply never been able to decipher their contents.
"Lord Yake is a smart man, so I'll be direct. I need Miss Robin to translate the contents of these Poneglyphs for us."
"Also, we need a large quantity of weapons. Our officers have investigated, and the weapons used by your City Defense Army seem somewhat different?"
When the Sky God Kingdom had first been established, the Revolutionary Army's intelligence division had disguised themselves as tourists to investigate it. Aside from those miraculous shellfish, the weapons used by the Sky God Kingdom's soldiers had also caught their attention. They fired quickly, were easy to reload, and every soldier carried one. This showed that the Sky God Kingdom was at least capable of mass-producing such excellent individual weapons. Yet they had never located the weapons factory or research center.
"That's right. That automatic weapon is called the AK-47, the finest firearm in this world, developed by the Sky God Kingdom's research division. It's powerful and cheap to produce. Is the Revolutionary Army interested?" Now we're talking about money. I'm wide awake. Although Yake did not particularly like money, the cost of maintaining a nation was undoubtedly astronomical. What he needed now were steady buyers.
"AK-47? Was it named after you, my lord? Hahaha, the Revolutionary Army needs a large quantity of these weapons." Dragon had already begun calculating. These weapons could replace the Revolutionary Army's outdated single-shot muskets. They could quickly dispose of the old weapons for cash, then equip every Revolutionary Army soldier with these new weapons. The Revolutionary Army's combat strength would rise dramatically.
Two of the world's strongest figures argued until they were red in the face over the price of a gun. Yake wanted to earn more money, while Dragon wanted to spend less and buy more. It was an invisible clash between two leaders.
"Forget it. I'll name a price: 5,000 Beli per gun, but you must agree to one condition." Yake had no patience left to haggle with Dragon. He would still make a twenty-percent profit at that price, and with so many Revolutionary Army soldiers, he could treat it as low margins and high volume.
"Agreed. Please, name your condition." Dragon was in high spirits. He had not expected the deal to actually go through. I really am a master at bargaining.
"I want the Revolutionary Army to continue collecting Poneglyphs. I need the rubbings, and I can share the translated contents with you. But the Revolutionary Army's intelligence network must also be shared with me whenever I need intelligence..." Yake said in an unquestionable tone. The Revolutionary Army's intelligence network was what Yake valued most. Their undercover agents were spread across the world. Yake had no energy to establish his own intelligence department, and this ready-made one had practically been delivered to his door.
Dragon pondered for a long time before slowly raising his head. "Agreed. If you need intelligence, you may contact me."
"But I have one question that I hope Lord Yake can answer."
"Go ahead!"
"We have not found the locations of the Sky God Kingdom's weapons factories or research institutes. Have they been hidden?" This was what puzzled Dragon most. A large quantity of weapons was being sold, yet there was not a single trace of a weapons factory. It was as though they had appeared out of thin air.
Yake laughed as soon as he heard that. Of course they could not find them. Since he had prepared to found a nation, a mixed crowd of all sorts was unavoidable. Whether it was the Revolutionary Army, Cipher Pol, or the Marines, they would never imagine that above Space Island lay the White-White Sea, ten thousand meters above sea level.
That place was not open to the public. In fact, no one besides the members of the Ark Pirates even knew of it. It housed Germa's research institute and weapons factory, where Germa researchers and clones handled all research and production. Spies could never infiltrate it.
"That is none of your concern. I can only tell you that they are somewhere in the Sky God Kingdom." Yake smiled. This was among the Sky God Kingdom's most closely guarded secrets. People throughout the world did not even know that Germa now belonged to Yake.
"So that's how it is. It is hidden so deeply?" Dragon said with a frown. He was considering whether the Revolutionary Army's communications department could establish a base there as well. The Sky God Kingdom was easy to defend and hard to attack, with only a single entrance and exit. There was no need to worry about Marine encirclement, making it exceptionally secure.
"Then, Lord Yake, I hope to purchase a secluded piece of land in the Sky God Kingdom for use as the Revolutionary Army's headquarters. What do you think?"
"I agree, and I'll give that land to the Revolutionary Army for free." Yake said generously. There was plenty of undeveloped land on Skypiea. They could simply find somewhere on the White Sea. It was merely a favor.
"Then thank you, my lord. Leave these Poneglyph Rubbings with you. Once Miss Robin finishes translating them, you may contact me at any time. I won't stay any longer, then. A pleasant partnership!" Dragon extended his hand.
"A pleasant partnership! Mr. Dragon, are you heading somewhere?" Yake recalled that morning's newspaper. After Luffy defeated Arlong, he would likely be heading to Loguetown, where he would meet Smoker, the man who would chase him for the rest of his life, and where his father would make his first appearance...
"That's right. Oh, and one last piece of intelligence for you. Whitebeard's Second Division member, Marshall D. Teach, killed Thatch and stole the Dark-Dark Fruit. He fled the Whitebeard Pirates, called himself Blackbeard, and has been active on the seas. I heard he hid aboard Whitebeard's ship for more than twenty years. A truly terrifying man..."
"Even if I didn't tell you, the news would report it in a few days. I simply thought you might be interested. I'll be leaving now." With that, Dragon left without looking back.
"Blackbeard?" Yake murmured as he watched Dragon depart. A thick stack of Poneglyph Rubbings lay on the table.
"Stage Three reward for Seeker of Historical Truth has been issued. Lottery draws +10."
The reward had been issued, but Yake's attention was no longer on it.
Blackbeard had begun making moves in the world. The Worst Generation had finally arrived.
If nothing unexpected happened, Ace would soon go after Blackbeard, only to be captured. The Marineford War would inevitably begin as well.
The turning point of Fate... had begun.