Kazu was still reflecting on the battle just now. He had tried out the moves he had thought up over the past few days and was now much more practiced with them.
With the enhancement from Absolute Space, Kazu felt that his Observation Haki was improving rapidly as well.
It was like a support tool. It did not simply amplify the strength of his Observation Haki; it also increased the efficiency of his improvement.
"Who am I?"
"My name is Kazu. As you can plainly see, I'm a pirate."
"As for my purpose, well, I only recently set sail from the Goa Kingdom. I met a kid named Luffy, who I heard is Vice Admiral Garp's grandson."
"Now that I've run into the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon, of course I have to get properly acquainted."
Dragon had not expected Kazu to have come from Foosha Village. No wonder they had run into each other, since he was also planning to take a stroll around Foosha Village and see his son.
"Mr. Dragon, it's me, Makino!"
Makino waved from the ship in the distance. She had met Dragon when she was little, back when he was still a Marine. Garp sometimes brought Dragon back when he was on leave, using the vacation to give Dragon extra training and put him through his paces.
This was also why Dragon was so skilled in both martial arts and Haki. Talent was one part of it, but Garp frequently taking him along to train was also a key factor.
Later, Dragon had left the Marines, traveled around looking for like-minded companions, and founded the Freedom Fighters, always seeking to liberate those oppressed civilians.
Even on the rare occasions when he returned home, he had to sneak around, so Makino had never seen Dragon again.
"Is that you, Makino?"
That little girl had grown up too. Dragon had returned to Foosha Village a few times and knew she had opened a tavern.
After all, Luffy went there often, so Dragon had certainly looked into it beforehand.
With Makino here, it seemed the man before him was indeed telling the truth.
"It seems you went to some trouble spending time with Luffy. Thank you."
He knew perfectly well what his son was like. To put it nicely, he was carefree. Less nicely, he had a screw loose.
"Hahaha, it was nothing. The boy's full of energy."
"Mostly, I heard you founded the Revolutionary Army and were a man with a strong spirit of resistance, so I wanted to see what you were really like."
Kazu really was curious. Dragon had appeared far too little in the original story and had always been shrouded in mystery.
Now that he had met him face-to-face, this was hardly an opportunity that came along often.
"Oh?"
"Are you interested in the Revolutionary Army's ideals as well?"
"I can explain our Revolutionary Army's ideals to you in depth."
Dragon had not expected that to be what the other man had in mind. Now he was wide awake. He had to give Kazu a proper explanation of their Revolutionary Army's ideals.
If the other man accepted the ideals he presented, he might be able to bring him aboard to fulfill their unfinished dream together.
He had experienced Kazu's combat strength firsthand, and his Devil Fruit ability was unpredictable as well.
If he could become a member of their Revolutionary Army, he would be a tremendous asset.
Blah, blah, blah~
Dragon explained everything they were currently doing and their grand ideals in one go, hoping to see Kazu's reaction.
Unfortunately, he saw no sign of agreement on Kazu's face.
To put it plainly, Dragon and the others had been recruiting like-minded companions from around the world, then waging wars of liberation in places suffering under oppression.
After fighting in one place, they withdrew, letting the local civilians elect a new leader to guide the people toward peace.
Their ultimate ideal was to liberate the entire world so that no one would be oppressed anymore.
Yet after all these years, their growth had remained slow. They were constantly afraid of being targeted by the World Government, so they always struck once and moved somewhere else.
Kazu shook his head inwardly as he listened. It would have been a miracle if they could grow quickly like this.
No wonder, after all these years, the Revolutionary Army still had to keep buying even its food. They had no source of their own at all.
Only when they cracked down on nobles could they get a windfall, which they then used to buy weapons and food.
"Your Revolutionary Army's ideas are far too backward."
Kazu's blunt words stung Dragon somewhat. These were ideals that so many of them believed in, and having someone reject them was indeed hard to accept.
"What different views do you have? Please, share them."
Still, Dragon was composed enough not to get worked up, and he wanted to hear what insights Kazu had.
While the two of them were talking, Carlmand and Makino had also sailed over. The two boarded the ship directly and came to Kazu's side.
Ivankov also came to Dragon's side and said, "That's right, Kazu-boy. If you have different views, you can share them. We in the Revolutionary Army love new suggestions."
Since they were no longer fighting and it was quite safe, the few people still conscious all gathered together.
Kazu raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll be merciful and tell you what I think."
"Ahem~"
Kazu showily cleared his throat.
"First, it's right to recognize the difference in strength between yourselves and the enemy, but striking once, moving elsewhere, and washing your hands of things is not an acceptable approach."
"The enemy is strong and we're weak, but the only places the World Government truly cares about are the affiliated nations."
"In their eyes, those in non-affiliated nations don't even count as people. Only those in affiliated nations barely qualify as lowly commoners to them."
"It's understandable. Countries that can afford the Heavenly Tribute all have strong economies. Those non-affiliated nations are too poor to afford the expensive Heavenly Tribute, which you could also call protection money."
"To the World Government, non-affiliated nations have no value whatsoever."
"And when the enemy is strong and we're weak, that's precisely when we need to unite every force we can bring together."
"The Revolutionary Army can wage large-scale wars of liberation in non-affiliated nations, but after succeeding, you shouldn't hand power over unconditionally to the new local government."
"Instead, recruit like-minded companions locally and support your own Revolutionary Army members in leading this newly liberated country."
"That way, it'll be easier for you to learn about the country's situation later, and new corruption won't take root as easily."
"And those countries you've liberated can provide the Revolutionary Army with money and food. Even if each country doesn't give much, small amounts will add up to a very substantial sum."
"This will also free you from being unable to obtain food and money independently."
"Your main force can remain hidden to prevent the World Government from tracking you down, but with support in food, funding, and a population base, you'll definitely be able to grow stronger much faster."
"If you compare affiliated nations to towns and non-affiliated nations to the countryside, it's like surrounding the cities from the countryside."
"Once your Revolutionary Army has liberated enough non-affiliated nations, then you can consider liberating those affiliated nations."
"After all, you're still far too weak right now. If you wage wars of liberation in both affiliated and non-affiliated nations as you did before, the World Government certainly won't sit idly by."
"After all, without tribute from the affiliated nations, those high-and-mighty Celestial Dragons won't be able to maintain their extravagant, decadent lifestyles. That's something they cannot tolerate."
"Liberate the non-affiliated nations and invite capable comrades to join you. Funding and food will be taken care of too. All you need is time to turn that into results."
"When the world changes, you can raise your banner and truly sound the call to overthrow the World Government."
"There are so many non-affiliated nations. When most of the world's people rise in response, that will be when the Revolutionary Army is at its most terrifying."