Pirate: It’s not a phantom beast, it’s a phantom god!

Chapter 274 Tug of War

"cough!"

Quickly sobering up using a technique similar to returning life, Kaido finally entered his loyal meeting room and went straight to sit in the main seat.

As he took his seat, the air in the room finally began to move, and sounds of clothes rustling, whispering, and hushed conversations gradually came from below.

Without making a sound, Kaido shifted his center of gravity away from Lara and, without wasting any words, directly announced the start of the meeting.

"Looks like everyone's here, so I won't waste any more time."

"I've called all of you cadres here today because I think our 'World War Plan' should move to the next stage."

Upon hearing this, apart from Bulfat, Jin, and Ossi and other core members, everyone else couldn't help but erupt into a noisy discussion.

The reason is simple: none of these people were present when Ra proposed the "World War Plan," so they were all somewhat at a loss when Kaido suddenly mentioned such an unfamiliar term.

So, we beasts actually have something like this?
"World War"—that sounds like a pretty big plan!

"Boss Kaido, what is this 'World War Plan'...?"

As the undisputed number one among the core cadres, Tao Long naturally stepped forward to ask the question on behalf of everyone.

"This is the route that we beasts were to take, which was decided a long time ago."

King spoke up to answer the question for Kaido.

"Everything we have done so far has actually been in accordance with this plan."

"This plan is roughly divided into four phases."

"The first step is to occupy a large enough territory and have enough money;"
The second step is to gather all the talented people who can manufacture good weapons under our command and let them continuously develop the latest and best weapons.

The third step is to sell these weapons to every corner of the world;
The final step is to control their wars by relying on those countries' dependence on our weapons.

Jhin paraphrased what Ra had said in his own words, since these guys might not understand Ra's original words, which were full of technical jargon.

It can only be said that Jhin's memory is quite good; even after so much time, he can still speak about it pretty accurately.

……

As expected, Tao Long and the others nodded after hearing Jin's straightforward translation, which gave them a general understanding of the plan, which sounded quite imposing.

"So, we've now completed the first and second steps of this plan, right?"

"Boss Kaido, are you planning to move on to the next step of the plan?"

Bulfat, who had rushed back weary from his journey, then asked.

Compared to the newer officers like Takayuki who are stationed in local areas and have less contact with the core affairs of the pirate crew, he, as a veteran member of the crew, still has some understanding of these matters.

Beasts has now largely completed its wealth accumulation and technological iteration, and is steadily seizing a share of the enormous global arms market.

"Well, I think it's more appropriate for me to answer this question."

Seeing Kaido looking at him, Wright understood and took out a stack of documents from his briefcase.

As Ra's nominal personal assistant, but in reality the ultimate beastman of the crew, he almost single-handedly took on all the internal and external organizational work of the pirate crew.

Basically, whether it's internal affairs or diplomacy, anything that Kaido and his crew find troublesome, they'll dump on him.

He carried the weight of the entire Beasts Pirates crew—one captain, two vice-captains, and eighteen islands in total—on his shoulders, making him a true runner-up in the Beasts weightlifting competition.

The Beasts Pirates can go a week or even a month without their captain Kaido, but they cannot go a day without him, their 'Elder'.

After tidying up the documents in his hand, Wright cleared his throat and began to report on the current situation of the pirate crew.

"First of all, as Bourfat said, we currently have enough money and technology."

"Even our revolver and semi-automatic firearms are a generation ahead of mainstream flintlock weapons on the market. That's why our weapons sell far better than those of other arms giants."

"According to the latest data, through cooperation with [Latland] and other arms sales giants, the weapons produced and sold by Beast Heavy Industries have accounted for more than 80% of the entire New World arms market."

"The remaining less than 20% is in the hands of arms dealers supported by the World Government. This market is relatively fragmented and is considered their territory. It would be a thankless task for us to force our way in." With an 80% market share, it's practically a monopoly. After taking over those underground arms dealer families, Beasts can be said to have strangled the throats of those large and small countries in the New World.

If you dislike a country, you can cut off its arms supply without even lifting a finger, and then support the opposing country or power by selling them the best guns and cannons...

Manipulating war... The final phase of the World War plan is almost complete in this narrow strip of sea in the New World.

"Our next step is to advance into the first half of the Grand Line and the vast markets of the four seas, and then completely devour them like we have in the New World!"

"In this way, we can use weapons to influence wars anywhere in the world, and then directly shake the foundations of the world government's rule!"

"..."

boom!
"Okay!"*n
Upon hearing this, Tao Long and the other cadres slammed their fists on the table, their faces filled with excitement.

Unexpectedly, the pirate crew had grown to this extent without their knowledge.

They initially thought that the weapons factories built by Hundred Beasts were just for their own use by the troops stationed on the island... Little did they know that such a grand plan was hidden behind it.

They definitely joined the right pirate crew!

"Mr. Wright, does this mean we won't be able to overthrow the World Government and take its place for long?"

One of the officers stationed on the island couldn't help but ask through a Den Den Mushi (a type of electric scooter), his rough tone revealing undisguised excitement and urgency.

After all, that's the pinnacle of world power; anyone who hears about it would be tempted to act impulsively.
As expected, the room immediately became noisy after the question was raised.

……

"Unfortunately, that day may not come as soon as you imagine."

A clear, ethereal voice suddenly took over the question and, without any mercy, poured cold water on the enthusiasm of everyone, including the cadre.

"Miss La..."

Seeing that the opening had been made, everyone abandoned their casual demeanor and sat up straight again.

The officials on the other end of the Den Den Mushi also fell silent, listening quietly to what Raku would say next.

"La, what do you mean?"

Kaido then asked seriously.

"It's very simple. The Four Seas and 'Paradise' are not like the New World. They are the base of the Navy and the World Government. We can't do whatever we want like we do in the New World."

The New World is an extremely dangerous place of violence and chaos for ordinary people, but for tyrants like Kaido, it is a perfect breeding ground.

The Navy and the World Government are unable to fully extend their reach here for various reasons, which is why the Beasts were able to so easily swallow up those arms markets.

But once you reach the first half of the Grand Line and the four seas, the situation is completely reversed.

For the Beasts to compete with the World Government in these areas is like fighting with their short arms against their long arms, making it a hundred times more difficult.

"In fact, taking the entire ocean's arms market away from the World Government... this step is also the most difficult, the longest, and even the most likely to fail part of the whole plan."

Hearing the word 'failure,' especially since it came from La's mouth, made everyone's hearts skip a beat.

So, is it possible that this plan could fail?
Wasn't everything always easy and smooth before?

Seeing the surprised and doubtful expressions on everyone's faces, Laya could roughly guess what they were thinking.

"There is a risk of failure in everything you do. If you become complacent and careless because of your previous success, then the beasts may suffer a terrible defeat."

"After all, we are facing a behemoth that has been entrenched in this world for hundreds of years. Its strength and resources are beyond our imagination."

"Never underestimate any opponent, especially one whose strength far surpasses yours."

After reiterating his advice to avoid arrogance and impatience, he looked at everyone and stated his conclusion:
"In short... this will be a long and difficult tug-of-war."

(End of this chapter)