From Pirate to Revolutionary Mentor

Chapter 78 A World Where Living Is Worse Than Dying

"Vegapunk must be taken with us. This has been the most important part of my plan for a long time. He is of great significance to the Revolutionary Army."

"I am well aware of the drawbacks of forcing a scientist to participate, and we have no way to deal with the simplest nonviolent non-cooperation in the short term."

"There have been many users of the Brain-Brain Fruit over the centuries, but there has only ever been one Vegapunk, and I know that very well."

"You know, Dragon, the people in this world have always seemed so naive to me, and Vegapunk is no exception. Joining the World Government gives them such a huge boost that the common people have absolutely no power to resist."

Why force them?

"Because I believe that when he truly understands the Revolutionary Army, he will do everything in his power to help us. So I need you to let him understand, to listen, to see, and to deeply comprehend the meaning behind our name."

"His stance is the same as ours, and even the will of most people in the Navy is the same as ours, which is why I have stayed in the Navy."

……

After the disagreement in O'Hara, Dragon had a long talk with Kevin.

We believe in the will of the Revolutionary Army, we believe our ideas will make him realize the problems of this world, and we believe that Vegapunk will eventually join us because he understands them.

Dragon stepped forward and stood next to Vegapunk, looking at the fish-men who were bringing fresh water into the construction site.

"His name is Kayla. His parents were bought and dismembered by the same person at a human trafficking den because he wanted to see how the body structure of fish-men differed from that of humans. Later, when they were about to buy him for the third time, it was the man who saved him."

"The one mixing the cement is Swell, a human. His country is a non-member state, and a neighboring country attacked them to pay their share of the Heavenly Gold. His father died in battle, and he inherited his mother's blonde hair—it's beautiful, isn't it?"

"But because of his beauty, his mother was violated and committed suicide. When we arrived, he had already been guarding his mother's body for a day and a night."

"The one with the long arms is a girl from the Long-Arm Tribe. Because of her special nature, her fate is even more tragic. Her tribe members are captured like prey, and she, the survivor, has been wandering ever since. But because of her special nature, everyone wants to sell her. The last time she was encountered was by a major from the New World Navy branch, but he still chose to sell her."

"The first thing we did after we rescued her was to grab a knife and try to cut off her own arm."

Vegapunk turned around abruptly, made eye contact with Dragon for a second, and then looked back.

How many times must a young girl experience something like this before she would rather cut off her arm than continue?

"So this is what you wanted me to see?"

Dragon shook his head slightly: "No. Because whoever comes, they all have their own stories. Too many, so many that it makes you feel like this world might be hell."

Vegapunk stood there, stunned.

Is living in a world worse than being dead?

Dragon continued, "It's not just them, Mr. Fireseed or Big Bear, or Ginny and Ivankov, they all have their own stories."

Vegapunk suddenly understood why there was no discrimination or conflict here, and why everyone was so motivated.

Although they are not of the same race, they share the same experience: being oppressed by the world to the point of being unable to breathe.

The experience of being worse off dead than alive.

The revolutionary army gave them a new life and gave them a reason to live.

Turn the world upside down!

I will attend the evening's ideological education class.

Vegapunk turned and left, while Dragon, who remained standing there without moving, wore a smile.

……

Judiciary Island, a private bar on a high-rise building.

To the accompaniment of soft music, two figures sat at the bar, drinking.

"The list is almost complete, but the demand for these instruments is probably low, right? Would anyone in the New World want these things?"

Kevin swirled the glass in his hand: "Things are valued for their rarity, and these forbidden items are the most expensive. Don't assume pirates are all brutes; sometimes they understand the power of technology better than anyone else."

Spandam frowned and thought for a while, then finally slapped the table: "Fine, since it's already turned into money once it's given to you, it's not difficult for us to use this stuff. But you know, prohibited items require bribing everyone involved."

Kevin calmly handed over another note: "This box is extra."

Spandam put it away and continued, "The leader of the science unit went missing some time ago, so the investigation has become even more thorough. That other person is very important; even my CP9 units have been deployed to search everywhere."

Seeing that Kevin remained unmoved, Spandane looked at him suspiciously: "It wouldn't be you, would it?"

Kevin calmly poured himself a glass: "We're all working together to make money. If we give all our capital to our friends, we might not even be able to afford drinks later on."

Uh……

Spandam was embarrassed for a moment, then waved his hands repeatedly: "Just kidding, just kidding, we're friends. How could someone as loyal as me let my friends not be able to afford drinks? Come over often, drink as much as you want here."

The topic was steered away, and they stopped talking about money altogether, and the two started chatting again.

"Something big has happened in Sabaody recently, and the news has been blocked by the higher-ups. Only I know a little about it. As for your navy, I'm afraid only vice admirals and above know about it."

Spandane glanced at Kevin's rank, smiled familiarly, and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, with me here, you'll be promoted to your rank in no time."

Kevin laughed as well: "You can make more money if you go up there, right? Everyone gets rich together, with power and money in our hands. What's One Piece compared to that?"

"Hahaha! You're right!"

Spandam was pleased; he liked the attitude of the young major general.

It's fine to ask for less this time, as a way of repaying Ohara for reminding him. Fortunately, he managed to shift the blame to the Navy in the end, otherwise he would be the one getting scolded now.

After a moment's thought, Spandam spoke up: "The Navy's recently issued bounty list includes a cloaked man. That guy is a user of the Instant Transmission Fruit and has already brutally murdered two Celestial Dragons in the Sabaody Archipelago and escaped unscathed."

"If you encounter someone who can fight a general and escape unscathed, run away as fast as you can. Don't let the bounty of a few hundred million cloud your judgment."

"The higher-ups already have a plan, and this guy should be caught soon."

Upon hearing this, Kevin became interested and asked, "With the ability of the Teleportation Fruit and the ability to fight against Admirals, you should be very difficult to catch, right?"

"Oh……"

Spandam downed his drink in one gulp: "Devil Fruit users are restricted by seawater and seastone, which won't stop the people above. Some CP0 members have already gone to Wano Country. Without the ability to teleport, that guy is nothing."

……

After Kuzan's report to the Den Den Mushi was announced and he was to set sail again, Kevin also left Enies Lobby and headed to Marine Headquarters.

Kevin didn't get the details about the Celestial Dragons targeting him.

Spandam, usually so outspoken, held back at the crucial point, but ultimately didn't reveal any specifics.

However, in Wano Country, the only technology available is Seastone.

The P substance contained in Seastone is effective against Devil Fruit abilities. Although his Flying Thunder God technique requires stamina, it is not a Devil Fruit.

The trap needs bait, is this some kind of trap that's being handed a Celestial Dragon?

Kevin, resting with his eyes closed on the deck, thought to himself, "If another Celestial Dragon comes along, we might be able to open two diamond treasure chests a year from now."

If we're lucky, we might just go straight to the Flower Room and take down that Im.

Time passed quickly.

Four days later, Kevin and Kuzan had arrived at the latter half of the Grand Line, the New World.

One of the member states here was invaded by pirates, and the G-series branch was directly defeated. In this situation, headquarters sent Kuzan with Kevin.

It's important to know that the naval branches along the Grand Line all begin with the letter G, and their base commanders are generally vice admirals, on par with the headquarters.

This level of combat capability is completely different from that of the naval branches across the four seas.

Even the lieutenant general couldn't suppress them, so only the reserve general could. Currently, Borsalino is needed to guard the Sabaody Archipelago, and Sakazuki is constantly working outside, so only Kuzan has the time.

"You're still so lazy."

Kevin, who was lying on the deck sunbathing, suddenly found himself in darkness.

Removing his blindfold, Kevin yawned. "Isn't Lieutenant General Kuzan the same? It's such a nice day, wouldn't it be a waste not to soak up the sun?"

Kuzan looked at the horizon ahead: "We'll arrive in another day. Ever since Roger ushered in the Great Pirate Era, more and more pirates have been flooding the seas."

Kevin frowned, and Kuzan looked at him.

After a long pause, Kevin clapped his hands and said seriously, "Speaking of which, this is the golden age for pirate hunters! If I quit my job and became a pirate hunter, wouldn't I be able to make a fortune?"

→_→

Kuzan was so frustrated he couldn't speak.

If he hadn't witnessed Nomi's transformation firsthand, he really wouldn't have wanted to say another word to this new major general who was coming over.

Just outrageous!

What exactly is this guy's sense of justice? Money and treasure?

The day passed quickly, but when Kuzan and Kevin disembarked, all they saw were corpses and smoke.

"You're late."

Kuzan frowned as he looked around the port. There wasn't a single living person there; the dead included the king's guards and ordinary people.

The corpses of young women are the ones that are most likely to ignite anger.

But doing this is the true nature of 99% of the pirates in this world.

Looting and killing are their true nature.

"It seems the lieutenant general has seen many scenes like this. I saw several new recruits over there throwing up."

Kuzan glanced at Kevin: "What about you? Why didn't you throw up?"

Kevin raised his head: "This kind of thing happened quite often back in the West Sea. But this scene looks more like the Imperial Guard retreating, leaving these marginalized civilians as sacrifices."

As he spoke, Kevin walked up to the body of a teenage girl, thought for a moment, and then took off the cloak of justice from his back and covered it with the body.

"Tsk tsk tsk... That's really tragic."

The group traveled to the center of the island and, after passing through several checkpoints, arrived at the royal palace.

The magnificent palace was beautiful, but the moment that fat-headed king saw Kuzan, he immediately started complaining about being poor, as if he had met a long-lost relative.

After faking tears for a while, she asked if the payment of the Heavenly Gold could be postponed for a while.

However, Kuzan cannot change the rules of the World Government and has not made any promises.

"Is this still not enough? It seems that even the lowly people in the garbage dump can't create the greatest value when they die."

These words made Kuzan slightly raise his head and glance at the king.

The pirates have left, so Kuzan and Kevin need to stay a few more days to see if that guy will come back.

At night, Kuzan found Kevin and sat down next to him.

"Did you have any feelings today?"

"Hmm... I'm only getting this much thanks to you, Vice Admiral. I never imagined that this king, who's almost out of money for the Heavenly Tribute, could come up with so many fancy dishes for every meal. It's quite a good meal."

Kuzan was taken aback by these words.

The king was unaffected, and even the inner circle of the island remained unaffected.

As for the poor, the king considered them merely lowly people.

Those at the top continued their decadent lifestyle, while those at the bottom lived in fear and dread of the pirates' arrival, and those in the center of the island remained indifferent.

Layer upon layer, in the end only the lowest level of people lose their lives, so that the middle and upper levels can continue to enjoy the benefits.

This wasn't the first time Kuzan had witnessed such a scene, but it was the first time he had made so many connections based on a single sentence.

Is this what that person meant by class?

With no hope of advancement, every day is just about surviving, waiting for bad luck to strike one day, when a lifetime of effort and life can be taken away in less than a second.

"Kevin, do you think the world is sick?"

Kuzan's voice rang out.

Kevin replied, "How would I know? Whether I'm sick or not, I'm just getting paid to work. Preventing that girl from dying naked is the limit of what I can do."

"We just do what they say. We're paid to do things; we're not them, how can we understand their feelings?"

Kevin waved his hand and got up to walk towards the warship.

A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user with the Power-Power Fruit ability—please don't let me run into one! If I do, you'll truly regret ever being born.

Kevin felt like he had a fire burning inside him that he couldn't vent.

The cloak of justice fell because he could not face the gaze that remained open even after death.

It was humiliation and despair, devoid of any spirit or energy, with a blank stare that held a mockery and a sense of liberation towards the world.

If the Yellow Springs of this world could start over, perhaps she herself wouldn't want to be a person again.

"call……"

After taking a deep breath, Kevin calmed himself down.

I need power—the power to cleave through the darkness of this world!

Using the Mother Flame as an energy source to protect the various islands, that was when soldiers fought soldiers and kings fought kings.

Vegapunk's technology and Wano Country's Pluton-like warship, along with the fact that the Sea King of Fishman Island won't be born for another six years, are unknown to Uranus himself.

I can't wait any longer...

(End of this chapter)