Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

"Lying is pointless..."

Luo spoke directly.

"Humans are creatures that cannot go against their instincts. No matter how well you control your micro-expressions, the slight adrenaline and nerve fluctuations that occur in your body when you lie cannot be hidden from me."

Hawkins was slightly startled by Luo's displayed abilities, and suddenly sensed something, turning his head to look behind him.

"Wh...when?"

A small, strange pink lump appeared on Hawkins' back. Even though Hawkins' body had been transformed into a scarecrow, the pink lump seemed to have completely merged with him, without causing any discomfort.

More importantly, Hawkins' own "Straw Fruit" clearly has the ability to "transfer damage," but the appearance of this pink tumor did not trigger "damage transfer."

“There’s no need to worry, that thing is harmless in a sense,” Luo explained calmly.

Clearly, Hawkins didn't believe Luo's claim at all; this thing looked terrifying no matter how you looked at it.

At this moment, Hawkins finally understood why the previously divined mortality rate was so high that he had no chance of survival.

Hawkins took a deep breath, completely abandoning his plan to deceive Yann, and spoke.

"The 'Hanged Man' sign in divination does require your own interpretation, but the combination of 'world' and 'tower' likely refers to the Red Earth continent standing on this sea."

"In other words, the future you envision may require the complete overthrow of the Red Earth continent."

In the end, even Hawkins himself felt like he was talking nonsense.

As a continent that separates the entire sea from south to north and has an elevation of up to 10,000 meters, the magnificence and vastness of the red earth continent are unimaginable.

If the red earth were to collapse, it would trigger a terrifying tsunami that would sweep across most of the world, reaching a height of 10,000 meters. This would cause the sea level to rise, completely submerging more than 99 percent of the islands in the ocean.

At that time... it will be the end of the entire world!

What terrified Hawkins the most was that the result of this divination corresponded implicitly to the "Fool" and "World" that had appeared when he first divined the identity of the mysterious man before him.

Therefore, even Hawkins subconsciously concealed this information to avoid becoming the one who would lead the end of the world.

Upon hearing this, Yann glanced in Luo's direction, and Luo nodded, confirming that Hawkins was not lying this time.

P.S.: Happy New Year to everyone! May you have smooth sailing, everything go perfectly, and may all your wishes come true...

[Chapter 582. The Twisted Cycle]

'Red Earth? The Hanged Man?'

In a heavily guarded hospital room at the Wano Country Navy's G-9 branch, Aon lay on his hospital bed, murmuring silently.

As for Hawkins's account of the divination, Yarn did not doubt its considerable authenticity.

After all, this ocean does indeed possess a power called "fate." Whether it's Lady Shirley from Fishman Island or the historical texts passed down from the "Void Century" eight hundred years ago, almost all of these prove that this ocean possesses prophetic, revelatory, and other abilities related to fate.

Of course, Yann doesn't completely believe in these so-called divinations of fate; he only treats them as a reference.

After all, there are some things that the mystical know that a rational guy like Yann wouldn't notice.

Leaving aside the so-called signpost "The Hanged Man," Yern was quite... concerned about Hawkins' deduction of the "Red Earth" between the "World" and the "Tower."

"Speaking of which, the specific history of the Red Line... seems to have been overlooked all along..."

Yaen suddenly thought of this problem, and his brows furrowed.

Just as many people overlook the history and essence of the sun high overhead, the majestic red earth continent, which is large enough to divide the entire ocean into east and west, has also gradually made people overlook its own history and essence.

With this thought in mind, Yann looked at Xiao Jin standing to the side and said, "Xiao Jin, contact Dragon and have the organization begin to collect all information and intelligence related to the Red Line."

"Chirp~"

Little Gold made a few calls, then its gaze became unfocused. Instead, it controlled its personal Den Den Mushi to contact Dragon from within its own castle.

Even though Xiao Jin can't speak, she can still communicate in simple written form.

After relaying the order, Yann turned his attention back to Hawkins.

As one of the eleven "Supernovas" who will be Luffy's contemporaries several years later, Hawkins' abilities are quite bizarre, and his own combat strength should not be underestimated.

Although Hawkins has not yet become a pirate, Yann suddenly realized that as the date of Luffy's departure from the sea approaches, the "Supernovas" who are capable of stirring up the seas and even challenging the status of the "Four Emperors" are about to grow and even begin to emerge.

'Premature elimination?!'

Ya'en narrowed his eyes, and his index finger unconsciously twitched on the metal frame at the edge of the hospital bed.

Whether from the Navy's perspective or the Revolutionary Army's perspective, Yann did not have any good feelings towards so-called pirates.

Although most pirates are forced to go to sea due to the corruption of the World Government and various kingdoms, or perhaps due to natural disasters, it is an indisputable fact that most pirates are the source of chaos and killing on the sea, and their presence only makes the lives of the common people on this sea even more miserable.

Those eleven future "supernovas" were enough to stir up a storm during that period, making the already chaotic "Great Pirate Era" even more rampant.

With the resources and channels that Yann currently possesses, it would be no difficult task for him to eliminate most of the eleven "supernovas" ahead of time.

The only thing Yann needs to consider is the consequences of taking such action.

If the Revolutionary Army continues to secretly cooperate with the Navy, the combined strength of the two sides will be enough to suppress all the pirates of the "Great Pirate Era" head-on.

However, doing so will lead to the gradual consolidation of the World Government's rule. In order to gain the World Government's protection, more kingdoms will desperately try to collect "Heavenly Gold" as tribute, thus becoming "World Member States".

Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Army can continue to infiltrate more and more small and medium-sized islands that are not noticed by the world's member states in the gradually stabilizing environment. If the "Island Commune Project" continues to develop as it is, it will be enough to gather the power to directly shake the world government.

In this way, it also coincided with Yann's original expectations, gathering a large amount of resources from islands and civilians who were not qualified to join the world's member states system, thus setting off an era-changing wave.

"Wait... the Red Line? The World Government?"

Originally lying on the hospital bed, Yann suddenly sat up, ran his hands through his hair, and his eyes flashed with an inscrutable light. All the details of his conversation with Hawkins kept replaying in his mind.

Cold sweat gradually appeared on Yan's forehead!

"So that's how it is. So this is what Hawkins meant by 'the world' and 'the tower'? I really appreciate that guy's reminder, otherwise I would have been completely blinded by the World Government and overlooked the most important things."

As Yann murmured to himself, his usually calm thoughts began to surge wildly.

Whether it's Yann, Dragon, or the other high-ranking members of the Revolutionary Army, the enemy they firmly believe in is the World Government, which stands high on the Red Line, constantly reaping the wealth of the entire land, yet doing nothing about the chaos in this sea.

More accurately, in the Revolutionary Army's past overall concept, the World Government, which did not actually establish a kingdom, was synonymous with: the Holy Land Mary Geoise, the Celestial Dragons, and Im, who was hiding behind the scenes.

If the Holy Land Mary Geoise, the Celestial Dragons, and Im are effectively eliminated, then the World Government will be completely swallowed up by the tides of time.

At that time, as long as the revolutionary army can successfully unify the navy, which is one of the most important forces for stabilizing the seas, it will be enough to take over the entire era.

however……

The World Government is essentially just those two hundred-odd member states!

Yaen's eyes trembled, and he could vaguely see the future that seemed not so far away.

It is true that the World Government is reaping the wealth of its member states through the "Heavenly Gold," but the World Government's protection of its member states also ensures their safety in this chaotic world.

These world member states, scattered like stars across the world's oceans, constantly plunder smaller kingdoms and islands that are not qualified to join the world government, leveraging their size and influence.

Not to mention, the wealth plundered by pirates who roam every corner of the sea ultimately needs to be spent to have any real meaning.

The wealth plundered by pirates from various places, as they continue to spend it, will eventually flow to the world's member states where trade and environment are relatively more stable in various sea areas.

This... is nothing short of a twisted cycle!

[Chapter 583. The Bet of 10 Billion Lives?]

The World Government, perched high above, continuously extracts wealth from this cycle, while the Navy, pirates, member states of the world, small kingdoms, and small islands without kingdoms form a cyclical system of mutual hatred and hostility, as well as mutual checks and balances and attrition.

Without a doubt, in this cycle, besides the World Government being the absolute beneficiary, the vast majority of the World Union member states are also secondary beneficiaries.

In the chaotic Great Pirate Era, the World Federation member states, as secondary beneficiaries, encountered fewer pirate attacks, enjoyed a more stable environment compared to other islands and kingdoms, and were able to acquire more wealth.

For example, the Kingdom of Dressrosa, which used to be primarily an agricultural system and almost completely abandoned commerce, trade, and national defense.

Even though it is located in the New World, where pirates are most rampant, compared to other kingdoms and islands that have not joined the World Federation system, the people of the Kingdom of Dressrosa still enjoy a relatively stable life despite the heavy burden of "heavenly gold".

So even though the member states of the world have many complaints about the heavy "heavenly gold" and there are often even riots, the world member state system...

Oh no!

Yan took a deep breath, realizing that the system established by the World Government had invisibly created a class called "World Member States".

This class's support for the World Government is unquestionable, and they are also the foundation upon which the World Government's rule over this ocean is based.

In this way, the true nature of the world government becomes quite clear.

Why has Im, the unseen king hiding behind the World Government, never appeared? It is precisely to ensure the support of the World Government's member states, and to maintain the legitimacy of the World Government through the "Celestial Dragons," who nominally created the world.

"Truly...amazing!"

"To completely free the World Government from the cycle of mutual hatred in this sea, on the one hand, it created a secondary beneficiary class called 'World Member States' to maintain its rule and bear more of the hatred of the common people, and on the other hand, it established the Navy to prevent the uncontrolled expansion of pirates. In this two-pronged approach, the World Government has maintained its unshakable rule over this sea for eight hundred years."

"Whoever built this system, that guy is quite remarkable..."

Yaen murmured solemnly.

"Even if the Revolutionary Army's 'Island Commune Plan' is successfully implemented, bringing together the forces of countless small and medium-sized islands to create a qualitative change that can drive the tide of the times, it will not only have to face the World Government, but will also have to face the backlash from the entire 'World Member States' class."

"In order to safeguard their privileges and interests, the 'World Member States' class will absolutely not hesitate to retaliate against any enemy targeting the World Government."

"If that's the case..."

In Yann's eyes, it seemed as if the war that truly affected every part of this sea was already reflected.

The establishment of the "Island Commune Project" strengthened the connections between small and medium-sized islands and pooled their resources, which in a sense created a completely new class.

There is no turning back in the class struggle!

At that time, it will not only be a decisive battle between the Revolutionary Army and the World Government, but also a war between the communal islands and the world's member states that maintain the kingdom system.

"So... the world's tower may not be the Red Line, but a tower standing on the sea, constructed by the World Government and its member states?"

"Is the enemy... not just the World Government, but also all the member states of the world across the entire ocean?"

Even with his strong will, Yann trembled at the thought.

More than two hundred member states around the world account for almost one-third of the population and resources of the entire ocean.

If a war were to break out that would affect every corner of the ocean, the best-case scenario would be a reduction in the population of the entire ocean by less than half.

“No wonder…whether I succeed or not, the world will change because of me, this fool?” Yann murmured, his lips twitching slightly, his gaze becoming somewhat unfocused.

If the revolutionary army's success requires sacrificing more than half the population of the entire ocean, then... is it really worth it?

Not to mention, there's an even greater possibility of failure!

Are we risking half the population of the entire ocean for a chance at success?!

Yaen's hands... were trembling.