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Chapter 1259: Capital is Endless
Chapter 1259: Capital is Endless
Luo Wei had also left.
He and Kuro had nothing more to discuss, so they went directly to find Klah.
A large contingent of Navy personnel remained stationed at Stealth Port, with its commanding officers accommodated in rooms within Castle Tower. The rest were quartered elsewhere. With its sprawling infrastructure, the Flower Capital easily absorbed these additional numbers.
Meanwhile, the rest of the city focused on preparations for the New Year celebrations.
In short, hospitality came first.
In a secluded wing of a Flower Capital hot spring pavilion, wealthy patrons had reserved the entire establishment for the day. On the upper floor, several figures knelt or sat on cushions around small tables laden with delicacies and sake. Among them were Navy Vice Admiral "Colossal Shield" Kas, "Big Gun" Wilbur, Dressrosa’s current monarch "King Conqueror" David, the newly crowned Insect Country King Luo Wei—who had recently defeated Flower Country’s assassination house—and the meeting’s host, Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral and Wano Country Governor "Black Wolf" Klah.
"That's everyone then", Klah said, lazily pouring himself a cup of sake as he scanned the room. "Kuzan hasn’t returned yet, but let’s start the meeting. I’ll brief him afterward."
"Fine", Wilbur agreed.
Luo Wei shrugged. "Let’s begin with the report. The West Blue trade routes are running smoothly—transport networks and arms shipments now span the entire region. We’ve accumulated substantial supplies."
The West Blue trade network originated from Kuro’s Pegasus Island initiative. While Kuro framed it as a "chain store" system, the reality was far more complex.
This was no simple retail expansion—it carried strategic implications. Though Kuro never voiced it, Luo Wei, as a key partner in these ventures, could see the inevitable trajectory. Once commercial reach expanded beyond a certain threshold, it could no longer be constrained by individual intentions.
The so-called "chain stores" represented industrial expansion, which naturally radiated into adjacent sectors. Pegasus Island had begun penetrating other industries, with merchant caravans accompanied by security personnel to ensure safe passage across nations. The logistics networks spanned diverse regional resources, while obsolete weaponry from Insect Country—once discarded—now fueled the arms trade. Buyers no longer needed to seek markets independently; the organization streamlined procurement at fair prices before distributing goods to eager hands.
Combined with Dressrosa’s domestic arms production, these operations accelerated primitive accumulation.
Unlike Kuro, Luo Wei understood why such opportunities had fallen into his lap without explicit pursuit. Once discovered, he seized them without hesitation.
Kas furrowed his brow. "King Luo Wei, have you fully controlled West Blue’s trade?"
"Not entirely", Luo Wei replied with a wry smile. "Pegasus Island’s industrial capacity is still limited in scope, though its influence grows. Given time, it could achieve far more."
He chuckled. "Why do you think I defeated Flower Country in just a year? It wasn’t merely military force. Our industrial foothold within their territory created internal chaos, destabilizing them from within while we attacked externally."
"How exactly did the chaos unfold?" Kas pressed.
"Bribing Flower Country officials and inciting unrest among the populace—essentially the same tactics you employ, but with financial leverage instead of brute force", Luo Wei explained.
"Yi Xiao", he added. "The effects weren’t as potent as yours—we lost influence after six months of war. But I’ve discovered a new path. If we control a nation’s entire industrial framework, we might topple its government through economic means rather than outright conquest."
"Just simple commerce, yet on such a scale it triggers political collapse", Kas muttered, frowning deeply. "This feels dangerous—akin to how nobility once monopolized industries, yet different. This growth is organic, requiring only a spark or self-created opportunities to ignite. When time permits, I’d like to investigate one of these industrially dominated nations, King Luo Wei. May I observe one?"
"A minor matter", Luo Wei dismissed with a wave.
"Dressrosa’s situation has stabilized", David interjected. "Growth has plateaued. No new ‘Debang’ nations have joined recently. We’ll need to wait for the next World Summit to seek fresh member states."
"Member states", Wilbur mused, nodding. "We’ve matured enough. Our individual strengths have reached a natural limit. The next step is uniting these forces."
A single entity’s power or influence inevitably hits a ceiling. No one could govern the entire Grand Line alone. Even the World Government, which had ruled for eight centuries, relied on loosely affiliated member states. Its true authority extended only to direct subordinates, with its current might built through centuries of consolidation.
Any path that worked was worth pursuing.
Since they hadn’t yet discovered a method to project power across the world, emulating the World Government’s model made sense—albeit with tighter integration, akin to Kuro’s Straw Hat Principles.
"Should we expand our pirate networks?" Wilbur asked.
Though they couldn’t act directly, their puppet pirate crews—led by Ash and others—remained viable tools for advancement.
David’s voice darkened. "I’d advise restraint. The current scale suffices. Pirates are auxiliary forces, not our mainstay. Overreliance risks instability even if we achieve Kuro’s Goal of overthrowing the World Government. The Grand Line’s true power lies not in piracy."
Pirates were the root of Grand Line chaos. They could recruit like-minded crews—those who understood justice—but priorities must remain clear. Pirates were tools, not leaders. Otherwise, would the Grand Line’s future be shaped by pirates or their own hands?
This risked creating factions among pirates afterward.
Their aim was division and guidance—cultivating an ambitious figure to rally disparate kingdoms, install allies on thrones, and manipulate events covertly or through coups. After all, they required no crowns themselves; David styled himself a lord’s knight, while Luo Wei fought merely for vengeance.
Yet they lacked alternative proxies.
No other intermediaries could unify kingdoms, support shared ambitions, or draw World Government attention. Their current scale ensured any major operation would attract notice.
Thus, the ideal choice was…
"The Revolutionary Army?"
Wilbur voiced it aloud.
Not just Klah—everyone fell silent in thought.
Almost instinctively, the Revolutionary Army came to mind. After all, it was the one force capable of drawing the World Government’s full attention.
(End of Chapter)
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