Michael's words instantly silenced the previously noisy conference hall.
In an instant, the room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Even breathing seemed to stop.
Michael showed no urgency, calmly waiting for them to process the information.
After a long pause, Dragon finally spoke.
"Michael... you're not joking with me, are you?"
"Dragon, you know my character... How could I lie about something like this?" Michael sighed. "In fact, ever since co-founding the Revolutionary Army with you, I've been working toward this day."
"So you foresaw this moment over a decade ago?"
"That's not quite the case. Today's matter actually deviates slightly from my layout and plans... mainly in terms of timing," Michael shrugged. "In my original plan, this discussion wasn't supposed to happen until the Revolutionary Army had completely liberated all regions before the New World."
"Then why... bring it up so suddenly?" Dragon was taken aback, his gaze snapping toward Michael.
"Could it be... because of the Marine's independence and its transformation into the N.E.W Marine?"
"The Marine's independence... also happened sooner than I anticipated," Michael sighed. "As they say, plans can't keep up with changes. But it doesn't matter—this way, it reduces the burden on the Revolutionary Army and cuts down the extra time we'd spend operating covertly..."
Though Michael's tone was casual, his words did nothing to ease the tension among the Revolutionary Army's officers.
Cooperate with the Marine!?
While the Revolutionary Army held no personal grudges against the Marine, the two had always been opposing factions.
Some behind-the-scenes exchanges were inevitable—after all, there had been times when Marine Branches and Revolutionary Army bases coexisted across the four seas.
But bringing this matter into the open changed everything.
Lindbergh, who had remained silent until now, stood up and leaned across the table to look at Michael.
"Chief of Staff, I may not understand politics much... but whether it's the Marine or this so-called N.E.W Marine, is cooperating with them truly beneficial for the Revolutionary Army? After all... we and the Marine are fundamentally different."
"If you were talking about the old Marine, I'd have to agree," Michael said with a smile. "But this hasn't been an issue since the day I became the Marine's Inspector General... Because from the moment I rose within the Marine's ranks, the Marine and the Revolutionary Army have been learning the same military doctrines and ideological education... all to ensure that when the time was right, the Marine could merge seamlessly with the Revolutionary Army."
Lindbergh's mouth opened slightly.
There was nothing left for him to say.
He was a man obsessed with weapons—otherwise, he wouldn't have left the Mokomo Dukedom...
Beyond his desire to explore the world, the greater reason was that the weapons he created were growing increasingly destructive, eventually posing a threat to the people of Mokomo Dukedom—perhaps even to the Duke himself.
So, he left, drifting across the seas...
Until he encountered the Revolutionary Army.
His dream gradually shifted from crafting ever-more-powerful weapons to using them to help the Revolutionary Army bring peace to the world... a peace so enduring that stronger weapons would no longer be needed.
"If only the world could be free of suffering, what does it matter if medicine gathers dust on the shelf?"
It was the same principle.
His transformation from a weapons fanatic into a Revolutionary Army soldier fighting for peace and freedom was the result of Michael's ideological reshaping.
Now, he stared at Michael.
The deep respect he had always felt transformed into outright reverence.
'Was all of this... part of your calculations too, Michael!?'
Michael raised his head, watching as all the cadres fell into deep thought, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Truth be told, his actions had been somewhat predictable.
If nothing else, Dragon must have noticed something.
Just as Michael had said, there was nothing wrong with the matter itself—it was just the timing that caught people off guard.
"This matter can't be rushed. If the N.E.W Marine and the Revolutionary Army share the same ideals, merging isn't out of the question… but now is not the time," Dragon continued.
"If the N.E.W Marine, having just declared independence from the World Government, immediately aligns with the Revolutionary Army, it would look like a premeditated scheme."
"Dragon is absolutely right," Michael replied with a grin. "Though we have been scheming for a long time, in the eyes of the public, we must appear as if we were backed into a corner by the World Government, until the Marine finally saw the light, broke free, and joined forces with the Revolutionary Army to forge a new path."
Hearing Michael's words, Ginny couldn't help but whisper to Kuma.
"Even though Michael is a good guy… he's also a huge smooth-talker."
"Didn't we experience that firsthand already?" Kuma chuckled, cradling Bonney in one arm. "Back in the Sorbet Kingdom, we personally witnessed the charm and persuasiveness in Michael's words… Otherwise, why would we have joined the Revolutionary Army without hesitation back then? Sure, fundamentally, it was because we believed in the Revolutionary Army's ideals… but the immediate reason was that Michael thoroughly convinced us."
"Now that you mention it… that does sound about right."
Ginny crossed her arms and nodded in agreement.
Though the meeting had started with a shocking revelation, once Michael and Dragon had set the general direction, the other cadres quickly grew lively.
Many of the Revolutionary Army's cadres had interacted with the Marine before and held a fairly positive impression of them in recent years—some even had good personal relationships with high-ranking Marine officers.
This was something Michael hadn't anticipated.
As Revolutionary Army cadres, befriending Marine officers? That was way too sociable!
Though there were plenty of things worth poking fun at, overall, the meeting was a great success…
Of course, the main reason was that the cadres basically followed Dragon and Michael's lead without question.
Once Michael and Dragon reached an agreement, all they had to do was carry it out.
After the meeting ended, Michael stretched his wings and glanced at Bonney, who had already fallen asleep in Kuma's arms.
"Kuma, I've been meaning to say this for a while."
Michael sighed and pointed at Bonney.
"Bonney is your daughter, not some hand accessory…"
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