The New World, Baltigo, the Island of White Soil.
This is the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army. The island itself looks desolate and white. However, a fortress and stronghold have been built in the center of the island, and Dragon, the World's Worst Criminal, is currently here.
"Moria, don't worry about it too much. Just take your men and lie low in Alabasta," Dragon said with a smile to the person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
That person on the Den Den Mushi was indeed Gecko Moria. Surprisingly, after he quit being a pirate, this guy truly found a second wind in his career.
He was flourishing in the Revolutionary Army. With his formidable strength and a reasonably good mind, he had already become Dragon's capable aide. That's right, Moria, having avoided those ten-plus years of shut-in life and having been influenced by Dragon, that old schemer, for so long, was significantly stronger—in ability, combat strength, and psychological fortitude—than in the original story.
After joining the Revolutionary Army, Moria quickly moved past the painful experience of losing all his comrades. He valued his companions highly, and he maintained this approach in the Revolutionary Army. Surprisingly, because of this style, his popularity in the Revolutionary Army was quite high.
Dragon was initially hesitant about Moria, but after several tests, Dragon gradually trusted him, and began entrusting Moria with many important tasks. After all, Dragon was not afraid of delegating power. Moria certainly hadn't disappointed him, executing several plots with great competence.
"Boss, that bastard Crocodile is trying to smear us! I don't know where he got so much money, but he's funding small-scale rebel organizations in Alabasta under the name of the Revolutionary Army. If we don't intervene, who knows what kind of crimes he'll pin on us," Moria complained, clearly annoyed.
Moria was now full of vigor and confidence. Since he didn't become one of the Warlords of the Sea, he naturally didn't pay any mind to someone like Crocodile, who acted as a "dog" for the World Government. Furthermore, the powerful organization of the Revolutionary Army gave Moria even more confidence, so he didn't really take Crocodile seriously.
Soon after arriving in Alabasta, he investigated and uncovered some facts, such as Crocodile causing massive trouble in Alabasta using the name of the Revolutionary Army. This fact would have been difficult for the CP or the Navy to verify, but it was much simpler for the Revolutionary Army to check, as they knew whether they had committed those acts or not.
After finding out Crocodile was the culprit, Moria was highly displeased and immediately reported to Dragon, suggesting he bring his people to "finish" Crocodile right there, and the problem would be solved. That's right, he was that confident.
Dragon couldn't help but chuckle hearing Moria. He still appreciated Moria's aggressive and determined style. However, after a brief laugh, he said, "Moria, anywhere else, I wouldn't doubt your ability to handle Crocodile, but that is Alabasta, the world's largest desert kingdom. You wouldn't happen to be unaware of Crocodile's ability, would you?"
"He's just the Sand-Sand Fruit user, I'm not afraid of him. Even if his power reaches its peak in the desert, I'm confident I can defeat him!" Moria said with great assurance.
Over the past few years, following Dragon's guidance, Moria had developed his abilities and strength more deeply. His Paramecia-type Shadow-Shadow Fruit power was already immensely strong, a BUG-level, rule-based ability. In the original story, if he hadn't been too weak and hadn't properly developed his ability, it would have been hard to say who would have won if he had fought Kaido.
"I know. Assuming you can defeat Crocodile, are you sure you can capture him in the desert kingdom?" Dragon asked with a smile.
"Ah... This..." Moria fell silent for a moment. Thinking about it carefully, if that bastard Crocodile wanted to run, and he dove into the desert, it would be a miracle if he could catch him...
"So it's useless. As long as you can't kill Crocodile, you can't eradicate the problem," Dragon continued to say, smiling.
"Then what should we do? Just watch him mess around?" Moria asked solemnly.
"Hehe, it doesn't matter. If he likes using the name of the Revolutionary Army to do things, let him. Alabasta is unusual. The Nefertari family is one of the descendants of the Twenty Kings. Although Mariejois has always disliked them, there must be a deeper reason why they haven't made a move on them all these years. Neither the Navy nor the CP will ignore that area. What's more, Crocodile has used the Revolutionary Army's banner. It's likely he'll be caught in his own trap someday..." Dragon said softly.
"Then, Boss, what do you mean?" Moria seemed to catch on.
"After Crocodile falls, whose head will the things he did under the Revolutionary Army's name fall on? Who is most qualified to take over the mess he leaves behind?" Dragon asked, chuckling.
"I see! So, Boss, you mean to let that Crocodile bastard cause trouble for now. When the time is right, we can even sell him out, arrange for him to be dealt with or expelled by the World Government. Then, everything he did in Alabasta will belong to the Revolutionary Army! Hahahaha, brilliant!" Moria roared with laughter.
"That's about the gist of it. If he uses the name of the Revolutionary Army, he can't not pay us interest, right?" Dragon raised an eyebrow.
There was one thing he hadn't told Moria. That was, once the World Government really started to move against Crocodile, Dragon would release some misleading information about Crocodile's 'identity' to confuse the public. If Crocodile was captured or died, then he would simply be forgotten, and Dragon wouldn't bother with him anymore. If Crocodile managed to escape and was merely stripped of his Warlord of the Sea title and chased out to sea, then Dragon would immediately step forward and announce that Crocodile had always been a high-ranking executive of the Revolutionary Army.
At that point, Crocodile would truly have nowhere to go on the open seas. He would be like mud sticking to pants; guilty by association. Stripped of his Warlord status and already despised by the pirate faction for serving the World Government, with the added 'halo' of being a Revolutionary Army member, what choice would he have? Either he stops sailing altogether and finds a place to live in seclusion, or he is forced to become a genuine member of the Revolutionary Army.
Dragon was also quite confident that once Crocodile became one of their revolutionaries, if he kept Crocodile by his side and worked on him for a few years, he could definitely whip the guy into submission.
Wouldn't this be great? The Revolutionary Army gains another formidable fighter and can also inherit Crocodile's assets in Alabasta.
It must be said that Dragon's plan was quite sound. Although it had some loopholes, they could be filled in by adapting to the situation, and the success rate was very high. The old schemer truly lives up to his reputation!
Moria, seeing that Dragon already had a plan, didn't press the issue further. He quickly added, "Also, the situation in Alabasta is unstable, and prices are soaring. Our operational funds here are insufficient. What should we do? Could you approve some more money for us?"
Dragon paused. "You used to be a pirate. Do I have to teach you how to make money?"
"I didn't have a choice before. Now I want to be a good person. I'm already a pioneer fighting heroically for the future of all humanity. Asking me to go back to my old ways is inappropriate, isn't it?" Moria said, highly dissatisfied.
"You've managed to make yourself sound quite noble, haven't you?" Dragon felt like complaining internally.
After a moment of silence, Dragon said, "You'll have to bear with it for a while. If you really can't manage, rob a couple of greedy nobles. I don't have much extra cash on hand either, but there will be a huge influx soon. That guy Diarmuid seems to have entered the New World. After I meet with him, I'll go and retrieve the treasures that were hidden under the Red Line and cut off from Mariejois."
"Understood," Moria replied on the other end.
Soon, both of them hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Dragon stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the white expanse of Baltigo, muttering softly, "Money... The Revolutionary Army is, after all, an underground organization, so there aren't many ways to make money. The biggest issue hindering the Revolutionary Army's development has always been a lack of funds."
Compared to Dragon, that poor man, a great rich man was in another part of the New World, in the city of Smoker.
In the headquarters of Warlord of the Sea Smoker the White Hunter. In a spacious castle hall, Smoker sat on his throne. In front of him stood two teams of his pirate subordinates. In front of the two teams, one of Smoker's executives was holding a person captive, kneeling before Smoker.
Looking at the tattoo on this person's chest, it had the mark of the Big Mom Pirates. It was a minor executive of the Big Mom Pirates.
"You'd better let me go, Smoker! Others may fear you, one of the Warlords of the Sea, but I don't. Once Mama defeats Whitebeard, the entire New World will be ours. If you dare touch me now, Mama will definitely not let you off later!" the minor executive of the Big Mom Pirates boasted arrogantly.
Smoker didn't speak. He just sat on his throne, chewing on a cigar, letting the smoke billow. However, his finger lightly tapped the armrest of his throne.
Then, one of his subordinates stepped up and delivered a slap, instantly knocking the Big Mom Pirate executive down and swelling his face.
"You'd better be polite when talking to my Boss!" the subordinate hissed fiercely.
"Fooo..." Smoker let out a heavy puff of smoke at that moment. The smoke quickly formed a rope in the air, tying up the minor Big Mom Pirate executive and hoisting him into the air.
It was only then that Smoker stood up and slowly walked from his throne to face the minor executive. He took one of the three cigars he was biting. Then, a fierce look flashed in his eyes, and he directly pressed the burning tip of the cigar against the face of the Big Mom Pirate subordinate.
The temperature of the cigar tip was extremely high. The press instantly seared the man's cheek, making him howl in pain. But Smoker acted as if he couldn't hear him. He took off another cigar and pressed it on again. Soon, he treated the minor executive's face like an ashtray, extinguishing all three cigar tips on him.
After doing all that, Smoker said in a low voice, "In the New World, no one touches my goods. Not before, not now, and not ever. Whether it's Big Mom, Kaido, or Whitebeard, whoever dares to touch me, I'll hit them!"
Afterward, Smoker looked at his subordinate on the side and asked, "How much did Big Mom steal from us this time?"
"Two fleets, carrying precious metals, some high-grade spices smuggled from the East Blue, and three ships loaded with gold... The total value is 700 billion Berries," the subordinate quickly reported.
When war breaks out, everyone is short on cash, even Big Mom, who is rich and powerful and created Totto Land. Therefore, upon seeing the Amway Group's fleet, it was unclear whether Charlotte Linlin was tempted by the wealth or if one of the Big Mom Pirates' top executives was. In any case, they cleaned out two of Smoker's fleets.
"Very good. Get intelligence from the Pleasure District. Coordinate with the Whitebeard Pirates and sink fifty of Big Mom's ships. Plunder their peripheral territories. Rob all the nations around us that fly the Big Mom Pirates' flag!" Smoker declared without hesitation.