Dragon had always been acutely aware of the two massive obstacles blocking his organization's development. If he couldn't overcome them, frustration and stagnation were inevitable.
The first was the problem of public perception. Image.
Dragon had been branded the "world's most vicious criminal." One could easily imagine how that affected public opinion about the reformers he led.
But he couldn't solve this problem. The narrative was controlled by Mary Geoise, by nobles, by government officials. The interests were too deeply entangled. He couldn't change much of anything.
Take the World Economic Journal, for instance. It had grown into the world's largest newspaper in recent years, and Morgans wielded enormous influence.
But could he afford to offend Mary Geoise and the Five Elders?
Obviously not. At most, he dared contradict the Five Elders on minor issues to raise his profile and maintain some journalistic credibility.
If he dared whitewash Dragon and his organization in the World Economic Journal now, within a year, the publication would collapse. The Five Elders would simply support a competing newspaper.
Every noble and royal family hostile to Dragon, which was most of them, would move to destroy Big News Morgans.
Therefore, in terms of image and public narrative, Dragon had always been at a disadvantage. Badly criticized, constantly vilified.
Most people had never seen him, never had contact with his organization. The only way they could learn about him was through newspapers and news reports.
And those reports all said Dragon was a criminal, leader of villainous gangs, a mass murderer of incomparable evil.
The impact on recruitment was devastating.
They'd meet potential allies, introduce themselves before even discussing cooperation, and the first impression would be: "You're Dragon, the world's worst criminal? Murderer of countless innocents, embodiment of evil?" Who would dare get involved with that? You'd have to be starving, desperate enough to enter a business guaranteed to get you killed.
This was Dragon's image problem. No solution existed so far. They could only build good reputations in specific areas where they'd done practical work, helped actual people.
The second obstacle was funding.
Their organization still operated in obscurity. Even Dragon's good friend Koshiro had to provide food supplies secretly. Dragon had no formal revenue streams.
The strategy Dragon and his organization pursued could be summarized in two sentences: "Beat the nobles, divide the wealth."
Deal with ruthless nobility, absorb their assets, distribute resources to local people, and simultaneously strengthen the organization.
Beyond that, they could conduct some shady business in the underworld's darkest corners. Nothing else.
For years, Dragon had struggled in this quagmire without escape.
He knew perfectly well that "beating nobles and dividing wealth" might solve immediate problems, but it couldn't achieve stability. Couldn't continuously provide resources to the organization. Couldn't create sustainable vitality.
He'd thought of many alternatives. All had proven useless.
Or rather, they couldn't be implemented in reality. He certainly understood that someone with his image couldn't conduct legitimate business. If he wanted to generate proper income, he'd need to cultivate a qualified "white glove" to operate publicly on his behalf.
This concept was actually similar to Finn's approach. The Marine system didn't allow large-scale participation in commercial activities, so Finn had secretly launched the Calm Belt project. After that, he'd arranged "black gloves" for the Marines, because the Marines themselves were the white glove.
Currently, the Calm Belt project was essentially run by Amazon Lily's Boa Hancock and Smoker. Momonga merely served as supervisory force for the Marines at G-7.
Hancock and Smoker handled internal development and external sales respectively. They cooperated extremely well.
Jinbe was doing similar work deep beneath the sea.
On the surface, these people were all pirates, so naturally they hadn't violated Marine regulations. But in reality, they were all Finn's subordinates, all Marine members. That was the importance of a proper shell organization.
Dragon understood this principle. He wanted to establish something similar, but there was no way forward. His reputation was now as toxic as a rat crossing the street. Who would dare cooperate with him? That would genuinely destroy entire family businesses.
This was the importance of identity and image. Look at Finn, Admiral of the Marines. The title sounded stable, trustworthy.
Look at Dragon, "world's most vicious criminal." Obviously destined to be killed sooner or later. No point getting involved with him. Who would dare mess around with that?
For a long time, Dragon had been unable to find suitable partners like Jinbe, Smoker, and Hancock were to Finn.
Of course, he didn't know those people were Finn's partners. He only knew that Queen Stussy was...
But now, looking at Outlook Sabo, Dragon's heart stirred with possibility.
Heroes like Dragon never lacked wisdom, and this era produced many intelligent people.
Crocodile and Doflamingo weren't the only ones who wanted to usurp thrones.
Looking at Sabo now, Dragon saw a king. A king who shared his ideals.
He felt a twinge of regret. If he hadn't recruited Bartholomew Kuma so early, he might have opened a base in South Blue by now. The Sorbet Kingdom would have been an excellent fit.
All he could say was that he hadn't thought far enough ahead initially. Dragon had reached his current position step by step, essentially crossing the river by feeling the stones.
Now, the appearance of young Sabo had revealed a new path.
Before this, Dragon had always followed the route of "ordinary people." More broadly, it could be called the route of "the lower class surrounding the upper class."
He wouldn't waver from that line. It was one of the fundamental reasons their organization had survived until now. Every time CP agencies took action to eliminate them, they couldn't eradicate the movement. It always came back. That was why.
But Dragon was also preparing to create a new route. He planned to start this route with Sabo.
"Are you sure you want to join us?" Dragon took a deep breath, his tone absolutely serious.
Sabo nodded immediately. "Of course, Mr. Dragon."
"Very good. I'll accept you as my disciple. Once I've thoroughly investigated your background and confirmed there are no problems, I'll approve you to officially join us." Dragon smiled.
In truth, at this point, he basically believed Sabo already. After all, the boy had used a Celestial Dragon's life as his pledge of loyalty. How could Dragon not believe that?
As for whether this claim might be nonsense...
It should be impossible. Even if it were nonsense, it created leverage. With Dragon's identity, if he spread word that the Outlook family had conspired with him to murder a Celestial Dragon, whether others believed it or not, the CP agencies would definitely wipe out the Outlook family to restore their reputation.
So Dragon just needed to confirm whether Sabo was genuinely a member of the Outlook family.
That was very simple.
"Mr. Dragon, after I join your organization, can I travel around the world with you?" Sabo's eyes shone with excitement.
Dragon smiled and shook his head. "No. After you join us, you must return to Goa Kingdom."
Sabo's expression fell.
I escaped because I couldn't stand it there. That's why I joined you.
Now I've joined you, and you still want me to go back?
"Why?" Sabo asked reluctantly.
"Because there, you can better display your talents, better contribute to our cause, and change the world!" Dragon said seriously.
Children were always easily swayed by grand dreams. The concept of changing the world was genuinely attractive to Sabo. Dragon was obviously skilled at persuasion, and he immediately began selling Sabo on this vision with passionate conviction.
There was no way Sabo could match Dragon's rhetoric. He was won over in just a few exchanges.
"When you return to Goa Kingdom, we'll find a way to make your Outlook family the royal family," Dragon said, his voice dropping to something almost conspiratorial.
Sabo wasn't stupid. His father was still alive. Even if the Outlook family could become Goa Kingdom's royal family, it wasn't Sabo's turn to make decisions.
In the original timeline around 1520, Sabo's biological father had died. At that time, Sabo had still been working under Dragon, and his family had long assumed he was dead. Therefore, Goa Kingdom's throne had been inherited by Sabo's adopted brother.
Dragon was ruthless and pragmatic. Naturally, he wouldn't wait until 1520 to start planning for Goa Kingdom. But to respect Sabo's feelings, he wouldn't kill the boy's father either.
However, the matter could still be arranged. Because Sabo had killed a Celestial Dragon, which was crucial leverage for Dragon to control the Outlook family.
After Sabo raised his concern and explained that his father was a typical, ruthless nobleman, Dragon simply told him he'd handle it.
When the time was right, when the Outlook family naturally ascended to the throne, that would be when Dragon made his move.
At that point, he could threaten the Outlook family. If you don't cooperate with me, I'll publicize that Sabo killed the Celestial Dragon. Then Dragon could weave conspiracy theories, claiming the Outlook family had wanted to seize the throne, so they'd secretly murdered the Celestial Dragon and blamed the previous king, ultimately obtaining the crown.
No evidence needed. When it came to matters involving Celestial Dragon deaths, what evidence was necessary? As long as it could be explained logically, that would suffice. By then, the Outlook family would inevitably be wiped out without a burial place.
Conversely, if they cooperated with Dragon, he could fully support the Outlook family and help them stabilize their position in Goa Kingdom.
With Goa Kingdom as a visible front organization, Dragon could accomplish many things his current identity prevented. Solve the funding problem.
He even considered it optimal to support Goa Kingdom becoming the most powerful nation in the East Blue, then gradually use that influence to infiltrate other East Blue countries.
In just moments, he'd already mentally planned a major expansion in the East Blue. Control the common people with one hand, the nobles with the other...
Finn didn't know that with the flapping of his butterfly wings, Sabo had joined Dragon's organization in a completely new form.
From this moment on, Dragon changed his development trajectory.
It was hard to say whether Dragon and his people would succeed, or what their future held.
The rebel organization headed by Dragon reached a new turning point at the end of 1512.
And all of this remained unknown to anyone else.
After sending Sabo off to rest, Dragon thought for a long time. Then he picked up the Den Den Mushi and contacted Moria.
"Boss Dragon?" Moria sounded surprised on the other end. Dragon rarely initiated contact.
"Moria, what's the situation in Alabasta?" Dragon asked.
"Still the same. Half-dead. Crocodile probably feels his reputation isn't sufficient yet, so he hasn't done anything too extreme. Nefertari Cobra is a good man with a broad mind, but for a king, he's simply naive and foolish..." Moria spoke with newfound analytical depth.
Clearly, his thinking and perspective had grown substantially over the years. When he'd been a pirate, how could he have considered such matters?
After a brief pause, Moria continued, "Boss, regarding Kaido in the New World..."
"He won't die. That guy will leave you a chance for revenge. Don't worry." Dragon offered reassurance first, then asked, "What do you think of the Nefertari family's attitude toward us?"
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