Grand Line, Blackstone Island.
On the deserted island, a streak of black light flashed.
The next moment, more than twenty figures appeared in an open clearing.
Flying Thunder God.
Using Haki as the connection, Rowan transported over twenty people from the South Blue to the Grand Line. The consumption… manageable.
"This ability really is convenient. But do we really need a meeting every six months?"
Dragon looked at Rowan. "The Revolutionary Army has only existed for half a year. We barely have any core members. Gathering squad leaders and above every six months is too risky."
Rowan replied, "The meeting location changes every time. Even you won't know it beforehand. With my mobility, gathering everyone only takes a few minutes."
Ivankov chimed in, "That's why you always wear a mask, Spark… ah, right, I shouldn't say your name."
Rowan glanced at him. "From now on, everyone in the Revolutionary Army calls me Spark. As for verification…"
A strand of black matter flowed from his hand, moving along the ground to Ivankov, then imprinting onto the back of his hand.
Rowan waved his hand again, and the spatial mark disappeared.
"Even a teleportation fruit couldn't replicate this kind of spatial marker."
Wearing a white mask, Rowan looked at the gathered Revolutionary Army members.
From today onward, the name Rowan would no longer be spoken here.
As "Spark," his role was to spread the will of that spark.
…
Night fell.
A bonfire was lit at the center of the clearing.
Ginny prepared pen and paper as the recorder.
Rowan took a wooden stick and wrote two words on the ground:
Oppression
"Half a year ago, when I first met Dragon, I said the Revolutionary Army needs a core ideology and firm will."
"We need to know why we resist, why we fight, and whose fate we are changing."
Rowan looked at everyone. "So now, I want you to tell me. What oppression have you personally experienced, or witnessed in this world?"
Seven or eight people slowly raised their heads.
This was their first time meeting Spark.
Half a year ago, they had joined out of anger and hatred.
But as time passed, reality set in.
The World Government was an overwhelming force.
They needed something more than anger.
Dragon could see it.
Fear.
The difference between "Freedom Fighters" and "Revolutionary Army" was not just a name.
Could Rowan's method really work?
"I…"
A deep voice broke the silence.
Kuma.
The largest among them, drawing everyone's attention.
He glanced at Ginny, then spoke.
"I am from the Buccaneer race. You may not know it, but in the eyes of the World Government, we are meant only to be slaves or erased."
"I was once a slave of the Celestial Dragons, fifteen years ago. Not just me, my father too. Even my mother, though she wasn't Buccaneer."
"In Mary Geoise, the only thing that kept me going was the story my father told me. The story of the Sun God Nika."
"But Spark told me something. A story is just a story. If we want to change such an absurd fate, we must fight. We must revolt."
Kuma raised his head slightly. "You may have heard of slaves. But what happens in Mary Geoise… is beyond imagination."
"To them, we are not human."
"Everything on this sea is their toy. Insults, crawling, whipping, torture… even experiments with Devil Fruits."
"I have seen it. Two Devil Fruits eaten at once… death. And they discussed it happily. Because the one who died was just a slave."
He lowered his head again.
Ginny gently placed her hand over his.
So that was why…
Why he had hesitated before.
"Anyone else?" Rowan asked.
After a long pause, a young boy raised his hand.
"Me. My country couldn't pay the Heavenly Tribute. We became poorer and poorer, until a member nation attacked us. My parents were killed. My country was destroyed. Even the king… the one who gave food to children… was hanged when he begged them to spare us."
One by one, the others spoke.
Stories of suffering.
Most had lost everything due to the Heavenly Tribute.
Five had been slaves.
Seven had suffered under pirates.
Clearly, in this world, pirates were not dreamers.
They were predators.
Rowan, who guarded Rasgap Town, rarely saw pirates who sailed for dreams.
When everyone finished, Rowan spoke.
"To the World Government, pirates and Marines exist in balance. That balance allows them to collect the Heavenly Tribute."
"If pirates disappeared, no nation would willingly pay such a massive 'protection fee.'"
He looked at them all.
"So understand this."
"If you do not resist, your future… and your descendants' future… will repeat this cycle endlessly."
"Crushed by tribute. Slaughtered by pirates. Sold into slavery. This is the future you can already see."
He wrote another word beside "Oppression."
Revolution
"The majority of this world are people like us. The oppressed. Generation after generation."
"If we do not fight, we might survive… barely. Starving, enduring, living like corpses."
"Until one day, we are drained of everything. And our children take our place."
"And in the end…"
"We die. Insignificant. Like dust."
Rowan stood, pointing at the words.
"So we fight not just for ourselves."
"We fight for a future where all oppressed people can live freely."
He looked at the young boy.
"Ahu, right?"
The boy stood immediately. "Yes, Spark."
Rowan asked, "After the Revolutionary Army helped you reclaim your country… what will your future look like?"
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