Ignoring Claudius' jokes, Dragon pressed on and asked, "Is there so kind of conspiracy?"
Claudius chuckled and said, "I wouldn't call it a conspiracy, but yes, there's a major move happening. However, it has nothing to do with your Revolutionary Army. Don't worry."
Hearing this, Dragon was skeptical. He responded with clear distrust, "The World Summit has always been connected to our Revolutionary Army. Now, all of a sudden, a hundred nations are gathering for a eting, and you're telling it has nothing to do with us? That seems… unlikely."
"What, don't you trust ?" Claudius smiled.
Dragon laughed awkwardly and said, "Haha, hahahaha, what are you talking about? Aren't we close friends? Of course, I trust you."
"You sound guilty just saying that," Claudius replied helplessly.
"It's just that what you're saying is hard to believe," Dragon admitted. "How can the World Governnt gather a hundred nations and have it not involve the Revolutionary Army? Are they planning sothing against the pirates instead?"
Claudius froze for a mont before laughing. "Impressive, Dragon! You actually guessed it. That's right—this ti, our target is the pirates."
"Stop ssing with , Claudius. What are you really after? Just tell straight," Dragon said, not believing him at all.
"Hah! Do I look like soone who needs to covet your scraps?" Claudius replied casually.
"Oh really?" Dragon pondered for a mont before saying, "Alright then, return the Road Poneglyph to ."
"Ahem—let's stick to discussing the World Summit," Claudius coughed and quickly changed the subject.
"As a high-ranking Celestial Dragon, could you at least pretend to have so integrity?" Dragon said in exasperation.
Claudius just chuckled and said, "Alright, enough nonsense. I won't lie to you.
Yes, we're planning a major operation, and I won't deny it.
Before the World Summit begins, we're going to make a move against the Whitebeard Pirates. That's what all these preparations are for.
It really has nothing to do with your Revolutionary Army, you're overthinking it."
We are making a move against the Whitebeard Pirates before the World Summit begins, so everything happening now is just the preparatory phase.
Dragon was montarily stunned. Damn… so it's really a major event? He had originally thought the sudden expansion of the World Summit was targeted at the Revolutionary Army, but now he was hearing that the World Governnt was actually going after Whitebeard?
"You're really getting bold… You dare to challenge Newgate?" Dragon muttered.
"The bolder the dream, the greater the achievent," Claudius teased. "Besides, without dreams, aren't we just lying around like dead fish?"
"Need my help?" Dragon suddenly asked, as if he were eager to join in on the action.
Claudius rolled his eyes. "The last ti you stirred up trouble on Whole Cake Island, how many benefits did you secretly snatch up?"
Hearing this, Dragon chuckled. "That was years ago! Do you think I keep track of every little thing I do? There weren't any real benefits, right? Aside from the Road Poneglyph, but that's yours now anyway."
"Yeah, right," Claudius scoffed.
He didn't believe a word of Dragon's nonsense. This guy was cunning as hell, there was no way he didn't make huge gains from the Whole Cake Island operation. Otherwise, why would he be so eager to 'help' again now?
Did he really expect Claudius to believe he was so benevolent Revolutionary Army leader, a selfless man of justice?
It wasn't that Claudius was unwilling to give Dragon a slice of the pie, there just wasn't a slice for him this ti.
"Just knowing ahead of ti that we're making a move on Whitebeard is already a huge advantage for you," Claudius said. "As for the battle itself, stay out of it. This will be a direct head-on war, and I doubt you'd want to get caught in the crossfire."
Hearing that, Dragon reconsidered and rubbed his chin. "Then maybe I should start making so preparations too…"
Now that he had confird the information, the ever-opportunistic Dragon felt that he was the one getting an advantage. With that thought in mind, he smirked and said, "Alright then, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up."
Claudius rolled his eyes. "You're so damn straightforward."
"If I weren't realistic, how do you think I manage an organization as massive as the Revolutionary Army?" Dragon responded, completely shaless.
"Hold on, don't hang up yet," Claudius said. "You called first, but I was actually planning to reach out to you."
"Huh? Then why didn't you just say so earlier?" Dragon asked, caught off guard.
"I didn't want to look desperate," Claudius replied with a grin. "It's better if you co to first, it makes look more important."
"You were counting on to contact you about the World Summit, weren't you?" Dragon said, exasperated.
"And didn't I give you the information?" Claudius responded smoothly. "We're even."
Dragon sighed, deciding not to argue over such trivial matters. Instead, he asked, "So, what did you want to talk to about? Are you planning sothing big?"
Claudius was silent for a mont. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he spoke in a quiet, serious tone:
"I'm the one who orchestrated the changes in the upcoming World Summit."
Upon hearing this, Dragon imdiately fell silent, deep in thought.
"If I rember correctly, you didn't even attend the last two World Summits," Dragon eventually said.
"That's true," Claudius confird.
"So why are you suddenly stepping in this ti?" Dragon asked quietly.
Then, before Claudius could respond, Dragon lowered his voice further and asked, "Have you already made your move?"
Claudius simply laughed in response.
"Tch. That's the difference between taking the top-down approach versus my bottom-up struggle," Dragon muttered bitterly. "You have the resources to make things happen easily, while I'm still grinding my way through."
"That's why I keep telling you, you should stop comparing yourself to in these matters," Claudius teased. "Why don't you just change your banner and join ?"
"And how would I explain that to my people?" Dragon countered.
Before Claudius could co up with so absurd remark, Dragon continued in a serious tone, "So, you're planning to disrupt this World Summit, aren't you? This is your big move?"
Claudius fell silent for a mont before replying in a low voice, "Yes. The ti has co."
"Couldn't you wait just a little longer?" Dragon sighed.
"I was waiting for you," Claudius replied calmly.
Dragon went silent at that. Neither of them spoke for a long while.
After an extended pause, just as the atmosphere grew heavy, Dragon finally broke the silence. "Claudius, what exactly do you plan to do?"
"There's not much I can reveal to you at this stage," Claudius admitted. "But I will say this, I intend to dismantle the current Celestial Dragon system."
"You're a Celestial Dragon yourself. What happens to you?" Dragon asked in a deep voice.
"Have you ever seen soone willingly give up their own power?" Claudius responded, without pretense or deception.
Dragon chuckled. "Well, at least you're honest about it. Not that I expected anything different."
"I told you long ago," Claudius continued, "stop indulging in idealistic theories. Look at the world as it really is. The way your Revolutionary Army has developed, I'm sure you've matured beyond those naïve ideas, haven't you?"
Dragon was silent for a mont. Then, he admitted, "You're right… I'm not that naïve anymore."
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter.
This book is completed so you can read all chapters on: /Blownleaves.
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