Kuzan’s Decision
(A/N- I remember I gave Kuzan Conqueror Haki in this book. If I made it disappear somewhere, it should be a mistake. He does possess Conqueror Haki, but it's very faint, even weaker than Kid's.)
Liam smiled.
This time, he knew Kuzan was on his side. Not on the side of a pirate but on his side.
"It's simple, actually. Establish a new profession."
Liam snapped his finger and answered.
"A new profession? What kind? Explorers?" Vegapunk's mind instantly began working for an alternative to pirates, and he said the first thing that came to his mind.
"Similar! I call them Adventurers. Those who explore the sea. As Vegapunk said before, ninety-five percent of the world is under the sea."
"I am pretty sure the final battle with the World Government will somehow dry most of that part of the sea. So many new islands to explore, so many new places to visit."
Hearing that, Kuzan frowned and replied.
"But this doesn't solve the problem. What's the difference between Adventurers and Pirates?"
"Identity, Of course!" Liam laughed and continued.
"Think about it, you have a legal identity in the sea. If you ever make a mistake, you will be charged with a crime, and the Marines will arrest you."
"Of course, there are many ambitious people in the world, but what if the Pirate King himself decided to end the identity of a pirate and become an adventurer?"
"What if every island that has been explored is connected by Sea Train to share resources? What if every island has different tasks that can only be performed by strong people?"
"All of these are the things that can give adventurers money to survive in the sea. They don't need to loot any island because they can simply buy food with the money they earn by doing missions and tasks."
"Maybe not all islands will have tasks for these adventurers, but there are many islands with big kingdoms that will need help from adventurers. Besides, there are several dangers in the sea."
"Marines can just focus on fighting those who break the rules, while adventurers can start doing missions ranging from protection to farming, whatever helps them earn money."
"As I said before, ambitious people will not disappear, but we can make the world better if twenty percent of the people who don't want to kill or loot anyone can earn money on their travels by doing some missions or exploration."
"At the same time, half of the pirates will disappear because most of the island will be connected, giving at least half of the island's people different kinds of jobs introduced from different islands."
"Countries won't have to pay Heavenly Tribute to the world government, at least not that ridiculous amount that they are paying right now."
"Marines spent less than ten percent of the wealth from the total Heavenly Tribute that goes to the world government."
"Instead of recreating World Government, you can simply create a united assembly where every kingdom connected to the railway can participate and discuss any kind of issue."
"Marines don't have to be extremely large as they are now. Instead, they can use most of their top powerhouses to destroy as many pirate groups as they can."
"Once the pirate groups are reduced to their lowest, you can simply announce the new profession, giving those who didn't want to become pirates but just want to explore the sea a new chance."
"At the same time, Luffy can also make a statement about leaving the pirate journey behind to join as an adventurer. By then, his statement will create a similar yet opposite effect to that of the previous Pirate King."
"In this way, even if a new united assembly or marines get corrupted, there will still be a positive and righteous force to battle them."
Hearing that, Kuzan snorted.
"Marines won't get corrupt."
"Any power can get corrupt, especially a behemoth like the Marine. That's exactly why I don't want the United Assembly to have any power."
"Their job is simple. It is to pay Marines enough money for sustainable performance. And, if Marines ever get corrupted by their power, those countries can instantly stop giving away money."
"This will collapse the entire marine functioning."
Liam explained, not even bothered by Kuzan's sentence. This was something he learned from his previous world and many other works.
A powerhouse couldn't remain incorruptible. Especially when it was related to money and power.
Both things could entice people, forcing them to reveal the dirty nature inside them.
Every human being desires to become a Celestial Dragon.
Even if that desire was one-thousandth compared to their true desire.
Otherwise, there was no need for the existence of Nika. Because Nika existed to bring the corrupt system down with destruction.
That's also why Liam wanted Marines to be on the Straw Hats' side.
No matter what, he wanted the Straw Hats to become heroes.
It was important to pass this kind of information to the world, where the Straw Hats would become heroes.
Even if Luffy didn't want to become one.
"So, where does Revolutionary fit in this?" Kuzan asked with a suspicious gaze.
Because he didn't think Liam was stupid enough to forget this powerhouse that existed in the sea for decades.
And, he was right. Liam didn't forget about them. Instead, he had a simple plan for them.
"Before, I said Adventurers would get the tasks, right? So, who do you think will manage this force that will give away tasks?"
Kuzan's eyes widened.
"You want to give away such a power to the Revolutionary?"
"Of course! Otherwise, how can we strike a balance? The only thing that I like about the current era is that Marines, Warlords, and Emperors have maintained a balance."
"Even though that balance has caused a lot of destruction and death among ordinary people. In the future, we need a balance similar yet not destructive as this."
"In case a revolutionary tries to become the next Celestial Dragon, Marines can take care of them. And in case Marines try to rule the world with an iron fist, revolutionaries can take care of them."
"The reason why World Government has become so corrupt is simply because there is no other force that can destroy it."
Hearing that, Kuzan became silent. Because he felt Liam was right about this.
Balance could bring peace to this sea. It was extremely chaotic before the Great Pirate Era.
It became even more chaotic after that, but when the government announced the Warlord System to strike a balance between pirates and marines, the sea suddenly became silent.
Even though there were a lot of dirty things going on under the table.
"I can understand your plan, and I can also accept it. But until you can bring the power to knock down the World Government, I won't let Marines become your accomplice."
Hearing that, Liam showed a look of disappointment.
"Is this your courage, Kuzan? No wonder you can't defeat Sakazuki."
Hearing this, Kuzan narrowed his eyes and asked.
"What do you mean?"
"It seems like you didn't learn properly from your mentor. Let me ask you a question. Why can Garp use Advanced Conqueror but you can't?"
Liam asked. Before Kuzan could reply, he continued.
"Is it because of talent? No, obviously not! There are billions of people in the world, but only three admirals. Is it just because of the devil fruit? Marco has better Devil Fruit than you, but he is weaker than you."
"So why? Garp doesn't have a Devil Fruit, but he is stronger than you. Why? It's because of Courage. Garp chose the Navy despite his willful character."
"Haven't you asked yourself this? Why did you do that? His son became a revolutionary. His grandson became a pirate. He saw the awful character of celestial dragons, but he still remained a pirate. Why?"
"Tell me, Kuzan, why? Why did he remain in the Navy?"
Kuzan gritted his teeth and said.
"To protect people from pirates."
"Yes, he chose to ignore his freedom just to protect more people. He saw the destruction and death caused by pirates, especially Rock Pirates, and chose to fight as a marine."
"Even after defeating Rocks, he saw the ambition of Golden Lion Shiki, the power of Gol D Roger, and the problem of Whitebeard, so he remained in the Navy."
"He chose to protect people over his freedom. So, why can't you make a choice? Let's not even call it a gamble."
"Let's just call it a choice in your life. Do you have the courage to make this choice? Or, are you going to continue living in that delusion of yours?"
Liam asked.
This time, Kuzan had to think. He couldn't answer, but the burning passion in his heart made him open his mouth.
This time, it was a risk that he couldn't afford to take, but he wanted to take this risk.
"Let's do this!"