<h4>Chapter 33: Insider?</h4>
Just moments ago, Dragon had solemnly dered he would devote his life to overthrowing the Celestial Dragons, only to find out his ''best friend'' was one of them? Did he just spill the beans to the worst possible person?
If udius went back now and asked CP-0 to do a thorough investigation, the fledgling Revolutionary Army would be squashed before it even had a chance to grow.
Dragon''s mind was in chaos. He realized that if he didn''t eliminate udius right here, the secret would be exposed. But killing him would be an extreme gamble, a case of mutual destruction.
When they first met at the port, Dragon had already sensed that udius was no slouch. While udius wasn''t quite on Dragon''s level, he was formidable. Plus, udius had people with him. If Dragon couldn''t eliminate all of them, there''d be no hiding the fact that he had killed a Celestial Dragon.
Once word got out that Dragon had killed a Celestial Dragon, it would be over for him and his movement. The Revolutionary Army was too small to withstand the full might of the World Government. Its only fate would be total annihtion.
Even though he was Garp''s son,mitting the crime of killing a Celestial Dragon meant certain death. No one could save him from that.
That''s why Dragon was losing it. He had considered many oues beforeing here. Even if udius had turned out to be a high-ranking CP-0 agent, Dragon believed he could still persuade him, because he had faith in the power of ideals.
But no matter how he had strategized, he hadn''t anticipated this udius was one of the Celestial Dragons! What kind of cruel joke was this?
"Why so glum?" udius teased, amused by Dragon''s despondent expression.
Dragon, looking like he had just surfaced from a hot spring, sighed deeply. "How can I not be? I gave up my promising future in the Marines to follow my ideals, to build something greater, and now... it''s all going to be ruined at your hands. I... I... Argh!"
"Why does it have to end at my hands?" udius asked with a grin.
"I''veid my cards on the table. You''re a Celestial Dragon. Do you think you''ll let me go now?" Dragon replied wearily.
"You haven''t considered killing me here? Ending this?" udius asked, still smiling.
"I did... just for a moment. But it doesn''t make sense, does it? Besides... I saw you as a friend, someone who shared my vision. And now, you expect me to kill you?" Dragon shook his head.
udius chuckled. "Exactly. You see me as a friend, and don''t I see you as one too?"
"So what?" Dragon said, still at a loss.
"Didn''t you say just now that ''thoughts don''t lie''?" udius raised an eyebrow, teasing him.
Dragon paused, frowning as he thought. "Yeah, thoughts don''t lie... but you, a Celestial Dragon, think like this? What are you trying to do, udius? What do you really want?"
"Hahahaha! It''s simple—I want to shake things up. To change the world," udius said,ughing.
Before Dragon could respond, udius continued, "Honestly, if you hadn''te to find me, I would''vee looking for you. Ever since you left the Marines, I knew you had something big on your mind. I was nning to recruit you, but it seems you''ve already found your own path. We don''t have to walk it together, but that doesn''t mean we''re enemies."
"You want to rebel too?" Dragon asked, bewildered. The idea of a Celestial Dragon starting a revolution was just too wild toprehend.
"Rebel? No. Don''t lump me in with rough rebels like you. I''m a Celestial Dragon; I can''t rebel against myself, can I? That would be idiotic," udius said matter-of-factly.
"Then what are you trying to do?" Dragon asked, a little frustrated but increasingly curious.
"Your approach is from the bottom-up; you call it rebellion. Mine is from the top-down. I call it reform. See the difference?" udius said with a smirk.
Dragon blinked in surprise. Then, realization dawned on him. "You want to seize power? Take control of Mariejois and the World Government, and then reshape it ording to your ideas?"
"More or less," udius nodded.
Dragon was stunned, and then he muttered to himself, "It makes sense... given your position, that''s the most logical path for you. I didn''t expect... A Celestial Dragon with such ambitions. If I were in your shoes, I don''t think I could do what you''re doing."
He stared at udius, shaking his head in disbelief. "You really are something else, udius."
udius rolled his eyes internally. This wasn''t about ambition or heroism. If the World Government weren''t destined to copse, he wouldn''t be wasting his time on this. Being a carefree Celestial Dragon was much more appealing. This was just "self-preservation," not some grand vision.
After a moment of reflection, Dragon asked, "So why are you telling me all this?"
"As a friend, you''ve been honest with me. It''s only fair I be honest with you. From a practical standpoint, I think there''s room for cooperation between us," udius replied with a smile.
Dragon fell silent, pondering the implications. After a long pause, he said, "Yes, there is. You can work from the top, I''ll work from the bottom. Together, we might be able to aplish something incredible."
"Aren''t you worried I''m just using you?" udius asked, still smiling.
Dragon met udius''s gaze and smiled back. "Do I really have a choice? Besides... thoughts don''t lie. I believe you."
"Then let''s work together," udius said with a grin.
In udius''s eyes, the Celestial Dragons were still rtively united and powerful, despite some internal squabbles. This stability, while beneficial to most of the Celestial Dragons, was inconvenient for someone like udius, who had "other ns." It made it harder for him to maneuver and limited his room to grow.
Breaking this stable status quo from within was difficult. But with Dragon, someone outside the system, udius could find opportunities to disrupt things. Dragon could be the tool udius needed to shake up the game.
For example, if udius wanted to secure his rightful ce as the head of the Donquixote family, he could leak the whereabouts of someone like Lancelot a highly secretive Celestial Dragon to Dragon. Dragon could arrange for a ruthless pirate to take care of Lancelot, clearing the way for udius to assume power.
Once he rose to a higher position, the snowball effect would kick in. Nobody would suspect that the Revolutionary Army had a man inside Mariejois, right? The potential benefits were immense.
Dragon, too, saw the advantages. udius''s cooperation was invaluable essentially having a spy in the heart of Mariejois. It was an opportunity too good to pass up.
As Dragon pieced it all together, he suddenly burst outughing.
"What''s so funny?" udius asked curiously.
"Just a few minutes ago, I thought meeting you, a Celestial Dragon, would be the end of me. But now I see it clearly this was meant to happen! It''s fate!" Dragon said,ughing heartily.
udius shook his head. "Now I see why your son turned out to be such a dramatic guy. He clearly got it from you."
""What son? Stop making stuff up! I''m still single no wife, no kid!" Dragon retorted indignantly.
In the end, despite the unexpected twists, both udius and Dragon walked away with something valuable from their meeting. It was, in every sense, a win-win situation.
After a bit more conversation, Dragon asked, "So, what''s your next move, udius?"
"I need reliable people to work for me. There''s no shortage of talent in Mariejois, but I just don''t trust them. Right now, I''m looking for people I can depend on," udius exined.
"That makes sense. Better to have someone with less skill butplete loyalty," Dragon agreed.
"Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?" udius asked.
"Not really. The Revolutionary Army is still in its early stages. We need time to grow and gather strength. I have a feeling that someday soon, the world will change dramatically... We need to be ready for that," Dragon replied.
"Alright then. If that''s the case, I''m heading out," udius said, nodding.