<h4>Chapter 105: Dragon: One of These Days, You''ll Drive Me Crazy!</h4>
In Sea Circle Calendar 1505, three years had passed since the Ohara incident. The world remained in turmoil, with no signs of improvement. If anything, the pirate forces had grown more rampant, spreading chaos across the seas and leaving a trail of destruction and suffering.
Marine, despite conducting several rounds of conscription to bolster its ranks, struggled to cleanse the seas of the ever-growing number of pirates. At best, they were able to maintain a fragile sense of order.
Meanwhile, udius''s CP-X had flourished. Under Stussy''s management, Happy Street had be a dominant force in the dark world, recognized as thergestwork of establishments for entertainment and intelligence. Branches had sprung up in key locations worldwide, with over 170 countries hosting strongholds. Even in territories difficult for the World Government to reach such as Charlotte Linlin''s expanding Totto Land—Happy Street had its presence.
Domingo and Crocodile were thriving as well, both gaining notoriety as formidable pirates in the New World. Crocodile had assembled a powerful fleet, specializing in piracy, while Domingo bnced his pirate persona with his growing underground business. Known as the "Joker," he was gaining recognition as a middleman in the underworld, weaving connections with all sorts of shady yers.
Umit, under udius''s watchful eye, had expanded his shipping empire significantly. He now controlled nearly 40% of the world''s smuggling operations and was well on his way to bing the "King of Shipping." However, udius could sense that Umit''s growing wealth was making him restless, chafing under the heavy tributes he had to pay. udius was biding his time, knowing that when the moment was right, Umit''s fate would be sealed, and his empire absorbed.
Spandine, now part of CP-X, had proven to be a dependable subordinate. His experience was invaluable in developing udius''s specialized espionage division. His long-term project involved infiltrating and subtly influencing the World Economy News Paper. Morgans, that audacious "birdman," would one day have to be put in his ce.
And then there was the matter of Lancelot. Shortly after udius returned to Mariejois from Ohara, Domingo sent a "gift" from the New World. udius hadn''t needed to open it to know that it was Lancelot''s head. A man who once seemed like an insurmountable obstacle was now just another casualty, forgotten and irrelevant. The reportbeled it a shipwreck, everyst member of Lancelot''s fleet perished, over two thousand men lost to the sea. No survivors.
With Lancelot''s demise, udius had ascended to the position of "Patriarch of the Donquixote Family" without incident. Everything had fallen into ce as expected.
Now, udius found himself in the first half of the Grand Line, near the waters surrounding Little Garden. He was on the Prometheus, heading for the prehistoric ind out of simple curiosity. He wanted to see the ancient creatures dinosaurs and perhaps capture one as a pet.
Inside the grand library of the Prometheus, udius satfortably in a chair, holding an ancient history book about basta. Tea and incense were set on a table nearby, adding to the calm atmosphere. The tranquility was interrupted by the sudden ringing of a Den Den Mushi on the table.
"So, where are you now?" came the voice of Dragon, sounding slightly amused.
udius sighed, flipping a page. "What do you need, Dragon? I''m on vacation."
Dragon chuckled softly. "You never really rest, do you? Let me guess you were part of the Ohara incident, weren''t you?"
udius rolled his eyes, half-smiling. "I suppose you could say that."
"What does that even mean?" Dragon asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and exasperation.
"It means I was in Ohara at the time but wasn''t exactly participating in the main event. Satisfied?" udius replied yfully.
"Close enough," Dragon said, pausing before getting to his point. "That means you had ess to the books from the Tree of Knowledge. You took them, didn''t you?"
"''Took them''? You make it sound so criminal. I preserved them for the sake of safeguarding the world''s cultural heritage," udius shot back with mock indignation.
There was a silence on the other end, then Dragon sighed. "So, you do have them. Let''s cut to the chase can I borrow some?"
udius looked puzzled for a moment. "Why? nning to switch from leading a revolution to academia?" he asked, amused.
Dragon chuckled again, though this time there was an edge of seriousness. "I want to see if I can train schrs within my own ranks."
udius''s expression darkened slightly. "So, you''re hoping to decipher the ancient texts? Following in Ohara''s footsteps, are you?"
"Your insight is as sharp as ever," Dragon admitted, a note of resignation in his voice. "Yes, knowing that history could be crucial to the Revolutionary Army."
"Why is everyone so obsessed with the past?" udius muttered, closing his book and rubbing his temple.
"''History is a mirror that reflects our mistakes and triumphs,''" Dragon said, quoting something udius had told him once.
udius sighed. "Alright. I''ll let you make copies of whatever you need. But let me be clear, if you''re hoping to recreate Ohara''s sess in decoding the ancientnguage, you''re in for disappointment. The odds aren''t in your favor."
Dragon''s voice hardened, but he maintained hisposure. "I''m aware. But I have to try."
udius hesitated, then added in a lighter tone, "I''ll give you a tip Nico Olvia is still alive, imprisoned on the sixth level of Impel Down, Eternal Hell. She has the knowledge you''re looking for. If you''re serious, why not n a prison break?"
Dragon scoffed. "If I had the manpower for that, I''d be storming Mariejois and setting your pce on fire."
udiusughed, the sound rich and unbothered. Before he could respond, Dragon cut him off. "And no, I''m not talking about breaking into Impel Down. I meant reading. I swear, udius, one of these days, you''re going to drive me insane."
***
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