Ever since Rhe Great Pirate Era, nations across the world had suffered us influence.

  There was no denying that Roger was araordinary man, full of ideals. His goal had been to sacrifice himself to usher in a new era, ohat would ultimately ge the world.

  He had gambled everything on the hope that someone capable ing true ge would emerge.

  Cudius was one of the tenders in that game.

  Because while it was the pirates who had started this era.

  No one ever said that pirates had to be the oo finish it.

  However, no matter how noble Roger's iions may have been, his as had undeniably caused immense suffering.

  Piracy had spiraled out of trol, and tless i lives had been lost. The sheer colteral damage caused by his era was immeasurable.

  In the eyes of history, Roger was a legendary figure.

  But in the eyes of ordinary people?

  He was a curse.

  After all, in the inal timeline, Ace had struggled with the weight of his father's legacy, so much so that it tormented him psychologically.

  The entire world loathed the Great Pirate Era and everything it had brought upon them.

  That was why the idea of ending Whitebeard's era was so tempting to the Wover.

  It portunity to decre the end of piracy's goldeo prove that the age of reckless freedom was over.

  However, while the pn to expand the Reverie as a smokes ealing, Nusjuro wasn't in a position to approve it alone.

  Even the Five Elders as a whole couldn't make such a decision lightly.

  So, after some thought, Nusjuro rapped his knuckles against the table and said,

  "We'll put this proposal on hold for now.

  I o deliberate further before making a final decision.

  That said… it's a very tempting strategy.

  For now, proceed as if we're implementing it."

  His w was careful.

  Essentially, he was saying: I 't officially approve this yet, but go ahead and move forward, there's a good ce it'll be greenlit.

  Cudius smiled.

  He was fairly fident that the pn would pass.

  Expanding the Reverie wasn't just about Whitebeard, it was about his own ambitions.

  After all, he po make his move against the Wover at the Reverie itself.

  The more tries present, the greater the impact of his revolution.

  If he could get a hundred nations to witness his reforms firsthand, then pushing forward with his pns afterward would be far easier.

  Of course, there was always the ce of failure.

  But even if things did fall apart…

  At the very least, he would make sure that his downfall was oo be remembered.

  ---

  With that topic set aside, Kong shifted the discussion forward.

  "If we're dealing with e, then we also o be wary of Kaido, Shanks, and the others."

  Taking on the Whitebeard Pirates alone was already a moal task.

  If any of the other major powers interfered, the situation could spiral out of trol.

  They couldn't afford to fight an unprepared war.

  "We'll o divide our forces," Sengoku agreed.

  It wasn't possible to jure extra manpower out of nowhere.

  If they wao at for potential outside threats, they would o split Marine Headquarters' forces accly.

  At that moment, Cudius suddenly realized something.

  Ba the inal timeline, during the Battle of Marineford, it had seemed as though the Marines had gone all out…

  But had they really?

  Now that he thought about it, several key figures had been absent.

  Gion and Tokikake hadn't participated.

  Vergo and others had been missing as well.

  Even among the active partits, only Akainu had fought with his full strength.

  Kizaru had barely done anything.

  Aokiji had fought, but his as seemed off, almost as if he were holding back.

  Tsuru had bee, yet she hadn't taken any direct a.

  Despite the grand scale of the war, the Marines had only deployed about 70% of their true strength.

  And now, listening to Sengoku and Kong discuss strategy, Cudius finally uood why.

  Although it was never shown in the inal story, it was highly likely that a signifit portion of Marine forces had been stationed elsewhere to guard against Kaido and Shanks.

  And the reason why figures like Garp, Kizaru, and Tsuru hadn't fought as aggressively as they could have…

  Was because they o serve their strength in case those other forces did intervene.

  In the end, Shanks had arrived but it was unclear how he had mao enter Marineford so suddenly.

  Had he fought his way through?

  Or had he exploited a gap in Marine's defenses?

  Regardless, the Marines had definitely divided their forces to at for external threats.

  And now, in this altered timelihey were doing the exact same thing.

  Most of the discussions from this point forward revolved around tactical adjustments.

  As expected, Gion, Tokikake, and others were kept off the main battlefield.

  Instead, they were designated as reserve forces, deployed to teray moves from Shanks or Kaido.

  "If we're choosing the battlefield," Sengoku said after some thought,

  "I suggest we hold the fight at Marine Headquarters—Marineford."

  Kong nodded.

  "I agree, it's the best location."

  Mobilizing so many Marine forces would be spicuous anywhere else.

  But at Marineford, rge-scale military movements were expected.

  pared to anywhere else, it was the least suspicious location for a major Marine operation.

  "I have no objes," Cudius added.

  At that moment, Gis sneered slightly.

  "And what if e sinks Marineford?" he mocked.

  Sengoku didn't even bother responding to him.

  He had long siopped eaining Gis' provocations.

  But he did take the question seriously.

  "Yes, we do o at for e's abilities," he admitted.

  "That's why our stific divisioly developed a ype of earthquake-resistant alloy.

  It should be able to mitigate the effects of his powers to some extent."

  Cudius immediately reized what he was referring to.

  "The encirg wall, huh?"

  In the inal timelihe Marines had used that exact meism to trap Whitebeard's forces.

  And it had worked, e had been caught off guard and suffered heavily because of it.

  "That should work," Tsuru said with a smile.

  "Wheart stru, we just tell the lower ranks that we're 'upgrading' the base defenses."

  "It'll be tight on time," Sengoku admitted, "but we should be able to finish before the battle begins."

  "The's finalize the fortifications as well," Kong added.

  After all, they weren't just installing a wall, they o reinforce the entire base.

  More ons.

  Stronger defeructures.

  They had to turn Marineford into a true war fortress.

  Sengoku let out a small sigh.

  "It's a shame our secret on isn't ready yet.

  It would have been a great trump card."

  Cudius raised an eyebrow.

  "Secret on?"

  Sengoku chuckled.

  "It's an advanced bat on, a meized war mae.

  We call it the Pacifista Project—PX Units."

  Cudius' eyes gleamed.

  "So, they have been developing the Pacifistas."

  Although they wouldn't be ready in time for this battle, he khat eventually, they would be plete.

  And ohey were…

  If he could mass-produce them?

  The entire New World would be forced into submission.

  A future where the Great Pirate Era was crushed beh an army of PX Units…

  Was oep closer to beiy.