Chapter 42: Get Ready to Move, Get Ready to Move
"Alright, let's all compare intel," Sanji began, lighting a cigarette.
"Starting a war with a Warlord is no easy matter. To get to Rainbase, we first need to cross the Sandora River, then traverse the desert. I've already prepared the food and water."
"There's still the problem of the civil war. How do we stop it? The rebellious sentiment among the Rebel Army has already reached its peak. Even if we reveal the truth now, it probably won't have much effect."
Sanji's somber words made everyone's expression turn grave.
"I plan to go to the oasis Yuba. The leader of the Rebel Army, Kohza, and I have known each other since childhood. I want to try and persuade him," Vivi offered.
However...
The scene fell silent. No one spoke.
"Vivi... do you really think he'll listen to you?" Reiner looked directly at her, bluntly shattering her fantasy. "He carries the hopes of seven hundred thousand people on his shoulders. You think a few words from you will make him give up?"
Everyone knew the answer: Impossible!
Sitting down cross-legged, Reiner scratched his golden hair.
"We don't have any proof, Vivi. Forget being childhood friends; even if you were his father, it wouldn't work."
(His father actually did try to persuade him, and truly failed.)
A war on the scale of a million people... Just lining them up would probably fill the capital city, Alubarna.
The difficulty wasn't just with the rebel leader. Even if they had a strong bond and Kohza trusted Vivi unconditionally, what about the seven hundred thousand emotionally charged rebels? What could possibly convince them?
Use Hakoku?
Pirates guard the nation's gate while rebels die for the state?
That wouldn't be persuasion. Besides, Reiner's stamina couldn't handle seven shots of that overnight; two would probably wipe him out.
Plan A (crossed out).
"But what else can I do? I can't just stand by and watch the war break out..."
Vivi's voice grew weaker, and she slumped onto the ground with a thud. "That's a million lives... What on earth should I do?"
"Ai~ The little delinquent is going to cry again." Reiner rested his cheek on his hand, which rested on his knee, sighing helplessly.
Go ahead and cry. Crying is good. Once you cry, Crocodile's time should be up too. Let Crocodile feel the power of the D. clan.
"Hey Reiner! Now's not the time for talk like that!" Nami pinched his cheek hard, speaking irritably.
Just then, Reiner started recalling the original story. He vaguely remembered the two armies had already clashed, and it seems they only stopped fighting after it rained.
If it rained...
"Eh! I just thought of an idea! Maybe we really can persuade the Rebel Army!"
Hearing this, Nami released his face. Everyone turned to look at him. Reiner continued:
"In their current state, the rebels definitely won't listen to reason. But what if we could lower their heightened emotions?"
"The Rebel Army, simply put, was started by commoners. Those who defected later were originally soldiers loyal to the king."
Everyone listened expectantly as Reiner went on:
"Putting aside Crocodile's influence, for the Rebel Army, the reasons for rising up and pointing their spears at the king are basically two-fold:"
"One, they can't survive without water. Two, they believe the king is the one who took their water. That's the perspective of the Rebel Army, correct?"
"So, the only reason this 'Rebel Army' could coalesce is essentially down to one word..."
Hearing this, the others understood. They spoke in unison:
"Water?"
"Exactly! For the Rebel Army, this war is a battle for rainwater. Therefore, the fastest way to soothe their emotions is also rainwater."
"If we could make it rain a few times in places outside the capital, even directly pouring rain onto the Rebel Army itself, then their fervent emotions would surely waver, at least somewhat."
Even now, there were still many in the Rebel Army who found it hard to believe the king would do such an absurd thing, and quite a number of them at that.
Sanji grasped Reiner's idea the quickest. Rain alone wouldn't be enough to make the Rebel Army give up, but it would be sufficient to temporarily lower the resistance sentiment of the majority, perhaps even extinguishing the fighting spirit of a small portion entirely.
Under such circumstances, if they then applied external pressure, interfering with the rebels' mindset, success would at least no longer be impossible.
"I understand what you mean. But here comes the crucial problem: how do we make it rain?" Sanji asked. Everyone else also looked blankly at Reiner.
"Dance Powder, of course!"
Reiner looked baffled. "Why are you all looking at me? Did you think I could actually pray for rain?"
What, is there a patent on this stuff?
Sand Crocodile could use it, why can't I?
Vivi had explained Dance Powder to them on the ship earlier. Reiner hadn't paid much attention at the time, but who knew it would come in handy now.
"B-but Dance Powder is banned by the World Government..."
Vivi's voice trailed off as she gradually noticed the wicked smiles appearing on the others' faces.
Hehehehe~
The World Government didn't approve of them being pirates either!
"So our mission now is to quickly go to the rebel base and burn Dance Powder?"
Sanji continued, "The rest depends on how far you can go, Vivi, and whether the king's former reputation among the people is strong enough."
"Don't worry. Without Crocodile's schemes, my father is the most trusted person in the entire country."
Vivi then asked doubtfully, "But where are we going to find Dance Powder?"
"What's so hard about that? Crocodile or his top agents wouldn't be burning the powder themselves. At most, it's handled by some Millions or Billions agents."
Reiner said dismissively, "Just show our faces around town. Plenty of Baroque Works people will come looking for us. We can just grab them one by one and ask."
"Also, when we landed earlier, didn't we spot about ten Billion agent ships? Maybe they have plenty onboard."
"—Yosh!"
Luffy raised his hand, bumping his fist against his palm. "I didn't understand most of that, but it means we can go fight now, right!?"
"Not bad, Four Eyes. Didn't know you had brains like that," Zoro praised with a smirk.
"Eh, keep it low-key, low-key."
All thanks to my omniscient perspective. Reiner then shared what he had discovered in town earlier with everyone.
Nami checked the map against the directions and determined that the Rebel Army had likely moved from Yuba, as Vivi mentioned, to Katorea.
This also explained why the crew found Yuba empty in the original story. And Katorea's location...
What a coincidence!
It's right next door!
Reiner rubbed Chopper's head and smiled. "Thanks to Chopper's nose, otherwise we would have made a huge blunder."
"Heeheehee! Even if you say that, I won't be happy, you jerk!" Chopper wiggled his rear, looking both shy and pleased.
Having decided on a course of action, they split back into their earlier groups, with Luffy joining Vivi's team this time.
Reiner summoned his undead and proceeded directly along the coast, sneaking towards the Baroque Works ships they had seen that morning.
When they arrived, the ships were strangely quiet. It seemed agents at this level knew at least some inside information; even if they didn't know the core plan, they likely knew the timeframe.
At this moment, a party was underway on the ships. Loud shouts, clinking glasses, singing, laughter, and... moaning sounds?? drifted out continuously.
"Reiner, is this okay?"
"There are 200 Billion agents over there! Can you handle them?"
"Vivi said they're candidates for Officer Agent positions!"
The Cowardly Trio spoke one after another, making Reiner want to scratch the floor in frustration. He scratched his head and pointed towards his summons.
"Ask them! Why are you asking me?"
The next moment, the Katana and Chainsaw Devils charged forward directly, with even Blue Ogre and Red Ogre joining the assault. Finish quickly, leave quickly.
As for Reiner and the other three, they simply found a place to hide, peeking out with four heads from behind a giant rock.
"Woah! They sank a ship instantly!"
"Blue Ogre and Red Ogre are insane!"
"Reiner's undead are so strong..."
Meanwhile, on the Baroque Works ships, an appallingly brutal and overwhelming battle was unfolding.
Whirr— Whirr—!
Zing!
The Katana Devil and Wolverine undead moved like swimming dragons through the crowd. With every rise and fall of their blades, flashing steel filled the air as enemies fell continuously, quickly carpeting the deck.
Blue Ogre and Red Ogre's side was even simpler; a casual blow sent enemies flying backward, knocking down large swathes of others.
One ship had just pulled alongside when Red Ogre, gripping its shield tightly, slammed it violently into the ship's midsection. Cracks instantly appeared, spreading around the hull, and the entire vessel broke in two right there, bow and stern tilting upwards before sinking into the sea.
These ships weren't exactly small, several times larger than the Going Merry, but compared to the two giant Sea Kings the giants once hunted in Little Garden, they were pure toys.
Very quickly, the dozen or so ships were massacred. For those who jumped into the sea, Reiner stealthily summoned Fish-Man undead to harvest them.
Most of these Fish-Men were grunts, but underwater, where the balance of power shifted dramatically, they quickly overwhelmed and cleaned up the fleeing agents through coordinated attacks.
Reiner left only a few survivors, interrogated them for information about the Dance Powder, and confirmed that there was indeed some stored on these ships.
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