Chapter 111 : Pain of Change??

"Help me take control of the entire Navy?" Akainu sneered in disdain. 

"How can you, a pirate, assist me in controlling the entire Navy?"

Buggy smiled slightly and replied firmly, "It's precisely because I'm a pirate that I can help you control the entire Navy!"

Akainu frowned at Buggy's confident demeanor, contemplating the deeper meaning behind his words.

Soon, Akainu snapped back to reality, looking at the smiling Buggy and asking, "Are you saying that the factions are the same yet different?"

Buggy praised him, "As expected of an Admiral, you grasped the key point so quickly!"

"To completely control a force, in essence, it comes down to amplifying your own voice while silencing others!"

"If Admiral Akainu wants to quickly increase his power within the Navy and eliminate competing voices without tarnishing his own reputation, the best way is to use others to achieve this!"

Akainu snorted coldly, saying, "While I desire to ascend to that position, I will never trade the lives of my colleagues for it!" 

Akainu could disregard civilian lives to eliminate pirates, or even sacrifice Navy personnel in the fight against pirates, but he would never exchange the lives of his comrades for power! 

He has his principles!

Buggy shook his head, insisting, "Don't be so rigid! You must realize that your biggest competitor in the Navy isn't just Aokiji anymore; it's Shanks, and even the World Government!"

"In this case, you're not trading the lives of your Navy for power, but rather the influence of the World Government for power!"

Akainu raised an eyebrow, considering Buggy's perspective.

Now that the World Government has taken over the Navy Headquarters, both he and Aokiji have lost hope of vying for the position of Fleet Admiral! 

If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have contemplated switching to Zephyr's command earlier!

Yet, according to Buggy's plan, it seemed there might still be opportunities for him to maneuver within the Navy Headquarters!

At the very least, he could weaken the forces of the Navy Headquarters—or rather, the World Government—and buy time for the development of a new Navy!

Akainu began to frown in thought; he could collaborate with Buggy, but not according to his original plan!

Seeing this, Buggy continued, "This world is mostly occupied by the ocean, making it nearly impossible to completely eradicate pirates! But we can ensure that they struggle to survive!"

"As I mentioned before, the pirates sailing the seas today can be roughly categorized into three types!"

"The first type seeks dreams and thrills; they aren't truly pirates but more like adventurers and explorers!"

"For these individuals, we can enforce strict laws. As long as they don't cross the line, we should let them be!"

"The second type consists of those motivated by ambition and wealth; they are the true pirates and represent the mainstream of today's world!"

"For people like this, there's only one solution: eliminate them! Eliminate them until they obey the law, and eliminate them until they no longer dare to have the slightest ambition!

"The third type of individuals forced to go to sea out of desperation will no longer seek a life at sea if we can provide them with a stable living environment!"

"However, the foundation of all this is that we must control the narrative and change the circumstances of this world!"

"So, Admiral Akainu, while it's commendable that you want to eradicate pirates, simply killing them won't resolve the issue! To truly solve the problem of pirates, we need to broaden our perspective and adopt a long-term strategy!"

Akainu's eyes narrowed as he responded, his voice low and intense: "Buggy the Clown, the only thing you've mentioned from the beginning is the need to overthrow the World Government!"

"But how can you guarantee that the world won't descend into chaos after its fall?"

"I am well aware that those Celestial Dragons are nothing but parasites, the greatest scourge of this world! Their rule is indeed brutal for the common people!

"But no matter how flawed the order may be, it is still order! If the World Government collapses and this last vestige of order disappears, who knows how many nations will be destroyed and how many innocent lives will suffer!

"For all these years, our Navy has understood this and has been forced to endure, hunting pirates while maintaining the rule of the World Government!"

Upon hearing this, Buggy chuckled and replied, "If this were said by Aokiji, it might carry some weight, but coming from you, Admiral Akainu, it's rather amusing!"

"You, Akainu, the most extreme hawk among the three Admirals, care about sacrifice?"

Akainu remained silent, staring at Buggy with an impassive expression.

He truly didn't care about sacrifice; he believed it was a necessary part of his duty!

But without a final semblance of order, the consequences of that sacrifice would be far more severe!

Akainu is not a reckless man; he knows when to step back if there's no hope in sight.

Noticing this, Buggy restrained his smile and said, "If you want the happiness of civilization, you must first endure its pain! There are no easy solutions in this world! If you want to create change, you have to pay the price!"

"And change is inevitable! This price will be paid by our generation or the next, and the next generation will have to bear it too!

"As for whether the change will be worse than the current situation, no one can say!

"But even if it turns out worse, it would still be worth changing! There will always come a day when things improve!"

Akainu's eyes widened; in that moment, it felt as if a thousand rays of light shone on Buggy! His heart raced!

Buggy continued, "And do you think I'm working with you for no reason? You command the power of the Navy, while I wield the might of the pirates. We need to unite these forces to—" 

"Minimize the cost!" Hearing this, Akainu fell silent, a look of conflict crossing his face.

Buggy didn't speak again; he took a sip from his teacup and quietly waited for Akainu's response.

He had said all he needed to, and now it was up to Akainu to decide!

Buggy's ambition to win over Akainu was both a whim and part of a long-term strategy. However, his original target had been Aokiji!

But ever since Shanks became the Marine Fleet Admiral, Buggy realized that winning over Green Bull was unlikely. Then fate brought Akainu to him at this moment!

Buggy wasn't lying to Akainu; he genuinely wanted to change the world. He aimed to bridge the gap between nobles and commoners, eliminate all pirates, and overthrow the World Government.

As for what the world would look like post-change? Well, who knows!

After a long pause, Akainu's gaze hardened, and he looked at Buggy, asking, "Do you have a specific plan?"

The corners of Buggy's mouth lifted, revealing a broad smile!