The current world situation was tense and chaotic everywhere.
It was like a powder keg ready to explode at the slightest touch, yet everyone knew it and had no way to resolve it.
The Revolutionary Army's influence had spread to the majority of kingdoms across the Four Blues, but they hadn't moved to overthrow these kingdoms.
The Pirates in the New World were gradually being unified under the command of a few great Pirates.
Word had spread from somewhere that the strongest among the Pirates could proclaim themselves Pirate Emperors.
Charlotte Linlin was the first to claim the title, followed closely by Kaido as the second.
Currently, the Pirates in the New World were fighting madly to claim the title of the third Emperor.
Meanwhile, Raleigh comfortably dozed off on the sofa in Miles' office.
...
North Blue, the palace of the Eryoku Kingdom.
The Revolutionary Army Commander, Crow, stared in utter shock at the beautiful new queen before him.
He originally belonged to this kingdom but had left to follow Dragon's uprising.
After learning of Dragon's plans, he wanted one last look at his homeland and applied to return.
What he didn't expect was that upon returning, he would be stunned by the sight before him.
The once severely polluted kingdom was gradually recovering the scenery of his childhood.
Even more surprising, his presence was discovered by members of the King's Guard, and the kingdom's young queen invited him to the palace for a discussion.
"Excuse me, Queen Belo Betty, I think I didn't quite catch what you just said? Did you say you want to join our Revolutionary Army?" Crow's mouth fell open.
He racked his brain but couldn't figure out why this newly crowned queen would want to join.
To be honest, most members of the Revolutionary Army were from the lowest rungs of society.
They had joined the Revolutionary Army out of necessity for survival and dignity.
However, Belo Betty was different.
Her wealth and noble status were unmatched by anyone in the Revolutionary Army. It was hard to imagine someone like her voluntarily joining.
"Yes, Mr. Crow, you heard correctly. I said I want to join the Revolutionary Army." Belo Betty smiled slightly and repeated her words.
"Why?" Crow looked Belo Betty up and down, then pointed to the magnificent palace. "You own this kingdom. You live in such a luxurious palace. You also possess vast wealth and a noble status. I think even the World Government would show you respect, right?"
Belo Betty gently bit her lip, her large eyes fixed on Crow. "Being a king is not easy, especially the king of the Eryoku Kingdom. Mr. Crow, you come from the Eruyoku Kingdom yourself, so you naturally know how important the Eryoku Kingdom is to the World Government. For such an important position, they naturally want their own people to serve as king."
"Unfortunately, I am the only remaining member of the royal family in this country, so they plan to force me to marry another man within the World Government to achieve their goal of controlling this nation. But I absolutely refuse to marry someone I don't love."
Belo Betty's words revealed an unshakable determination.
Crow also understood from her words why she wanted to join the Revolutionary Army.
If he were Belo Betty, he would likely choose this path as well.
"Actually, before meeting you, Mr. Crow, I wasn't necessarily set on joining the Revolutionary Army. I had planned to seek protection from the Navy. However, the Navy refused, saying it wasn't their mission. Besides, Mr. Crow, you are from our country, so I am more inclined to trust you."
Although moved by Belo Betty's words, Crow, as an Army Commander, chose to remain silent for the moment.
He needed more time to investigate before he could recommend Belo Betty to Dragon.
Whether Belo Betty could join the Revolutionary Army depended entirely on Dragon's decision.
Of course, it would be best if Belo Betty could join the Revolutionary Army, as this region remained the largest producer of Fine Iron and coal in the North Blue.
With the support of the Eruyoku Kingdom, it wouldn't take long for the Revolutionary Army's weapons and equipment to be fully upgraded.
"Queen Betty, please forgive my rudeness. Whether you can join the Revolutionary Army is not something I can decide. The only thing I can do is recommend you to our leader—Dragon. Only when our leader agrees can you join the Revolutionary Army."
...
Polar North Country, the Revolutionary Army's headquarters intelligence center.
"What? What did you say? A queen of a kingdom wants to join the Revolutionary Army?!"
"Are you sure, Commander Crow?"
"Yes, I'll notify the leader immediately!"
A seemingly shrewd middle-aged man grabbed a Den Den Mushi and rushed out of the room, sprinting all the way to Dragon's office.
He reached out and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock! Knock, knock, knock!
"What's so urgent? Come in."
Dragon's puzzled voice echoed from inside the room.
The middle-aged man pushed the door open and entered. Dragon, who had originally intended to say a few words, suddenly froze.
He had initially thought it was some mischievous child in a hurry, but it turned out to be a trusted subordinate who had always been steady and reliable.
If something could make him this agitated, it was certainly no small matter.
"What is it, Carlisle?"
Carlisle suppressed his excitement and quickly handed the Den Den Mushi to Dragon. "Leader, the queen of Eryoku Kingdom, the homeland of Army Commander Crow, intends to bring the entire kingdom into our Revolutionary Army. This information came directly from Army Commander Crow, which is why I was so excited."
Upon hearing this, Dragon understood why Carlisle was so agitated.
The reason was simple: Carlisle was also from Eryoku Kingdom.
In fact, most of the Revolutionary Army soldiers in the Polar North Country were former miners from Eryoku Kingdom, and they naturally held deep affection for their homeland.
If Eryoku Kingdom could join the Revolutionary Army, it would mean they could return home at any time.
And not as rebels, but as proper comrades.
Dragon's thoughts went even further.
He was not from Eryoku Kingdom, so he didn't share the same deep emotional attachment, but the kingdom's mineral resources were of great importance.
With such vast quantities of minerals, the Revolutionary Army's weapons and equipment would see a qualitative leap, and weapons that were previously impossible to produce could now be manufactured.
Moreover, Eryoku Kingdom was a populous nation.
Although Dragon had already taken many people away, many still lived there.
All these factors combined meant that Eryoku Kingdom joining the Revolutionary Army would bring immense benefits, with no downsides for anyone.
But Dragon simply didn't believe that such a good thing could exist in the world.
Having witnessed the deepest evils of this world, Dragon, though his ideals were bright, was not above using dark methods to achieve them.
So he immediately called Crow.
After confirming that Belo Betty indeed intended to join the Revolutionary Army, Dragon ordered hundreds of Revolutionary Army intelligence operatives to infiltrate Eryoku Kingdom in batches.
At the same time, he contacted several Revolutionary Army cadres, deciding to split the operatives infiltrating Eryoku Kingdom into overt and covert lines to investigate whether Belo Betty was sincere in joining the Revolutionary Army.
If it was ultimately confirmed that Belo Betty was sincere, the Revolutionary Army would greatly strengthen its forces.