Darkness had fallen inside the Marine Club.
Boss Po was still the same Boss Po, hadn't changed much. On the contrary, he seemed to look a little younger.
Life is easy and comfortable when you're not on the front lines, Finn thought wryly.
However, due to the Great Pirate Era, or perhaps because Headquarters had been busy recently, coupled with the O'Hara incident requiring at least ten thousand Marines ready to deploy under the Buster Call, the pub was much quieter today.
Only Finn, Sakazuki, Onigumo, and Yamakaji sat in the corner drinking.
Boss Po hadn't come up to disturb them. Seeing business was slow, he'd even given the four of them privacy by hanging a "closed" sign on the door. He'd told Finn and the others to help themselves to drinks, leave money when they finished, then gone home to sleep.
Speaking of which, Finn rarely drank with Sakazuki. As far as he could remember, it had only been two or three times at most.
He'd gave the invitation today mainly to assess Sakazuki's attitude toward the World Government. It was also a test.
Don't be fooled by what Kuzan said about Sakazuki almost quarreling with Admiral Sengoku over this matter and cursing the World Government.
In Finn's memory, the relationship between Sakazuki and the World Government had been relatively good later.
After all, in the subsequent Fleet Admiral competition, Sakazuki received strong support from the World Government. He'd been essentially forced into the Fleet Admiral position.
If you claimed Sakazuki had no connection with the World Government, Finn would never believe it.
But that was twenty years later. Sakazuki wasn't even an Admiral candidate now, only a Vice Admiral. Not to mention that with his personality, it was impossible for him to curry favor with the World Government. Even if he wanted to, the Five Elders and others would probably be too lazy to pay attention to a "small fry" like him.
Even Finn, an Admiral Candidate, had never met the Five Elders personally.
As for how Sakazuki came into contact with the World Government in the future, it was probably that Sakazuki's uncompromising approach attracted the Government's attention. In addition, the World Government hoped there would be cracks and contradictions within the Marines to facilitate their checks and balances, so they'd taken the initiative to slowly win him over.
But even so, Sakazuki had maintained his bottom line. At least during Sengoku's time as Fleet Admiral, he hadn't done anything detrimental to unity within the Marines.
It wasn't until the Fleet Admiral dispute that the conflict with Kuzan completely intensified.
To put it simply, Finn wanted to recruit Sakazuki today and cut off any possible dirty connections between him and the World Government in the future.
After a few drinks, Finn finally asked, "What do you think about O'Hara?"
Sakazuki was silent for a moment, then said firmly, "Thorough eradication."
Finn took another sip of his wine, then asked meaningfully, "You want to eliminate all of O'Hara? Including those who aren't scholars?"
Sakazuki didn't bother hiding anything and said bluntly, "What we're about to do, even though we're waving the banner of justice and working for world peace, will inevitably bring hatred. O'Hara is a scholars' hometown. Judging from the Admiral's tone, although it seems the Buster Call may not actually be launched, in reality, it's already inevitable. These scholars will all die. It's just that the Five Elders need to investigate and go through the process. The relatives and friends of the scholars may be among these ordinary people you mentioned. Under the threat of the Buster Call, they may be afraid and distance themselves from the scholars. But after the Buster Call is over, they'll inevitably turn to hatred. Who can guarantee they won't learn to decipher ancient texts in the future? Who can guarantee they won't release ancient weapons or other disasters because of their hatred?"
Sakazuki's words left Finn momentarily speechless.
Before Finn could respond, Sakazuki added in a deep voice, "That's just one reason. The second is... who can guarantee there aren't scholars hiding among the common people? As the saying goes, eliminate all evil at its roots. If you show any mercy in this matter, all previous sacrifices will be in vain!"
Seeing Finn's silent expression, Sakazuki continued, "Finn, although you're close to Kuzan, I know you're not as indecisive as he is, nor as insensitive to the seriousness of situations. I've always believed our styles are similar, and we share the same ideals."
How did you, Sakazuki, start sounding like Dragon? Talking about "sharing the same ideals"?
However, what Sakazuki said was reasonable and well-founded. After all, Finn was indeed ruthless and pragmatic. Just look at how miserable the Impel Down prisoners were under his command at G-7.
Therefore, Sakazuki felt that Finn was the kind of person who would do anything to achieve his goals.
At the same time, looking at what Finn had accomplished so far, it had all been for the overall interests of the Marines.
So, to sum up, wasn't Finn the kind of person who would do anything for the Marines' benefit?
Then wasn't there little difference between him and someone who'd do anything for justice?
There was nothing wrong with saying they shared the same ideals, right?
Soon, Finn came to his senses.
Wait. Wasn't I the one planning to recruit Sakazuki today?
How did he suddenly become the one trying to recruit me?
"It's different, Sakazuki. What you said makes sense, but this matter is too disgraceful for our Marines' reputation. I don't intend to lecture you about the justice you uphold, but being too rigid leads to brittleness. Your approach is too unrefined!" Finn said seriously.
Sakazuki hesitated for a moment, then asked, "So what do you suggest?"
If an ordinary person said this, Sakazuki would definitely ignore it, especially someone like Kuzan.
But Finn was different. On one hand, Sakazuki felt Finn was genuinely talented, and he'd always believed Finn was very intelligent.
On the other hand, he was considering today whether he could get closer to Finn and develop their friendship.
After all, Sakazuki would definitely compete for Admiral position in the future. The same applied to Finn, who'd declared more than once his intention to become Admiral.
And Finn was even ahead of him, already an Admiral Candidate.
Therefore, Sakazuki felt the two of them might become peers in the future, both at Admiral level.
Although he was stubborn, he wasn't a fool. If he could improve his relationship with Finn, it would benefit him greatly!
Compared to O'Hara's concept of "thorough eradication," he was willing to take a step back and listen to Finn's thoughts and opinions. If what Finn said made sense, then there'd be no harm in following his approach.
"First of all, O'Hara's knowledge is innocent. Do you agree with this?" Finn asked.
Sakazuki thought about it and nodded. "Of course. Just like weapons, they can take lives, but whether they're good or bad depends on who possesses them. Weapons themselves are naturally innocent."
"So after we arrive, we must first find a way to protect all the knowledge and take it away. This will also benefit our Marines' reputation." Finn smiled.
"Then what? These are just details. I want to ask about people..." Sakazuki nodded.
"As for people, scholars don't need discussion. Capital crimes deserve capital punishment without mercy. But ordinary people... cannot be killed indiscriminately." Finn's voice was firm.
"So?" Sakazuki asked again.
"To be honest, there aren't many ordinary people there. O'Hara isn't a large island, just a small one. Most people there are scholars. Ordinary people can probably fit on one or two ships. Instead of 'thorough eradication,' it's better to supervise them. It won't take much effort." Finn explained.
"Supervision?" Sakazuki hesitated, then asked, "How will supervision be arranged?"
"Send them to the Calm Belt." Finn thought for a moment and answered.
In reality, the general population at O'Hara were basically people who surrounded the scholars and provided daily services to them. Food, drink, sanitation, and such.
Actually, there was a shortage of such people in the Calm Belt. After all, there would be more and more Marines and prisoners there in the future. Logistics had to keep pace.
These people would be useful after they arrived.
Sakazuki naturally understood what Finn meant. After a moment's thought, he said, "Then I'll do as you suggest."
Confiscate all books of knowledge immediately, then prepare to send these people to the Calm Belt for custody.
The two measures seemed unrelated, but Sakazuki understood this actually eliminated the possibility for those people to learn history and ancient scripts.
If you called it a threat, it wouldn't really be a threat at all.
Finn hadn't expected Sakazuki to be so easy to talk to. He was slightly surprised.
In fact, the reason he'd meddled in O'Hara's affairs was, on one hand, to test Sakazuki's current mental state. If he was stubborn and determined on thorough eradication, Finn wouldn't confront him directly.
It wasn't worth it. After all, he was testing Sakazuki's attitude in order to better recruit him.
On the other hand, to be honest, although he lacked excessive morality, if he could save lives by talking, he didn't mind being a "saint." After all, it didn't require much effort.
What's more, he was a Marine, wasn't he?
Seeing Sakazuki was so reasonable and obviously had a good impression of him, Finn felt somewhat relieved. He waved his hand and said, "We'll discuss details later. We don't know the exact situation yet. Let's not talk about O'Hara for now. Regarding your Admiral Candidate matter, we need to find a solution."
Sakazuki looked at him strangely. "I can't become Admiral Candidate, so why are you working so hard for me?"
As if noticing Sakazuki's puzzled look, Finn continued, "This isn't just about you. It concerns my own vital interests as well."
Sakazuki was silent for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean?"
"The fact that you can't get the Admiral Candidate title clearly shows the World Government is against you. So let me ask you, Sakazuki, have you offended the World Government recently?" Finn asked directly.
Sakazuki shook his head. "No."
"That means the World Government is opposing you not because of personal reasons, but because of the Marines as a whole. In this case, you can't even be promoted to Admiral Candidate. Isn't it a pipe dream for me to want to become Admiral in the next two years? Doesn't this affect my interests?" Finn said bluntly.
Sakazuki's eyes lit up. He finally understood.
What Finn said made perfect sense. He asked himself whether he'd offended the World Government during this period. The answer was no, so this matter couldn't be targeted specifically at him. Obviously, the World Government wanted to suppress the Marines.
The World Government's suppression of the Marines would inevitably affect Finn's promotion to Admiral as well.
"That makes sense. You've always been smarter than me. Do you have any good ideas?" Sakazuki asked immediately.
I haven't even actually started my recruitment pitch, and you're already this eager?
It seems Sakazuki has no connection with the World Government at this stage, and he actually has considerable resentment toward them.
If you thought about it carefully, there were already many people in the Marines who had opinions about the World Government, but they just didn't express them openly.
Sakazuki was definitely a man of ideals and convictions. You could say he might compromise with the World Government. That was possible. But you also say his stance leaned toward the World Government, or even that he was colluding with them?
That was absolutely impossible. The Absolute Justice in his heart couldn't accept such a thing!
Finn understood completely and said directly, "I'm looking for an opportunity to strike the World Government. Are you interested in joining forces?"
Sakazuki was stunned for a moment. His eyes changed slightly, and he glanced at Onigumo and Momonga beside him.