The Wover exercises tight trol over the Marines, monit everything from annual military budgets to equipment. While warships be built indepely, all artillery and other ons must be purchased from the Wover.

  Mariillery is distinct from standard artillery, designed specifically for their warships. Even if it were obtained by other fas, it couldn't easily be mounted on ordinary vessels.

  What Cudius wao study recisely this top-tier artillery teology, state-of-the-art equipment that allowed the Mario domihe seas with their firepower.

  Sengoku had been trying to expand Marirength quietly, away from the prying eyes of the Wover. He feared that overt as would result in budget cuts, so he couldn't simply buy rge quantities of arms.

  Without proper firepower, warships would amount to nothing more than glorified transport ships. They'd be useless.

  After much deliberation, Sengoku and Cudius secretly agreed to bypass the system. With the cooperation of Kong, they decided to establish their own covert arsenal. Instead of buying ons, they'd manufacture them.

  With Kong's support, alongside Sengoku and Cudius's influe became almost impossible for the Wovero detect these destine developments within the Marines.

  The Five Elders rarely visited Marineford, relying instead os to assess the situation. To them, keeping too close an eye on the Marines might e across as distrustful, something they wao avoid. As long as annual budgets were monitored and funding remained under trol, they assumed all was well.

  Within the vast Marine anization, information on armaments and resources was kept strictly fidential. Only a handful of high-ranking officers, like Sengoku and Cudius, khe true extent of their capabilities. For the rest, the specifiarine equipment remained a mystery.

  The Calm Belt provided the perfect cover for these operations. As long as they acted discreetly, there was no risk of leaks.

  Marirength was growing steadily, and while it might seem difficult to keep this hidden, the reality was quite the opposite, it was surprisingly easy.

  For Cudius, trolling Marine spending was just the first step in gaining influence. Establishing their own arms produ was the sed step. Ohese two hurdles were cleared, the Wover's grip on the Marines would weaken signifitly.

  Iure, oions with the Marines had been cultivated further, it would even be possible to "persuade" them to shift their loyalties.

  If Cudius mao stockpile enough munitions to support Marine operatioernal dependencies could be eliminated. After that, he would only o work on internal loyalty.

  This wasn't as difficult as it seemed. Key figures like Zephyr, Tsuru, Sengoku, and Garp all held favorable opinions of Cudius. Among them, Garp was the most disillusioned with Mariejois. If rebellion were oable, he might evehe first to join.

  Sengoku, Zephyr, and Tsuru, oher hand, had ideological barriers that ime and careful guidao overe.

  As for Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Kizaru, each posed unique challenges.

  Sakazuki would be the easiest to sway. His unwavering dedication to "absolute justice" made him predictable, if Cudius provided the means for him to eliminate pirates and eradicate evil, he'd likely offer his full support. The Wover, oher hand, was more of a hindrao Sakazuki's ideals, so winning him over wouldn't be too difficult.

  Kuzan was more plicated. His personal philosophy and lingering doubts could pose problems. Still, Cudius was fident—after all, he'd mao manipute even Dragon, the Revolutionary Army leader. pared ton, ving Kuzan would be easy.

  The only real wildcard was Kizaru. Thankfully, Kizaru's ral stance meant he wasn't likely to oppose Cudius, even if he didn't fully align with him.

  In addition to influeng high-ranking officers, Cudius was als tthen his position by pnting loyalists within the Marine ranks. Individuals like Vergo, though nominally loyal to Dofmingo, ultimately served Cudius's is. Training powerful vice admirals like Vergo would increase his influence further.

  Other individuals, like X Drake, had already been embedded within Marine forces by Cudius. And while pnting loyalists was orategy, recruiting others was just as effective. Gion, for example, was someone Cudius believed would choose him over the Wover without hesitation.

  Overall, Cudius estimated that he had already secured 50 to 60 pert of Marine loyalty. The remaining obstacles were manageable.

  This long-term strategy had been Cudius's primary focus ever since he formuted his pns upon arriving in this world. So far, he was satisfied with his progress.

  Of course, Cudius wasn't putting all his eggs in one basket. If the Marines couldn't be fully swayed, he needed an indepe power under his direct trol, this was where Crocodile came in. Through Abasta, Cudius was cultivating a sed line of strength.

  "How's your setup going?" Cudius asked.

  Crocodile's voice, calm and slightly amused, came through the Den Den Mushi. "An internal rebellion is about to kick off."

  Over the years, Crocodile had built up a heroic reputation in Abasta. He'd developed his owory, improved the ey, and gained immense public support, earning the title of a "national hero."

  But behind the ses, Crocodile had been systematically undermining Abasta. His first target was the reputation of the ari royal family.

  I years, rainfall around the capital of Alubarna had increased dramatically, creating new oases and river valleys. However, rainfall in surrounding regions had decreased, leading to whispers of foul py. Many suspected the capital was using "Dance Powder" to manipute the weather, though no crete evidence had surfaced.

  Crocodile's agents had been fanning these suspis, sowing distrust among the popuce. While Crocodile's wealth allowed him to fund tax exemptions and public projects in his territories, the ari royal family had no such luxuries. Faced with increased Woveraxes and a chaotic global situation, they had been forced to raise taxes further, eroding their public support.

  Crocodile's work also cultivated and supported bandits, orchestrating attacks on towns throughout Abasta. When the royal army failed to repel these attacks, Crocodile would swoop in and save the day, further tarnishing the army's reputation.

  The oable nation was now rife with u. Dissatisfied citizens had begun f guerril groups, which Crocodile po escate into a full-blown rebellion. Wheime came, Crocodile would exploit the chaos to seize plete trol.

  After exging a few more words, Crocodile seemed distracted by something on his end. "I'll handle everything on my side. I o go, I'm off to cate pirates," he said, cutting the versation short and hanging up the Den Den Mushi.

  Cudius stared at the now-silent snail, momentarily speechless. "Was I just talking to Sengoku? Seriously, Crocodile, you're taking this job way too seriously. If I get the ce, I'll have Abasta rank you among their top ten citizens and build you a statue."

  Leaning back, Cudius muttered to himself, "Maybe I should've put him in the Marines from the start. With that level of dedication, he'd probably be a Vice Admiral or even an Admiral didate by now."