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... ministeria belli enixe operam nauassent. ceteram multitudinem incolarum iuuenum...

Why It Is Pluperfect (Sequence of Tenses & Aspect) Historical Sequence: The main governing verb edixit is perfect indicative (a historical tense). Under the rules of sequence of tenses (consecutio temporum), future time relative to a past action is expressed using the past subjunctives. Future Perfect in Direct Speech → Pluperfect Subjunctive in Indirect: In Scipio's original direct speech, he would have said: “Libertatem habebitis si operam nauaueritis.” (“You will have freedom if you shall have exerted [future perfect indicative] your effort.”) When shifted into indirect discourse governed by a past main verb (edixit): The future perfect indicative (nauaueritis) shifts to the pluperfect subjunctive (nauassent) to show an action completed prior to the future granting of freedom. Summary It is not a contrafactual condition (“if they had exerted, [which they didn't]”). Instead, nauassent represents a future action prior to another future event viewed from a past vantage point (future-in-the-past completion).