The US became that hegemon because of wars over gold. All any other country can really do is become the next hegemon.

You said yourself, it only takes one honest actor. There is no such thing. There are only incentives.

The incentive to acquire gold includes coercion. Rolling tanks into the city center and opening the vaults makes all the gold yours.

Literally this happened with Gaddafi.

The US may not be able to pillage a future Gaddafi but he will still be pillage-able.

One aspect of Bitcoin I like is that it is pillage-resistant. It’s literally impossible to loot it off my dead body.