"As for those who turn a blind eye to the root cause, that naturally refers to the Marines. These people carry the word 'Justice' on their backs, yet they deliberately ignore the greatest evil in the world. Hmph. At least they still capture pirates, which is far better than the others, but that is about the extent of it."
Ash continued calmly.
"As for the ones who maintain the root cause, you have probably already guessed. That would be the World Government. They are nothing more than the obedient lackeys of the Celestial Dragons. In some ways, they are even worse than the Marines."
Kirk frowned slightly.
"If you look down on the World Government and the Marines so much, then why did you accept the invitation to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
Ash burst into laughter.
"This is what you call tactical thinking. I already told you that you guys are uncultured. All you ever think about is charging forward and fighting head on."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"If I wanted to praise you, I would call it bravery and fearlessness. But if I were being honest, it would simply be reckless stupidity."
Ash leaned back comfortably beside the fire.
"Look at things realistically. Our strength right now is decent, but we are still far from being able to challenge the World Government or the Marines."
"If a conflict with them really breaks out right now, what exactly are we supposed to do?"
Everyone fell silent.
Ash grinned.
"See? You want to say endure it, but admitting that makes you feel like you are betraying your own principles."
He shrugged.
"If we cannot beat them right now, then the smartest move is simple. Join them."
The others blinked in confusion.
Ash continued calmly.
"We can dislike their methods and despise their behavior. We do not have to become like them."
"But deliberately jumping into a fight that we know we cannot win is simply foolish."
He coughed lightly.
"And besides, if there are benefits to gain... well, never mind that."
Ash waved the thought away and continued.
"By accepting the title of Warlord of the Sea, both the Marines and the World Government will stop focusing on us for a while."
"That gives us time."
"Time to grow stronger."
"Time to develop."
"If we have the opportunity to lull our enemies into complacency, why would we stubbornly fight them head on?"
Ash then snorted.
"This is also the reason I look down on the Revolutionary Army the most."
Everyone turned to look at him.
Ash continued.
"They claim they want to overthrow the root of the problem, yet they chose the worst possible method."
"They could have infiltrated the system quietly. They could have eroded it from within until the entire structure collapsed under its own weight."
"At that point, they could step in, take control, and restore order."
Ash shook his head.
"But instead they chose to jump out into the open."
"They formed their own army."
"They directly confronted the World Government."
"They have to resist the Marines at the same time."
"And on top of that, they are foolish enough to consider cooperating with pirates."
Ash laughed mockingly.
"They were dealt a perfect hand of cards, yet they played it terribly."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Then again, the thinking process of the Monkey family has always been a bit unusual."
"I would have to be crazy to learn strategy from them."
Ash stretched lazily.
"We only need a short period of development."
"After that, we will possess power that fears nothing."
His voice carried absolute confidence.
"When that day comes, we will beat up anyone we dislike."
"If pirates block our path, we beat them."
"If the Marines block our path, we beat them."
"And if the World Government or the Celestial Dragons stand in front of us..."
Ash grinned.
"We beat them too."
He tapped the ground beside him.
"What we are doing now is patience."
"Bending low while sharpening our claws."
"Waiting for the right moment."
Although some of Ash's strange metaphors went over their heads, everyone still understood the meaning behind his words.
They now had a clear understanding of the different factions he had described.
Youki and Kirk were deeply shocked.
They felt as if their minds had suddenly been forced to expand. The ideas Ash had laid out made their heads feel strangely heavy, as though their brains were struggling to process an entirely new way of thinking.
Perona, on the other hand, felt like she had just heard far too many secrets that she was not supposed to know. She trembled quietly beside Saff.
Brook remained silent.
He was thinking deeply.
In Ash's view, pirates were the greatest malignant tumor harming the world.
Yet the World Government and the Celestial Dragons were the true root of the disease.
Even the great forces that ruled the world carried no weight in the eyes of the young man sitting before them.
Ash showed no reverence toward them.
Not even the slightest hint.
At the same time, he firmly believed that after a short period of dormancy, he would eventually possess overwhelming strength.
The young man in front of them appeared relaxed and carefree.
But in truth, his attitude was one of complete indifference toward the world.
It was as if he stood outside everything, calmly observing it all while judging what was reasonable and what was not.
Brook finally spoke.
"Well... I must admit that many of your philosophies are very thought provoking."
His tone was heavy.
"Perhaps pirates truly have brought a great deal of harm to this world."
"And the same may be true for the World Government, the Marines, and even the Revolutionary Army that you mentioned."
Ash smiled faintly.
"But?"
Brook nodded.
"But I still hold my own view."
He spoke slowly.
"Perhaps many pirates deserve death."
"But there will always be some true Men of the Sea, those who become genuine brave warriors."
"They are simply..."
"Just get to the point."
Ash interrupted casually.
Brook immediately straightened and bowed deeply.
"I am very sorry!"
He performed a full dogeza, kneeling with his head lowered to the ground.
"Perhaps this is simply a difference in philosophy."
"Although Your Excellency saved my life, I still cannot serve under you."
"Please forgive me."
Silence fell around the bonfire.
Ash suddenly laughed loudly.
"You want to become my crewmate?"
He pointed at Brook.
"What kind of wishful thinking is that?"
Brook froze.
"Nani?"
Ash then pointed toward Perona, who was hiding beside Saff.
"You."
Then he pointed back at Brook.
"And you."
"Even if we ignore our difference in philosophy, there is one key reason why neither of you qualifies to join my crew."
Ash tilted his head toward the four people sitting beside him.
"Tsuki."
"Tell them the first rule for joining our crew."
The Kirk siblings simply smiled quietly.
Youki threw his head back and drained an entire cup of strong liquor before bursting into laughter.
Tsuki immediately jumped to his feet and shouted proudly.
"To join the Dawn Pirate Hunters, you must never have willingly become a pirate!"
Ash patted Tsuki on the shoulder approvingly.
"As long as someone has willingly raised a pirate flag, even if it was only for one day, they cannot become our partner."
He pointed his thumb at himself.
"We might still become friends."
"But partners?"
Ash shook his head.
"Absolutely impossible."
He grinned.
"Don't assume I don't care about anything."
"I'm actually a man with very strict principles."
Brook slowly performed another dogeza.
"Understood."
He sighed helplessly.
"I was clearly overthinking things."
"I apologize for causing trouble."
Ash frowned.
"Stop kneeling all the time."
"Who taught you that habit?"
"Do you have no backbone?"
"I hate seeing that."
Brook rubbed the back of his skull.
"After more than forty years without sunlight or milk, I suppose my bones have become rather fragile."
He then turned toward Kirk with a cheerful laugh.
"Yohohoho! Mr. Kirk, could you spare another bottle of milk?"
Bonk!
Ash and Kirk punched Brook at the exact same time.
Brook collapsed onto the ground.
Both men immediately nodded with satisfied expressions.
Saff smiled gently and handed Ash a piece of freshly baked pastry.
"Ash, try this Soft Cake. Tell me how it tastes."
Ash tossed the entire cake into his mouth.
The next second, his face twisted in agony.
"Saff!"
"Why is it lemon flavored again?!"
Saff blinked in confusion.
"Oh? You don't like it?"
"But you said the Lime Pudding earlier was delicious."
Ash looked like he was about to cry.
"Pudding is pudding!"
"For fruit wine I like peach and orange flavors."
"You can experiment with other fruits too!"
"But lemon is just too sour!"
Saff thought about it for a moment.
"Then how about Star Fruit? It has plenty of vitamins and a nice texture."
"Oh, and Green Skin Fruit could work too. It can be used for brewing wine or making tea."
Ash nodded enthusiastically.
"Good, good, good."
"Saff, you decide."
"As long as it isn't lemon."
With the topic changed, the atmosphere around the bonfire gradually became cheerful again.
Encouraged by everyone, Brook suddenly declared that he would compose a Pirate Hunter's Song for them on the spot.
After he finished singing, everyone realized something.
The song was basically just a slightly modified version of Binks' Sake.
"We pirates cleave the waves" had become "We hunters cleave the waves."
And "Skull flag, skull sails fly in the wind" had become "We raise the sails and fly in the wind."
The result was immediate.
Brook was beaten up again by Ash and the others.
Laughter filled the night.
Suddenly, Youki placed a hand on Ash's shoulder.
"Ash."
"Look up."
Ash raised his head.
High in the night sky, an albatross was flying toward them.
---