"Luffy, I've been thinking a lot lately..."
"Why do I hate him so much, yet still want to walk the same path he did... to become the Pirate King?"
"I think I finally understand now."
"What I truly wanted wasn't necessarily to be a pirate, or even the Pirate King. I simply wanted to prove that I am stronger than him—that I could do it better!"
Ace leaned against the iron cage where Luffy was currently imprisoned.
In the original story, Ace's behavior had always been somewhat contradictory. Despite his deep-seated hatred for Roger, he pursued the exact same goal and aimed for the title of Pirate King. At least, that was his objective until he met Whitebeard.
What he was saying now was the raw, honest truth of his heart. He hated that man, and because of that hate, he wanted to prove he could surpass him in every way.
"But, Luffy..."
"Sean was right about one thing. This pirate world has brought too much suffering to ordinary people. And as the son of that man..."
"I have more of an obligation than anyone else in this world to bring this era to an end, don't I?"
"Besides, if I can personally terminate the era that man started, wouldn't that be the ultimate proof that I'm stronger than he ever was?"
"That's why I'm joining the Marine!"
Inside the cage, Luffy looked at Ace in utter disbelief. They had agreed to become pirates together; they were supposed to compete for the title of Pirate King. And now, he was just... betraying the plan?
"Ace, you..."
"Luffy, I've always known what pirates really are. Even with Shanks—do you actually know who he is?"
"Shanks is just Shanks! Who else would he be?"
"Luffy, you..." Ace sighed softly. 'My foolish little brother...'
"You know about the Grand Line, but you know nothing of the second half—the place they call the New World."
"In that place, there are four pirates who have carved up the majority of the New World. Each of them rules over countless islands like local tyrants. They are known as the Four Emperors, and the Shanks you know is one of them."
Luffy's eyes widened. Even the Marine didn't dare provoke them... Was Shanks really that powerful?
"Sounds impressive, right? But have you ever considered that it's precisely because of these monsters—beings the Marine is afraid to touch—that the already chaotic Great Pirate Era has spiraled out of control? Their existence inspires even more people to set out as pirates."
"Out of every ten thousand pirates, maybe only one or two—perhaps even none at all—set sail purely for the sake of adventure like you do."
"Imagine if pirates hadn't attacked this village, but instead attacked Foosha Village. Imagine seeing all the villagers you know and love slaughtered. How would that feel?"
"Sean was right. We are selfish. Just because tragedy hasn't happened in our own backyards, we turn a blind eye. We even contribute to this era, indirectly creating more tragedies."
"Think about it seriously, Luffy."
Ace stood up, brushed the dust off his pants, and left the cabin.
Inside the cage, Luffy remained frozen. For some reason, a vivid image suddenly flashed through his mind. He saw Foosha Village engulfed in flames. He saw the villagers he knew lying in pools of blood. He saw pirates laughing maniacally as they carried Makino and the other young women of the village away.
The image was so visceral it nearly broke him.
Sean's words were entirely accurate. Luffy was selfish. Because tragedy had never touched his immediate circle, he remained indifferent—he didn't mind pushing the Pirate Era forward.
The clearest evidence of this was seen later in the original story; when Robin was captured, he was willing to declare war on the World Government and slaughter anyone in his way, directly or indirectly causing the deaths of thousands. Yet, in his daily life, even if he knew or saw innocent civilians being bullied or murdered by pirates, he could still comfortably remain a pirate.
There was only one reason: those victims weren't Luffy's friends or companions. Therefore, it wasn't "necessary" or "worth it" to make a fuss over them. Otherwise, why wouldn't he cast aside the pirate flag and declare war on the pirate factions themselves?
Calling him selfish was an objective fact.
Regardless, what Ace said today had genuinely touched him, even if it wasn't enough to change everything just yet.
'''
East Blue.
The 16th Branch of the Marine.
By now, the new recruits conscripted from various islands had begun to arrive. However, because Sean's standards were so high, they had only managed to recruit 227 people from Cocoyasi and the twenty surrounding villages.
They had failed to reach the initial goal of 400.
But that didn't matter. Talent could be sought out slowly. As Sean had put it: quality over quantity. The 16th Branch had no need for cannon fodder.
At the same time, a naval fleet arrived at the docks. There were four medium-sized warships and one large warship. The extra ship was necessary because it took a significant crew to transport the other four; the fifth ship was intended to carry those sailors back to Headquarters once the delivery was complete.
In addition to the crews, five instructors sent by Zephyr arrived. These were old acquaintances of Sean's from his time in the Elite Training Camp.
Still, the selection of personnel surprised Sean.
Of the five, three were Lieutenant Commanders, which was the standard rank for most instructors in the Elite Training Camp. That was normal. But the other two...
One was a fifty-eight-year-old Captain named Sanders. He was one of only two Captains in the Elite Training Camp beneath Zephyr. While Zephyr was the Chief Instructor, he rarely handled daily teaching unless he found a disciple he truly liked. The day-to-day management of the entire camp fell to these two Captains; they were effectively the second-in-command of the Elite Training Camp.
The fact that old man Zephyr had sent him here was quite unexpected.
As for the other person, Sean didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
It was Ain.
"Old man Sanders, I didn't expect you to be the one coming."
"Who else? You suddenly decide to build a training camp with the same specifications as Headquarters. Chief Instructor Zephyr was worried you lacked the experience, so he sent me personally to help you!"
"Hmm, the old man's looking out for me... Mr. Sanders, as you can see, the entire 16th Branch is being torn down and rebuilt. While the designs for the Elite Training Camp are already finished, you know I don't have much experience in this area. Would you mind taking a look for me?"
"Sure thing, I'll go over them and make sure everything's in order!"
"Great. If anything seems off, just let me know. Build everything to the highest possible standards—don't worry about the cost."
"Rest assured. I know you've got plenty of money now, kid; I won't be cutting any corners."
Shortly after, a Marine brought over the designers from the Tokaf Construction Company, and Sanders left with them to discuss the plans.
"Ain! I didn't expect you to be here!"
"It was my teacher's order. You think I actually 'wanted' to come?"
'Right, she's playing the tsundere again.'
Sean was long since used to this behavior and didn't let it bother him. While overseeing the unloading of cargo, he called over a Marine and instructed him to take several Elite Training Camp instructors to the temporary grounds.
It was time to take charge of those 227 new recruits.