Buggy had guessed right,
but not entirely right.
It was true that ever since Austin had set sail, although he had always called himself a pirate, he had never officially confirmed his pirate flag or announced what pirate crew he belonged to.
The Black Gun Pirates?
The Freedom Pirates?
Neither. Most reports simply referred to them collectively as Austin's crew.
Most of the time, the name Black Emperor alone was enough to intimidate the seas.
In Austin's own view, he had no real interest in forming a pirate crew. He was not searching for One Piece, nor did he have any dream that required a group to fulfill.
Even taking Mihawk and Crocodile under his wing had merely been out of personal interest and a desire to enjoy life more fully.
Pirate King?
When the time came, Austin might join one of the twelve contenders for the fun of it.
However, the person he supported would most likely not be King Luffy.
He even wanted to see whether the protagonist party from the movie really was invincible.
Like a final boss lurking behind the scenes, Austin had already made his malicious plans.
Marineford Era 1501,
The meeting at the Sabaody Archipelago had ended, but it had not brought any major changes to Austin's life.
After Ohara, Dullamos, Alabasta, Whole Cake Island, and all the other incidents, after drifting outside for months, Austin had finally held himself back until adulthood.
It was finally time to reward himself properly.
A pool of wine and a forest of meat?
Extravagance without limit?
Those words might have been an understatement for Austin.
With inexhaustible wealth and power over the world, Austin indulged in every wonderful thing he could think of.
And once he sank into it, he remained sunk for a long time.