"A proposal?"
Bright raised an eyebrow slightly, then asked, "What proposal?"
There was no need to guess. It was surely some proposal meant to deepen his ties with the government.
"How about becoming a new Shichibukai, Bright?"
The Five Elders on the other end immediately made a shocking suggestion.
"A Shichibukai?"
Bright was genuinely somewhat surprised this time.
"In the past, you had to rely on Jinbe, acting as an affiliate of a Shichibukai."
The Five Elders said, "But we believe that is no longer necessary."
"You can become a new Shichibukai yourself."
"Is that so?" Bright curled his lips into a smile.
"Of course. This is also a great thing for Fish-Man Island, isn't it? With two Shichibukai serving as a deterrent, even fewer blind fools would dare provoke Fish-Man Island."
The Five Elders spoke with conviction. "And in that case, Fish-Man Island and the government would become even closer. If you encountered any trouble, the government would have even more reason to step in and help."
"Even if it is the Marines, or monsters from the New World."
They really were sparing no effort to win him over.
Bright once again praised his own decision.
"A Shichibukai? It sounds pretty good, but—"
Bright answered with a smile, "I refuse."
"What?"
The Five Elders immediately asked in surprise, "Why, Bright? You should know what kind of influence having two Shichibukai would bring to Fish-Man Island, shouldn't you?"
"Of course I know." Bright nodded.
"Is it because of Jinbe? Indeed, when you were still weak, you had to rely on Jinbe, but that is no longer necessary!"
"That is not the reason either."
Bright said calmly, "I simply want to keep a low profile."
"Keep a low profile?"
That touched upon a blind spot in the Five Elders' knowledge.
Fame