Kill the Sanctimonious First in Chaotic Times

"Straightforward, huh?" Brook nodded. "Then I'll be direct too—we're planning to go watch the show."

"A show?" Shanks's smile faded slightly. "That won't be a show. It'll be a meat grinder."

He looked at Brook, his gaze becoming exceptionally serious. "Since Captain Brook said I'm direct, then I'll be even more direct. What do you plan to do when you get to Marineford?"

Brook shrugged. "If I said we really were just going to watch, would you believe me?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Shanks answered, "I would."

That decisive answer surprised Brook a little.

"But there are many ways to 'watch.'" Shanks continued. "Will you watch from afar, or up close? Will you watch quietly, or when you see something that makes you 'uncomfortable' or interests you, will you be unable to resist... doing something?"

Brook's tone was casual. "Who knows?"

"And that is the problem." Shanks leaned forward slightly, his tone still calm. "Your 'mood' could very well affect the lives and deaths of tens of thousands, change the course of the war, or even trigger a chain reaction that sends this sea, which has barely maintained its fragile balance... completely out of control."

The smile on Brook's face remained unchanged, though it gained a hint of amusement. "So, Captain Shanks came today to persuade me not to go? Or to warn me not to make any rash moves when the time comes?"

"Neither." Shanks shook his head. "I came to ask you—if possible, please be nothing more than an 'observer.' A... truly calm observer."

He paused, and his voice lowered slightly. "This war involves too many grudges and positions. Bloodshed is already unavoidable. Any additional variable could drive the casualties into an unfathomable abyss. I do not want to see anyone die needlessly, and I especially do not