The Best Choice

"Hehe."

Shakky, standing nearby, couldn't help laughing. Once everyone looked at her, she lit another cigarette and took a drag before teasing them.

"You've already settled it between yourselves, but it seems neither of you considered little Hancock's feelings, have you?"

As her words fell, Shakky exhaled a smoke ring and leisurely shook her head.

"Poor little Hancock. Her hometown is about to be turned upside down by the two of you."

"Haha, that isn't up to me. The ones who told me to wait on that island were the highest ranks of the World Government—the Celestial Dragons, the World Nobles~."

Rayleigh pursed his lips and put on a frightened expression.

"Tsk, tsk. That was an order from a Celestial Dragon. If I didn't listen, I'd probably be captured and made a slave.

So this old man could only reluctantly head to Amazon Lily and painfully admire all those young girls."

After saying that, Rayleigh took a sip of wine, rolling it over his tongue twice before turning to Gawain.

"By the way, young Gawain, your choice wasn't just some spur-of-the-moment idea, was it?

Were you... interested in the Shichibukai, or interested in women?"

At that, Rayleigh raised a hand and brushed back his white hair, chuckling.

"Listen to me. How could someone who treated women as everything awaken Conqueror's Haki? Could your goal be to collect every woman in the world? Impossible!"

With that, Rayleigh picked up the bottle and took another great swig.

"Ha~."

Exhaling the scent of alcohol, Rayleigh rested an elbow on the bar and propped up his head with one hand.

"So, with Conqueror's Haki burning in your chest and grand ambitions brewing in your mind, was the first force you set your sights on the Shichibukai?

Then your trip to Ryugu Castle wasn't merely about returning those young Merfolk, as Mjosgard believed, was it?

That young man Jinbe had always protected his country. But once you went there, I was afraid I'd be seeing Jinbe on Amazon Lily, wouldn't I?"

Rayleigh smiled meaningfully.

Beside him, after hearing Rayleigh's words, Gawain pondered for a moment before nodding decisively.

"You're right."

As soon as he said that, Rayleigh smiled in understanding, while Shakky took a deep drag from her cigarette, looking thoughtful.

As for Gion, she bit into her cotton candy, her brows tightly furrowed.

Would her next colleague be that loyal, righteous, fat... burly Fish-Man whose reputation remained considerable even within the Marines despite being a pirate, Knight of the Sea Jinbe?

Thinking of that, Gion rubbed the hilt of her sword with her left hand.

She had fought Jinbe more than once. On land, Jinbe was no match for her at all.

But if it was in Ryugu Palace, within that kingdom ten thousand meters beneath the sea...

Gion gritted her teeth. If they truly fought under the sea, she feared she would be outmatched!

For a moment, even her bite into the cotton candy grew fiercer. She needed to improve further. If she possessed the strength of old man Garp, then not to mention defeating a Fish-Man ten thousand meters beneath the sea...

With old man Garp's strength, even if he fought in magma, he could beat old man Sakazuki to death with his bare hands!

Leaving aside Gion's slight sense of frustration, Gawain took a sip of wine and continued with a smile.

"Rayleigh, you pirates always liked to talk about freedom, dreams, ambition, and things like that.

But to me, none of those things mattered more than realizing the value of my life.

I'm sure you can guess that although I'm a Celestial Dragon, I don't like life in Mary Geoise, nor do I think much of my boring fellow countrymen.

So should I discard my identity as a Celestial Dragon, join the Marines, or seize some kingdom and become its king?

Don't mention pirates to me. A thief was still a thief. I hadn't fallen that far, hehe.

In any case, I wouldn't do that. Giving up one's identity might seem free and unrestrained, but Donquixote Homing had long proven just how foolish that was.

Yet I truly disliked the world as it was. There were too many things in it that I disliked.

The Four Blues were in turmoil, heroes rose everywhere, and people pursued and worshipped the identity of pirates as if they had gone mad?

Your captain, Roger, hehe.

A Pirate King who brought chaos to the seas.

His actions had completely robbed commoners—the foundation of every social structure—of a stable environment.

How was he a Pirate King? He should have been called a poisoner who threw nations into chaos."

Gawain swallowed a mouthful of wine, then silently waited for everyone's reactions. After a moment, Rayleigh slapped Gawain on the arm.

"Although I don't agree with your view of my captain, this is a bar. You and I are drinkers, and I'm willing to hear what you have to say.

What do you want to do?"

"Rule the world, of course."

Gawain answered with utter ease.

"This isn't some dream of mine, nor is it some ambition. My identity as a Celestial Dragon had already placed me at the highest point in the world. Although the Five Elders occupied the highest position in the World Government, they too were Celestial Dragons.

So for me, if what I wanted wasn't something so great, it would eventually fall into my hands. That was all.

Thus, the only pleasure left to me was realizing the value of my life. My life shouldn't be spent amid countless things that dissatisfied me.

What I disliked, I didn't need to destroy.

I only needed to take hold of it!"

As his words fell, Gawain extended a hand toward Shakky.

"Give me a cigarette, Shakky."

"Mhm."

Shakky handed Gawain a cigarette and lit it.

After taking a drag, Gawain smiled at everyone.

"I don't believe there's any such thing as fate in this world. Since I exist in this world, then I am fate.

Rayleigh, you were right. I had indeed set my sights on the newly emerging force known as the Shichibukai. It wasn't that I couldn't build a force from scratch—it was simply too slow.

When it came to ruling the world, if I was going to do it, I had to seize every moment!

How many forces had originally existed in this world?

Pirates, the World Government, and more than one hundred and seventy allied nations. That was all.

A triangle—what a stable arrangement. But later, the Revolutionary Army emerged, and then the Shichibukai emerged as well.

Those Shichibukai members were far from treating the World Government with any respect. At most, they were unruly thorns who obeyed orders but ignored commands.

Look, they weren't particularly obedient, yet they possessed considerable strength and influence. As long as they were truly twisted into a single rope, perhaps the New World couldn't be conquered, but the Grand Line could absolutely be controlled well.

Beyond that, I hoped to use the Shichibukai to bring a new voice into this world overrun by pirates.

The men and women drifting at sea didn't necessarily have to choose between becoming pirates and joining the Marines.

They could sail the seas under another name entirely."

As his words fell, Gawain set down his cigarette and exhaled smoke into the air.

Watching the curling smoke and the silent crowd, Gawain spoke calmly.

"Of course, nothing was as simple as I made it sound. Conquest wasn't chess, where using the right pieces guaranteed victory.

Political foundations, people's livelihoods, technology—there were many things I needed to consider.

But I didn't need to look that far ahead. I only needed to proceed step by step, never stopping as I did things in the proper way."

Gawain lightly drew a circle on the bar with his left hand.

"For now, I only needed to meet the existing Shichibukai.

Recruit those who could be recruited. Kill those who couldn't, then replace them with people who could.

Unify them, properly bring the Grand Line under control, then use that control over the Grand Line to gather enough talent for research, education, infrastructure, propaganda, and all sorts of other work.

If this world didn't have Conqueror's Haki, along with so many bizarre Devil Fruits, I actually had a better method. For example, I could fully make use of every commoner in this world and plant red flags atop every mountain peak.

I would exchange stability and equality for their admiration and obedience. That was fair, wasn't it?

But unfortunately, transportation was far too inconvenient, and Conqueror's Haki robbed commoners of their chance to charge forward and resist. A person with Conqueror's Haki merely had to exert some force to stun tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions whose strength and will were insufficient.

So I didn't need commoners to fight for me. I only needed enough popular support!

I wanted them to know that when new talents among them became determined to rise in the world, they didn't have to become pirates or join the Marines.

I wanted them to know they could choose me as well, and that I was their best choice!"

By the time his words ended, the cigarette in Gawain's mouth had nearly burned out.

Setting down the cigarette butt, Gawain glanced at the engrossed Rayleigh and asked softly.

"What do you think?"

"Not much. If you weren't a Celestial Dragon, that idea would truly be childish.

But you are, so I can hardly see any possibility of you failing.

There were simply too many things you could make use of. As for Jinbe, just one clause bringing equality to Fish-Men could practically exchange for the strength of both him and the entire Ryugu Kingdom.

Neither the Marines nor the pirates could easily manage that clause, but for you, it would be effortless!

And Hancock—an entire island's lives were her eternal weakness. Before a Buster Call, as their queen, she had no room to choose!

Kuma, Crocodile, Moria, and Doflamingo would be even easier than those two.

Among the Shichibukai, only Mihawk would be somewhat difficult to handle, but you could replace him.

Using the Shichibukai to influence and rule the Grand Line, while their numbers might be slightly lacking in the early stages, once they were gradually supplemented, young people who had come up through the Four Blues simply wouldn't be able to resist.

Talent and funding—those things would flow endlessly to you!

I could almost see it already. The next era of the Grand Line would be called Gawain!"

As he spoke, Rayleigh irritably rubbed his beard.

"If your goal was only that, then I could barely find any possibility of your failure. So, were those truly your only goals?"

"Of course not, old man. I had plenty more ideas.

What I told you was only the simplest, and only a small part that wouldn't fail even if it was leaked!"

"What came next? You said you had to seize every moment. What were you in such a hurry over, and how would you speed things up?"

"Those weren't things I could tell you now, Rayleigh!"

"If not now, then when?"

"When you board my ship. Then I'll talk to you about it."

"Absolutely impossible. I even want to kill you, because you truly might rob all those young pirates in the Four Blues of their dreams!"

"Pirates' dreams only brought more pain to those who weren't pirates!

Besides, what in this world was absolutely impossible? One day, you'll stand beside me.

We can make a bet. We'll wager this bar!"