The Best Choice

"Heh heh."

Shakky could not help laughing. Once everyone looked at her, she lit another cigarette and teased them as she smoked.

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

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."

"Hahaha, that's not up to me. The people who told me to wait on that island were the highest ranks of the World Government—the Celestial Dragons, those 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 obey him, I'd be captured and made a slave, wouldn't I?

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

After saying that, Rayleigh took a sip of wine, rolling it around his tongue twice before asking Gawain.

"By the way, Gawain, your choice wasn't some sudden whim, was it?

Are you interested in the Shichibukai... or in women?"

As he said that, Rayleigh raised a hand and brushed his long white hair, chuckling.

"Listen to what I'm saying. How could someone who treated women as everything awaken Conqueror's Haki? Could your goal be collecting every woman in the world? How could that be!"

With that, Rayleigh picked up the bottle and took another huge gulp.

"Ha~."

Exhaling the scent of alcohol, Rayleigh propped an elbow on the bar and rested his head in his palm.

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

Then your purpose in going to Ryugu Castle was not merely returning those young Merfolk, as Mjosgard believed, was it?

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

Rayleigh smiled meaningfully.

Beside him, after listening to Rayleigh, Gawain thought 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, seemingly thoughtful.

As for Gion, she took a bite of cotton candy, her brows drawing tight.

Would her next colleague be that righteous, stout Fish-Man whose reputation was considerable even within the Marines despite being a pirate—Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea?

At that thought, 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, in that kingdom ten thousand meters beneath the sea...

Gion gritted her teeth. If they truly fought underwater, she was afraid she would be outmatched!

For a moment, even the force with which Gion bit into her cotton candy increased. She still needed to improve further. If she had strength like old man Garp's, then not to mention defeating a Fish-Man ten thousand meters under 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!

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

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

But to me, none of that mattered more than fulfilling the value of my own life.

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

So should I cast aside my status as a Celestial Dragon and become a Marine, or occupy some kingdom and become its king?

Don't mention pirates to me. A thief was a thief in the end. I haven't fallen that low, heh heh.

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

Yet I truly dislike the world as it is. There are too many things in this world that I don't like.

The Four Blues were in turmoil, heroes rose everywhere, and people chased after and admired the identity of pirates like lunatics?

Your captain, Roger—heh heh.

A Pirate King who brought chaos to the seas.

What he did caused the commoners, the foundation underlying every social structure, to completely lose their stable environment.

How was he a Pirate King? He should have been called a poisonous scourge that plunged nations into chaos."

Gawain swallowed a mouthful of wine, then silently waited for everyone's reaction. A moment later, Rayleigh patted Gawain on the arm.

"Though I don't agree with your view of my captain, this is a bar. You and I are drinkers here, so I'm willing to hear your thoughts.

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 status as a Celestial Dragon already stands at the highest point in the world. Though the Five Elders hold the highest positions in the World Government, they too are Celestial Dragons.

So for me, if what I wanted wasn't something so grand, it would always end up in my hands. That was all.

Thus, the only pleasure left to me was fulfilling my life's value. My life should not be spent surrounded by countless things that dissatisfied me.

What I dislike, I need not destroy.

I should control it!"

With that, Gawain extended a hand toward Shakky.

"Give me a cigarette, Shakky."

"Mm-hm."

Shakky handed Gawain a cigarette and lit it for him.

After taking a puff, Gawain smiled at everyone.

"I don't believe in any destiny. Since I exist in this world, then I am destiny.

Rayleigh, you were right. I have indeed set my sights on the emerging force known as the Shichibukai. It isn't that I can't build a force from scratch myself—it would simply be too slow.

If one was going to rule the world, then one had to seize every moment!

How many forces 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 relationship. But then the Revolutionary Army appeared, followed by the Shichibukai.

Those members of the Seven Warlords of the Sea did not regard the World Government highly at all. At best, they were troublemakers who obeyed orders but ignored commands.

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

Beyond that, I hoped to use the Shichibukai to give a new voice to a world filled with pirates.

The men and women drifting upon the seas did not necessarily have to choose only between being pirates and joining the Marines.

They could sail the seas under another name entirely."

With that, Gawain put down his cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke into the air.

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

"Of course, nothing is as simple as I made it sound. Conquest is not chess, where victory comes from using the right pieces.

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

But I needn't look so far ahead. I only need to keep moving forward step by step, doing things in the proper way without stopping."

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

"For now, I only need to meet the current Shichibukai.

Recruit those who can be recruited. Kill those who cannot, and replace them with people who can.

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

If this world did not have Conqueror's Haki, along with so many strange Devil Fruits, I would actually have an even better method. For instance, fully making use of every commoner in this world and planting red flags atop every mountain peak.

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

But unfortunately, transportation was too inconvenient, and Conqueror's Haki robbed commoners of their opportunity to charge forward and resist. Someone with Conqueror's Haki only needed to exert a little force to knock out tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people with insufficient strength and will.

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

I want them to know that when rising talents among them decided to make something of themselves, they did not have to become pirates or join the Marines.

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

As his words fell, the cigarette in Gawain's mouth had nearly burned out.

Setting down the cigarette butt, Gawain glanced at the absorbed 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 one, so I can hardly see any chance of you failing.

There are simply too many things you can make use of. With Jinbe, just one clause bringing equality to Fish-Men could nearly earn you him and the strength of an entire Ryugu Kingdom.

Neither the Marines nor pirates could easily accomplish such a clause, but for you, it would be child's play!

And Hancock—an island full of people from Amazon Lily were her eternal weakness. Before a Buster Call, she had no room to choose as their queen!

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

Among the Shichibukai, only Mihawk would be relatively troublesome, but you could replace him.

Using the Shichibukai to influence and rule the Grand Line, though their numbers would be somewhat low at first, once they were gradually supplemented, young people coming up from the Four Blues simply would not be able to resist.

Talent, funds—those things would flow endlessly to you!

I can practically already see it. The next era of the Grand Line will be called Gawain!"

As he spoke, Rayleigh irritably rubbed his beard.

"If your goal is only that, then I can barely find any possibility of your failure. So, is that truly all you want?"

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

What I've told you is only the simplest part, and the small portion least likely to fail even if it gets leaked!"

"What comes next? You said you had to seize every moment. What are you in such a hurry about, and how will you speed things up?"

"That isn't something I can 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 make all those young pirates in the Four Blues lose their dreams!"

"Pirates' dreams will only bring more suffering to those who aren't pirates!

Besides, what in this world is absolutely impossible? One day, you will stand at my side.

We can make a bet—on this bar!"