The Choices They Made

Mia was pressed far too close.

Mosen had noticed long ago that Mia had quite a figure.

Mosen forcibly pulled Mia off him, then put on a blank expression and said, "Mia, calm down. Just listen to me, and keep your hands to yourself."

"I'm just excited!"

"Even if you're excited, keep your hands to yourself."

Mia gave a little "oh" and sat back down.

"What I'm about to tell you is a secret. I'm actually more than just a Marine."

"More than just a Marine? What do you mean? Mosen, are you secretly connected to pirates too?" Ian asked with a frown.

"No, I'm not a pirate either. I'm a member of a secret organization. Our goal is to overthrow the World Government, bring down the Celestial Dragons, and usher in a new dawn for this world."

"Overthrow the World Government? Is that really possible?" Michael asked, stunned.

"I don't know, but someone has to try. Paddy, you became a pirate because your country couldn't afford the Celestial Gold and had no choice but to forgo the protection of the World Government and the Navy, leaving you to seek protection from another Great Pirate.

"Mia, your crew robs corrupt nobles and helps the poor. That's a good thing, but have you ever wondered why there are so many people who can't even afford to eat?

"Ian, you used to be a bounty hunter. You became a pirate just because you killed pirates who were in league with nobles.

"Michael, your case is even more obvious. The Celestial Dragons deserved to die for slaughtering ordinary people. You did nothing wrong by trying to stop them.

"But now you're all locked up in Impel Down. Have you ever considered why?"

After hearing Mosen's words, the four fell silent.

After a long while, Mia spoke first. "So, Warden, you want us to join your organization, right?"

"That's right. But if you don't want to, I won't force you. I'll still find a way to get you out of Impel Down. This isn't a deal, and you don't need to join out of gratitude for me saving you."

"Mosen, is your organization already fighting the World Government?" Ian asked.

"Not yet. We're still building our strength in secret."

"Will your organization target the Navy?" Michael asked.

"No. I can guarantee that. Michael, our leader has deep ties to the Navy, just like you. He would never target it."

Hearing this, Michael imagined the organization's leader as someone with a similar past to his own.

"Then why did you join this organization, Mosen? With your talent, the Navy should be grooming you for great things," Michael continued.

"Because the Celestial Dragons killed my parents, and I nearly ended up as their slave."

The others were stunned. None of them had expected Mosen to have gone through something like that.

After hearing Mosen's words, Michael was completely reassured about the organization behind him. He immediately said, "Mosen, I'm in."

"I'm in too. I've hated the Celestial Dragons and those nobles for ages. If the World Government disappears, those disgusting nobles will go with it. Two birds with one stone!" Ian chimed in.

"Count me in! Overthrowing the World Government sounds like a lot of fun. I can't stand the Celestial Dragons either. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be stuck in this lousy place. What about you, Paddy?" Mia turned to ask her.

"If you're joining, Mia, then I'm joining too," Paddy said without hesitation.

"Don't do that! Paddy, don't just follow me on something like this! Fighting the World Government is incredibly dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt because of me."

Hearing Mia's words, Paddy scratched her head and fell into thought.

After a moment, Paddy said, "I want to join for my own reasons too, because I don't like the World Government.

"I remember my father telling me before I set sail that our country was terribly poor. Many ordinary people could barely afford to eat. If we joined the World Government and paid Celestial Gold every year, half the population would starve to death.

"As royalty, we had a responsibility to make sure the people of our country had enough to eat and warm clothes, and an even greater responsibility to protect our country. So it made sense for me, the most talented fighter in our family, to go to sea and become a pirate, then find a powerful backer.

"My father said he was sorry for what he was putting me through. I wasn't very bright, so I didn't think there was anything wrong with being a pirate. Besides, I ate a lot. If I went to sea, we could save a lot of food and give more of it to the people, so I set sail.

"I went home a few times while I was away. Every time, my father said he was the one who had dragged me into this. I didn't understand what he meant, so I asked Lord Shiki.

"Lord Shiki told me my father wasn't to blame, and neither was I. The World Government was at fault. He said that if he became King of the World, my country wouldn't have to pay Celestial Gold and would still be protected.

"That was when I decided to follow Lord Shiki and help him become King of the World. Then my country wouldn't have to pay Celestial Gold, and my father wouldn't keep saying he'd dragged me into this.

"But Lord Shiki failed, and I was captured too. Still, I don't think he was wrong. The World Government shouldn't be allowed to continue existing, so I want to join."

It was the first time Mosen had heard Paddy say so much since they met, but her words also helped him understand her better.

There was no doubt that Paddy and her father were good people. As royalty, they could have joined the World Government without caring what happened to ordinary people. They could have paid the Celestial Gold with other people's lives, since it wouldn't affect them anyway.

But they hadn't. They had chosen to stand with the ordinary people. A royal family like that deserved respect.

After reaching an understanding with the four, Mosen let out a long breath. At least he hadn't misjudged them.

Over the next few days, Mosen trained while thinking about exactly what he would do when the Golden Lion escaped.

But, to Mosen's surprise, before the Golden Lion had a chance to escape, another batch of prisoners arrived.

That day, Mosen was practicing drawing and sheathing his sword as usual when the doors to Extreme Cold Hell suddenly opened. He hurried over. New prisoners had arrived.

There were eight prisoners in all—seven men and one woman—and Magellan had escorted them personally.

Seeing Magellan, Mosen froze. He hadn't expected him to escort the prisoners himself.

"Lord Magellan, why did you bring the prisoners here personally?" Mosen asked as he went to meet him.

"One of these prisoners is rather unusual. I was worried something might go wrong, so I brought them here myself," Magellan replied solemnly.

A very interesting Devil Fruit will appear in the next chapter.