Luffy and Uta were still young children, after all. They had no way of fully understanding what Tsugikuni Yoriichi meant.
But the members of the Iron Wall Pirates were all adults who had weathered countless storms. When they listened to others, they did not merely hear the words being spoken.
Knowing how to read between the lines was the mark of maturity.
Shanks's gaze fell on Tsugikuni Yoriichi's profile. He gently swayed the bottle in his hand, his expression somewhat distant.
His understanding of Tsugikuni Yoriichi had always been rather superficial.
Although the two had known each other since they were teenagers, they had never truly exchanged thoughts like these.
Shanks's impression of Tsugikuni Yoriichi was not all that different from Uta's.
Strong and gentle. On top of that, Shanks knew that Tsugikuni Yoriichi was ruthless when dealing with pirates.
But what Tsugikuni Yoriichi had just said did not quite fit with his identity as a "Marine." Only now did Shanks finally understand why someone like Tsugikuni Yoriichi had fallen out with the Marines and the World Government.
"See the world with your own eyes?"
"That isn't an easy thing to do."
"There are always certain people and certain things that cannot be exposed to the sunlight."
"They only want you to see what they want you to see."
"They only want you to do what they want you to do."
"Once you have thoughts of your own and want to do something meaningful according to your own will, they'll brand you a pirate."
"If that's the case, wouldn't it save a few steps to set sail as a pirate from the very beginning?"
"Just like you. After going around in circles, didn't you end up becoming a criminal too?"
Shanks sighed with emotion. Tsugikuni Yoriichi's words reminded him of