Tsuru had come to see Hashirama today intending only to chat with him and grow a little closer.
But after hearing what he had to say, her fondness for the young man rose dramatically.
And precisely because she liked him more, she became all the more concerned about his future in the Navy.
With his best interests at heart, she tentatively asked, "Hashirama, what do you think of the Shichibukai?"
Tsuru herself disliked the Seven Warlords of the Sea system, but she could understand why the World Government had adopted it.
Rulers like the World Government cared only about stability and obedience to their order. Everything else—fairness, mercy—was little more than window dressing and propaganda for the outside world.
And often, they didn't even bother with such promises and publicity. They simply showed the "common rabble" below them their malice without any pretense.
By asking Hashirama what he thought of the Shichibukai, Tsuru was indirectly asking what he thought of the World Government.
Deep down, Hashirama disliked the system. But his dislike stemmed more from the World Government's laissez-faire attitude.
Recruiting pirates and turning them into a force for upholding justice wasn't a problem in Hashirama's eyes. It was like when he had captured the Tailed Beasts and given them to the various Shinobi Villages, hoping to bring about a balanced peace between the villages by distributing them.
The intentions behind both ideas might have been good, but problems had emerged in their implementation.
Hashirama fell silent for a moment before slowly sharing his thoughts. "The idea behind the Seven Warlords of the Sea system is a good one. Having pirates fight pirates is a sound approach. But I don't approve of the powers granted to them or the lack of oversight."
"The right to plunder legally goes too far.