"But when the captain died, that guy suddenly said he wasn't going after the One Piece. What an awful bastard, right?!"
"The captain placed all his hopes on him, yet that guy told me he wasn't going after the One Piece anymore. What a bastard!"
"Did that bastard know what it felt like to give up hope and dreams? He even made me eat a Devil Fruit and left me stranded on land for more than twenty years..."
"Did you choose to give up on your dream just because you became a lousy swimmer? Or did you think Shanks would fulfill your dream, so you gave up?"
The words Buggy had yet to say were cut off midway. He froze in place and instinctively looked toward Hua Yue, whose gaze was indifferent, utterly confused.
"A person's dream does not completely die when it is abandoned. It is merely buried beneath the soil, waiting for the chance to take root and sprout..."
"I have no interest in the One Piece buried in Laugh Tale. What truly interests me is the history hidden within the World Government, as well as the one sitting upon the Throne of the Void."
"Work hard. I think you have what it takes to become a king, Buggy..."
Hua Yue drained the wine in his cup, smiled, and nodded before turning to leave.
The campfire crackled. Buggy stared blankly at the dancing sparks before him. Hua Yue's words were like a red-hot blade, melting away the ice that had weighed upon him with a single lift of the hand.
"I have... I have what it takes to become a king? Can I really become a king? Can I really fulfill my dream?!"
"If I can, then I want to compete with Shanks too! I want to become