"Your son died. Doesn't that hurt? He was a powerful fighter."
Werther looked at Charlotte Linlin in surprise. She seemed remarkably calm.
"He barged into my fight. He deserved to die. I became one of the Four Emperors on my own. I don't owe anyone a thing.
"If one or two of my sons die, I can always have more. My children are just tools to help me become the Pirate King."
That was Charlotte Linlin, one of the Four Emperors. Even the death of her children meant nothing to her.
"The Pirate King? Charlotte Linlin, I never thought you'd be chasing something so childish.
"No. The truth is, you don't even have what it takes to pursue that title."
Werther's words made Charlotte Linlin's pupils contract.
"What do you mean? Do you know something about Laugh Tale?"
Charlotte Linlin stood still, hope in her eyes. She was waiting for Werther to reveal something about Laugh Tale.
"Heh. Do you really think there's something wonderful on Laugh Tale? Power? Treasure? Everything?
"Bullshit! What's on Laugh Tale is most likely the truth about this world. The Roger Pirates were powerful, weren't they?
"After reaching Laugh Tale, Roger turned himself in. He was seriously ill, yes, but that decision also tells you something: even the Roger Pirates couldn't bear the secret they found there.
"After Roger died, Rayleigh, Gaban, and Kozuki Oden were all still in their prime, yet every one of them went into hiding. Do you really think they'd simply lost interest in the world? They were hiding.
"Only Red-Haired, who never went to Laugh Tale, dared to keep adventuring at sea.
"Whitebeard was the strongest, but he didn't pursue Laugh Tale. He wasn't interested—and he didn't dare!
"And now Red-Haired is arguably the strongest Pirate. He isn't pursuing Laugh