The Three Brothers Swear Brotherhood on a Wooden Stake / The Falling Island

The rolling waves left a thin white line on the sea surface. Atlas was running on the sea, his hands grabbing the back of Ace and Sabo's collars respectively, while Luffy on his shoulder clung tightly to his clothes.

They didn't use any ships; it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision to show Ace and his companions this ugly world and let them know how much harm Pirates have brought to it.

"Do you still want to be Pirates? To slaughter innocents? To burn, kill, and plunder?"

Atlas ignored Ace's embarrassment. Now was the best time to educate him; once the initial enthusiasm wore off, he might not listen anymore.

"I... the Pirates I want to be is different from this. Freedom and adventure are my reasons for becoming Pirates!"

Ace was a little unconvinced and retorted, sticking his neck out.

"Then where do you get your food, clothing, and daily necessities? Of course, you can also trade the treasures you obtain during your adventures."

Ace was about to nod when Atlas's expression suddenly turned serious.

"When you fly the Pirates flag and your name spreads across the seas, countless people will be drawn to you. They may abandon their wives and children, just like your father Roger, only without the same level of influence!"

"Don't keep mentioning Roger to me, he's not my father!" Ace's face suddenly contorted with rage. "I am a sinful bloodline, the bloodline of the Pirate King who shouldn't exist in this world. My birth killed my mother, but that bastard Roger was also the murderer who killed my mother!"

Sabo and Luffy were stunned by Ace's sudden outburst. Although Ace usually disliked the name Roger, and Sabo usually didn't dare to mention Roger to him, it seemed to be a thorn in Ace's side.

Do you hate Roger? Do you hate the era he ushered in?

"I hate Roger; he doesn't deserve to be my father."

"Then why did you choose to follow the same path as Roger?"

"I want to surpass Roger and prove that everything he did was wrong. I don't want to live my whole life in his shadow!"

Ace was undoubtedly in pain. After learning that he was Roger's son, he asked others what would happen if Roger's bloodline was left behind, but all he heard were vicious curses and insults, which made him doubt whether his existence in this world was meaningful.

"The best you can do as Pirates is become another Pirate King, not even surpass Roger!"

"However..." Atlas's lips curled into a meaningful smile, "What about ending the Great Pirate Era that Roger created with his life?"

"Roger's last words drove the entire seas mad, the era went mad, and Pirates emerged in droves! And you, as the son of the Pirate King, are you here to bring this chaotic era back on track? Isn't that your mission in this world?"

"..."

Ace remained silent.

"Or... do you actually crave a father's love?" Atlas glanced down at Ace's serious face and chuckled, "How about... you become my son!"

Ace was taken aback at first, then realized what he was saying, "What nonsense are you spouting, you bastard!"

"Hahahaha! How about it, become a Marine, Ace!"

"But how could the Navy accept the bloodline of the Pirate King?" Ace was somewhat tempted, but still hesitated. He had heard far too many curses against Roger since he was a child, and besides... his mother had been forced to delay his birth due to pressure from the Navy and the World Government, which led to her death.

"The Navy accepts all those who uphold Justice, regardless of their background! And... the World Government... heh heh!"

Sengoku definitely knew that Garp had adopted Roger's son, but he turned a blind eye out of consideration for his old comrade-in-arms. He might even have helped Garp hide it from the World Government, just like when Kuzan let Sengoku go and Robin didn't pursue the matter but pretended not to know.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be the Fleet Admiral, and you'll be the Marine Admiral, Ace!"

Luffy happily echoed his sentiment.

"Idiot, with your meager abilities, you think I'd be the Fleet Admiral?"

Ace rolled his eyes. Although his previous battle with the King of Mount Colubo had improved his attitude towards Luffy, it didn't change the fact that he looked down on Luffy's meager strength.

"But..."

Sabo was being held to the left, saw that Ace had been successfully led astray. He looked conflicted. Didn't we agree to go to sea and become Pirates together? We'd been saving money for three years, and now you're saying you want to join the Marines?

"You really hate your aristocratic parents, don't you?"

Atlas naturally noticed Sabo's expression. In order to prevent his victory from being ruined, he decided to strike first and, while the iron was hot, lure Sabo over to gather the three 'ASL' brothers.

"Hmm? How did Mr. Atlas know?"

Sabo was filled with countless speculations. He remembered that Sabo had never mentioned his background, and even Ace didn't know about his noble status. (It seems that Ace only learned about Sabo's noble status when they burned down the Gray Terminal.)

"Sabo, you're actually a nobleman!"

Ace looked surprised.

"I didn't mean to hide it from you. I was long tired of the hypocritical and filthy lives of those nobles, so I ran away from that family a long time ago. I have always felt deeply ashamed of my noble status!"

"What are nobles? Are they tasty?"

Luffy the glutton is back online.

"Idiot! That's not food!"

"Oh, okay."

Atlas remained calm and unhurried, reciting his prepared explanation, "I've mentioned Haki to you before, including a special Observation Haki that allows one to see through people's hearts..."

"Seeing through people's hearts?"

Ace and Sabo exclaimed in surprise, never expecting such terrifying power to exist in the world!

"You're right, Sabo. This world is sick. If the world is a tree, the common people are the roots, and all the nobles, including the Celestial Dragons, are the pests that gnaw at the roots."

There are only two ways to change the world...

Chapter 143 The Three Sworn Brothers on the Wooden Stakes

"Reform and revolution!"

Atlas's gaze was deep as he slowly uttered his answer.

Sabo looked bewildered. Although he had received some aristocratic education, both reforms and revolutions touched upon the vested interests of the nobility, so his understanding in this area was still blank.

"Reform is a top-down process of improvement. Just like dealing with a tree that has been ravaged by insects, we need to remove the pests, prune away the rotten branches and roots, so that it can regain its vitality."

"Revolution is like cutting down a sick tree and planting a new one. This not only requires a lot of sacrifice and bloodshed, but also a powerful force to fight off the parasites. And this is a world that relies on force, so the path of revolution is extremely dangerous and difficult!"

"If it were you, which method would you choose, Sabo?"

In the world of Pirates, a world with extraordinary martial prowess, facing World Government that has been in power for eight hundred years, both revolution and reform are extremely difficult.

However, in Atlas's view, relying on the military power of the World Government's navy to reshuffle the world's power structure, including the World Government, was undoubtedly much more reliable than revolution. Dragon's Revolutionary Army was insufficient to shake the World Government's rule, whether in terms of organizational program or actual strength.

You might say that his revolutionary ideas would shake the foundations of the World Government; otherwise, the World Government wouldn't have listed Dragon as the world's most heinous criminal after learning of the Revolutionary Army's existence.

Atlas found this idea utterly laughable. In a normal world with cold weapons, that would indeed be true, but the World Government's military strength and technology were far beyond what some immature ideologies could contend with. Moreover, the World Government's ruling class was not the commoners, but the aristocracy, so the lives and thoughts of the commoners were simply not something the Five Elders would consider.

Sabo's expression was conflicted. Although he had always hated his noble birth, he had never thought about changing the world. At such a young age, he just wanted to escape this suffocating place and pursue freedom on the vast sea. In this respect, he was undoubtedly very similar to Ace. Otherwise, the two would not have hit it off and become friends so quickly.

"You mean... overthrowing the World Government's rule?"

Ace, who had been pondering this intently, finally discerned something different in the meaning.

"But aren't you in the navy?"

"That's right, precisely because I'm a Marine!"

"So, Mr. Atlas, what should we do if we take the path of reform?" Sabo, being the most intelligent of the three brothers, quickly got to the heart of the matter.

"The Navy! Only the Navy, and only the Navy, can change this world, because the Navy is currently the only Armament organization that believes in Justice but is not entirely controlled by the World Government. Nurturing a completely new Navy with the support of the World Government is the best solution at present."

In fact, Zephyr's NEO Marines has some merits, but firstly, it needs to be completely independent, which Atlas cannot do yet, lacking the decisive effect in terms of both strength and status.

After listening to Atlas's insights, Sabo did not immediately give his own answer. Atlas was not in a hurry either. The three little ones were now like turtles in a jar to him, unable to escape even if they wanted to.

Although Orange Town is some distance from Foosha Village, it's not a problem at all for Atlas, who possesses Divine Speed. The main concern is that the three of them, Ace and his companions, wouldn't be able to withstand such high speeds.

Three days have passed since Atlas last took Ace and the other two off the island.

For the past three days, Ace and Sabo have not mentioned going to sea to become Pirates again. Instead, they have given all the treasure they had secretly saved to Dadan and her crew. Dadan was overjoyed. Although she said that she didn't care about such a small amount of money, her fat face was beaming like a blooming chrysanthemum.

On a clearing deep in the Mount Colubo, there are some logs left after the trees have been felled.

The empty forest was quiet. Luffy, dressed in a white shirt, and Sabo, dressed in a gentleman's suit, were bored out of their minds! They lay listlessly on the grass, watching the white clouds change shape.

They already knew that Atlas intended to take them back to Marine Headquarters, but they felt no fear of the unknown, only curiosity and longing for the outside world.

"Hey! Sabo, where did Ace go?"

Luffy up and looked around before turning his gaze to Sabo, who looked quite content.

"I don't know, he's being so secretive..."

Sabo was also a little confused, since it was Ace who had called the two of them here.

Hey! I'm here!

Suddenly, the bushes beside them rustled, and a figure wearing a red vest darted out, leaping and landing steadily on the huge wooden stake.

He quickly arranged the small bowl in his hand, bit off the cork, and poured the clear liquor evenly into the bowl. "I found this on Atlas warship. It seems that Smoker secretly hid it."

Atlas has been bringing them onto the warship these past few days, but Smoker seems to Luffy, constantly Luffy.

"But," Sabo, somewhat puzzled, "Why did Ace steal a bottle of wine?"

Ace shoved a small bowl of wine in front of Sabo, and a fragrant aroma wafted into his nostrils. A smile appeared on his face. "This is called the sworn brotherhood wine. Once we drink this, we'll be brothers."

"A sworn brotherhood feast? Is it like the Three Oaths in the Peach Garden?" Luffy asked excitedly.

"The Three Oaths in the Peach Garden?"

"Yeah, it's the story the uncle told me about the three marines who swore an oath to wipe out all Pirates in a peach orchard! The uncle really didn't lie to me!"

Luffy nodded emphatically, even excitedly pumping his fist.

"..."

Although the art style felt a bit strange, Ace still pushed Luffy's cup towards him, saying, "We're going to Marine Headquarters soon. We might not be crewmates anymore, but we're all fighting for our dreams!"

"Then let our brotherhood be our bond! Even if we're not together, we'll still be connected." Ace's face flushed slightly as he raised his glass and shouted excitedly, "I'm going to end the Great Pirate Era! Boil this down!"

"I want to become Fleet Admiral!"

"I will overthrow this disgusting nobility!"

Cheers! ×3

The warm sunlight spilled onto the splashing wine, refracting it into a dazzling golden hue. The smiles of the three seemed frozen in this moment, pure and beautiful...

Chapter 144 The Fallen Island

As the crisp morning light shone, Atlas and his entourage slowly departed from the Foosha Village.

Unlike before, there were three more small figures on the ship, and they were three particularly voracious eaters.

"Hey! You brat, don't try to take it from me!"

Inside the restaurant, Smoker gritted his teeth as he watched the food dwindle on his plate. Not only had they stolen his stash of fine wine yesterday, but now they were even trying to take his food. He really didn't understand why Atlas insisted on bringing these three kids to Marine Headquarters; they weren't even old enough to join the army.

Ace and the other two ignored Smoker and their hands moved like blurs as they frantically devoured the food on the table.

There was nothing they could do; they got so drunk yesterday that they fell asleep deep in the Mount Colubo. Luckily, Atlas's Observation Haki had a wide enough range, otherwise the three of them would have turned into three piles of some wild beast's excrement.

However, Atlas, wanting to teach the three brats a lesson, didn't use the Horse Talisman to sober them up. As a result, they slept until the next morning. The three of them already had enormous appetites, and having not eaten for a day, their intense hunger almost devoured them.

As for overeating being bad for your health? Don't be ridiculous. Can you even apply normal standards to the digestive abilities of those three people?

Vacation time always flies by, but Atlas's trip to the East Blue was very successful. Not only did he obtain a Supreme Grade Sword grade Famous Sword, but he also recruited several very promising naval reserves. Now he just needs to arrive in Loguetown and complete the handover of the warships before he can return home smoothly.

On the deck of the warship, Atlas lay on a wicker chair, not wearing his usual pure white Suit, but with his upper body bare, his strong body exposed to the sun. A pair of baggy beach shorts covered his private parts. Opposite him were his three brothers, who were being baked in the scorching sun.

"Hey! You guys are going to become a powerful navy someday, so keep it up!"

The three children, wearing special naval weighted suits, were doing squats frantically under the scorching sun. Sweat trickled down their skin, eventually forming small streams beneath them. Fortunately, even the warships of the Four Seas Branch were sturdy enough that there was no risk of leaks.

"Smoker, give them some water. Don't let them collapse before the training is even over."

Atlas turned to Smoker was smirking to himself, and gave him an order.

Although the three brothers have abnormal physiques and don't need to worry about overtraining causing hidden injuries, they are typical of "training to the death as long as they don't die," especially Luffy. However, they still can't withstand long-term and large-scale water loss, so necessary hydration is still required.

Although he is not as professional as Zephyr in terms of training and instruction, his superhuman Observation Haki and abnormal Horse Talisman are advantages that Zephyr does not possess.

"Lieutenant Vice Admiral, at our current speed, we still have one day's journey to reach Loguetown. Should we maintain this speed or sail at full speed?"

The navigator on the warship ran over and reported.

Because it's currently on holiday, Atlas has been traveling at a relatively slow speed.