In just a few words, Urouge could tell that Uchiha Hikaru was neither a stubborn guardian of morality nor some noble, virtuous hero.
At a time when his entire crew had been wiped out, when he was seriously injured and both physically and emotionally devastated, Hikaru actually asked him such a question right in front of him.
As a pirate, no matter how hard-hearted Urouge was, he still had some emotional ties to his longtime companions. Yet at a moment like this, Uchiha Hikaru was asking him to make a decision. It was undeniably cruel.
But even so, what could Urouge say? Uchiha Hikaru had slaughtered tens of thousands of Big Mom Pirates soldiers and saved his life. Was he supposed to shamelessly stand on the moral high ground and condemn the man who had saved him?
Urouge felt his head hurting even more. His desire for freedom on the seas urged him to reject Uchiha Hikaru's offer, but the cruelty of reality made him clearly understand the right choice to make.
Surviving in the New World, even if he escaped disaster today, meant little. On seas ruled by the Four Emperors as though they were sovereigns of the world, Urouge knew he would one day face the same hopeless situation again. The problem was that he did not have the potential to defeat the Four Emperors, and without the protection of a reliable force in the New World, the usual outcome was being wiped out by a larger power.
There would not always be someone named Uchiha Hikaru descending from the sky to lend him a hand.
Hikaru simply stood in the quiet, secluded forest with his arms folded, watching Urouge struggle inwardly, looking as though he could pass out at any moment. He did not urge him.
He