That night, in a quiet room, Kakarot sat alone at his desk beneath the dim yellow lamplight,
drawing on his extensive knowledge of the pirate world to carefully consider and plan the various matters involved in setting sail after he turned seventeen.
His gaze was focused, and he alternated between frowning and nodding.
Suddenly, Kakarot's expression changed, as though he had abruptly remembered something terrible.
He had thought of the Mink Tribe's almost blindly slavish loyalty to the Kozuki Clan of Wano Country.
To him, Wano Country's closed social system and its antiquated, rigid ideas and culture were all repulsive. He had no fondness for any of them.
If Lilith and the others think that way too, that'll be trouble! Kakarot thought, his brows drawing tightly together.
I'll have to add a special class on ideology for them, so they can experience the uplifting ideals of equality and freedom from that red nation!
I absolutely cannot let such rotten ideas influence them.
The next morning, dawn light spilled gently into the room through the window.
After breakfast, Kakarot gently told Lilith to go play with Emily and the others.
Once Lilith had happily left, he headed straight to where Aunt Lina was.
"Aunt Lina, I heard that the Mink Tribe is loyal to the Kozuki Clan of Wano Country,"
Kakarot said solemnly, his expression serious and his eyes worried. "I'd like to ask you about the details."
Lina was busy organizing things. When she looked up and saw Kakarot's serious expression, she couldn't help chuckling softly, her eyes curving with amusement.
She stopped what she was doing, led Kakarot over to sit on the sofa, and began slowly:
"Kakarot, I know you're worried about Lilith and the others, afraid they'll be influenced by harmful ideas. But don't worry just yet. Let me tell you a story."
"Hundreds of years ago, the Kozuki Family, which ruled Wano Country, and the Mink Tribe forged a deep, sincere friendship over the years.
"Back then, the two peoples had close ties. They helped one another and weathered many hardships together, their friendship growing deeper with time.
"However, as the long years slowly passed, things quietly changed.
"At some point, the Mink Tribe gradually began to regard the Kozuki Clan as their masters, willingly lowering their own status and treating them as household servants would.
"At the time, this change did not alarm many people.
"Not until a century ago did a group of Minks, led by the three royal tribes-the tigers, lions, and bears-begin to strongly reject this way of thinking.
"The Bear King of the bear Minks was particularly firm in his stance.
"A yearning for freedom always burned in his heart,
"and he did not want to shackle his descendants' futures simply because of that so-called debt of gratitude, making them serve the Kozuki Family for generations.
"In the Bear King's eyes, every Mink should have a free soul, like birds in the sky or beasts running across the grasslands.
"He believed that although a debt of gratitude was a precious legacy from their ancestors, and repaying kindness was only right,
"it should never come at the expense of their descendants' freedom, reducing them to household servants of the Kozuki Clan.
"These rebellious ideas of freedom, considered utterly treasonous at the time, were like a boulder cast into a still lake, instantly sending up towering waves.
"Tensions quickly escalated between the Tiger King, Lion King, Bear King, and their supporters, and the Minks who remained unwaveringly loyal to the Kozuki Family. Conflict was on the verge of erupting.
"Although the Minks supporting the three kings were far fewer in number, the tiger, lion, and bear tribes were the three strongest groups among the Mink Tribe,
"and with their outstanding strength, they held their own throughout the fierce struggle despite being outnumbered, never showing any sign of defeat.
"But then the situation took an unexpected turn that caught them completely off guard.
"The dog and cat tribes, who had stood alongside the three kings and supported them all along, suddenly turned against them.
"As it turned out, deep down, they had always remained loyal to the Kozuki Clan. Their earlier support had been nothing but a facade.
"Later, they even secretly contacted the Moonlight Family, and the two sides colluded to lay a trap.
"In the end, under their combined onslaught, the Tiger King, Lion King, and Bear King were tragically killed. With the three kings dead, their supporters lost their pillars of strength.
"Immediately afterward, a brutal campaign of extermination began.
"The forces loyal to the Kozuki Clan tried to wipe out all three tribes, using extremely cruel methods.
"If the tiger and lion tribes hadn't taken precautions and preserved a remnant of their bloodlines, there probably wouldn't be a trace of either tribe left on Zou.
"The bear tribe wasn't so fortunate. They were almost completely wiped out on Zou, though some fought desperately to escape overseas,
"along with members of other tribes who supported the three kings' ideals. In unfamiliar lands overseas, they began a difficult struggle to survive."
Understanding dawned on Kakarot, and his mind cleared:
I'm in a real world now. This world is by no means only as big as what's shown in anime and novels. It's vast and real!
Even if I know the plot and some historical events, there are plenty of details I don't know.
Lina took a small drink of water to moisten her throat, then continued her unhurried account. "Afterward, with strong support from the Kozuki Clan and the backing of many other Minks,
"the cat and dog tribes naturally became the Mink Tribe's two royal tribes. They jointly managed the tribe's affairs, splitting the twenty-four hours of each day between them, each responsible for a different period.
"As for our tiger and lion tribes, having once been among the three royal tribes, we naturally became targets.
"In those difficult circumstances, in order to survive in the Mokomo Dukedom,
"we made a change. Like ordinary Minks, we no longer forbade our people from marrying and having children with ordinary humans.
"You see, members of Mink royalty had to be pure-blooded Minks.
"After we did that, the pressure directed at us eased considerably, and only then were we able to continue living on this land.
"Still, marrying ordinary humans wasn't entirely a bad thing. Later, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that although mixed-blood Minks might have slightly weaker innate physical constitutions,
"some newborns showed significantly greater talent and potential, with much more room to develop.
"From then on, the tiger and lion tribes, along with some tribes that shared our ideals, chose to quietly lie low on Zou, no longer readily bringing up that past.
"However, even during these years of keeping a low profile, we unwittingly drew in quite a few others who were likewise unwilling to become servants of the Kozuki Clan."
Hearing this, Kakarot tensed inwardly, and a thought flashed through his mind.
He wondered whether they had been planning another upheaval, causing this generation to disappear inexplicably.
His expression grave, he asked cautiously, "Aunt Lina, I agree with your views from the bottom of my heart,
"but I still want to ask: have you ever thought about changing all this through force?"
Lina couldn't help chuckling softly when she heard this. With a measure of acceptance and helplessness in her eyes, she said slowly, "How could we, Kakarot?
"It's already an immense stroke of luck that we can live in peace now.
"Besides, look at where we are. We're on the outskirts of town.
"We only have a few hundred companions, and some have already gone overseas to make their way.
"We don't want to stay only on Zou, either. We yearn for a wider world!"
Only after hearing Lina's words did the weight finally lift from Kakarot's heart.
He couldn't help making the connection. Then it would be perfectly normal for Aunt Lina and the others not to be on Zou twenty-odd years from now. They might all have left.
I thought Zou shouldn't be in any danger. After all, no log pose points toward Zunesha!
"Thank you, Aunt Lina!" Kakarot said sincerely, his eyes full of happiness.
This account of the Mink Tribe's hidden past had taught him a great deal.
Lina gently stroked his head and said, "Silly child, I'm the one who should thank you for caring so much about Lilith and the others.
"If anything else troubles you in the future, just come and talk to me, like you did today."
Kakarot nodded firmly, committing that warmth and trust to heart.
"Aunt Lina," Kakarot said, his expression especially solemn, his eyes filled with resolve and enthusiasm,
"I've thought it over, and I've decided to give Lilith and the others a class on ideology every morning after we have breakfast.
"This won't be an ordinary class. It's something I learned from an extremely powerful country, where the people live incredibly happy lives and the whole nation brims with vigor and vitality.
"I think those principles and ideas will be a tremendous help as Lilith and the others grow up."
Kakarot's eyes were full of pride and love.
A gentle smile appeared on Lina's face. Her eyes filled with curiosity, she nodded lightly and said,
"Of course, that's no problem. There's plenty of room in the house, more than enough for your classes.
"As it happens, I've always wanted to know what sort of place could give rise to those stories you've told.
"I'll listen along with them and broaden my horizons too."
Afterward, feeling somewhat more relaxed, Kakarot turned to look for Lilith and the others,
intending to enjoy the simple happiness of the moment and tell them to come to their house after the first "Benevolence Rain" each day from then on.
That evening, Kakarot began writing an "Ideological Program" tailored to the characteristics of the pirate world.
He decided to gradually refine it in the future. After all, although he had close family and friends in this world,
if their ideas and values differed too much, he would still feel lonely inside.
Before you continue