Lott stared at Zephyr in shock, without immediately reaching out to shake his hand.
Instead, he offered a reminder. "Mr. Zephyr, you should think this through. This ship of ours is a pirate ship. Once you're aboard, getting off won't be so easy."
Zephyr froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! Although I don't know much about Peach Spring, and this is my first time meeting you, young Lott, I'm willing to trust you. I'm willing to take a gamble."
At those words, the corners of Lott's mouth lifted slightly. He stood and reached out to clasp Zephyr's left hand. "Then here's to working together."
In truth, Zephyr's arrival at Peach Spring had been completely outside Lott's expectations.
He had never even thought about the NEO Marines.
He knew that if Zephyr hadn't come to Peach Spring, or hadn't received a satisfactory answer at Peach Garden,
he would certainly have taken the same extreme path as in the original story.
That meant stealing the Dyna Stones and crushing all the pirates in the New World, even at the cost of destroying the New World itself.
After all, his family, along with many of his students and subordinates, had died at the hands of pirates.
If he truly went down that path, Peach Spring would certainly intervene, because ninety percent of the New World now fell within Peach Garden's territory.
Naturally, they would not let them destroy it like that.
In that case, Peach Spring would inevitably become their enemy.
In truth, what Lott felt toward Zephyr was mostly admiration, for a man who had upheld and practiced justice ever since childhood.
It was only the matter of the Seven Warlords of the Sea that had made him somewhat extreme.
But deep down, he still yearned for justice.
Lott