"By the way, Vic, Garp just called me. He said something similar to Sengoku's advice: don't mess with Sakazuki anymore."
After all, the appointment of Admiral will be coming soon, which will affect unity within the navy and undermine the faith of lower-ranking sailors.
As I said before, I'm just relaying a message. You decide what to do. I don't really agree with Sakazuki's concept of justice.
Although Zephyr claimed to be a messenger, his last sentence clearly showed his stance: he was on Vic's side.
Vic nodded and smiled. He knew that old man Garp was also annoyed by his old friend buzzing around his ear like a fly, which was why he made the call. Normally, he wouldn't care about these things. They weren't mortal enemies, so what was the harm in a little bickering? That's how he always acted.
Back on the warship, everyone was a bit languid, still basking in the afterglow of the hot springs. Barnett even brought out tea leaves to brew tea for them, and Vic, unusually, didn't go back to his cultivation but instead chatted and drank tea with them.
" Barnett, I've never seen you so angry at pirates before. What happened today?" Although Vic had left the bathhouse long ago, his Observation Haki had been keeping an eye on the area, and he had sensed Barnett's unusual reaction.
"This is related to my experience before joining the Navy, and it's also the starting point for my decision to become a Navy soldier!" Barnett pondered for a moment before speaking, his voice soft, as if trying to pull people into his memories.
Vic and the others remained silent, waiting for Barnett to continue and learn about his past.
Five years ago, my family was just an ordinary family on an island in the New World. There were just the right number of people in our family: my parents, my sister, my brother, and me.
As you all know, the New World is a lawless place. The Navy has never set foot in most areas, and our island is ruled by a powerful pirate crew, who demand a considerable amount of tribute every year!
Barnett recounted his past experiences, his eyes already reddening. The people listening were no ordinary people themselves, and naturally knew that this world was a dog-eat-dog world.
Vic knows more about this; the New World's waters have been basically divided up by pirates, who have turned them into their own territory.
Only a few islands that had just entered the New World were accessible to the Navy. Some became Marine Base, while others became Affiliated Nation of the World Government. The other weaker nations were basically divided up by pirates.
In places like Big Mom's Totto Land, people under her protection have to pay a certain amount of their lifespan as protection money every year. In addition, those islands have to provide a certain amount of local specialties for the Big Mom Pirates to eat every year. This is a hard and fast rule, and even handing over gold is not acceptable.
Many people will die if they fail to complete the mission. Big Mom's wrath is something most people can't withstand. Of course, there are many pirate crews like this, with various tricks and different needs. Therefore, the common people at the bottom of society become the most miserable, living entirely for others and being taken from at will.
"To raise the necessary funds for the tribute, families on the island worked day and night. If they couldn't finish their assigned work, the islanders would kidnap their children and sell them to make up the difference."
In order to ensure their children grow up safely, many adults have become numb from overwork, and many have even died suddenly while working.
Their children still couldn't escape the fate of being sold. My parents were also among the laborers; they simply didn't have the extra time or money to feed the whole family. Only the three of us children had to worry about where the food would come from!
From Barnett's account, the group roughly understood the environment he lived in at the time, which could be described as dire straits. He was in danger of being sold off at any moment. This pirate crew did not understand the principle of slow and steady wins the race. They seemed to be looking to make a quick buck and run. Vic's hand unconsciously went to the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"Our division of labor among the three of us is quite clear. My older sister is a woman, and my younger brother is still too young, so I let them focus on safer farming. They take care of the wheat field and vegetable garden, which can solve our basic food and clothing needs."
I was responsible for the more dangerous task of obtaining meat. I became a hunter, hunting in the forest and fishing in the sea. My parents were assigned too much work, and they weren't getting enough nutrition. I was afraid they would die suddenly!
After Barnett finished speaking, she closed her eyes, raised her right hand, and wiped her face. Wendy looked at Barnett with some heartache, feeling that she would cry even sooner than Barnett.
The others also have difficult backgrounds: Vic, Rebecca, Frodeku, and Ain are all alone. Ain has only been an orphan for a short time, and perhaps she meets her family in her dreams every night.
"And so, my family's life was basically maintained, and I gradually grew into an excellent hunter. We no longer lacked meat at home."
Perhaps God didn't want my family to have an easy life; what happened that day is something I'll never forget!
Barnett was probably suppressing his emotions or organizing his thoughts; he paused here.
Vic and the others knew that some kind of tragedy must have happened, so they didn't disturb Barnett. Some things are better said than kept to oneself.
"That day, I went hunting in the forest as usual. I don't know if it was good luck or bad, but I caught quite a lot of game. I got home a little later than usual. With a joyful heart, I dragged my game back to the village."
However, before I could even see the village, I saw thick smoke and flames rising from that direction. A bad feeling rose in my heart, and I quickened my pace towards the village.
When they reached the edge of the village, they saw that all the houses were engulfed in flames, and pirates dressed as guards were stationed around the perimeter, seemingly unwilling to see anyone escape from the burning buildings.
The house echoed with piercing screams, one after another, but the doors were locked from the outside, preventing their escape.
I heard the familiar voices of my family, and they cried out in pain. A surge of rage welled up inside me, and I dropped my prey, charging forward without a second thought.
Because of hunting, I was used to keeping my footsteps quiet. Without a pirate noticing, I slit his throat with my hunting knife.
Then I was discovered by other pirates, who surrounded me to kill the one who had been missed. Heh, although I had honed some skills while hunting...
However, once they were on guard, I couldn't hurt those pirates at all; I was no match for them. I could only fight and retreat, and I still ended up with many wounds on my body.
Thanks to the agility I'd honed through hunting, I held out for a while. However, I was surrounded by several pirates, and I couldn't fight them off. In the end, I was severely injured and fell into the sea.