" Vic! Why don't you let us chase after them and wipe out Blackbeard and his crew?"
Around the campfire, everyone was eating roasted meat and drinking fine wine. Rebecca was still furious. Blackbeard was really despicable for daring to ruin Vic's reputation. Uncle could tolerate it, but Aunt couldn't. Although Rebecca wasn't Aunt, she was also getting angry!
Vic rushed over to rescue Marco after receiving intelligence that they had been attacked, only to be accused by Blackbeard of framing them. It was a complete fabrication and a frame-up. Rebecca really wanted to fly over and kill that sleazy Blackbeard, but Vic's intervention puzzled her, so Rebecca couldn't help but sit down next to Vic and ask him.
" Blackbeard is too cunning; he even tricked Whitebeard to death. I'm afraid you'll suffer. If I were here, you could do whatever you want with him. But saving them is the priority. Letting them go this time won't hurt!"
After finishing his drink, Vic replied, "Blackbeard is a bit strange. Vic guesses that apart from his otherworldly soul and the destined protagonist of this world, no one else can defeat Blackbeard."
Therefore, he didn't want Rebecca and the others to take the risk. He would be heartbroken to lose any of his companions, so he simply let them go. Either he would personally take care of them when they met again, or he would wait for Luffy to grow up and take them down. In any case, Blackbeard's ultimate fate was to be a supporting character, and he wouldn't pose a threat to Vic.
"What will we do then? If it happens once, it will happen again; we can't always be there in time!"
Rebecca pointed to Marco and the others who were still asleep on the ground and asked, she knew that Vic wanted to repay Mantis's favor, but she couldn't keep them tied down forever. Blackbeard was clearly not the kind of guy who would give up easily, and she didn't want to be a babysitter forever.
"I've been thinking about this. If Marco and the others don't give up their territory, they can only hold out until Ace returns from his training. Otherwise, they won't be able to stop Blackbeard. But can they hold out for that long?"
Given Blackbeard's series of schemes, territory is their next target. Actually, I want to persuade Marco to give up the territory first and wait for Ace to return before fighting back. Compared to the Blackbeard Pirates, I'd rather the Whitebeard Pirates occupy those islands; at least the common people there would be better off!
Vic truly had no intention of fighting for territory, otherwise he would have already taken action. His ultimate goal has always been freedom, not fame or fortune, so he never thought of taking over those territories, even if the other party was the Blackbeard Pirates.
"If they can't hold it, why can't we?"
Rebecca didn't say it directly, but her meaning was clear. However, her words were still harsh. It was only because Marco and the others were still asleep that she could have said such a thing. But she still had something on her mind that she felt compelled to say.
Ultimately, she hoped that Vic would rise to a higher position and also wanted to protect the ordinary people in those territories. Vic never collected taxes or tributes, and she only respected Vic when it came to protecting civilians.
"No need. Having territory and power would only bind us, and the bigger the territory, the more trouble we'd have. That's not my intention or pursuit. The Whitebeard Pirates are doing a great job!"
Vic rejected Rebecca's proposal. He genuinely didn't care about the title of Four Emperors, nor about the size of his territory. He didn't collect taxes or tributes, so having such a large territory was meaningless. Instead, he would have to protect the countries and civilians within his territory, and if problems arose, he would suffer infamy. It was a thankless and exhausting task.
You're saying that just having him collect some taxes and tributes would be fine, but then what's the difference between him and other pirates? In the end, all those spoils will still end up in the hands of the common people, which is not what Vic wants to see, so it's best to stay away from them.
Taxation is not wrong, but there should be a limit. At least income should reach a certain standard before taxes can be levied to ensure that people with lower incomes can survive. However, it is difficult to operate in this world at present. The final result will probably be that the rich are exempt from taxes, and the poor will have to bear the burden. This kind of operation was too common in the feudal era of Vic's previous life. He doesn't have that much energy to get entangled with those people.
"Huh? I'm still alive? That Teach!"
The next morning, Marco woke up from his sleep. Although he was still a little groggy, the lewd face of his enemy Teach instantly flashed into his mind, and he couldn't help but curse.
He propped himself up and looked around, finding himself lying in a tent, covered with an animal skin blanket. There was no sign of shackles on his wrists or ankles, and Jozu, that big guy, was snoring loudly beside him. Seeing this, Marco felt much more at ease!
Marco knew they were most likely saved, but he didn't know who had driven off Teach's group. He was inclined to believe Red-Haired Shanks, and he didn't think Teach would be so kind as to let him go and allow him to sleep with his friends. He wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing.
"Hey! Jozu! Wake up!"
Marco nudged Jozu beside him, and seeing that the other was fast asleep, he slapped him a few times in the face to wake him up.
Jozu was also confused. He propped himself up and looked around, his mind still reeling, only feeling a burning pain on his face.
" Marco! Did you see someone hit me just now? Why does my face hurt a little?"
"I didn't see him. I just woke up too. It's probably Jesus Burgess. You beat him up so badly before, he's probably getting revenge on you!"
Jozu asked Marco with a bewildered look, and Marco replied with a serious expression, "Anyway, I can't admit that I hit him, since no one else saw it."
It's true that Jesus Burgess got a good beating from Jozu. When Jozu was controlled by Blackbeard's black substance, Jesus Burgess did a lot of things, so it's no big deal that Jesus Burgess got a few slaps. He's got too many debts to worry about anyway.
"Hey! You're awake? Come out and get something to eat, Jozu! Why is your face so red? Aren't you embarrassed sleeping with Marco? Or did Marco do something unspeakable to you last night?"
Just as Joz and Marko were staring at each other blankly, Vic lifted the tent flap and walked in.
Marco and Jozu were quite surprised to see Vic. Marco woke up early and was still relatively clear-headed, quickly realizing that his previous guess was wrong. The person who saved them was actually Vic. It was no coincidence that Vic, this reclusive pirate who rarely went out, would appear at the scene of their battle.
As for Jozu, he was completely dumbfounded. He had been knocked unconscious by Jesus Burgess long ago, and he didn't see the scene where Marco was provoked and fought desperately. He also didn't know that he had almost been killed for his own good.
So he had no idea what happened next, and when Vic appeared, he only showed surprise at not seeing him for a long time. But he was quickly made even more embarrassed by Vic's words. If you didn't know what Vic was saying, you would really think that he and Marco had done something.
"Don't just stand there, Vista and the others have gone to get something to eat, only the two of you are left, let's go!"
Vic stopped smiling mischievously, urged them on, and turned to leave, leaving the two still somewhat confused.
Before long, the two arrived at the campfire, where someone naturally offered them prepared food. After stepping out of the tent, they looked around before coming over. This was the same place where they had fought the Blackbeard Pirates before, and even the traces of the battle were still there. The two felt somewhat lucky; yesterday had really been dangerous!