After dealing with the disobedient crew members, William noticed Darwil, the mayor of Black Reef Town.
When William's gaze fell on him, Darwil's legs nearly gave out beneath him. Fortunately, two pirates beside him caught him and brought him forward to face William.
"You're from the town? What are you doing here?" William asked as he accepted a piece of cloth from Kuro and began wiping the blood off his blade.
"Y-Yes, sir," Darwil stammered, trying to steady himself. He avoided looking at the corpses on the ground, but his trembling voice betrayed his fear. "I'm the mayor of the town..."
"Mayor?" William interrupted, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
He looked up from his blade, shifting his attention to the frail old man before him.
Darwil's figure was thin and trembling in the cold wind. His clothes were dusty and tattered, his face weathered with deep lines, and his sparse white hair, atop a balding head, was disheveled and fluttering in the sea breeze.
He looked more like a beggar than a mayor.
Seeing the terror in the old man's eyes and hearing his stammering speech, William immediately understood the depth of his fear.
Glancing at the blood-soaked dock littered with corpses, William decided to extend an invitation. "Come aboard," he said. "I've been meaning to have a word with the mayor."
On the Morgan Pirates' flagship, a small round table was set up on the foredeck. It was modestly adorned with peanuts, fruit, and, of course, rum—a staple on any pirate ship.
William, along with his key officers—Harden, Kuro, Aramis, and Selkirk—sat around the table with the visibly uneasy Darwil.
William, wearing a warm smile, poured a drink for the nervous mayor. His demeanor, combined with the earlier courteous invitation and assistance as Darwil boarded the ship, gave the impression of genuine hospitality.
However, Darwil couldn't forget the same young man, now pouring him a drink with a smile, had just moments ago executed several men on the docks without so much as a blink. Any illusions he might have entertained were quickly dispelled.
Pirates—they were all ruthless, bloodthirsty killers.
William's actions weren't entirely calculated. Darwil appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, and seeing such an elderly man humbly begging for mercy stirred something in William. After all, in his previous life, William had lived as an ordinary man, much like Darwil. When he first arrived in this chaotic world dominated by the strong, he had felt just as lost and powerless.
As they drank and conversed, Darwil remained cautious, surrounded by pirates. When he heard William explain that the punishment of his crew onshore was due to their disobedience and harm to the townsfolk, a flicker of astonishment crossed Darwil's face. He quickly masked it, replacing it with a flattering smile. "Sir, you and your men are truly remarkable. It's a blessing for the East Blue to have heroes like you."
William immediately saw through Darwil's attempt to flatter him and laughed. "Heroes, you say? That's too high a praise. But let me remind you, the East Blue is the birthplace of 'Pirate King' Gol D. Roger. No matter what kind of people emerge from here, it shouldn't surprise you, Mayor."
Darwil forced an awkward smile and didn't respond.
Across the table, Harden, a devoted admirer of Gol D. Roger, perked up at the mention of the Pirate King. His eyes lit up with excitement. A straightforward and loyal warrior, Harden deeply respected William's strength and leadership, firmly believing he could become the next great pirate to rise from the East Blue.
"Captain, there's no need to be so modest!" Harden declared, his voice brimming with enthusiasm. "The 'Pirate King' Roger was the pride of the East Blue in his time, but who's to say we can't become the next pride of the East Blue? You might be the next Pirate King!"
Aramis let out an exaggerated "Wow!" and pointed at Harden with a laugh. "Who would've thought? This guy always seems so serious, but he's actually quite the flatterer!"
The others around the table burst into laughter, and even William allowed himself a faint smile. But the lighthearted moment was abruptly interrupted by a low voice:
"Gol D. Roger... the pride of the East Blue? What a joke."
The table wasn't large, and the pirates had sharp ears. Though the voice was quiet, everyone heard it clearly.
William's smile faded. He turned his gaze toward Darwil, who sat with his head lowered, staring at the drink in front of him like a schoolboy caught in trouble. William's brow slowly furrowed.
Harden, however, was not as patient. He glared at Darwil and barked, "What did you just say?"
Aramis, sensing the rising tension, tried to diffuse it with a chuckle. "Come on, maybe it was just a slip of the tongue. No need to get worked up."
But Darwil surprised everyone by raising his head and speaking loudly. "It wasn't a slip of the tongue. What right does Gol D. Roger have to be called the pride of the East Blue?"
Harden slammed his fist on the table and stood abruptly, startling Darwil, who stumbled back a few steps in fear.
"And who are you to judge the Pirate King?" Harden roared. "Gol D. Roger escaped the clutches of the World Government time and again, conquered the Grand Line, and ushered in the Great Pirate Era. If he's not the pride of the East Blue, then who is? You?"
Harden's voice grew louder with each word. Darwil, trembling at first, began to feel a different emotion welling up—anger.
"The Great Pirate Era..." Darwil muttered, his voice filled with bitterness. Memories of his family, killed by pirates, and the humiliation of bowing to countless marauders flooded his mind. His hatred for Roger and his resentment toward Harden's words overcame his fear.
"Look behind me! Look at my hometown!" Darwil shouted, stepping toward the ship's railing and pointing at the devastated Black Reef Town. The docks were a scene of destruction, with not a single intact building in sight. Smoke still rose from the ruins, remnants of the fires set by pirates. "Look at all of this! And you still call the Pirate King the pride of the East Blue?"
"Sure, the East Blue is Gol D. Roger's homeland. But look at what he's brought to the East Blue, to the world!" Darwil's voice rose to a fever pitch, filled with despair and fury. "Gol D. Roger isn't the pride of the East Blue—he's its shame!"
Harden, enraged, grabbed Darwil by the collar and lifted him off the ground, his feet dangling in the air.
"Let him go, Harden," William said calmly, still seated.
"But, Captain..." Harden protested, his face flushed with anger. He glanced back at William, trying to justify his actions, but his grip on Darwil's collar didn't loosen.
"I said," William repeated, his tone firm, "let him go."
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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