April 1493 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
New World, Dressrosa Kingdom.
This land, with its centuries of history, was once the homeland of the Donquixote Family.
Eight hundred years ago, with the establishment of the World Government, the Donquixote Family relocated to the Holy Land Mary Geoise.
Becoming the Celestial Dragons who sit high above the clouds, looking down upon all living beings.
The relatives of the victors of that great war eight hundred years ago began to regard themselves as descendants of gods, embarking on eight hundred years of carefree living.
The current king of the Dressrosa Kingdom is a descendant of the Riku family, Riku Doldo III.
A benevolent king who firmly believes in 'government by benevolence'.
Lovers Avenue.
"Why is it so crowded today?"
Hanafuda, walking amidst the crowd, used his height advantage to peer into the distance.
"Ah~ There are even more people over there. Did something happen?"
"You don't know? Ah, you're travelers from outside. No wonder."
Near the two-story low-rise buildings along the street, a short, stout man with a thick beard struck up a conversation quite familiarly.
"I'm a resident here, Mond. A few days ago, a terrifying homicide happened here!"
'Homicide?'
After confirming that the so-called homicide meant killing, Hanafuda's expression turned peculiar.
'Doesn't that kind of thing happen every day on the seas?'
No one knows if they'll live to see the sun rise tomorrow.
After all, pirates are high-risk professionals who carry their lives on their belts.
"I heard it was a young man named Kyros who killed someone. He's only 15 years old! My god, killing at 15 is truly ferocious!"
"That kind of person will definitely become the most vicious and cruel pirate in the future!"
Hanafuda patted the familiar man's shoulder, pointing at himself.
"Sorry, but I'm the most vicious and cruel pirate you're talking about."
Mond froze.
"Oh, by the way, have you heard of the Beasts Pirates?"
"Of course I have! I heard they're an extremely terrifying pirate crew! Their vice-captain once slaughtered an entire island!"
"I heard the bodies were piled higher than the King's Plateau! He's a famous murderer!!"
Hearing this, Hanafuda burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha~"
"Bazel, your reputation has reached the New World!"
"Piled higher than this kingdom's palace, that would require killing tens of thousands, no, hundreds of thousands of people, right?!"
"There's no need to care about hearsay."
'Ba-zel?'
Mond suddenly turned his head. Upon clearly seeing the face of the man hidden behind Hanafuda's tall frame, his throat gulped, and his legs trembled.
"I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't have spoken ill of you!!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the man prepared to kneel and kowtow.
But a boot stopped his weak knee.
Bazel grabbed the man by the back of his collar, helping him stand straight again.
"Why apologize? The mouth is on your face. What you say is your freedom."
'Freedom...'
Mond stood up straight, but his muscles couldn't stop trembling.
He kept his head down, not daring to look at Bazel.
"Commoners have no freedom, Bazel-sama..."
"Whether it's speaking or living, we commoners without any strength have no right to speak of freedom."
"If we didn't live in the Dressrosa Kingdom, if King Riku weren't a benevolent king, we would surely be like commoners elsewhere, becoming objects of oppression."
"This kingdom is the utopia for commoners and the weak."
Bazel had no desire to argue, merely patting the man's shoulder.
"That's why I said, the mouth is on your face. You see, you found the freedom to speak here with me, didn't you?"
"At least I didn't get angry at you for calling me a murderous demon earlier, nor did I mock you for what you just said."
The surrounding members of the Beasts Pirates all wore thoughtful expressions.
"Bazel-sama, please—"
"Stop."
Walking past the bearded man, Bazel's low voice reached the man's ears.
"You're not suited to join us because you only complain about fate and others."
"There are no ordinary people, only people who willingly choose mediocrity."
"If I were you, even if I couldn't become strong enough to change this world, I would strive to make myself as strong as possible, to become less ordinary."
"Rather than hiding away in a so-called utopia for commoners."
"But for you, perhaps survival is the primary concern."
"But for me…"
The pirates of the Beasts Pirates followed Bazel away without a word.
"Whether life is exciting or not is the primary concern."
"If, when the 'lamp oil' burns out, I cannot find memories bright enough to illuminate my soul, my soul will surely weep."
'An exciting life…'
Mond's eyes were conflicted, but by the time the figures of the Beasts Pirates' group disappeared into the crowd.
He no longer had the courage to reach out and stop them.
He could only walk back to his residence, dejected.
And within the Beasts Pirates' group, Hanafuda tugged on Bazel's clothes.
"If that guy had stopped us just now, you would have let him join, right?"
"Even if he's a person without any strength."
Bazel smiled and nodded, "Correct. Courage is the hymn of humanity."
"If he didn't even have the courage for a second attempt, then there's only one outcome if he sets out to sea: being killed and fed to the fish."
"Rather than dying for no clear reason, it's better to stay here and live out his life in muddled confusion."
Pirate - Big Brain A: "As expected of Bazel-sama! The things he says sound simple, but they're always so profound."
Pirate - Big Brain B: "Exactly, exactly! This is the bearing our 'Brain of the Beasts' should have!"
Pirate - Olga trying to disguise herself as Big Brain C: "If I had eight heads too, I'm sure I could think of really, really deep things like that!"
Toki: "Not 'really, really deep'… it's 'profound', Olga. Haven't you studied at all these past two hundred years?"
Olga blinked, averting her gaze guiltily, "O-Of course I have studied!"
Toki: (staring intently~)
"Alright, alright, I haven't studied! I'm a pirate! Why would a pirate need to learn those things!"
Faced with Olga's unreasonable yet bold defense, Toki put on a smiling face.
"Then let me test you with a pirate-related question."
Olga raised her head high, with an expression that said 'Just bring it on'.
"What is the most important thing for a pirate who wants to travel from the Four Blues to the Grand Line?"
Olga froze, 'The most important thing?'
'Could it be the Log Pose?'
"Log Pose?"
Toki maintained her previous expression, "Is that your final answer?"
"No, no, wait, Toki-nee!"
Olga flustered, her eyes darting around, trying to see if any of the 'Big Brains' were sending her the correct answer.
But all she got were strange looks and expressions of amusement.
Bazel shook his head and was about to speak when Toki glared at him.
"You're not allowed to speak. This is Olga's trial!"
"A trial, huh... Fine, as long as you're happy."
Ignoring the ruckus from his Beasts Pirates' crewmates, Bazel pulled Hanafuda through the crowd ahead.
"Why did you drag me here? I wanted to hear the correct answer."
Bazel glanced sideways, his eyes playful, "Don't tell me you don't know the correct answer either?"
"Yeah, I don't know!"
Hanafuda felt no shame about his ignorance. Instead, he proudly retorted to Bazel.
"I'm not the 'Brain of the Beasts.' Why should I know that kind of thing?"
"The correct answer is the Jolly Roger." Bazel had no way to deal with Hanafuda's thick skin.
"The Jolly Roger?" Hanafuda pushed aside the civilians blocking his way, curiously pressing further, "Why that?"
"Because the Jolly Roger represents the pirate's free soul. Without a soul, how can we drive this body?"
"The reason the game Davy Back Fight allows stealing Jolly Rogers is to fundamentally crush a true pirate."
"Of course."
Bazel squeezed out of the crowd and walked toward the young man holding a blunt weapon straight ahead.
"This riddle only suits true pirates like us. As for that trash who uses freedom as a pretext to swagger and deceive, they aren't worthy of possessing such a noble soul."
Under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, Bazel reached out and grasped the weapon studded with barbed spikes.
"Young man, you can't kill anyone with something like this."
"To kill, you need the conviction to kill without fail. Hesitation won't let you defeat your enemy."
"You…"
Realizing he couldn't pull his weapon free, the still-young Kyros flipped sideways several times to put distance between himself and the strange man.
He watched Bazel warily.
"Who are you!?"
"Me? Just an ordinary man who dreams of becoming a Hero."
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