As for this money?
Fujitora put down his wine glass and sighed:
"Well, before coming here, I rescued two children at the edge of the Windless Zone and sent them back to their hometown in the West Sea."
"That place is almost a waste ground, everywhere are people starving, homeless, so I plan to go back, use this money to help them get treatment and medicine, rebuild their homes..."
"What? Lost so badly and finally managed to earn it back, only to give it all away just like that?"
Shano interrupted Fujitora, discontentedly saying, "Hey! Don't talk about such an incredible meritorious deed as if it's as simple as having a drink, Issho!"
Speaking, he casually took out a bag and tossed it in front of Fujitora.
"What is this?"
Fujitora was slightly taken aback.
"Money, just extorted from the World Government, can't spend it all."
Shano cheerfully poured himself another glass of wine, "Rebuilding an entire town, 300 million Belly is probably not enough, so add my share!"
Fujitora instinctively weighed the money bag... it was even heavier than his suitcase, at least four or five hundred million Belly.
First meeting, complete strangers, already given directly to him?
He couldn't help but smile wryly, cautiously put away the purse, and raised his glass:
"Master Shano, you are perhaps too generous, trusting me too much."
"What's the matter, it was taken for free from the World Government anyway."
Shano didn't care, clinked glasses with him, downed it all, and suddenly changed the subject:
"But, Issho, have you ever thought that just by relying on you, one person helping others here and there, it's ultimately just patching this and patching that, addressing the symptom but not the root cause?"
"..."
Fujitora was silent, placed his wine glass down, and said in a deep voice, "What do you mean, sir?"
"This world is already rotten to the core."
Shano said leisurely, "Since I started my voyage, I've been like you, helping wherever I can, but what then?"
"After we leave, nothing will change; Pirates will continue to emerge from the Four Seas towards the Grand Line, Celestial Gold will continue to suffocate people, civilians are sandwiched in between, unable to resist, just like this fragile glass..."
Clink!
The wine glass shattered instantly into pieces.
The boss lady kneeling on the ground, working hard to clean the floor, froze her actions, turned with resentment to look at Shano.
"Ah, sorry! I'll compensate you when we settle the bill later!"
Shano awkwardly scratched his head.
Once the boss lady turned back around, he looked at Fujitora again, earnestly saying:
"Without fundamentally changing this world, tragedies like these will keep repeating themselves in a vicious cycle, no matter how much patching and mending we do, it saves people temporarily but not permanently."
"The reasoning you mention is not unknown to me."
Fujitora hesitated a bit, but still shook his head and sighed, "But saying is one thing, doing is another. Those who set such grand aspirations have to face that behemoth called the World Government!"
"In this world, there have already been too many heroes and champions, either retreating in the face of the World Government's power, or achieving their own expansion, dominating local areas, and gradually lost their original intentions, like that Four Emperors Kaido..."
"Kaido?"
Smoker was taken aback upon hearing this.
How did it get involved with that guy?
"Yes, that man, despite now occupying Wano Country, has fallen into a pure tyrant and villain."
Fujitora showed a look of reminiscence, "But that guy, in his younger days, had a similar spirit to Master Shano and once declared that he would use his power to change the world..."
"What of it?"
Shano laughed loudly, his laughter showing some arrogance:
"You think I'll become the next Kaido? Don't joke around! What caliber is he, don't compare me to that kind of guy!"
"At nineteen, I'm already close to standing at the peak of this world, nineteen-year-old Kaido? Can't even beat Smoker, let alone a Navy Grand Admiral!"
Hey, boss, don't use me as a measuring unit!
Smoker twitched at the corner of his eyes.
Fujitora was speechless, this statement was a reality... couldn't find a point to refute it.
"In any case."
Shano grabbed a new wine glass and continued:
"I've always loved overcoming challenges since I was a child, this dream is only worth doing because it seems impossible!"
He drastically downed a cup of wine, with courage and boldness he said:
"Hey! Issho, I guarantee you that if you join us, you won't only continue your righteous cause but also witness... no, personally participate in creating a brand new era with like-minded people!"
"Even if, taking the ultimate step back, we fail in the end, history has been written, posterity will, in the end, remember us!!!"
Moved, Fat Tiger!
He doesn't believe this guy has no ambitions of his own! Doesn't believe this guy is willing to remain a lone hero forever!
The strong who reach the peak of the world all have their own beliefs.
Otherwise, Fujitora wouldn't have actively participated in World Recruitment to compete for a Navy Grand Admiral position!
However, this man who dares to defy the Heavenly Celestial Dragons in person, joined Marinfanto six years later because there was no other place on the sea to realize his ambitions.
But now it's different, with him here, Endgame can surely become a better home than the Navy Headquarters!