Chapter 209: Fujitora's Attitude
Buffalo left to get money for Ian, while Baby-5 stayed behind.
Seeing Baby-5 glaring at him angrily, Ian didn't mind at all and said with a smile, "Could you please bring me two drinks?"
"Ah! Sure!" Baby-5's expression immediately changed, her face turning red as she turned around and hummed a tune while heading into the cabin.
This girl was really quite interesting...
Taking this opportunity, Ian also instructed the crew not to give Baby-5 a hard time.
Fujitora walked over and sat down beside Ian, asking, "The person you were just talking to on the phone, was it the Warlord of the Sea, the Heavenly Yaksha, Doflamingo?"
"Yeah, old man, you know him?" Ian said.
Fujitora nodded and said, "The name of the Seven Warlords of the Sea is thunderous, especially the Heavenly Yaksha. But why would he be looking for you?"
Ian thought for a moment, then lowered his voice and said directly to Fujitora, "I suspect it might have something to do with Vergo of the G-5 branch... He might be one of Doflamingo's men!"
Hearing this, Fujitora looked extremely surprised.
"Isn't Vergo a Marine?" Fujitora lowered his voice and asked. "Could he have colluded with the Heavenly Yaksha?"
Fujitora's understanding wasn't entirely wrong, but Ian didn't go into detail. Instead, he suddenly asked, "Uncle Issho, what do you think of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
"I'm just a wanted man now, what can I think?" Fujitora said with a chuckle.
"Come on, tell me!" Ian said. "It's fine."
He was actually curious, wondering what impression Fujitora currently had of the Seven Warlords. Ian only remembered that after Fujitora joined the Marines, he advocated for abolishing the Warlord system. But was this idea formed after observing the Warlords as a Marine, or had it already sprouted before that?
And since Ian was now aiming for a position as a Warlord, Fujitora's view on the matter was very important to him. He was trying his best to keep Fujitora on his ship.
After thinking it over, Fujitora said, "The Seven Warlords of the Sea are essentially a form of privilege. In my opinion, this system is unreasonable. The Marines' duty is to fight pirates, yet they grant a group of major pirates the title of Warlord and allow them to plunder legally. This is utterly absurd and ridiculous! In fact, having wandered the seas for many years, I've heard many rumors about the Warlords. This kind of privilege will spiral out of control over time. Vice Admiral Vergo colluding with the Heavenly Yaksha is a case in point."
Ian nodded. He knew that Fujitora's impression of the Warlords hadn't formed overnight, and what he said made a lot of sense. The Warlords were indeed a privilege, and if things continued like this, they might eventually become like the Celestial Dragons...
Smiling, Ian asked him, "What if the World Government and the Marines sent you an invitation to join the Seven Warlords?"
Fujitora laughed heartily and said, "I'm just a blind man. Why would they invite me?"
"What if they invited me to become a Warlord? What would you think, old man?" Ian changed the subject.
Fujitora was taken aback and asked, "Was what you discussed with the Heavenly Yaksha just now actually serious?"
He asked this because he had thought Ian was just bluffing when talking to Doflamingo. Although they had mentioned becoming a Warlord, Fujitora hadn't taken it seriously. But now that Ian asked, he suddenly realized it might be true.
Frowning, he said, "Young man Ian, do you really want to become a Warlord?"
"If I don't become a Warlord, what do you think I can do now?" Ian shrugged. "Killing a Celestial Dragon is a major crime. It means that if I don't clear this charge, I'll have to remain a pirate forever. Do I really have to take these companions, slowly build up my power, become one of the Four Emperors, or become another Pirate King?"
Fujitora stroked his chin and thought, *That's true. His situation is very similar to mine. Being wanted means he'll always carry the pirate label. Even I don't know what I'll become in the future. With my strength, would I really become a great pirate like the Four Emperors or go after the Pirate King? I'm forty years old—I don't have that kind of ambition anymore!*
The reason Fujitora and Ian were so alike was precisely this: they both had their own sense of justice and couldn't understand the dream of being a pirate. Things like One Piece held no appeal for them.
So, thinking it over, Fujitora felt that becoming a Warlord might actually be a good choice for Ian.
And upon closer consideration, several of the Seven Warlords were similar to Ian. Whether it was Sea Knight Jinbe, Hawk-Eye Mihawk, or Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, none of them were purely pirates. They had agreed to join the Warlords simply to avoid endless pursuit and harassment by the Marines.
With this in mind, Fujitora couldn't help but sigh and say, "What you said does make sense..."
Their conversation took place on the deck, and some members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates overheard it. Dorry scratched his head and interjected, "Captain, we don't mind you becoming a Warlord, but I've heard that the Warlords are actually lapdogs of the World Government and the Marines. Is that true? Don't forget, we escaped from the Celestial Dragons, and the Marines once hunted us down... We don't want to be their dogs again."
Ian looked at Dorry, then at the others who remained silent. He knew that this was probably how all his crew members felt.
"No," Ian shook his head. "Whether we're lapdogs or not isn't decided by others—it's decided by us. Whether we put in effort depends on our own thoughts, doesn't it?"
Sardine and the others exchanged glances, feeling that this made sense. Even if the World Government and Marines demanded something, they could just go through the motions. Could they really force them to complete it?
"And honestly, if Admiral Aokiji hadn't gone easy on us back then, we might not have escaped from Mary Geoise," Ian continued. "So don't blindly transfer your hatred of the Celestial Dragons onto the Marines!"
Fujitora nodded in agreement. Over the years, he had encountered many Marines and knew that while there were scoundrels among them, there were also good people. Ian's words were quite objective.
At that moment, Ian suddenly smiled slightly and said, "Besides, don't you think it would be a huge slap in the face to the Celestial Dragons if we, who escaped from Mary Geoise, ended up becoming Warlords granted privileges by the Marines?"
Back then, Fisher Tiger, after freeing the slaves in Mary Geoise, was injured by a Marine ambush. Because he refused to accept a blood transfusion from humans, he ultimately died. While it was a tragic story, from another perspective, it was somewhat unworthy. His death, heavily publicized by the World Government, not only boosted the Marines' authority but also indirectly solidified the Celestial Dragons' privileges!
There were countless strong people in this world. Was it really impossible that over the years, no one as strong as Fisher Tiger had wanted to rescue the slaves in Mary Geoise? Of course not. But Fisher Tiger's death made even those with such ideas keep them buried deep in their hearts.
That's how the world worked. If Fisher Tiger had lived well and the Marines could do nothing about him, Mary Geoise might have seen a different outcome. If more and more people joined the movement to free slaves, Ian didn't believe the Celestial Dragons could maintain their damned privileges!
Perhaps Uncle Kuma's suggestion that Ian become a Warlord was intended to make him a role model... The Marines' enemy was pirates, while the Revolutionary Army's enemy had always been the World Government. The Revolutionary Army was happy to strike at the World Government's authority from any angle.
If Ian were set up as an example, ambitious people might think, *Oh, look at that Ian. How did he become a Warlord? Wasn't it by attacking Mary Geoise and freeing those slaves? If I do the same, maybe I'll be the next Warlord?*
When such thoughts began to sprout, it would be good news for all the slaves still under the Celestial Dragons' oppression!
Dorry was slow-witted and took a while to grasp Ian's meaning, but the quicker ones among them had their eyes light up after hearing it.
They had regretted not being able to rescue the other slave compatriots back then. Now, hearing this, they felt that Ian becoming a Warlord might actually be a good thing!