After Zephyr came aboard the ship, Noah knew he couldn’t hide anymore.
His swordsmanship could rival Izo, and his Haki, too, but his physical condition was impossible to hide.
So, he greeted Zephyr openly.
“Adam, a writer?
Please wait a moment.”
At this, Noah saw Zephyr pull out a small booklet containing famous quotes from his works, with a newspaper clipping photo tucked inside.
Zephyr held it up and compared it, realizing the person before him was the same one in the photo.
“You are Mr.
Adam, the one who wrote ‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’ and ‘Water Margin,’ aren’t you?
It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Zephyr became very excited.
Perhaps Noah didn’t feel it in the Four Seas, but in the Grand Line, the name “Adam” was famous.
In the Great Pirate Era, Adam was the pinnacle of the entertainment world.
Countless pirates, Marines, and ordinary people from all walks of life deeply revered Adam’s works.
The people of the pirate era had very little in terms of spiritual life, with their cultural industry being somewhat akin to the medieval level of the Earth.
Noah’s works, however, opened up a new world.
As soon as “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” was released, it showed people that one could speak like this, act like this, and experience such mysterious stories.
This was infinitely better than the short stories circulating on the sea.
Zephyr himself was particularly fond of the line:
“The hymn of humanity is a hymn of courage!
The greatness of humanity is the greatness of courage!”
It wasn’t just Zephyr who liked it; high-ranking Marines like Sengoku also loved it.
It was truly inspiring.
Therefore, Mr.
Adam, Noah’s first alias, had a large number of influential fans on the sea, and their average strength was exceptionally high.
That photo was taken at the request of the World Economic News when “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” celebrated its first anniversary, saying it was to give back to the fans.
Noah thought that if he wanted to separate his Noah and Adam personas, becoming famous was a good plan.
Anyway, his disguise used makeup from one of the Earth’s Four Great Arts, waterproof makeup, so as long as he wasn’t touched by the Wash-Wash Fruit, he’d be fine.
Seeing that Zephyr was actually a fan of his books, Noah reflected, wondering if his plan had been too successful.
Afterward, Zephyr invited Noah to the warship for a chat, wanting to ask the original author some questions about his novels.
He gladly agreed, bringing his younger sister, Haibara Ai, aboard the Marine warship.
The first thing they did upon boarding was an autograph session.
These young Marines were too restless, cheering and pulling out Noah’s works from their luggage.
Quite a few had complete box sets.
Marine salaries were indeed good.
Noah was then invited to the mess hall to sample the warship’s food.
He also got to see the less secret parts of the warship, going through the visitor’s tour.
Finally, they arrived at the ship’s reception room.
Noah and Robin sat on the sofa, comfortably sipping hot tea and eating fruit.
Robin had never imagined she would board a warship as a guest and receive such a warm welcome.
“I apologize for the inadequate hospitality.
Conditions on the ship are tough, and we don’t have much to offer.
Next time you come to Marie Geoise, I will definitely treat you well.”
Noah thought, Marie Geoise is somewhere he dared not go now.
He quickly changed the subject, wanting to steer Zephyr away from his hospitable intentions.
“Mr.
Zephyr said you wanted to discuss some questions about the novel’s content.
What are they?”
It turned out Zephyr, being a loyal fan, was following both “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” and “Water Margin.”
“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” was a fantasy adventure story.
Although it had some supernatural elements, they weren’t that novel in the pirate world.
The key was that the story and its spirit inspired people.
However, “Water Margin” posed a significant problem.
“Water Margin” was a loosely adapted historical fiction.
Even though some parts were altered, the basic framework depicted a lot of content related to the economy, people’s livelihoods, and public order.
During the adaptations, some place names and official titles from the Northern Song Dynasty were changed, but many events remained the same.
Zephyr had accumulated many questions about these aspects.
In his view, there had to be a reason why the Great Pirate Era couldn’t be put down.
Through Mr.
Adam’s novel, he could see new paths he hadn’t considered before, which were worth discussing with the author.
The Northern Song Dynasty had excellent economic development.
The novel mentioned many things that were taken for granted in that world but were inspiring to people of this one.
When it came to economy and people’s livelihoods, the entire pirate world combined couldn’t match Noah.
This was precisely the opportunity to spark a fire in Zephyr, to plant a seed of revolution in the heart of this Admiral who didn’t kill.
Noah began by talking about the economy of the Northern Song Dynasty, its thriving urban industry and commerce, and the vigorous development of commodity and currency relationships.
Commerce’s position within the national economy grew continuously, significantly impacting the previously closed economic structure, altering the material basis of the government’s rule, and forcing corresponding adjustments to the state’s commercial policies.
He spoke until nightfall, barely finishing.
Zephyr repeatedly exclaimed that he truly was a great writer.
He realized there were so many underlying settings in the novel, and the comprehensive framework made it seem as if such a country had truly existed in the Four Seas.
“A good memory is not as good as writing it down.” Zephyr recorded every word Noah said in his notebook.
Actually, Zephyr didn’t fully grasp everything he heard but decided to consult Vice Admiral Tsuru, the staff officer, later.
Tsuru’s wisdom would surely help him understand this knowledge.
He had many more questions to ask but it was late, so he would ask another day.
Mr.
Adam was heading to Drum Island, and he could give him a ride on the warship.
After escorting Noah back to his cabin, Zephyr continued to study his notes alone, becoming so engrossed that he stayed up all night.
From Mr.
Adam’s words, he saw many principles of national economy and people’s livelihoods.
He couldn’t believe that such a young person had such a thorough understanding of the world; it was incredible.
Afterward, Zephyr would take time each day on the warship to ask the young man questions, always gaining new insights.
He was completely awestruck by Noah’s knowledge, truly a wise scholar.
As they neared Drum Island, Zephyr and Noah discussed a few very sensitive issues.
One was offering amnesty, and the other was the “Birthday Convoys.”
The amnesty discussion arose because of an ongoing internal agenda within the World Government: the Seven Warlords of the Sea plan.
The plan was to grant amnesty to seven great pirates, forming the Seven Warlords of the Sea, using pirates to suppress pirates, and even allowing legal plunder.
This was an affront to Zephyr’s sense of justice.
“For example, I’m just saying, if the World Government were to use pirates to suppress other pirates, do you think that would be feasible?”
“To use pirates to suppress pirates, you’d have to give up benefits and official authority.
The benefits would likely come from the common people. Get faster updates on novelping.com.
I’m not optimistic about this plan.
The nature of pirates isn’t easy to control; the more powerful the pirate, the greater their ambition.
Would it ultimately result in a world where only the common people are harmed?
That’s too absurd.”
Zephyr deeply agreed.
He was surprised that the plan was analyzed so thoroughly from such a simple statement.
He almost wanted to recruit Noah’s alias into the Marines, believing a staff officer position in the headquarters would be well-deserved.
The topic of “Birthday Convoys” was even more sensitive.
The “Birthday Convoys” were far too similar to the Celestial Dragons’ Heavenly Tribute.
Both involved extracting wealth from the common people, amassing vast fortunes to be offered to a select few.
Many World Government member nations had experienced rebellions when collecting Heavenly Tribute; the pattern of the government forcing the people to rebel was exactly the same.
After these rebellions, a large number of pirates set sail, many of them forced by circumstance.
Zephyr had captured many such pirates, which pained him deeply.
So, he wanted to ask if Mr.
Adam had any solutions.
“Essentially, the current World Government cannot solve this problem.
Even without paying Heavenly Tribute, the rebelling nations would still revolt.
Do the rulers not profit themselves while collecting Heavenly Tribute?
That’s impossible.
At most, it would just be a different method, less intense.
The greatest mercy these rulers offer those who can no longer survive is to let them die a little later.”
The issue of Heavenly Tribute wasn’t the most critical; there was no need to delve deeper.
Instead, he wanted to discuss whether it was really possible to refuse the tribute of Heavenly Tribute, while also probing Zephyr’s thoughts.
He shifted his posture, one that could easily respond to crises, like a rushing iron fist.
“Refusing Heavenly Tribute isn’t impossible.”
“Oh?
How so?”
Zephyr immediately pressed, even though this matter wasn’t under the jurisdiction of the Marines, justice was always about ‘meddling.’
“If all the countries in the world united, there would be no Heavenly Tribute.
Or, perhaps, if all the people of the world united…
to do something…”
Upon hearing Noah’s last sentence, Zephyr’s hair stood on end.
He shot up from his seat.
Just imagining Noah’s final statement sent a shiver of fear through him.
What would everyone do if they stood up?
Would they continue to be bled dry by the nobles?
Would they continue to die numbly?
Even ants cling to life…
If that time truly came, every corner of this sea would be engulfed in war.
“Don’t be nervous, I was just saying.”
“That’s right, just saying.”
They tacitly avoided the topic.
Zephyr no longer considered bringing Adam into the Marines; that one sentence always lingered in his mind.