“So?
Pretty incredible, right?”
On their way back, Luffy hoisted the enormous wild boar onto his shoulder, wearing a smug grin that practically stretched from ear to ear.
“Yeah, that was impressive.
Seriously impressive.”
Karl shifted the three piglets hanging from his shoulders and answered honestly.
His original plan had only been to catch a single boar so they could enjoy better meals for a few days.
Luffy, however, had gone and wiped out the entire family.
Not that Karl had any objections to having extra meat.
“Then join my crew!”
“No chance.”
Karl immediately shook his head.
“Even if you can beat a wild boar, that doesn’t mean I’m becoming your crewmate.”
“Why not?”
“What do you mean, why not?”
“There has to be a reason.”
“Fine.
Then answer me this first—why do you want to become a pirate?”
“Because I promised someone that I’d become the Pirate King!”
“A promise?
That’s it?”
“What else would there be?”
Luffy’s expression remained as carefree as ever, as though becoming the Pirate King was no more difficult than deciding what game to play.
“Do you even understand how hard it is to become the Pirate King?”
“Who cares?”
Luffy pointed toward the sky with absolute confidence.
“The moment I decided to sail out to sea, I already knew I was going to become the Pirate King!”
“Even if it costs me my life!”
“A promise worth dying for, huh?”
Karl let out a bitter chuckle and shook his head.
“You really are still a kid.
Sometimes surviving takes far more courage than throwing your life away.”
“Huh?”
Luffy blinked.
“I don’t really get what you’re saying.
But Karl, you say some pretty weird things.
Anyway, I won’t stop unless someone knocks me down!”
“Our ways of thinking are completely different.”
Karl refused him again.
“So stop trying.
I’m not joining your crew.”
“You want to be a pirate.
More specifically, the Pirate King.”
“And I have absolutely no intention of becoming a pirate.”
“Why?”
Luffy looked confused.
“What’s wrong with being a pirate?”
“Then tell me—what’s good about it?”
Karl genuinely couldn’t understand.
Why insist on becoming a pirate?
Could a childhood promise really be that important?
And how binding was a promise made by a child anyway?
“Pirates get lots of friends!
They have their own ships!
They can throw huge parties together!”
Luffy counted on his fingers.
“What’s bad about that?”
“You can make friends without becoming a pirate.” This story is hosted at g.com.
“You can own a ship without becoming a pirate.”
“You can celebrate with friends without becoming a pirate.”
“But pirates can sail across the entire ocean and search for the One Piece!”
“Being a pirate isn’t some special qualification.”
Karl shook his head.
“You can chase those dreams without becoming one.”
“And once you become a pirate, you’ll spend the rest of your life being hunted by the Marines.”
“Why deliberately make life harder for yourself?”
By the time the conversation reached this point, they had already returned to the small cabin.
After dropping the boar onto the ground, Karl pulled out his knife and began processing the meat while instructing Luffy to collect firewood and build a rack for roasting.
Their hands stayed busy, but their argument never paused.
“If the Marines come after me, I’ll just beat them.”
Luffy spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Pirates are supposed to be chased by Marines.”
“But those Marines are someone’s sons and daughters too.”
Karl continued cutting.
“They all have families waiting for them.”
“To you, throwing a punch might take less than a second.”
“But that single punch could destroy several families.”
“How many parents would spend sleepless nights worrying?”
“How many children would suddenly lose a parent?”
“Huh?
Really?”
Luffy scratched his head.
“Then I just won’t kill them.”
“But what if they kill you?”
“So what?”
Luffy shrugged.
“If you’re going to sail the seas, you should already be prepared to die.”
“Even if you don’t kill them, someone else will.”
Karl looked at him.
“There are countless pirates out there.
How much difference can one person make?”
“That’s their problem!”
Luffy rubbed his head harder, becoming more confused with every passing minute.
At the same time, he found Karl increasingly interesting.
“But some of those pirates might choose the sea because they hear stories about your adventures.”
“Whether they kill others or die themselves, part of that responsibility traces back to you.”
“Huh?”
Luffy stared blankly.
“I still don’t understand.”
“Think about it this way.”
Karl tried another example.
“The man who inspired you to become the Pirate King.”
“He influenced your choice.”
“In that sense, isn’t he partly responsible for what you do?”
“Ooooh~”
Luffy dragged out the sound.
Unfortunately, the utterly baffled expression on his face made it clear that none of it had actually sunk in.
Karl sighed inwardly.
Explaining abstract concepts to Luffy was clearly pointless.
He needed a simpler approach.
“Alright.
Since you’re determined to become a pirate, let me ask you something.”
“Go ahead!”
After enduring what sounded like incomprehensible nonsense all afternoon, Luffy finally heard a question he could answer. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Immediately, he sat cross-legged on a nearby rock, rested both hands on his knees, and flashed a huge grin.
“If I answer correctly, will you join my crew?”
“Maybe.”
Karl deliberately left himself room to retreat.
“Deal!”
Luffy grinned wider.
“First question.”
“If you’re going to be a pirate, you’ll need a ship, right?”
“Where are you getting one?”
“A ship?”
Luffy scratched his cheek.
“Some people gave me one before.”
“Then a whirlpool swallowed it.”
“And now?”
Karl asked.
“What are you planning to do?”
Luffy immediately turned toward Karl with hopeful eyes.
Startled, Karl quickly waved both hands.
“Don’t look at me.”
“I already told you—I don’t own a ship.”
“And even if I did, I wouldn’t just hand it over!”
“Aww…”
Luffy drooped.
“Then I’ll find another nice person.”
Karl stared at him, speechless.
Did this guy think everyone in the world was a fool?
“There aren’t that many generous people.”
“Then I’ll buy one!”
“You need money to buy things.”
Karl looked him over from head to toe.
Judging by appearances, everything Luffy owned combined probably wasn’t worth as much as Karl’s knife.
“Do you have any money?”
“I don’t think so…”
Luffy frowned and thought for a long time.
Then suddenly his eyes lit up.
“But I’m a pirate!”
“I can just steal one!”
So you finally remembered you’re supposed to be a pirate, Karl thought.
At that moment, Karl honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
How could someone be this slow?
He had practically laid the trap directly in front of Luffy, and yet Luffy still wandered around before stepping into it.
“Exactly.”
Karl spread his hands.
“Pirates steal.”
“As sea bandits, they create nothing.”
“They produce nothing.”
“They contribute nothing.”
“A pirate’s ship, weapons, food, and drinking water don’t magically appear out of thin air.”
“So where do they come from?”
“You take them from someone else.”
A faint smile appeared on Karl’s face.
“And those things happen to be the very resources ordinary people need to survive.”
“If you steal someone’s money, maybe they won’t be able to afford medical treatment tomorrow.”
“Maybe they’ll die from an illness that should have been easily cured.”
“If you take away their food, then when famine arrives next year, thousands—or even tens of thousands—of people could end up starving to death.”