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Chapter 453: 'King of the Mountain Bandits' and Luffy
Chapter 453: 'King of the Mountain Bandits' and Luffy
"Mr. Feng Ye, I've long hoped to meet you..."
As both Garp and Shanks fell silent, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up. With a respectful tone, he politely raised his bowl of wine.
Feng Ye turned to him and smiled gently, "So you are Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army."
"Indeed, it is I."
Dragon took a breath and looked at Feng Ye, "As a traveler, you must have a profound understanding of everything in this world. The World Government is currently under the control of corrupt individuals, and we aim to overthrow them, liberate the world, and lead it towards freedom. We hope to gain your assistance, Mr. Feng Ye."
Currently, the Revolutionary Army's work is focused on spreading their ideology, but with Feng Ye's help, they might soon be able to truly overthrow the World Government's rule.
In this world, there are many powerful individuals, but none possess the strength that Feng Ye wields—a strength that single-handedly destroyed the Holy Land and struck fear into the World Government.
Moreover...
Many of those powerful individuals are driven by boundless ambition, seeking to dominate the world rather than liberate it.
Those like Whitebeard, who lacked such grand ambitions, had little interest in overthrowing the World Government. Even the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, merely yearned for freedom for himself and his companions.
Red-Haired Shanks' intentions had always been unclear to Dragon, so this serendipitous encounter in Windmill Village presented an opportunity to gauge Shanks' thoughts on the matter.
However, compared to Shanks, Feng Ye's perspective was undoubtedly far more significant.
Furthermore, Feng Ye had once destroyed the Holy Land of Mariejois and slain countless World Nobles, so he was likely to share Dragon's dissatisfaction with the world's corruption, making it more plausible to gain Feng Ye's agreement.
"I'm sorry."
Feng Ye shook his head, his expression calm, "I won't be assisting you."
Dragon was taken aback by Feng Ye's blunt refusal and hesitated for a moment before continuing, unwilling to give up, "We don't aim to overthrow the world itself, but merely to topple the World Nobles who dominate the government. Mr. Feng Ye, you despise the World Nobles, so surely you agree with this viewpoint?"
Feng Ye offered a faint smile and replied calmly, "Indeed, I do dislike the World Nobles, and they have certainly tasted pain... But the key question is, can you guarantee that the new world government you hope to establish won't give rise to the same kind of people driven by the lust for power?"
"That..."
Dragon faltered.
He could assure Feng Ye that he himself would not become corrupt, and that his subordinates yearned for freedom as well. But he couldn't promise that the future world wouldn't descend into corruption once again.
"There is no empire that is immune to corruption," Feng Ye said, swirling the wine in his bowl, causing ripples to form on the surface. "Even the most powerful, prosperous, and free nations cannot remain unchanged for a millennium. Thus, the progression from prosperity to corruption is an inevitable process."
"I won't interfere in that process," Feng Ye continued. "If you wish to overthrow the rule of the World Nobles and establish a new government, then it's up to you to make it happen. If you succeed, it will prove that the time for change has indeed come."
Feng Ye's words caused a peculiar light to shine in the eyes of both Garp and Shanks. Such words and ideals were not something that an ordinary person could possess. Feng Ye's overwhelming strength, coupled with his worldview that transcended the confines of this world, truly gave him the aura of a deity, despite his denial of their speculation.
"...I understand," Dragon said after a brief silence, inhaling deeply and nodding at Feng Ye.
Feng Ye smiled gently and said, "I also won't side with the World Government, so you may continue on the path you've chosen. However, from time to time, I may deal with individuals who act excessively, such as the Golden Lion."
Shanks remarked with a hint of emotion, "So the Golden Lion met his end at your hands."
He had only received the news the day before. Back then, the Golden Lion had once suppressed Gol D. Roger, and if it weren't for that storm, there might not have been a Pirate King.
But in the end, the vast sea had sided with Roger, and they had defeated the Golden Lion, allowing the Roger Pirates to reach the end of the Grand Line.
"Mhm," Feng Ye acknowledged nonchalantly before downing the wine in his bowl.
The wine Shanks had used to host Dragon and Garp wasn't purchased from Makino's bar; it was his own brew, and even by Wano Country's standards, it was considered a fine vintage.
Not just Dragon, but Red-Haired Shanks and Garp also looked in that direction. Only Feng Ye seemed to have anticipated what was about to happen and smiled faintly as he looked on.
They saw Sig, one of the mountain bandits, dressed in brown, walking towards them. He was holding a seven or eight-year-old boy, his face contorted with anger as he scanned the surroundings.
"Hey! Whose kid is this? Get out here, now!" Sig shouted angrily.
The boy was none other than Luffy, struggling with all his might but unable to break free.
This scene caused Garp, Dragon, and Red-Haired Shanks to pause briefly.
Shanks was the first to react. He stood up, smiled amicably at Sig, and asked, "Sorry, could you calm down for a moment? Is there an issue with Luffy?"
"You're his family?" Sig asked, his face cold as he strode forward and threw Luffy to the ground. "This brat spilled wine on my clothes! What do you have to say about that, huh?"
Shanks pulled Luffy to his feet and apologized with a smile. "My apologies, Luffy probably didn't do it on purpose. He's still a child, so please forgive him."
Shatter!
The sound of a breaking bottle rang out as Sig threw the wine bottle in his hand directly at Shanks' face. It smashed into pieces, spraying wine everywhere and soaking Shanks.
The room fell silent.
Ivankov, not far away, gaped in shock, his face paling. He wanted to go over and remind Sig about the identity of the red-haired man before him.
However, contrary to expectations, Shanks didn't explode in anger. After a brief silence, he suddenly burst into hearty laughter. "Well, now I've been drenched in wine too, so let's call it even."
Sig was taken aback for a moment, then seemed to be goaded into laughter as well. He pointed at his head and said, "Even? You think this makes us even? Who do you think I am? My head is worth 8 million berries!"
As he finished speaking, he abruptly drew his gun.
His band of mountain bandit followers, standing behind him, also raised their firearms and blades, aiming at Shanks and the group behind him, which included Feng Ye, Garp, and Dragon.
Ivankov's mouth twitched, and Beckman and Jesus Burgess exchanged odd looks, at a loss for words.
"If you want to live," Sig said, his voice sinister as he addressed Shanks, Feng Ye, and the others, "hand over 1 million berries, not a single berry less, or this brat's head... and your heads will roll too!"
"Go get me the money now!" Sig demanded, his gun still aimed at Shanks.
Dragon: "..."
Garp: "..."
Shanks: "..."
Standing at a distance, Robin closed her eyes briefly and exhaled. She now had a good idea of who this so-called 'King of the Mountain Bandits' was and why Feng Ye addressed him as such.
Perhaps only this man would dare to point a gun at two of the Four Emperors, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, and the Navy hero, Garp.
Indeed, he lived up to the title of 'King of the Mountain Bandits.'
Feng Ye stood up, threw his wine bowl to the ground, and ignored Sig and his gang. Smiling at Garp, he said, "Well, this is a matter for the Navy, so I won't get involved. Farewell, until we meet again."
As he finished speaking, Feng Ye started walking towards Robin.
Sig was slightly taken aback by this, not expecting Feng Ye to blatantly disregard him. A flash of anger crossed his eyes.
"Hey! You there..." Sig began, his gun now aimed at Feng Ye.
Before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off, the words stuck in his throat.
A Navy soldier had hurried over and handed a coat to Garp, who had been sitting quietly.
"... "
Garp donned the coat of a Navy Vice Admiral and stood up, his expression grim.
(End of Chapter)
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