"So... this is the truth behind it all..."
Makino finally understood.
For things that guarantee basic survival, no matter how much money is handed out, demand will not change much.
As for everything beyond those basic necessities, most prices will shift according to labor and supply levels, so there will not actually be much impact.
It was precisely because countries like theirs at the bottom were supporting everything that people on the Red Line could live so well.
No wonder that lofty Red Line was so admired by people all over the world.
Makino was not like the isolated people elsewhere in the East Blue. She had been lucky enough to hear conversations between Shanks and Dragon.
She clearly knew that outside the peaceful East Blue, people everywhere else in the world desperately wanted to sneak into the Red Line.
Because only the people living on the Red Line truly lived like those above everyone else.
"Wait. Then aren't ordinary people in other places human too? As rulers, are you really just ignoring whether they live or die?", Makino found what she thought was a flaw in the logic.
The World Government was clearly the legal ruler of the entire world. It could not possibly be selfish enough to care only about the Red Line.
"But that was your own choice back then. People have to bear the consequences of the choices they make and take responsibility for them."
Shirahoshi shrugged indifferently and looked at Makino with a teasing smile.
"I was just born when that happened, but you experienced that major historical event yourself."
"After the World Conference of Year 1506 of the Sea Circle Calendar, the World Government publicly announced that anyone in the world could freely move to the Red Line. Anyone who came would receive a basic house free of charge. The announcement simply didn't mention the generous benefits that would come afterward."
"Under that policy, we truly gave everyone in the world a fair chance."
"Anyone from any island who wanted to change their fate could come. Even slaves of low status would not have been turned away."
"We used all our resources at the time to make sure everyone on every island knew about the opportunity. We let them make their own choice, whether they were citizens of member nations or refugees from non-member nations."
"To encourage the migration, the government even covered all transportation costs and provided all food and necessities during the journey."
"But you know the final result. After four years of massive migration, less than one-third of the world's population settled on the Red Line. Most people stubbornly chose not to come."
"So can you really blame us for them missing that opportunity?"
"Well..."
Being reminded of that old event, Makino looked somewhat embarrassed.
She had indeed lived through that migration, but she simply had not wanted to go.
Everyone she knew was in Foosha Village, and she thought life there was already pretty good.
On top of that, many people in town were quietly spreading rumors that the World Government had a bad reputation. Influenced by that environment, she naturally had no interest in answering the call.
Looking back now, who could have imagined it?
A chance to completely change her social class had been right in front of her, yet she had been too short-sighted to appreciate it.
If she had followed the migration to the Red Line back then, none of these later troubles would have happened.
Perhaps if she had blended into the general population there, the World Government would never have paid attention to a small person like her.
After all, if she had moved away, she would never have met Shanks or Dragon, much less become connected to Luffy. In that case, the World Government would have had no reason to monitor or pay special attention to her.
"So, you chose your own path. You should learn to respect that choice and accept the consequences," Shirahoshi continued smiling, "Besides, we never completely cut off their path upward. There are still many ways for them to try. Through their own efforts, they can still move to the Red Line."
"As long as they possess an outstanding skill, they can cross social classes through hard work and come here."
"And I should also point out that not everyone in the world likes living on the Red Line."
"After all, prices and labor costs here are very high. If someone wants to live as a person above others here, only the truly wealthy can do that."
"If an ordinary worker wants that kind of life, they can work hard on the Red Line for a few years, save up a high salary, then move their whole family to a member nation with good public safety. With the fortune they saved, they can legally buy themselves a noble title."
"For them, that's also a pretty good option."
"This... this world has become so strange that I can't understand it anymore..."
Makino could only give a bitter smile.
After speaking with Shirahoshi for such a short time, she finally realized how narrow her perspective had been.
And not just hers.
In her view, Shanks and Dragon were not much different from frogs at the bottom of a well.
The vast world outside had already become something far too complicated for people at the bottom like her to understand.
But after hearing all this, she finally understood something.
She understood why Dragon and Shanks had become even more determined to resist.
At first glance, the current world order did seem well organized.
The system appeared suitable for ordinary people.
But the restrictions required to maintain it were simply too many.
Prosperity inside a cage still meant a great loss of freedom.
For people like Dragon and Shanks, who were born in an age of freedom, a world designed as a carefully controlled prison was something they could never accept.
Still, as long as people were alive, there was hope.
'Even surviving like a bird in a cage is better than turning into a pile of bones for no reason...'
Makino lowered her gaze.
Slowly raising her hands, she clenched them tightly. They had once been slender, but now they contained explosive power.
A faint sonic boom echoed through the air.
She could clearly feel a terrifying force surging through this new body.
Even without using any weapon, she could erase Foosha Village from the map with a little effort.
It was power that felt almost divine.
Yet the more she experienced that strength, the more despair grew inside her.
Because she knew better than anyone.
This terrifying power, enough to stir up storms across the seas, was not the result of talent or hard work.
It was merely something that man named Rosse had casually given her.
Just a tiny piece of mysterious tissue no larger than a fingernail.
A bonus tossed to her as casually as shaping a clay figure.
The gap in power had become so vast that even looking up at it felt hopeless.
And the more she learned about how the World Government operated, the more she realized that Shanks and the others had no chance.
Once people had experienced order, no one would willingly return to disorder.
Everyone would oppose Shanks and the others.
After seeing the prosperity of the Holy Land with her own eyes, and witnessing the World Government's all-knowing and all-powerful nature, in Makino's view, whether it was Shanks's romantic vision of freedom or Dragon's ideals of overthrowing tyranny, both seemed far too immature and far too ridiculous before the World Government's cold machine.
The gap was simply too great.
So great that this was not a revolution at all.
It was a one-sided act of self-destruction with no meaning.
"If... if I really can convince them to give up resisting."
Makino took a deep breath and suddenly raised her head.
Her eyes locked onto Shirahoshi as her voice shook slightly, as though she were grabbing onto her final chance.
"Will you really let them go? Will you truly forgive everything they've done?"
"I've already answered that question for you countless times, Onee-san."
Shirahoshi shrugged slightly, her beautiful face carrying a relaxed expression.
"You have absolutely no value that would make us waste effort deceiving you."
"Since my father personally promised it, he absolutely will not go back on his word over something this insignificant."
"Gods do not bother lying to ants."
As she spoke, the smile at the corner of Shirahoshi's lips became slightly teasing.
She leaned forward a little, like someone looking at a gambler who had reached the end of the road.
"But I'd bet that you can't do it."
"As long as your World Government doesn't interfere in secret, and as long as you don't set any traps..."
Makino bit her lip hard, forcing down the fear and self-doubt lingering inside her.
She took a deep breath and spoke with stubborn determination.
"I can do it! I'll make sure they survive!"
"Heh!"
Shirahoshi laughed.
There was no attempt to hide the mockery.
"You watched that idiot Luffy grow up, and you've been involved with the Red Hair Pirates for years. You should understand their personalities better than I do."
"Do you really think people who value dreams and freedom more than their own lives will obediently put down their weapons and kneel just because you said a few words?"
Shirahoshi smiled slightly.
There was something merciless in her gaze, as if she had already seen through everything.
"A lie told often enough can fool other people. But Onee-san, don't end up fooling yourself just because you need a reason to keep living."
Without giving Makino a chance to argue back, Shirahoshi gracefully stood up and walked toward the palace exit.
When she reached the doorway, she paused slightly.
Without turning around, she left one final piece of advice.
"Oh right. One friendly suggestion. If you're planning to persuade them to surrender, you'd better do it soon."
"That boy with the straw hat is a born adventurer. If he spends too much time sailing the seas, if he gets a taste of all that excitement and those rewards, if he experiences that so-called freedom..."
"By then, he'll be even more committed to being a pirate. Getting him to turn back will be harder than reaching the heavens."
After saying that, Shirahoshi's tall and arrogant figure disappeared beyond the palace gates.
———
[East Blue, Marine Branch 153]
The sun blazed overhead.
Inside the tall stone walls, on an execution ground heated by the scorching sunlight, a green-haired swordsman was tightly bound to a cross with thick ropes.
He had been exposed to the sun for nearly a month.
His lips were cracked, and his breathing was weak.
Yet his fierce eyes still carried a stubborn light.
At that moment, a boy wearing a straw hat crouched in front of the cross, staring at him with the excitement of someone who had found a priceless treasure.
"Hey, green-haired guy, become my partner! I'm going to be Pirate King!", Luffy grinned widely.
His tone sounded so natural that it was as if he were not recruiting a famous swordsman, but inviting a kid next door to go catch loaches together.
The way they met was so simple that it was almost ridiculous.
While searching for the legendary pirate hunter, Luffy had accidentally wandered into this Marine base.
After seeing Zoro's spirit, Luffy unreasonably made a one-sided decision.
This green-haired guy was destined to be his first crewmate.
"Pirate King? Don't make me laugh!"
A mocking smile appeared on Zoro's cracked lips.
"I'm a pirate hunter. I'm going to become the world's greatest swordsman! Why would I become a pirate that everyone wants to beat up?"
Though he was rejecting him, he was studying Luffy.
The so-called Child of Destiny.
The entertainment project the World Government treated as a toy and a wager.
The only ticket allowing him to enter the real world.
"Quit talking!"
Luffy completely ignored the refusal.
Chuckling, he waved a famous sword with a white sheath in his hand.
"This sword is really important to you, right? I worked hard to steal it back from that idiot captain!"
"Wado Ichimonji..."
The moment he saw his familiar sword, Zoro's expression changed.
His gaze sharpened.
He seemed to be looking at Luffy and the sword in his hands, yet it felt more like he was looking at the person behind that sword.
"You... really want to become Pirate King?"
Something that had long been destined was now merely going through the motions.
"Of course! I've already decided!", Luffy answered without any hesitation.
"Fine! But I'll only be your partner. If we run into a life-or-death situation, I'll abandon you without hesitation. And...", Zoro took a deep breath.
A wild smile suddenly appeared on his unruly face.
Breaking free from the snapped ropes, he grabbed Wado Ichimonji and wrapped his hand tightly around the hilt.
"Let me warn you. If one day you get in the way of my ambition to become the world's greatest swordsman, I'll cut you down without hesitation."
"Shishishi! Great! Welcome aboard, green-haired guy!"
Laughing loudly, Luffy stretched out his hand toward the man who would become his future right-hand partner.
Great swordsman? Number one?
No idea what that meant. Whatever.
But if it was something his companion wanted to do, then supporting him was enough.
[🙇🏻 You Can Support the Story Through P@tr3on—AmbitiousTranslator. It also has 40+ Chapters of all the novels and fanfics. Thanks for reading~]