"What are you hesitating for? Think about it carefully. There's no going back to the Marines for you… You can't even show your face freely in World Government member nations anymore."
"Someone like you has only two choices—either find some remote corner and live out the rest of your life in obscurity, or sail the seas alone, stubbornly carrying out the so-called justice in your heart."
"The World Government's justice has already abandoned you. It's time to turn your eyes toward ordinary people. Just like when you saved those residents—do what you're meant to do."
Recruiting Strawberry directly would be extremely difficult. He wasn't like Fujitora—Fujitora had no personal grudge against him.
But no matter how one looked at it, Strawberry had been forced into his current situation by Vane himself. The resentment in his heart ran deep.
So Vane might as well let him roam free—guide him toward rescuing slaves and those suffering in misery… doing things akin to a revolutionary. In the end, just send the people he saved to his own island.
"Monet, contact the shipwrights to repair his ship. Prepare a room, food, and water for him as well. He brought over three hundred people to us—we can't be stingy."
...
Strawberry was arranged to stay in a house on the edge of Midnight Town. It was a location he specifically requested.
He didn't want to live in the cramped inner city. He preferred the boundary between town and outskirts—better visibility, and easier to make an escape if necessary.
Though there was no real need to flee. If Vane had wanted him dead, he would have done it long ago. There was no reason to wait until now.
Strawberry lay flat on the bed—a specially made one. His skull was simply too tall, and his frame too broad. Ordinary ships could barely even support his weight.
He felt utterly lost. He didn't want to die, yet he couldn't defeat Vane to "take revenge." His life truly felt like a failure.
As a child, his dream had been to become a powerful Marine. And now, he was being hunted by the very Marines he once admired.
The shock was like Shanks running up to Luffy, snatching his straw hat, burning it right in front of him, and cursing that he regretted losing an arm to save him.
Far more lost than Aokiji ever was. At worst, Aokiji had merely failed a promotion competition and become unemployed.
That was far better than becoming a wanted criminal.
"Knock knock~"
There was a knock at Strawberry's door. He thought it was someone from Rocket Team. When he opened it, no one was there. Something felt off—only when he lowered his head did he see a thin, frail old woman.
"Granny?"
The old woman before him was one of the many people Strawberry had brought back from Carnival Island. Because she grew exceptionally good cucumbers, everyone called her Granny.
She was also the oldest person in the village and held great authority there.
"Mr. Strawberry, everyone has settled into the new village. If you hadn't brought us out, we might have been buried in the ground forever."
"Rocket Team provided some ingredients for our village. Everyone decided to prepare some dishes to properly thank you."
"They're just simple, ordinary foods. We poor folk can't manage anything too extravagant. We hope you'll honor us with your presence."
Anyone with a conscience and nothing urgent to do wouldn't refuse an invitation like this from an elderly woman.
"Granny, you can just call me Strawberry. You're so much older than I am—there's no need to use honorifics."
Strawberry deliberately slowed his steps. Granny was simply too short compared to him. Every one of his steps required her to take two or three to keep up.
If he walked any faster, she'd have to start running.
"Honorifics aren't based on age, Mr. Strawberry. You saved our entire village. That alone deserves respect."
Strawberry: "I'm just a failed Marine."
In Strawberry's heart, the image of the Marines was still grand and righteous. Losing his identity as a Marine—and being wanted by the World Government—made him feel like an utter failure.
"I'm sixty-seven this year. In my whole life, I've only seen Marines a handful of times. The young people in the village have only seen them in newspapers."
"We don't really know what Marines are like. Maybe good, maybe bad… But they certainly aren't as good as you, Mr. Strawberry. The one who saved us was you—not the Marines."
"To us, you are a hero. Whether you're a Marine or not, no one in our village cares."
The thing he valued most in his life might not even exist as a concept in someone else's world…
The Marines could represent justice—but justice didn't necessarily have to be the Marines.
...
"I need crew members. They don't have to be strong—just able to sail a ship. I also need food, weapons…"
After only a single night, Strawberry—with his towering skull—came to find Vane and immediately listed a series of demands.
Vane quickly waved his hands.
"Wait, wait, wait—what are you doing? Can you at least explain your purpose before making demands? Even the most gullible employer needs to know what you're planning to do first."
Even a coal tycoon generously promoting positive energy would at least shove in a leading actress or second female lead when asking a director to make a movie.
"You provide manpower and supplies. I'll go rescue people and bring them here to expand your population."
Doing good deeds—saving those suffering in misery—was the only thing Strawberry could think of now.
He wanted to replicate what he had done before—bringing back an entire village.
"To Carnival Island? With you like this, it sounds more like you're going to your death. Take a look at this information first."
Vane pushed the collected intelligence in front of Strawberry.
It was all about Carnival Island.
There were plenty of pirates there. One could say it was the "Hachinosu" of the first half of the New World—a notorious gathering place for pirates.
"Corrupt King Pizarro—two years ago, his bounty had already reached 420 million Belly. He commands numerous pirates and officers. If you face them head-on, you definitely won't win."
"If you die, I lose nothing. And you're asking me for people? Just some random folks… to form a makeshift crew and send them to their deaths?"
Don't underestimate Pizarro. Like Vasco Shot, he would become one of Blackbeard's future Titanic Captains. But Pizarro's influence was far beyond Vasco Shot's.
After consulting Morgans, Vane confirmed that Pizarro had certain ties to Ochoku, the great pirate of Hachinosu in the New World.
If it were only the Corrupt King Pizarro, Vane would have simply led everyone to storm Carnival Island. Not only could he bring the island under his rule, but he'd also gain tens of thousands of new residents in one move.
But Ochoku changed everything.
Unlike others, Ochoku was an old veteran from the previous era—like Big Mom. He was currently at his peak strength, arguably the strongest pirate below the Yonko in the future.
From later side descriptions of Blackbeard, even he had relied on Marine assistance to defeat Ochoku and seize Hachinosu—and that was Blackbeard with two Devil Fruits.
Any enemy capable of giving him trouble was certainly no ordinary opponent.