"Why do you keep staring at me?"
Kouta looked at Shanks, seeing him fixated on his face, and chuckled, "Don't tell me you've fallen for me because I'm handsome!"
"Hahaha!!"
Shanks roared with laughter, then clinked his sake bottle against Kouta's gourd. "You little brat, you joke about anything!"
He took a deep gulp of sake, then shook his head and smiled, "Looking at you reminds me of myself twenty years ago, full of youthful vigor, feeling like the whole world was yours, brimming with ideals and striving resolutely for them."
Shanks's laughter ceased as he looked intently at Kouta, his tone turning serious. "Kouta, can I ask you something?"
Kouta leaned back, resting against the railing, and raised his sake gourd. He tilted it downwards, letting the clear liquid stream into his wide-open mouth.
At that moment, he exuded an indescribable coolness.
Kouta swallowed the sake and, without looking at Shanks, a smile playing on his lips, said softly, "Ask whatever you like. Honestly, I'm very happy today. You are the first and only pirate crew I've met since setting sail who truly lives by their ideals of adventure and freedom."
"Adventure?"
"Freedom?"
Shanks lowered his eyelids, casting a deep gaze at Kouta, then asked, "What are your ideals, and why did you set sail?"
In his perception, Kouta was an odd individual, his demeanor and speech unlike someone his age.
How to put it?
It was as if he were facing someone his own age.
Yes, that was the feeling, like facing a peer.
This brat looked young, but he gave off an air of maturity, even a hint of weariness.
Was his perception mistaken?
He didn't know.
"Ideals?"
"The reason for setting sail?"
Kouta set down his sake gourd and looked up at the sky, ablaze with an orange-yellow hue. His azure pupils seemed to flash with a hint of ancient weariness, as if he had experienced ages in an instant.
His reason for setting sail was simple at first.
It was to witness the vastness of this sea.
After all, he was a transmigrator, a former pirate fan. The moment he woke up, he found himself in his favorite world, possessing invincible spatial powers, and landing in the supremely safe Isshin Dojo.
So, from the start, he was eager to set sail, to see this world, its expansiveness, its diverse cultures and customs, and the legends of legends.
He had been filled with great anticipation for this world.
But after setting sail, he realized that the imagined beauty was far from beautiful.
This world was sick, and gravely so, beyond saving.
Every island he visited, unless it was under the protection of the Marines, was essentially a stage for tragedy.
He didn't want to interfere, but an invisible thread, a line pulling at his soul, compelled him to act.
So he changed, becoming less passionate than when he first set sail.
This world did have many wondrous places.
Especially Skypiea and Fish-Man Island.
But even these miraculous places were not without their flaws.
Even powerful nations like Alabasta and Dressrosa, once among the twenty kingdoms that founded the World Government, were like ants to be casually crushed before true strength.
In a world where the vast majority was sea, connected only by ships,
Was Mr. Tom, who created the sea train, capable of high-speed, safe passage through the unpredictable weather of the Grand Line, not great?
But what of it? He was still summarily executed by the World Government on a flimsy pretext.
The Marines.
With their presence in most of the world's waters, were they not powerful?
But what of it?
As long as a Celestial Dragon, that bunch of fools, had a problem, even a Marine Admiral, at the pinnacle of naval power, had to unconditionally clean up their mess.
Nobles, slaves.
Civilians, pirates.
Marines, Revolutionaries.
Technology, feudalism.
...
Everything in this world was fraught with contradiction and extremism.
So Kouta, filled with anticipation, set sail, reached the Grand Line, passed through Bass, Drum Island, and then...
After passing that disgusting noble ship, which caused his killing intent to erupt for the first time, he changed.
Initially, he only wanted to experience and appreciate the world, witness its marvels, alter some tragedies, reap people's gratitude, and be a hero. But that desire changed.
He wanted to exterminate the Celestial Dragons who made this world ugly and sickening. He wanted to abolish slavery.
He wanted to change this world.
Kouta lowered his head, turning to look at Shanks. His voice was soft, yet exceptionally serious and resolute. "This world is sick, so sick it makes me sick. Therefore, I will change this world. I will exterminate those Celestial Dragons who sicken me. I will abolish slavery. I will make this world a better place, at least one where I can travel the globe with peace of mind."
The rooftop of the royal palace was silent. Everyone paused their activities and turned their gaze to Kouta.
In that moment, in their eyes, Kouta... seemed to be glowing.
They could sense Kouta's resolve in his firm tone.
Shanks stared at Kouta, at his azure eyes that seemed to hold no pupils. He could see determination and confidence within them.
With Kouta's strength, his ability to defeat Kaido and Charlotte Linlin without a scratch, perhaps he could actually achieve this.
Thus, his gaze towards Kouta was filled with unconcealed, intense admiration. He reached out and patted Kouta's shoulder, his lips curving upwards, his smile growing wider until he burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!!"
"A noble ideal. Though difficult, if it's you, I believe you can do it."
Shanks's laughter seemed contagious. The other members of the Red-Haired Pirates gradually joined in.
Their gazes towards Kouta held admiration, and also respect.
Living in this world, as members of a Yonko crew and with Shanks's unique position, no one understood the world's maladies better than they did.
Just as Kouta said, this world was sick, and the reason for its sickness was simple: the Celestial Dragons, the system of slavery.
Yet, this ailment, known to many in the world, went untreated.
Because surrounding this illness stood the world's greatest powers: the World Government and the Marines.
No matter how strong an individual was, they couldn't overthrow the World Government.
So, knowing the cause of the sickness was one thing, but having the courage to truly treat it was another.
They were not Kouta.
Therefore, they deeply admired Kouta's courage.
Of course, without his invincible spatial abilities, Kouta wouldn't have dared to provoke the World Government and undertake such a task.
In essence, the greater the strength, the greater the responsibility.
Once a person reaches a certain peak, they inevitably desire to do something for the world.
And Kouta stood at that very pinnacle.