"Replace them all with our own people?"
Bulldog's eyes flickered; he was tempted by the suggestion, yet he didn't want to go too far.
Seven approached Bulldog.
"I finally understand why Bekori could become king. With you being so timid and hesitant, it's no wonder you were forced out of power."
Patting the old man's shoulder, Seven left behind a single sentence before heading toward the kingdom's prison.
"A person must rely on themselves."
Watching Seven leave, Bulldog grit his teeth, and his hesitant gaze gradually became resolute.
"I've enjoyed what I could enjoy, and I've suffered the hardships I had to suffer. This old man will go wild one last time; I can't be worse than that brat Bekori, can I?"
When Bekori split the kingdom in two, Bulldog had been pacing in circles with worry, helpless to do anything. He never expected justice to descend from the heavens and wipe Bekori out directly.
"I'll do it, if only for the sake of the commoners."
When an honest man turns ruthless, you won't even get a chance to apologize.
During Bulldog's previous reign, while the country was poor, the people's spiritual lives were rich. Overall, he was a democratic, generous king with limited ability.
When Bulldog became king once again and made up his mind to make a change, doomsday arrived for the nobles.
Sorbet Kingdom, Capital Prison.
Seven stood silently outside a cell. His gaze passed through the iron bars and fell upon the massive Kuma, who was bound by chains. Through this scene, he had already glimpsed eighty to ninety percent of Kuma's state of mind.
How could mere chains restrain someone who was among the top tier of the Shichibukai? The reason he hadn't escaped was likely because he still harbored illusions in his heart.
"Hello, Mr. Kuma."
Kuma raised his head. Even sitting on the ground, he was taller than Seven was while standing.
"Hel... lo."
Ginny sat beside Kuma, sizing up the person in front of her with curiosity. "Why would a great pirate like you come specifically to find us?"
Seven used the gentlest tone of his life.
"I am the Captain of the Morning Star Pirates, Barzeb Seven. I came here to invite Mr. Kuma and Miss Ginny to join my ship."
"Invite us to join your ship?" Ginny burst out laughing, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.
"Sorry, Mr. Great Pirate, but Kuma-chin and I have no intention of becoming pirates."
The rejection was within Seven's expectations. Pirates, after all, didn't exactly have a good reputation.
But, the crew members this Captain sets his sights on won't be getting away.
"To show my sincerity, I resolved the Sorbet Kingdom's crisis before coming here. Bekori has been executed, and the previous King Bulldog has been reinstated."
Hearing this, Ginny and Kuma exchanged a look before shaking their heads.
"It's no use, Mr. Seven. Even with a new king, the nobles are still there. King Bulldog... is too weak; he doesn't have the courage to confront the nobles at all."
Within the range of Seven's Observation Haki: Bulldog was currently performing a physical purification on all the nobles who had come to the royal palace.
"This country no longer has any nobles."
Ginny and Kuma fell into silence.
Seven continued to increase the stakes. The Burning flame wings behind him materialized in Kuma and Ginny's sight.
"Kuma, everything you feared in the past and fear now, I have experienced as well."
Two years ago, Seven's resentment toward the World Government was because Captain Roger had been executed.
Two years later, in order to become stronger, to gain a foothold in this sea, and to live with a smile in this world where the strong prey on the weak...
The moment Seven chose the Lunarian Tribe bloodline, he stood completely on the opposite side of the World Government.
Even if he wanted to ease tensions, once the Lunarian Tribe bloodline was exposed, the World Government would have only one choice—to completely stifle him.
Of course, as long as it wasn't exposed, he could continue to develop for a long time.
Kuma stared intently at the space behind Seven—at those blazing, Burning wings.
If the Baccania Tribe was a misfortune, then the Lunarian Tribe was a tragedy. Despite once being gods, they were nearly wiped out by the World Government.
Amidst the silence of the three, Seven's almond eyes were affectionate and sincere.
"Kuma-san, for the sake of the Ohara scholars I've never even met, I dared to charge into a Buster Call. How much more would I do for my own partners?
From now on, you no longer have to hide because of your Baccania Tribe bloodline. I will block all the World Government's wanted posters.
From now on, you can hold Miss Ginny's hand and walk side-by-side toward your future in the sunlight and through the wind and waves.
Do you really want Miss Ginny to spend her life alone?
Kuma-san, you don't want that either, do you?"
After saying this, Seven quietly waited for Kuma and Ginny's decision. If he still couldn't move Kuma, then he would just have to wait ten years.
Perhaps because of the filters from his previous life, Seven was much gentler than usual.
Hearing the beautiful life described, the light in Ginny's eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if she could see a beautiful future for her and Kuma-chin.
As long as she could be with Kuma-chin, being a pirate wasn't out of the question, especially following an emperor of the sea like Beelzebul.
Sensing this, Kuma took a deep breath.
Before being imprisoned by the king, both he and Ginny had seen news about the Morning Star Pirates. Beelzebul, who had charged into the Marine Buster Call fleet, was only seventeen years old this year.
As long as he didn't court death, his future was limitless.
So...
Should he continue living in seclusion in constant fear, or should he accept the invitation to board the ship and be with Ginny forever?
"Kuma-san, a person should live for themselves at least once."
"Isn't that right?"
Kuma lowered his head, memories flashing before his eyes like slides: becoming a slave of the Celestial Dragons with his parents at age five, witnessing his parents' tragic deaths with his own eyes.
Being sent to God Valley at age nine to serve as prey in the Celestial Dragons' hunting competition.
Eating the Paw-Paw Fruit at God Valley, saving five hundred commoners and slaves, returning to the Sorbet Kingdom to live in seclusion, and refusing Ginny's marriage proposal for fear that his Baccania Tribe bloodline would implicate her... In twenty-five years of a miserable life, it seemed he really had never lived for himself even once.
The silence lingered in the air for a long time. The corners of Kuma's mouth slowly curled up, and a light that had never appeared before swirled in his eyes.
"Captain, I want to try a different way of living."
Seven reached out a hand in a gesture: "Please."
Seven could have easily helped Kuma open the cell door, but while breaking a physical door is easy, breaking the door in one's heart is difficult. He wanted to tell Kuma clearly—
Kicking the door open is actually very easy.
If you don't take that step, you will always be stuck in place, hesitating and looking back. Once you bravely take the first step, you will find that everything was already prepared for you.
Kuma kicked open the cell door and walked out, silently stepping aside to reveal Ginny behind him.
"Captain, please take care of us from now on."
"Welcome to the Morning Star Pirates."
Seven smiled with great gratification. This was perhaps the gentlest moment of his life. All the crew members he wanted were in place. From now on—
You can join or not, for all I care.
I don't take trash here.
Wait, there's still that helmsman, Blue Fatty... Sorbet Kingdom, Southern Sea.
Inside the cabin of a medium-sized vessel, Ivankov was whispering into a den den mushi.
"Dragon, roughly how long until you arrive?"
den den mushi: "About three days, Ivan. You'd better not show your face yet; don't let the Marine or the World Government discover your whereabouts."
Ivankov made a face with his heavily made-up features: "Understood. I'll try again in a bit to see if I can contact Kuma and Ginny."
den den mushi: "Keep in touch at all times."