Can someone be born Evil? 

As Ephon unchained Kaido, Kaido just kept staring at him with a ferocious expression, but Ephon ignored him, it was clear that he didn't trust Ephon, maybe it had something to do with what he had experienced.

"The WG agents are all dead, follow me." After freeing Kaido from his chains, Ephon simply reassured him and walked back up to the top deck.

The young Kaido stared at Ephon's leaving figure in contemplation before he stood up and followed behind him.

As Ephon reunited with Diana on the top deck, together, they guided the slaves into their ship, where they would then properly discuss what to do with them. 

Kaido, at seeing the dead bodies of the WG agents on the WG ship deck, also gained a little confidence, heaving a sigh of relief, and followed Ephon onto their ship deck.

'I can sense that he is strong, but I don't know how strong, it's like a bottomless pit, and he's so young, Hmph! they called me a monster!' Kaido was deep in thought as he subconsciously followed Ephon behind Ephon.

Soon after the slaves were safely aboard, Ephon and Diana set sail into the night, with a little weight lifted from their hearts. 

If they didn't witness such atrocities with their own eyes, they wouldn't be so affected, they had seen such acts in their younger days, but when it's thrown into their faces, then they feel compelled to do something.

Ephon knew that this world was full of darkness, sometimes he would feel guilty that he never fought against the WG to change it.

 But when he saw the smiling faces of his brothers and sisters, when he gazed at the peace and prosperity his family enjoys in the Triangle, he would simply swallow his guilt.

He felt that if they had confronted the WG at that time, many years ago, even if they somehow won, it wouldn't be worth it if one of his family members died, and he wasn't willing to risk it.

And it's not like he and his NF group hadn't liberated thousands of slaves during the time they were active outside of the Triangle, Ephon even believes that this was one of the reasons the WG was happy that the territory NF chose was isolated from the rest of the World.

The next day, as the sun rose into the sky, Ephon stood tall at the helm of his ship, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the silhouette of a distant island was just beginning to emerge. Beside him, the newly freed slaves gathered on the deck, their faces a mix of exhaustion and cautious hope.

He had already discussed what to do with them, giving them two choices, one was to return to Nature's Triangle with him, where they would live comfortable lives but would have little physical contact with the outside world.

The second option was to be dropped off at the island they were currently approaching where there was a Navy Base. 

Surprisingly at least a quarter of the now-freed slaves chose to be dropped off for various reasons, some had families they were separated from and wanted to be reunited, and some had goals they had to accomplish or revenge.

Well... only one of them had the goal of revenge, and he didn't hide it, that was Kaido.

"Are you sure, maybe you don't know who I am, but when you do, you might regret not taking me up on my offer," Ephon questioned as he laid his gaze on the now cleaned-up Kaido.

"I won't regret anything, those Vodka scums will regret what they did to me." Kaido gruffled.

"I understand it's sad what you've experienced, no child deserves that, that's one of my motivations for leaving the stage of Piracy and creating a safe haven for people from all walks of life."

"I'm not a child!" It seems that Kaido didn't care about anything Ephon said except addressing him as a child.

"Haha, do you know how old I am, little Kaido? I'm… na, where's the fun in that, I know that you are destined to become a powerhouse in the seas, you'll figure out who I am at that time." Ephon jested, which annoyed Kaido.

"But Kaido, I understand the Vodka Kingdom has ill-treated you, and in my days I would have impaled all of the leaders on wooden crosses to send a message, but I hope you don't harm any civilians," Ephon advised, as he reminisced.

But Kaido simply remained silent, it seemed that he didn't want to talk about his decision. Instead, he was more and more curious about what he believed to be a monster before him.

He had learned from Ephon that he was actually not as young as he looked, and he even used to be a pirate.

Which made him more comfortable around Ephon after he learned about it, but he still chose to continue his original plan. 

'Although following these two freaks back to their territory is much better than life back in the Vodka Kingdom, that is not my destiny.' 

So, the island came into view, its lush greenery and sandy beaches a stark contrast to the dark waters they had traversed. 

But looming on the horizon was a structure that sent shivers down the spines of some of the slaves—a marine base, a symbol of authority and control, peace and justice. But after what they had experienced, they felt that anything connected to the WG was evil.

But they started to calm down after a while, the female Swordswoman, Diana, had already reassured them that they would be safe here, and when they were ready to leave, they could board a ship at the port to find their relatives. 

Diana even gave them each thousands of berries, more money than some of them had seen in their life.

And the reason Diana was sure that this island was safe was of course through her Spy system, she found out that this island housed one of the few marine bases that wasn't corrupted.

As the ship drew closer, Diana called out to the freed slaves, her voice steady despite the tension in the air. "This is where we part ways," she said, her words carrying across the deck. "You are free now to choose your own path."

The former slaves exchanged nervous glances, their newfound freedom tinged with fear of what awaited them on the island. But Diana's caring expression reassured them with a reassuring smile, soon they started to disembark, and although they were a little nervous, they were still determined.

"Kaido!" Ephon called out as Kiado disembarked the ship.

"What?" Kaido asked, puzzled, but he wasn't as annoyed as he appeared to be.

"Don't let your past dim your inner light Kaido, and don't let it affect how you treat others." 

Hearing Ephon's words, Kaido nonchalantly responded " Whatever, Old Man!" and walked away.

'I shouldn't have told him about that.' Ephon thought with a wry smile. 

"Ha, that's what you get for calling this lady an old woman wahahaha."

Diana didn't waste the chance to clap back at Ephon, it seemed that his words had been on her mind for a while now.

"Alright, Alright, let's go, we still have to take these ones back to the Triangle."

…