Chapter 05

(Pov: Wilhelm)

Following behind the naval officer, I saw the inside of a Marine base in real life. I was in awe since the base must have cost an enormous amount of berries. Even if this wasn't an essential base in the grand line, the building and facilities were pristine and magnificent. I must say the world government is incredibly wealthy.

'Now that I think about it, the world government essentially rules the world from fear. They have countries join their alliance with the promise of protection from the pirates in exchange for the heavenly tribute they must pay yearly.' Those who can't continue paying are removed from the navy's protection and basically destroyed by pirates. If you think about it, the world government uses pirates in a way to solidify its rule.'

As the realization struck me, I continued to think, 'This world is predominantly water, with no large continent other than the red line. Now that I think of it, the world government doesn't have a way to manage the vast island because of the distance between them. Their technology tree isn't big enough to realize the use of oil or electricity in boats, and sailboats can only go so fast. So hypothetically speaking, how could one rule this type of world? You would need to be in an authoritarian regime. You would need to use fear to hold the world in your palm.'

Trying to stay calm, I resumed, 'What do the common folk of this world fear? The answer was easy, pirates. Pirates seem to have a long history in this world, with many legendary ones from hundreds of years ago. I had originally believed the world government had rotted from holding power for so many years, but that doesn't seem to be the case if you think about it from an outside perspective like mine. What if, from the very beginning of its creation, it used the fear brought by piracy to have nations bow their heads to them? If there was a great war during the void century, the 20 kings would definitely have a strong army left over being the victors. An army that could fight against those pirates becoming something like the Marine's predecessor today. That must be why they have never attempted to destroy all the pirates in the past,' with this sudden realization of the nature of the government, I tried not to grin.

I continued asking myself, 'In the hundreds of years the world government has existed, do you mean to tell me pirates, were always so immense in number and power? That they couldn't destroy them fully and bring peace to the seas. But that never happened because the world government, at the end of the day, only cares about balance. So long as the Marines can somewhat contend against the pirates, they will let pirates run rampant. And with the fear of pirates in the sea, no nation would dare leave the world government and lose the protection of the navy. Honestly, it's a brilliant tactic. The pirates kill and loot their victims while the government uses the fear caused by them and reap all the benefits.'

While trying not to laugh aloud, I continue, 'The world government would surely fall in love with a soldier who completes his orders without hesitation or objection. Someone who would discard his sense of justice if it was to complete a mission. And that's exactly who I will become.'

With my head down, I silently follow the officer into an office of some sort. He paused momentarily before the door, turned towards me, and said, "Wait here. I need to speak about this matter to my supervisor."

Simply nodding to this statement, he knocked on the door before walking in after a faint "Come in" was heard from the other side. If I had to guess, the voice probably belonged to a captain, the sixth-highest Marine rank.

I stood in the corridor while trying to fix my face. I needed a 14-year kid who had just lost his parents in a pirate attack. Not long after the officer entered the office, I heard a "Come in" from the other side.

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(Pov: Benedict)

"Aah, those damn pirates," I yelled out loud. My frustration was apparent, it had only been a year since the fall of the sea emperor Rocks, and now we had to deal with a new wave of pirates entering the grand line. I had believed with the fall of Rocks; his crew would follow suit. But the Marines didn't seem to care about his crew, even though they were all monsters themselves. I had fought in the war against Rocks on God Valley. I had watched my friends die, but I continued fighting. Fighting for justice.

'Was it really for nothing?'

Did my friends sacrifice their lives for nothing? I watched their families learn of their death—the pain and grief it caused. But I believed with us winning, the age of pirates would end soon, but what now. Pirates are more active than ever before.

'No, I can not think so negatively. My dear friends and comrades didn't die in vain. Their deaths brought an end to the era of Rocks. It's just unfortunate that the pirates he was suppressing were no longer held on a leash.'

Thinking for a few moments, I figured it out.

'Yes, that must be it. We had expended too much manpower in the war to continue chasing his crew. After all, we have to guard against attacks on civilians. Our manpower must always be spread out and can't be concentrated in one place. That must be why we didn't pursue Rock's crew.'

"Sigh, I still need to deal with the pirates in the area," I said, rubbing my head. After resuming the paperwork I needed to finish by today, I heard a knock.

"Come in," I said, getting ready for more paperwork.

'God, how is there always more paperwork as days go by? Shouldn't the opposite be happening? I'm already pushing 40, but I look older from all this stress, god damn it.'

One seaman apprentice walked into my office, but most importantly, he was empty-handed. I couldn't be happier. I stared at the young man waiting for him to tell me why he was there.

He saluted, saying, "Sorry to interrupt you, sir."

Waving my hand, "Just tell me why you're here."

"Yes, sorry, sir. You see, sir, I was positioned by the gate when this kid approached saying he wanted to join us, sir."

"So what, kids coming here wanting to join us isn't anything new," I said, picking up a document on my desk.

"But sir, he said he as nowhere to go. His family was killed during a pirate raid. I know being a pirate attack survivor isn't anything special, but he's a young kid. A young child who has seen the harshness of reality, and I couldn't just send him anyway, sir."

Hearing the situation, I looked up, "Sigh... how old is he," I asked, trying to figure out what to do.

"He appears to be no older than 15, sir."

'At max 15. He must have escaped by pure luck since pirates killed or caught everyone in sight. God damn it, I can't tell the 15-year-old that he came here for nothing. The world has already been so cruel to him.'

"Come in," I said, deciding to let the boy join. 'Pirates are unforgiving. They are a bunch of savages with no morals. I need to increase patrol in the surroundings. Can't have another child witness his family dying.'

As the door opened again, I was greeted by spiky blond hair and deep emerald eyes. The kid, who looked to be about 14-15, was wearing a white shirt and pants with a black vest and a loose red tie.

The clothes weren't new and looked to be worn and sandy. 'Poor kid,' I thought while looking at his face.

"What's your name, child," I said softly, trying not to scare him.

"It's Wilhelm von Ainsworth," he replied, lowering his head to the floor.

"How old are you?"

"I turned 14 a few days ago, sir," he said, still looking at the floor.

"Well, listen, Wilhelm, can I call you Wilhelm?"

"Yes"

"Okay, Wilhelm, I'm sorry for your loss. What happened to you wasn't fair. I will allow you to join the Marines, but you will start as a chore boy at the bottom. As a Marine soldier, you will be given a salary and a dormitory. Will that be okay with you?"

"Yes"

"Okay, then follow this apprentice to register you into the Marine. Oh, I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself. I'm the captain in charge of this base, Benedict."

"Thank you for accepting me, Captain Benedict," Wilhelm said while bowing towards me.

As they were leaving the office, I couldn't help but wonder when the age of pirates would end. How many more kids like Wilhelm would have to suffer before peace could be brought throughout the seas?

Shaking my head to stop thinking about the unknown future, I continue reading the files on my desk. While seeing the back of Wilhelm exiting the room, I couldn't wait to see how excellent of a navy soldier he would grow up to be. Experiencing a great tragedy at such a young age, he was able to continue forward. What an extraordinary characteristic.