Chapter 108: Roger's Plan!!

Akainu: ??? 

A question mark appeared over Akainu's head, and the strange gaze he directed at Buggy shifted. 

"One of you pirates just asked me, an admiral, if you plan to kill all the pirates in the world? Did I hear that wrong, or did you say something ridiculous?"

Buggy took a sip from his teacup and replied, "Admiral Akainu, please don't look at me like that! Not every navy member wants to be a navy, and not every pirate wants to be a pirate!"

Akainu frowned and said in a deep voice, "Buggy the Clown, what exactly are you trying to achieve?"

Instead of answering Akainu's question, Buggy retorted, "Admiral Akainu, what do you define as a pirate?"

Akainu scoffed and said, "Pirates are, by nature, those lawless robbers who run rampant at sea—burning, killing, looting, and torturing! They slaughter civilians and plunder their wealth; they all deserve death!"

Buggy nodded in agreement. "Well, the kind of pirates you described really should be eradicated!"

Surprised, Akainu glanced at Buggy; he hadn't expected this agreement. Yet, he was even more puzzled about Buggy's intentions.

Buggy continued, "Do you really think all pirates can be killed, Admiral Akainu?"

Akainu fell silent. His resolve to eliminate pirates had always been strong; he had spent years killing pirates at sea. However, these pirates kept resurfacing, and he found it impossible to suppress them all, let alone eliminate every single pirate!

Gritting his teeth, Akainu glared at Buggy. "This is all your captain's fault! If it weren't for his words before he died, there wouldn't be so many pirates today!"

Buggy smiled mischievously. "Is that really the case? Were there no pirates before Captain Roger?"

Akainu responded firmly, "Of course there were! But if it weren't for Roger, there wouldn't be nearly as many pirates in this world!"

Buggy shook his head and sighed lightly. "Admiral Akainu, I've warned you before: pride and prejudice are two mountains in people's hearts. If you can't let go of these, you'll never fully eliminate pirates!"

Frowning, Akainu asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Buggy replied, "If you want to completely eradicate pirates, you must first understand what causes the proliferation of so many of them!"

The source of the pirates' rise.

Akainu was silent. With his insights and abilities, he understood what Buggy was hinting at. But this was the first time someone had brought it to light!

Buggy didn't care about Akainu's thoughts. He stretched out three fingers and said, "Now, those who go to sea to become pirates can be roughly divided into three categories!"

"First, there are those who wish to explore the world and seek thrilling adventures in pursuit of their dreams!"

"Second, there are the ambitious individuals who aim to fulfill their desires and ambitions by plundering the wealth of others!"

"Third, there are those oppressed in their hometowns, unable to live even an ordinary life, who have no choice but to set sail in search of a way out!"

"The third category makes up the largest group among these three types, and most of those in the first and second categories have transformed from the third type!"

At this point, Buggy paused, lowered his hand, and looked at Akainu. "Admiral Akainu, you just mentioned that it's because of Captain Roger that there are so many pirates today. I can't refute that, and I don't deny it!"

"But would the world really be a better place without Captain Roger?"

"Definitely not!"

Buggy spoke with conviction, while Akainu's brow furrowed deeper.

Buggy continued, "Even if Captain Roger hadn't made his declaration before he died, the third type of people would still exist! The contradictions would still remain!"

"Captain Roger merely shifted the conflict to the sea, giving the third type a new path to explore!"

"If you don't explode in silence, you will perish in silence!"

"If it weren't for Captain Roger, the conflict would have erupted on land! At that point, lives would still be destroyed, more people would be affected, and even more would die!"

Akainu's expression darkened, and the emotions within him rose and fell like a stormy sea.

Obviously, Akainu hadn't been aware of these issues before, but he had never really considered them!

Buggy looked at the red dog and said, "Admiral Akainu, the reason I call you a true navy is that you still possess a sharp spirit in your heart! Unlike the others—like Aokiji and Kizaru—they've become too complacent and dulled!"

"Kizaru is a lost cause, and Aokiji may be a man of obedience, but this era isn't meant for him! That's why I value you the most among the top brass of the Navy!"

"Of course, if you're just a simple person who knows nothing but killing pirates, then I must have misjudged you!"

Akainu fell silent for a moment before responding, "The Navy is the one that hunts down pirates!"

Hearing Akainu's response, Buggy shook his head and replied, "If your perspective is limited to just that, then you'll likely remain an admiral until the day you die!"

Akainu contemplated for a moment, then looked at Buggy and said, "Considering what you and the Red-Haired Shanks discussed back in Marineford, Roger's plans were not just about transferring contradictions to the sea, were they?"

Buggy smiled upon hearing this and said, "Your intuition is quite sharp. Now that the time is almost here, I guess it's fine to share this with you!"

"As I mentioned before, Captain Roger entrusted his fate to the future because he realized he was not the destined one, and Shanks became the guiding wind, correct?"

Akainu nodded, "Yes, and you also mentioned that the wind they were waiting for was the Straw Hat Boy and Joy Boy!"

Buggy chuckled and replied, "That's right! According to the original fate, the person they were waiting for is indeed the Straw Hat Boy, Luffy! But he's just one of them!"

"One of them?" 

Akainu frowned, waiting for Buggy's next move.

Buggy let out a long breath, the air thick with tension, and said, "There were three main reasons why Captain Roger was willing to act as a guide back then! First, Poneglyph's writings made it clear to him that he wasn't a man destined for greatness! Second, Captain Roger was terminally ill at that time, and his days were numbered!

"While these two points are troubling, I believe they're not insurmountable!"

"One of those points is nonsense; I don't believe in fate!"

"Secondly, even though Captain Roger was terminally ill, this world is filled with all kinds of Devil Fruits. It's possible to achieve immortality, and with Captain Roger's strength, I believe there's still a chance for a cure!"

"So, the third point is the most crucial!"

"In that environment at that time, there was no strength or opportunity for change in this world!"