The Revolutionary Army was efficient; within an hour, only a few ships remained at the dock.
On the island, Vir lay on a reclining chair created by Tuskie’s powers, drinking out of boredom, with Koala standing beside him.
The three—two people and a rabbit—were silent. The rabbit was engrossed in a medical book while Vir was contemplating his recent changes.
Vir noticed that his behavior had become increasingly spontaneous lately. He did whatever came to mind and said whatever he thought, like threatening Charlotte Cracker to call him ‘Papa.’ He would never have done something so foolish before. What had changed?
After much thought, Vir found the answer: lack of rules.
He used to be bound by rules. In the pirate world, those rules disappeared, leading to some indulgence. But long-standing habits don’t change easily.
Now, after many years in the pirate world, Vir had forgotten some of his old habits. Enjoying combat, he had become a killing machine, realizing he was becoming abnormal.
He once thought ‘Yi Xue’ might be influencing him but later dismissed the idea. As its creator, the cursed sword’s backlash was unlikely to affect him much.
Vir realized the change was within himself. After obtaining advanced Haki training and the swordsmanship insights of the former world’s greatest swordsman on Black Iron Rock Island, his power grew rapidly.
Years of effort and accumulation paid off with the right training methods, pushing his strength close to that of an Admiral. Although he might not yet be a match for an Admiral, taking him down wouldn’t be easy; they would pay a price.
This rapid increase in power caused Vir to lose his way. Unlike novel protagonists, Vir wasn’t inherently calm and could not self-reflect after gaining strength. Before coming to the pirate world, he was just an ordinary person.
Losing oneself isn’t scary; not realizing it is. If Vir had anything to be proud of, it was his self-awareness.
He knew he wasn’t the chosen one. Seeking out the powerful figures from the original story for training would only end in rejection. So, he found a small sword dojo, worked hard, risked his life, and with some luck, achieved his current strength.
Vir realized he couldn’t continue like this. Continuing this way would lead to either world destruction or his own demise. World destruction was too grand a concept for Vir, and being destroyed by the world wasn’t appealing either. He decided to change himself and set some principles.
First, no more slaughtering those who aren’t his enemies. If an enemy loses the will to fight, unless they are extremely hateful, he will spare the innocent.
Second, no more tormenting innocent and weak people.
For example, Eileen might have been mentally scarred by his actions. Who knows what her mental state will be like in the future? If she ever gains the power to kill him, it would be his karma, with no one to blame but himself.
Third, engage in activities he finds valuable. Though he wasn’t particularly compassionate, he wouldn’t do something as meaningless and embarrassing as making Charlotte Cracker call him ‘Papa’ again.
Thinking of these things, Vir smiled. Though he was a thorough villain now, he felt freer.
The pirate world is like that—always teetering between killing and being killed. For a combat maniac like him, not fighting was worse than death.
He still had many things to accomplish, like fulfilling his master’s and senior brother’s wishes.
Vir drank the remaining wine in one gulp and looked at the bored Koala, deciding to chat with the Revolutionary Army girl.
“Hey, Koala, what does the Revolutionary Army usually do? Just causing trouble for the World Government?” Vir looked at the pretty girl, thinking how lucky Sabo was to have her.
Koala was surprised that the ruthless swordsman initiated a conversation but became interested after hearing his question.
“Of course not. We resist the World Government, help countries under its oppression, overthrow tyrannical kings, and settle refugees. It’s exhausting.
By the way, did you kill all these people on the island? Why?” Koala seemed interested in chatting as well.
“Why kill them? Good question. I guess I lost myself, but the main reason is they were my enemies. Isn’t it normal to kill enemies?” Vir looked at Koala strangely, thinking someone with her war experience shouldn’t be so naive.
“Killing enemies is normal, but this is massacre. It’s like hell. Even if you kill, you don’t need to be so cruel,” Koala didn’t like Vir’s method of killing.
“That’s a tough question. You know, swordsmen are inherently aggressive. My abilities are special, making me stronger than average swordsmen. Sometimes I try to leave someone alive, but it’s difficult, really.” Vir had no intention of changing his fighting style. Setting principles for himself was one thing, but in battle, a dead enemy was a good enemy. Other considerations could wait until after dealing with strong foes.
Vir always believed that mercy to the enemy was cruelty to oneself. So, his combat style wouldn’t change.
Koala felt that Vir’s worldview was utterly twisted but surprisingly approachable. Given his fighting style, he shouldn’t seem like a neighborly big brother. The contrast was too stark, causing Koala to relax.
“You’re sick. This needs treatment. Anyway, everyone has their beliefs and ideas. I only do what I believe is right and never kill randomly. Life is precious.” Koala tried to correct Vir’s worldview, but it was a naive attempt.
“Hehehe, what’s the difference between living and dying? Life and death are a continuous cycle. We live, they die. If you fear death, you should farm back home instead of roaming the seas.”
Vir found chatting with Koala interesting, unable to resist subtly showing off.
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