Chapter 236: The Adventurers' Guild
"Pirates are villains by nature. No matter how many of them there are, they'll never change the world."
Fang Yi stated the cruel reality.
"In a world as chaotic as this, where the seas are ruled by the World Government, it's the pirates who benefit most."
"The new era will see them wiped out. Pirates aren't flames of hope—they're the darkness dragging the world into an abyss."
Letting Luffy end the old era and return to an age ruled by the Ancient Kingdom?
That kind of future would only be fiercely resisted by pirates.
Shanks argued reluctantly,
"But among pirates, there are those like the Straw Hat crew, who save civilians and don't pillage wherever they go."
"Then… are they really pirates?"
Fang Yi suddenly asked.
Shanks froze, not understanding the point of the Game Merchant's question.
Luffy's dream was to become the Pirate King. If he wasn't a pirate, then what was he?
Fang Yi repeated calmly,
"They don't rob civilians, don't plunder kingdoms, and travel the seas chasing dreams. Can such a crew still be called pirates?"
Shanks opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.
Among those who sail, there were all kinds—mostly bad people. Someone like Luffy was incredibly rare.
Which is why—
Both nobles and civilians alike used the same word: pirates.
In their minds, all pirates were violent thugs, criminals who did nothing but harm.
"'Pirate' is a term for evil seafarers.
But the flames of hope that Roger and you speak of—are people burdened by that title."
"Are they really pirates?"
Each question hit Shanks like an Apollo Bomb in his mind.
Fang Yi simply stood there, calmly watching Shanks fall into thought.
He'd always found the world of One Piece to be absurd.
Those filled with hope, with the power to save the world, were oppressed and forced to survive in shadows by actual pirates.
Chaos and unrest may give rise to resistance—
but that resistance should not wear the name 'pirate.'
The world of One Piece did have terrifyingly strong individuals,
but the foundation of it all was still ordinary people sailing the seas.
Marine Headquarters, claiming justice, could draft thousands of new recruits with a single call.
Even two new Admirals weren't hard to find.
But the Great Pirate Era forced the hopeful to bear the title of pirates,
branding them as enemies of the world.
The only reason they won at all…
was because fate bent over backwards to help Luffy.
If not for the will of the One Piece world itself,
these so-called rebels would've been wiped out alongside the evildoers.
And even then, the seas were left scarred and bleeding.
Foolish.
That was the best word Fang Yi could think of.
"Mr. Fang Yi, you mean the flames that will liberate the world should be clearly separated from pirates… they mustn't be lumped together?"
Shanks rubbed his forehead. After a long silence, he suddenly looked up and asked.
"That's your decision to make. It has nothing to do with me."
Fang Yi shook his head. He was just presenting facts.
Whatever Shanks took from it was up to him.
As long as it didn't interfere with selling Reincarnation Game products, he didn't care.
"Yes. Evil pirates will never liberate the world.
We… are not pirates!"
Shanks' eyes gleamed with resolve.
The flames of rebellion Roger dreamed of should be gathered together,
united by common goals—like Marine Headquarters, not mixed among criminals and misunderstood by the world.
Call them a rebellion?
Shanks shook his head.
That would draw direct attacks from the World Government and Navy, just like the Revolutionary Army—always on the run, unable to grow.
Adventurers.
Not pirates.
They don't kill or pillage.
They set sail to pursue freedom and dreams.
That's what they should be called: adventurers.
Shanks' eyes lit up. His gaze sharpened.
"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Fang Yi."
He took a deep breath.
"I don't have the reward points to restart the world,
and I don't want to keep running to parallel timelines."
"You're right. Fate is already broken. Trying to preserve it is just foolish."
"Leaving everything to fate… is cowardice."
His thoughts cleared.
Shanks raised his head, full of energy. He looked at the Game Merchant and declared,
"I'm not just the inheritor of Roger's will. I have my own will too!"
"I want to create an adventurers' guild—to gather all the flames that can truly change the world."
"To completely sever ties with the word 'pirate'!"
"Those with passion, justice, and dreams shouldn't be called pirates.
We are adventurers—
and we're the ones who will liberate and transform the world!"
From being disoriented after losing to Smoker and walking into the Game Shop,
to now, no longer chained by fate, no longer just a successor—
Shanks was burning with purpose.
He had never felt so sure of what to do,
or what kind of future he wanted.
Fang Yi gave a light applause. "That's quite the admirable dream."
It was a pleasant surprise.
Most people like Shanks, so deeply devoted to fate,
would spiral into despair and denial once fate was shattered.
Take that brave man in the Shinobi world—he too was now shrouded in confusion.
Fang Yi hadn't expected someone like Shanks to snap out of it so quickly and find new purpose.
It made him… worth watching.
A strong will and a noble goal—
These were what truly allowed someone to fight the Corrupted Worlds.
In Fang Yi's eyes, that made him a valuable player.
Someone worth investing attention and effort into.
"The better the dream, the stronger you need to be. I've fallen too far behind—I need to become stronger!"
Shanks had once rejected the Reincarnation Game because he didn't want to disturb fate.
But now—
To realize his own will, he had to accept the Game's power.
At the very least, he had to reach top-player level.
Only then would he qualify to negotiate with and fight against the world's major powers.
Fang Yi's eyes brightened.
He smiled genuinely.
"Your Red-Haired Pirates may not control vast sea territories like the other Yonko,
but you still own a few islands—enough to buy some fate-based products."
The Red-Haired Pirates had always taken the elite path.
Each island they held was unique and rich in origin energy—no less valuable than those of the other Yonko.
"Just like Mihawk, then?"
Shanks turned toward the shelves, where certain items glowed faintly.
He understood his stats well—
skilled swordsmanship, rivaling the world's top swordsmen,
and top-tier Haki.
These had carried him to the summit.
So—
His fate-based products would likely be sword seeds or sword manuals, just like Mihawk's.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1