The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

"Then I realized that humans are the most despicable creatures in the world, their bones and blood are filled with base instincts."

"so……"

John shook his head at this point.

"If you ask me what to do, I don't know either."

"The only thing I can do is to avoid being at the bottom of the social hierarchy, that's all."

These heartfelt words plunged Saturn and Neptune into a long silence.

They never imagined that John Saint had lived in such a wonderful environment, and the idea that "the workers are the greatest" was beyond their comprehension.

After all, in their minds, kings and nobles should be the greatest.

In fact, everything in the world is a gift from the great Creator, and everything people receive is a blessing, unrelated to personal effort.

Even John Saint couldn't find the answer, so what should become of Fishman Island?

Seeing the three bewildered people, John had nothing more to say and could only continue enjoying his breakfast.

The conflict between fish-men and mermaids will not end here, just as Otohime will be killed by Hody Jones in the future.

Even if this event changes the future, the conflict between the two will still erupt someday.

Even if the mermaids killed all the fishmen or drove them off Fishman Island, new conflicts would still arise among the mermaids themselves.

The world is a place where unity, after a long period of division, will inevitably give way to division; no one can escape this trend.

so……

The only thing you should never miss is delicious food!

"Just live your own life."

Chapter 140 New Sprouts

"However, I do have a small suggestion."

As John changed the subject, Saturn and the Neptunes immediately perked up.

"Please speak!"

"Um……"

John paused for a moment, then looked at Saturn meaningfully.

"If a country wants to remain vibrant, its rulers cannot be lethargic."

"Only the young can always maintain enthusiasm and hope. Even if they lack experience and are not so shrewd, it doesn't matter if they make mistakes occasionally."

"But only youth brings hope."

"I……"

Upon hearing this, Saturn abruptly turned to look at his son Neptune beside him, recalling scenes from recent years.

Due to his advanced age and frail health, he had long since retired and began grooming his son Neptune to gradually take over power.

He saw his younger self in Neptune, as well as his past recklessness and the many futile efforts he made.

He wanted to use his own experience to prevent Neptune from making the same mistakes, but this led to disagreements with Neptune and frequent unpleasant arguments.

It's like... walking on land, living in the sunshine.

Although Saturn still harbored illusions, he had in fact given up.

I won't do anything more about it; I'll just go with the flow.

But Neptune is different from Otohime; like him in his youth, he possesses the spirit of never turning back even after hitting a wall.

Even after being dealt a blow by John Saint at the banquet last night, Neptune and Otohime still did not give up and wanted to find other paths.

"It seems I have to bow down to the passage of time."

"Father!"

Seeing Saturn's dejected look, Neptune quickly and concernedly took his hand in his.

Saturn shook his head, pulled his hand away from Neptune's grasp, and looked at him sternly to give the order.

"Neptune, from this day forward, you are the new king of the Ryugu Kingdom on Fishman Island."

"From now on, I will no longer interfere with any of your decisions."

"Father……"

"That's enough, I'm tired."

Saturn stood up, bowed to John, and then left with the help of his servants.

Neptune watched Saturn walk away until his figure disappeared completely before turning to look at John with a complicated expression.

“John Saint…”

Neptune wanted to say something, such as thanking John for valuing him so much, but was interrupted by the latter waving his hand.

“My advice may not be right either. Saturn chose to listen to it simply because I was a ‘successful person’ in his eyes.”

"When you are weak, no matter how right you are in your reasoning, people will think you are just whining."

"When you are powerful, even your casual farts and nonsense will be regarded by the public as a classic winning strategy."

"The masses are all ignorant and foolish. Whether Saturn's choice was correct or not should be proven by you, Neptune."

"Only when withered old leaves fall can vibrant new buds sprout from the branches. You must bloom more brightly than the former to make all of this meaningful."

“I understand.” Neptune nodded solemnly.

Otohime, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke at this moment:

“John Saint, if you were a king, would you voluntarily relinquish power when you are old and frail?”

She was using John's words to ask the world government.

She asked the "Five Elders," whom she had heard about since childhood, why they, who were already rotten and had made a mess of the world, could still sit in the highest position of power as if it were their own right.

"do not know."

John shook his head again, unable to give a definite answer.

This aging is not physical, but mental.

His heart, though not quite old, is certainly no longer young.

But his desires were insatiable, and he showed no intention of ever being satisfied.

Perhaps one day, when he is filled with the stench of decay, he will do something that draws life from the new shoots.

Just like those old men in their fifties and sixties who would get their hands on and play with young, beautiful girls in their eighteen or twenty years.

He couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't do those things in the future.

"I only hope that a brave warrior will be able to cut down this rotten wood of mine when the time comes..."

Then, nourished by the earth, he was reborn and made a comeback!

"I'm afraid that those young people, who are so weak that they seem to have broken their spines, will not have the courage to resist me and will only flatter me and beg for benefits."

"If it really develops to that point, then it is what the younger generation deserves; they are destined to only serve as nourishment."

After saying that, John chuckled softly, rubbing his forehead.

He was increasingly looking forward to meeting Nika.

Although John did not give a precise answer, Otohime found the answer in his words.

If no one dares to stand up against the World Government, those ancient monsters who have lived for countless years, the Five Elders, will continue to exist.

It will continue to draw nourishment from the tree of the world, causing young buds to wither prematurely.

Just then, the battle in the square ended.

The ferocious lion, having exhausted its domineering aura and stamina, was pierced through the heart by the Phoenix Sword.

Phoenix was exhausted and didn't even have time for breakfast before falling into a deep sleep in her standing armor.

John carried Phoenix back to the room and left the cleanup to those who needed to do it.

Sea Forest

It is an underwater forest located northeast of Fishman Street. Because many shipwrecks in the sea are transported here by the currents, it is also known as the "Ship Graveyard".

The forest is home to many beautiful corals, and schools of fish and whales also forage here. It is common to see the dreamlike scenery of whales and schools of fish swimming through the forest.

In addition, there are historical records here of the apology text related to Joy Boy and the red road sign historical record.

On this day, two figures enveloped in bubbles arrived in this magnificent forest.

"Have you really never considered learning ancient scripts yourself?"

John, with a cigarette dangling from his lips to stay awake, took photos while offering suggestions.

Beside him, Bergabank, fiddling with the fax machine, shook his head and sighed:

"I feel like I don't have enough time right now. I wish I could split myself into six parts. How could I possibly have the energy to study ancient characters?"

"It'll be a bit of a hassle, so fax it to O'Hara and have Clover translate it for them."

"alright."

John thought that made sense; human strength has its limits, and many things cannot be done just because you want to.

After handing the photographed road sign with its historical text to Begabank, an idea suddenly popped into John's mind.

"What do you think would happen if I became the Pirate King?"

As he spoke, John spread his arms, closed his eyes, and imagined himself sitting cross-legged on the execution platform.

"Want my treasure? Go find it! I've left everything in the world there!"

"From then on, people rushed to the sea like madmen in search of Captain John's treasure."

"Captain John, the Pirate King, has ushered in a great era!"