Starting with two Kamui, they raised the flag of rebellion in One Piece.

"Later, during a raid, my birthplace was also destroyed in a sea of ​​fire. That's why I went to sea to become a bounty hunter. My initial goal was to eliminate as many pirates as possible and help places in the same situation as my hometown."

"Of course, these were the reasons at the beginning."

"Later on, I didn't really care about these things anymore. Because during this journey, I met all sorts of people and I also had my own goals. So much so that even now, even though I'm still a bounty hunter, my goal is less about becoming a pirate and more about raising funds for that goal."

"It's that simple."

After saying all that, Li Mingyuan continued drinking, as if he were talking about someone else's business. His expression showed little concern, as if he had truly moved on from these past stories.

However, in the eyes of those around him, Li Mingyuan's behavior proved that he was still affected by the past. After all, if he really didn't care about the past at all, why would he still avoid talking about the name of his hometown?

Upon hearing the name of the Great Pirate Era, Ace's hand, which was still drinking, paused subconsciously, and a slightly unnatural expression appeared on his face.

Although Ace's changes in expression were only brief and fleeting, none of the Spade Pirates members nearby noticed them. However, Li Mingyuan, who was closest to Ace and had been secretly observing Ace's expressions from the very beginning when he was explaining his "background," still managed to take in all of Ace's emotions.

"I never imagined you had such a past..."

"It might sound a bit strange to me as a pirate, but it's a story that's really everywhere. Since the beginning of the Great Pirate Era, countless pirates have sailed the seas, and countless places have suffered disasters because of this."

Ace sighed, "While the title of Pirate King symbolizes everything for those who chase their dreams—including me, who set sail with the goal of becoming Pirate King—I imagine those places ravaged by pirates must feel immense disgust for the era brought about by the Pirate King, right?"

As if it were just a casual remark at the dinner table, Ace suddenly seemed to remember something, and looked at Li Mingyuan with a curious expression, saying, "By the way, if you were to evaluate One Piece, what are your thoughts?"

"No matter how open-minded you are, this was the reason you were sent to sea in the first place. Since you're still working as a bounty hunter, it at least shows that you shouldn't have any intention of becoming a pirate."

"I've never heard of a bounty hunter's opinion on One Piece before. I'm a little curious."

Ace chuckled as he spoke to Li Mingyuan, patting him on the shoulder.

However, he said it as if nothing was wrong on the surface.

But when no one was watching, Ace unconsciously tightened his grip on the wine glass, clearly showing that he wasn't as nonchalant as he appeared when it came to Roger's topic.

"What do you think of One Piece? Nobody's ever asked me that before."

Li Mingyuan seemed oblivious to Ace's unusual behavior, took a few more sips of his drink, put on a thoughtful expression, and spoke again.

"To be honest, if we think about it normally, Roger would undoubtedly be the worst of the worst, right? Even though you are all pirates here, I will still say it straight: Roger's impact on this world was undoubtedly revolutionary. No matter if any country in the world is a member of the World Government or not, no matter how well or poorly it is governed, there is no doubt that pirates will not consider so many things when they attack."

"That……"

Upon hearing Li Mingyuan's words, Ace was about to say something.

But before Ace could speak, Li Mingyuan decisively interrupted him, saying again, "However, as the saying goes, things cannot be viewed from only one side; everything has two sides."

"Leaving aside the fact that these countries are not members of the World Government, you may not know what their true situation is in this world. Just consider the situation of the Great Pirate Era itself. With so many men pursuing their dreams and heading to the sea, various trade chains must have been generated in all aspects of the maritime industry. After all, as long as the Navy exists, not all pirates will only obtain resources by burning, killing, and plundering. For pirates who are not strong enough or do not want to cause trouble, they will still conduct normal island-hopping trade. Because of the random movement of these pirates, there is much more interaction between islands than in the past. At least for some non-member countries that the World Government did not have much contact with in the past, these are all factors that promote the development of the era."

"Besides, I'm a bounty hunter. The more pirates there are, the higher the bounty, and the more income I'll have. This is a good thing for my new goal. If I could really put aside my past hometown, from my personal perspective, I might even have to thank the Pirate King. Although, in reality, I can't really let go of those past things."

After Li Mingyuan said those words, the scene fell silent.

The other pirates looked at Li Mingyuan with some surprise. They didn't expect that there would be a bounty hunter, a guy whose hometown was destroyed by pirates, who didn't just curse and hate the Great Pirate Era. In fact, his evaluation was inexplicably objective.

As for Ace.

Completely taken aback by Li Mingyuan's words, he was now frozen in place, his gaze towards Li Mingyuan constantly shifting.

Before this, he had never heard anyone else give a positive review of One Piece, let alone a pirate hunter like Li Mingyuan. He originally thought that when he mentioned One Piece, the other person would respond like everyone else he had met before, with a reply like, "Roger? Don't say such a disgusting name."

He thought he was mentally prepared.

Little did they expect that Li Mingyuan, who should have harbored resentment towards the Great Pirate Era, would say something that would be the most accepting of the Pirate King and the discourse of this era over the years, aside from those who dream of being pirates.

These unexpected words pierced through his defenses.

After a long while, Ace, noticing his strange reaction, finally snapped out of it.

He forced a calm expression and said to Li Mingyuan with a wry smile, "What a heartless fellow. Is the destruction of our hometown just going to be glossed over like that?"

"Well, he may be a strange guy, but since that's your opinion of pirates, it's not surprising that you're sitting here eating and drinking with us."

"In the end, regardless of what you think, if you and I hadn't known each other beforehand, you would never have let the pirates off the hook, right? So, it doesn't matter how you take it easy, because from the outside world's perspective, your behavior is ruthless towards the pirates, and your actions are still a response to the past."

"Let's change the subject! You're a bounty hunter and we're pirates. Talking about this kind of thing feels a bit strange no matter how you look at it. It's a rare treat to have wine and food. Talking about this all the time will just ruin the flavor."

Ace changed the subject.

Then, he took the initiative to bring up some of the Spade Pirates' past.

Not only did he set sail because he wanted to become the Pirate King, but he also reminisced about how he was stranded on a deserted island and met his current vice-captain, Deuce. Even the story of how they shared Devil Fruits and gained their powers was a funny anecdote that Ace mentioned to Li Mingyuan in a lighthearted conversation.

Looking at Ace like this, the other Spade Pirates members present wondered if it was just their imagination.

They felt that Ace seemed to have become more enthusiastic than before, and his attitude towards Li Mingyuan had improved significantly, almost as if he were treating his long-time crew members with exceptional joy.

However, considering that Ace had introduced Li Mingyuan as an old acquaintance, the other crew members didn't think much of it at the moment. They simply continued eating and drinking, immersed in the atmosphere of chatting and laughing, and soon shifted their attention back to the topic of conversation.

The entire venue was becoming increasingly lively.

No one noticed that in a corner of this feast, after listening to Li Mingyuan's story, Karina sighed slightly, turned around and left the deck with a somewhat complicated expression.

Meanwhile, Ace, completely drunk and happily chatting with the Spade Pirates, was completely unaware of what was happening.

Li Mingyuan's gaze remained fixed on him.

"You must be thrilled to hear this from a bounty hunter, Ace."

At some point, Li Mingyuan's expression began to carry a meaningful quality.

"Even if you're a little happier, that's fine. It would be even better if you could just trust me like this."

After all, from the very beginning.

This background story about the Great Pirate Era was specially made for you.

Put down the wine glass.

Because Li Mingyuan remained rational and sipped his drinks carefully, while the others present ate and drank in a very pirate-like manner, Li Mingyuan was still able to maintain a very rational mind at this point. However, the pirates of the Spade Pirates, except for those with a particularly high alcohol tolerance, were basically all drunk.

Under these circumstances, seeing that Ace was slightly too drunk, Li Mingyuan lost interest in continuing to interact with the other pirates.

He randomly picked a few pirates who seemed relatively sober, told them they could leave whenever they wanted, and that their captain seemed to have drunk a bit too much, so he should keep an eye on them. Then he got up to get some fresh air.

The stern is located near Nami's orange trees.

Li Mingyuan gazed at the sea.

"That should solve the problem, right?"

The reason for setting sail was copied from Joseph and Johnny, and the destruction of his hometown was deliberately set as a scapegoat for the Great Pirate Era. All of this was because Li Mingyuan knew from the beginning that Ace, as the son of the Pirate King, grew up amidst the hatred and contempt of others for the Pirate King, and questioned whether his birth was really a good thing.

This sense of emptiness made Ace yearn for recognition.

That's right. Compared to the reasons for becoming the Pirate King at this stage, even Ace himself didn't realize that he didn't care about any of those things at all. What he really wanted was just the warmth of a family and a sense of belonging.

They deliberately targeted his weaknesses and discussed topics that he cared about most. If Ace were still the Ace from the original story, he would inevitably be moved.

As it turned out, he was right.

"Besides, if someone tries to find out my background in the future, this fake background can also serve to distract them."

"Especially if we really become enemies with the World Government, then we won't even need to find another reason to oppose them."

Li Mingyuan stroked his chin, a hint of pleasure in his expression.

What he just said was absolutely perfect.

"The Great Pirate Era", "Non-member State of the World Government", "Disappeared", "Helping those places in the same situation as my hometown", "My own goal".

All of them are keyword suggestions.

It's estimated that only those who have also read the original work and are time travelers themselves can understand some of the implied meaning in his words.

When it comes time to use these things, the background can be seamlessly replaced with the following:

It wasn't pirates who destroyed his hometown, but the Celestial Dragons of the World Government. They regarded people from non-member countries of the World Government as inferior trash and carried out a "murder game" on the island every three years, which is why his hometown was destroyed.

Originally, when he was adrift at sea, he helped those places in the same situation as his homeland. But later, he found a new goal in the process of drifting: to rebel against the World Government!

See, isn't everything perfectly reasonable?

"Originally, for someone like me whose past is a blank in this world, there was no need to fabricate such a background. No one can find out about my past, so I can maintain my mystery."

"But if you think about it even a little, you'll quickly realize that this situation is very inappropriate. I can maintain this mystery for now, but later, when I want to continue recruiting partners to fight against the World Government, or reveal my true goals to the partners I've already recruited, how can I gain their approval and get them to fight against this behemoth, the World Government, without a reasonable explanation that they can empathize with?"

"Moreover, this is a rationalization of the surface identity. It is a second layer of background that is developed by taking advantage of the exposure of the real identity, so that the partners will accept the behavior when the time comes."

"In fact, when the two identities act separately, the superficial identity, which inherits the first layer of false background as a 'real person,' can be used to completely separate from the other identity, making the other self a completely blank person."

Li Mingyuan understood everything perfectly.

The mysterious masked man's identity could be a blank slate inheriting the background of a time traveler, but his outward identity absolutely cannot be like that. His motives, the reasons for being accepted by those around him, and the justifications he needs after being exposed all require a reason.

And these background details also serve as bait to guide the conversation.

If someone were to investigate these things, or think they could use his non-existent background to do something, then the situation awaiting them would undoubtedly be a nightmare.