One Piece Gunslinger

"Since there was no mistake, I can understand that they did nothing wrong, and I did nothing wrong either, so why did I end up like this, only able to be with twelve idiots of varying degrees of stupidity? I did the right thing, shouldn't the world reward me? Shouldn't I be favored by fate?"

For the past twenty years, I have followed the world's lead, so my wealth has gradually increased, as have my fame, my power, and even my territory and domain. But why has the world suddenly come to punish me?

This was the first time since then that Yhorm had thought about the right and wrong of the world and the right and wrong of his own actions, and the first time he had doubts.

It has to be said that Yhorm is excessively intelligent, to the point that he can fathom the will of the entire world. He has always acted in accordance with the will of the world, including seeking a way out to make a comeback, expanding his pirate crew, and planning to become a Shichibukai.

But this time they failed again, falling victim to the revolutionary army once more. They were acting according to the will of the world, so why did this happen? Why did they fail again? Wasn't this approach wrong?

Today, Yom once again began to doubt, doubting life, doubting the world, and doubting whether he had misunderstood the meaning of the world's will. How could the Revolutionary Army grow stronger even though its actions were all against the world's will?

Unable to figure it out, the clever Yum was truly baffled this time. He spent an entire day in a room but still couldn't come to a conclusion.

A dejected and listless Yhorm, who hadn't rested all day and was starving, emerged from his room and headed for the tavern. Yhorm had heard that for any problem he couldn't figure out, he could seek out this magical liquid, which would help everyone.

Yum had never tried it before, nor did he need it, but now Yum felt he might need it.

After dealing with the King Pirates, Li Ang returned to the Revolutionary Army's intelligence station in the tavern. He sent the other members of the Hat Guard squad back to keep an eye on Luffy, leaving Li Ang alone to handle everything before Luffy arrived and restore Mock Town to its former glory.

Looking back now, the world has become accustomed to the days when pirates roam freely. Pirates came into the village to carry out terrorist activities just yesterday, and today they continue to live their normal lives as if nothing happened.

Li Ang was resting at the moment, sitting in the tavern drinking a cocktail arranged by the tavern owner in front of him, who was actually a revolutionary army intelligence agent, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

Just as Li Ang was trying to figure out how many ingredients had been added to the wine, a disheveled young man with a blank expression and dark circles under his eyes plopped down next to him.

"Please give me the wine that will make me smarter."

"Cough, cough, cough cough..." Upon hearing this sound, Li Ang choked on the cocktail he was slowly savoring and immediately began coughing violently.

The tavern owner was speechless. "There's actually alcohol in this world that can boost IQ? Please give me some too."

"Have you never drunk alcohol before?" But the hotel owner was a seasoned veteran who had seen it all. He had been running an intelligence station here for several years and had served all sorts of strange guests. So he naturally pretended to be a warm and hospitable uncle.

"Yes."

"Just as I thought," the tavern owner said, pouring the young man a glass of rum. "Looks like this lad has run into some trouble. Here, try this, even beginners will love it. This one's on me."

"Buy me a drink?" Yom chuckled dryly. "This is the first time I've ever received something for free." And this free thing was actually given to him by his enemy, the Revolutionary Army.

What's the point of pretending? When Yhorm walked into the tavern, he knew the owner was a member of the Revolutionary Army. They even found an intelligence station underground.

Although Yhorm looks disheveled and down on his luck right now, his IQ hasn't dropped, okay?

However, neither Leon nor the tavern owner recognized him as the captain of the King Pirates. Leon and his hat-wielding squad had swiftly wiped out everyone, even sinking the ship to ensure no one was faking death. They hadn't even considered that the real King wasn't in the pirate crew.

The main problem was that the intelligence Leon received only mentioned these thirteen kings and Yom's name. There was no photograph of Yom. Furthermore, the intelligence department couldn't send a photograph to Leon at sea via Den Den Mushi. Therefore, Leon had no idea what Yom looked like.

To reiterate, Yhorm is truly cunning. Since he dared to come here and meet this member of the Revolutionary Army, he must have been certain that the hotel owner wouldn't recognize him; otherwise, wouldn't he have walked right into a trap?

Chapter 349 The Will of the World

Yom accepted the rum offered by the tavern owner and, without hesitation, downed it in one gulp.

"Cough, cough, cough."

"Haha, even rum makes you choke. Luckily I didn't bring out any other spirits." The hotel owner shook his head and said, "Kid, although I don't know what's bothering you, everyone comes here for a reason. I don't want to hear any complaints, because I've had enough."

Everyone with something on their mind comes here to complain, and whenever someone is unhappy, they come to me looking for a drink. I'm so tired of hearing it all.

But I have to tell you, just like I tell others, sometimes you just have to say "fuck it" to the world. This world is full of too much negativity, too much irrationality, too much malice. Yet everyone has to live in this world.

When life is going well, you feel like the world's darling. But the world might play a cruel joke on you the next second. Sometimes you think the world is playing a joke on you, but actually it's just a slap in the face. You never know when that slap might kill you.

So sometimes, don't overthink things. If the world is smiling and giving you the middle finger, you can return the favor in kind.

Li Ang, who was standing nearby, overheard the tavern owner's words and nodded slightly. "Not bad," he thought. "The tavern owner hasn't worked for nothing these past few years; he even knows how to help people out of their troubles and has even come up with his own universal formula for relieving worries."

Yes, no matter what troubles the person has, just use this approach; you don't even need to hear the specific reason. It's a universal formula; apply it to anyone, and say the same thing to everyone.

The secret lies in using rough language to explain a universally appealing principle. As the saying goes, the words may be crude, but the reasoning is sound; in particular, the profanity provides an outlet for catharsis and releases pent-up emotions.

Furthermore, the underlying principle of "the world is not at fault, it's not me" makes anyone feel more at ease upon hearing it. Combined with the effect of alcohol, this trick is almost always effective.

Besides that, there's another versatile tactic: just listen and don't speak. No matter who comes, I'll be a good dumping ground, listening to whatever they say without offering advice or comfort.

Both of these methods are quite versatile, but of course, they are not universally applicable, or suitable for everyone.

The former is suitable for generous, hospitable, and unpretentious middle-aged men. The latter is suitable for good-looking, taciturn, and gentle individuals. These two types will be more effective.

If you are not one of these two types of people, I suggest you try a different approach to avoid making things worse.

However, while it may be a jack-of-all-trades, it also has a problem: its effectiveness isn't particularly significant. After all, it's not one-on-one, professional guidance.

However, for Yhorm, blaming the world isn't a panacea; it's just a specific response. The problem Yhorm can't understand is this capricious world.

So the tavern owner's tactic, which works on everyone, combined with the free drink and the tavern owner's revolutionary background, resulted in an extraordinary effect on Yhorm, who became even more gloomy after hearing it.

"The Revolutionary Army was the one who made me lose my kingship and become a pirate at sea. The Revolutionary Army was the one who destroyed the pirate crew I painstakingly built. Now, the Revolutionary Army is the one offering me drinks and trying to appease me. Hah, what kind of mess is this? This world is truly awful, screw it all."

Thinking of this, Yum disregarded everything and didn't care how he had choked earlier. He gulped down the remaining half of the rum in the wooden cup.

Last time, Yom didn't quite get the taste of rum, but now he finally understands: "Hmm, a little sweet, a little bitter. I don't know why people like this taste, it's really strange. And I haven't become any smarter. Sure enough, I knew all along that alcohol can't solve everything, but I still gave it a try. It seems I've become even dumber. Knowing it's impossible, I still did it."

Yes, Yhorm is so smart, he already knew that if alcohol could really solve everything, then what would be left for him? Everyone could use alcohol to surpass the smartest person. So it's just a joke, but Yhorm still decided to try it.

Seeing Yum's actions and his increasingly somber and gloomy expression, Li Ang realized that the knot in his heart had not yet been untied.

Sigh, it's time to show you the real skills and demonstrate why I'm the chief of staff. Problems the tavern owner can't solve, so my trusted older brother, Li Ang, will handle.

So Li Ang gestured to the tavern owner, telling him to wait aside and give him some space.

The tavern owner, following orders, picked up two glasses and went to the other side of the bar, ignoring Leon and Yom next to him.

Space is very important; having a heart-to-heart talk in a cramped space is completely different from having one in a spacious one. Even though the tavern owner only took two steps away, those two steps were like a huge weight being lifted from Yum's chest, making breathing much easier.

However, what Leon thought was a discreet action was seen by Yom: "He can command the tavern owner? Is he an old acquaintance? Or a high-ranking member of the Revolutionary Army? If it's the latter, then that's interesting. Maybe this guy is the one who destroyed the pirate crew yesterday."

Seeing that Yum's expression was a bit strange, Li Ang didn't pay much attention to it and said in feigned anger, "Tell me, what's wrong with you? You're so gloomy, it's making my wine taste worse."

Well, Li Ang deliberately stepped on a landmine right from the start to see how this guy in front of him would react.

"I'm really sorry your wine tastes worse now," Yum said, squinting at Li Ang with no sincerity whatsoever.

Well, the reaction was quite calm. It seems they won't react much to stepping on a landmine. They won't become more depressed, nor will they become angry, and they certainly won't turn around and walk away.

That would be troublesome!

Li Ang quickly realized that this job was not easy. The greatest sorrow is a broken heart. The calmer the reaction and the less concerned one is with external information, the worse the situation is.

Fortunately, Yhorm replied with a nonchalant remark; otherwise, Leon would have been in real trouble.

Then Li Ang tentatively asked Youm, "Hey, what's wrong? Can you tell me?"

However, upon hearing this, Yum gave a self-deprecating smile: "What? Should I tell you that you occupied my country and destroyed my pirate crew? But since you want to hear it, I'll tell you then, and see how you view this matter from a different perspective."

Imagine this: Yhorm altered his entire story, giving it a new look. He replaced the king with a nobleman, and the World Government with a nation. After losing power, he managed to unite several other nobles who had also fallen from grace, and they set sail to establish a trading guild, only to be destroyed in the end.

After changing to this new skin, the problem remains the same: from beginning to end, I acted in accordance with the world and followed its rules, so how did it end up like this?

Actually, the biggest hurdle in dealing with psychological issues is the first step: getting someone to open up. If I have a problem and I don't talk about it, it can drive you crazy, and no matter how many solutions you have, they won't help. So Li Ang was pleasantly surprised that he could so easily elicit information from me, saving him a lot of effort.

However, after listening to Yum's description, Li Ang simply curled his lip and said, "I mean, just how smart do you think you are? You actually dare to speculate about the will of this world. I'm utterly astonished. There are people like this in this world."

Seeing that Yum's expression suddenly turned angry, as if to say, you can insult my strength or luck, but you can't insult my intelligence.

Li Ang quickly changed his tune, saying, "Alright, I'll skip that question for now. Let's assume you've truly grasped the rules of this world and understood its will. Even based on that assumption, I can tell you the truth: your failure was because you only saw this so-called world will, not the will of mortals. You lost because of the will of mortals."

This was a novel viewpoint; it was the first time Yom had heard of such an argument. Ever since he had grasped the rules of this world, he had firmly believed in one principle: only those with status and power have a voice. If someone is just an ordinary citizen, there's no point in paying attention to them, and their words have no value, let alone their will.

Seeing Yum's disbelieving look, Leon raised an eyebrow and asked, "Since you believe you have seen the will of the world, can you tell me what the will of the world is?"

Isn't that simple? Yum didn't even need to prepare a draft to answer this seemingly complex and enormous question, after all, he had been pondering this question since he could remember.

"The so-called world will is actually a vague term. It is the sum of all the rules in this world, which constrains and guides people's behavior. Although it is invisible, it really exists, but no one knows it. Our actions will eventually receive feedback from the world will."

For example, if I train hard, I will become stronger. If I attack the navy, I will be killed. Besides these obvious rules, there are many more that are hard to see.

But I'm different. I can not only see it, but also act according to its preferences, so I often profit from my actions. However, somehow, two unexpected events occurred.

Chapter 350 Let's Work Overtime, Young Man

"Ouch."

Upon hearing Yum's words, Li Ang couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement: "This guy's IQ is indeed quite high, and even in this backward era of thought, he can still figure out so many things on his own. Although his explanation is not comprehensive and not very clear, it's already quite good that he can do this."

Unfortunately, such a talented individual encountered such a turbulent era. Trying to fathom the will of the world in such a time was a futile endeavor, for the will of the world itself was constantly shifting.

After Yom finished speaking, Leon paused for a moment, organized his thoughts, and then said earnestly, "Indeed, it's because you thought that way, because you actually tried to fathom the will of the world, that you failed!"

"What kind of logic is this?" Yum couldn't understand. "What nonsense are you talking about? If we don't follow the will of the world, or even go against it, won't the whole world fall into chaos?"

To everyone's surprise, Li Ang nodded heavily: "Ah, that's right, the world has gone into chaos."

"what?!"

Seeing Yum's puzzled expression, Leon continued to explain, "Do you remember what I said before? You only saw the will of the world, not the will of the people."

Your explanation of the world's will is pretty much accurate, almost complete. While there were some minor issues, they're insignificant here. The important thing is that you haven't considered how the world's will came into being, or what its causes are.

"The cause of the world's will? The birth of the world's will?" Yum had never really thought about this question. Perhaps these questions had popped into his head before, but thinking about such questions was useless and could not help Yuri gain any benefits, so Yuri had never paid attention to them.

“That’s right, the key is the origin of the world’s will,” Li Ang said meaningfully. “Rules have existed for a very long time, far longer than humans, and even longer than the existence of this planet. This can be traced back to the beginning of the universe.”

However, these original rules can now be collectively referred to as the principles of nature. The passing of winter and the arrival of spring, the rising and setting of the sun—these are all manifestations of the principles of nature.

However, after the emergence of humans and other intelligent races, the rules of this world, based on natural self-governance, were supplemented by the will of intelligent beings and additional social rules. These were things that did not exist before.

For example, if the tavern owner was in a good mood, he might have bought you a drink; if he was in a bad mood, you'd have to pay for it yourself. The sum total of the will of these intelligent beings, manifested in this world… that is the will of the world.

Do you understand now? The world's will that you have been serving all along is actually the will of everyone in the world! How can you not pay attention to the will of ordinary people?

They are the most important component of this will!

"This...could it be..."

Yhorm seemed to understand a little. Was it wrong to conform to the will of the world? No, it wasn't wrong. Similarly, since he had conformed to the will of the world, he should also be rewarded.

So why has Yhorm fallen to this state? Just as the tavern owner said before, the world is at fault; the will of this world has gone awry.

“Things have changed…” Yom said with an incredulous expression, “because… the Revolutionary Army has appeared.”

“That’s right, that’s it.” Li Ang put down his empty wine glass. He was so busy talking to Yum that he didn’t really taste the cocktail properly.

Li Ang continued, “If this world were ten years ago, it would be exactly as you see it now. It has its own corrupt will. This will is accepted by the vast majority of people in the world. Even those who are oppressed by this will, even slaves, few of them think of rebelling. Because they also accept this will in their hearts and abide by this set of social rules.”