The words spoken by Pirate King Roger before his death unleashed chaos, causing scoundrels of all kinds to flock to the seas. Some were ambitious and determined to become the next Pirate King, others were simply swept up by the trend and wanted momentary freedom, while still others, defeated by harsh reality, turned into violent thugs.
This situation made it increasingly difficult for the Navy to keep up with capturing pirates, while competition among pirates became more intense—if everyone turned to piracy, who would be left to plunder? No merchant ships, no thriving towns—what would they steal?
In nature, when predators far outnumber prey, they either starve or adapt, seeking new ways to survive. Humans, being smarter than animals, found a way: many pirates quickly mastered a new skill—slave trading.
This suited pirates perfectly. When they defeated a fellow pirate with a high Navy bounty, they could sell them as a slave instead of claiming a bounty from the Navy or the World Government, which was nearly impossible for them.
This trade wasn't limited to pirates. Before the Great Pirate Era, there was already a slave trade, but after its advent, slave trading, especially human trafficking, reached new heights.
As mentioned earlier, William's original body was a victim of this environment.
When William was twelve, he and his mother encountered pirates on their family's boat. His mother took her own life in despair, but William, young and good-looking, was sold as a slave. Over the next six months, he changed hands several times, finally ending up with the Celestial Dragons.
The long-standing Celestial Dragon society maintained a slave culture, collecting slaves of various races, including humans. As part of this culture, slaves owned by Celestial Dragons were marked with the 'Hoof of the Celestial Dragon' symbol, branding them as lower-class.
No matter the race or former status—whether criminal, merchant, or prince—after bearing the Celestial Dragon mark, one identity remained: slave.
The original William attempted to escape or seek help, claiming he'd been illegally sold, but this only irritated his master, the Celestial Dragon Saint Tordos. During one banquet, Saint Tordos suggested using slaves for amusement.
Tordos and another Celestial Dragon, who owned a slave boy close to William's age, set up a match to "pass the time." Locked in a cage, William and the other boy fought like animals. With some swordsmanship skills from his youth, William emerged victorious, but this experience sowed deep fear within him, leading him to behave obediently.
This obedience earned him Saint Tordos's trust. Tordos, proud of his "taming" skills, often showed off in front of other Celestial Dragons and even removed William's restrictive collar on ships or in secure places to prove his control.
William awaited an opportunity to escape.
This chance came in the Sea Circle Calendar year 1505, two years ago. Saint Tordos visited the East Blue, where pirate activity was low, as a gesture to commend the Navy's work. He brought his "obedient" slave, William Morgan.
During the journey, William waited until a fierce storm struck. In the chaos, he dragged Saint Tordos into the sea, killing him without hesitation, then climbed onto a small boat he'd secretly prepared earlier.
The small boat, miraculously, was not capsized by the waves, but a pirate ship soon found him and forced him aboard. Soon after, he fell ill from exposure and fear, but he quickly recovered. During this time, "Sunbo" took over William's body.
Unlike William's original body, Sunbo's hatred for the Celestial Dragons was less intense, but that didn't stop him from viewing them as enemies. He had killed a Celestial Dragon during his escape, putting him directly at odds with the Celestial Dragons and the World Government.
Luckily, the ship's chaos kept anyone from noticing a slave's disappearance. To this day, the media and the World Government simply assume a Celestial Dragon was lost to the sea. No one suspected an escaped slave committed the murder.
The group of young men continued their conversation, venting frustrations about the privileged Celestial Dragons. However, topics like the two-billion-Beli bounty, the Grand Line, or the Celestial Dragons felt distant, so they returned to their original discussion.
William folded the newspaper and placed it in his jacket. He had set up a small study in the courtyard to organize information from the papers, noting any useful details in a notebook. He then asked Edmond, who was chewing on his nails, "How's that task I gave you going?"
The others looked to Edmond, who replied, "I barely know those people, so I'm still working on it. I can't just demand their boss show up; they'd brush me off."
Ignoring the complaint, William dusted off his clothes and ordered, "Speed it up!"
Edmond nodded obediently. The task wasn't difficult; otherwise, William wouldn't have entrusted him alone. Originally from a village on the same island as Frostmoon Village, Edmond was instructed to invite the local boss to discuss a business deal with William
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