[ ... Marco, don't tell him to do those things. You're going to give him a complex. Another one. ] ... I'm not strong enough to do anything like that. Even now I guess I have a long way to go.
You're right. If... [ No, he doesn't want to think about that. About what he would do for another chance. ]
It's not pure strength, that's why it's tricky. You can do it, but you have to think creatively. Or rather... understand the true nature of your goals and how to achieve them despite those obstacles.
Then perhaps it's something I need to work on. Learning things by myself instead of from others. [ That's his trick, after all, taking the abilities of someone else and adding his own creative twist. Making them better, more effective, and pushing them further. ]
[It's really been on his mind too since the revenge question post. And even more so with Japan gone. Everything seems so easy and absolute when you've got 1600 voices and hearts backing you up. Doing it alone...]
Like I said, sometimes you have to think in really strange ways. How do you grab something important from a tornado? I'm one of those people that sometimes it won't matter how much I think on it until I have to directly face it and try different ways. I just luck out that as a phoenix, crazy ways don't kill me.
And wanted or not, when there's something so big at stake, and so much to be gained, wasting it would be foolish.
I suppose I'm lucky as well; I probably should have been dead a while ago. [ That survivor's guilt is likely something he'll never fully get over. Certainly not now. ] I thought I had been approaching things directly, but maybe even now I'm seeing things the wrong way.
For your sake, and not just for his, I hope you're successful.
[Oh. Marco's so pinged by this, thanks to Ace. And man, surviving beyond the others even when you don't want to is just one of Marco's phoenix things.] Revenge is for the living, but because of the dead. There's the matter of who you're getting revenge for... and not losing sight of everything else that makes it important.
And sometimes, something that looks like an obstacle may not be at all, it could be a friend. Ace was... [There's a pause and a genuinely fond grin.] He kept trying to kill our Pops up until the day he adopted Pops as his father instead. By the same token, I thought Doma would be an enemy of the crew forever; someone we'd have to kill to keep him out of the way, but instead Ace talked him into becoming our ally and he became a best friend and huge help. Jinbei and Ace were as close as hell, but they met by fighting for five days without break before the crew could get out there.
Things aren't often what you might expect. I have this problem myself. Shanks annoys the hell out of me, and he does it on purpose... but he also helped me make a memorial for Ace and my Pops after the war. Hell, he made sure we even were able to bury them since the marines wanted them for trophies.
Just don't be afraid to look at something in a completely different light I guess. Making mistakes in the past are going to happen, but learning from them is the only way to get stronger.
And thank you. With stakes this high, I'll be sure to.
[ Sasuke makes no attempt to interrupt, often too stubborn to listen to others but this is something he genuinely wants to hear. ]
It's one thing to say that about strategy or techniques but to say it about people? I'm not so fortunate that those I previously had bonds with supported my goals. They still don't. Maybe there are other ways in which to view the world or a person's own individual circumstances but... if those other ways require me to compromise my ambitions, then I won't accept them.
Maybe you should look at your ambitions and the means you're trying to get there.
Ace thought killing Pops would prove he was the strongest man in the world, that it was something even Roger couldn't do so he could prove himself the strongest.
I'm just saying, look at the end goal, maybe what you seek doesn't always have the same kind of obstacles you think.
It isn't so easy when your enemy is an entire village. Those associated with it, those that want to protect it, they are also my obstacles.
I don't care what others think of me. I'm certainly not trying to be "the strongest man in the world". I just want my revenge; nothing else matters after that.
[filtered 70%] -- since Marco's not sure how much if any Sasuke wants exposed of this
Then you're back into the means of revenge again. Not everything is straightforward lines where you have to go through people. People who want to protect someone often have a conviction behind it. One that can be turned with either the right reasons or logic.
Not always. Loyalty is a powerful thing, but if it is loyalty, then try looking at why they're loyal. If it's a shallow thing, their loyalty to you can wind up making a lot of difference, but not if you push them away.
[filtered 70%] he's just a fluffy phoenix chick deep down
Two of them are here now. We may share a lot of old memories together, missions we went on as a team, but that isn't some kind of balm that can settle old scores. The feud between my family and that village goes back much further than I originally knew and it would be difficult for me to want to work with any of them as it is.
Would you desire to work with that marine, even if his allegiance changed?
It's difficult to explain to people who don't know about haki or logia. Even in my own world, hundreds of thousands of rookies hit the New World every year without any clue what they're getting themselves into. A bit like some of the detectives here who refuse to believe this could be a separate world entirely.
I find it difficult to trust marines, period. But there's a difference between Akainu who was actively responsible for killing Ace; and all the other marines. Ace's grandfather is Garp, the hero of the marines. He stood by to let Ace's execution happen and punched me out of the sky when I tried to grab Ace on my own. He still tried to kill Akainu after he killed Ace, and the Fleet Admiral Sengoku had to stay out of the fight in order to hold Garp back.
I don't trust any marine, but I know full well a lot of them hate Akainu as much as I do. Would I welcome them into my crew if they found him too unbearable? I can't say. But I wouldn't slam my door on them either. I'm not in a position to make them change their mind either, but I am in one to expose some of the bullshit he pulls on his own men.
That I can understand. People acting too foolishly and not understanding what kinds of fights they're really getting into. [ He's been guilty of doing the same a few times. ]
If they offered to help me with my goals I might consider it, if I thought their allegiance was real. [ Sasuke pauses momentarily. ] Though I don't personally want them involved. It's not that simple; it's beyond a matter of trust alone.
I know someone who fits that description. It's a pain trying to get him to listen.
[ And here there's a lengthy pause. ] I have a few allies, those that I've assembled. It hardly makes them worthy of being called 'friends' or 'nakama'.
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2/2
Second chances should never go to waste.
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You're right. If... [ No, he doesn't want to think about that. About what he would do for another chance. ]
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If what?
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Nothing.
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[It's really been on his mind too since the revenge question post. And even more so with Japan gone. Everything seems so easy and absolute when you've got 1600 voices and hearts backing you up. Doing it alone...]
Are you sure?
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You mentioned second chances. I'm sure many of us want one. That's all.
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And wanted or not, when there's something so big at stake, and so much to be gained, wasting it would be foolish.
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For your sake, and not just for his, I hope you're successful.
no subject
And sometimes, something that looks like an obstacle may not be at all, it could be a friend. Ace was... [There's a pause and a genuinely fond grin.] He kept trying to kill our Pops up until the day he adopted Pops as his father instead. By the same token, I thought Doma would be an enemy of the crew forever; someone we'd have to kill to keep him out of the way, but instead Ace talked him into becoming our ally and he became a best friend and huge help. Jinbei and Ace were as close as hell, but they met by fighting for five days without break before the crew could get out there.
Things aren't often what you might expect. I have this problem myself. Shanks annoys the hell out of me, and he does it on purpose... but he also helped me make a memorial for Ace and my Pops after the war. Hell, he made sure we even were able to bury them since the marines wanted them for trophies.
Just don't be afraid to look at something in a completely different light I guess. Making mistakes in the past are going to happen, but learning from them is the only way to get stronger.
And thank you. With stakes this high, I'll be sure to.
no subject
It's one thing to say that about strategy or techniques but to say it about people? I'm not so fortunate that those I previously had bonds with supported my goals. They still don't. Maybe there are other ways in which to view the world or a person's own individual circumstances but... if those other ways require me to compromise my ambitions, then I won't accept them.
no subject
Ace thought killing Pops would prove he was the strongest man in the world, that it was something even Roger couldn't do so he could prove himself the strongest.
I'm just saying, look at the end goal, maybe what you seek doesn't always have the same kind of obstacles you think.
no subject
I don't care what others think of me. I'm certainly not trying to be "the strongest man in the world". I just want my revenge; nothing else matters after that.
[filtered 70%] -- since Marco's not sure how much if any Sasuke wants exposed of this
You want your revenge on the whole village? As I understood it, it was those involved in the tricking, wasn't it?
[filtered 70%] Marco is so considerate!
[ Ah. You got him on that one, Marco. ] They're the upper echelon. It's most likely inevitable that the others will try to defend them.
[filtered 70%] He tries! You know... for people he likes =\
Then you're back into the means of revenge again. Not everything is straightforward lines where you have to go through people. People who want to protect someone often have a conviction behind it. One that can be turned with either the right reasons or logic.
Not always. Loyalty is a powerful thing, but if it is loyalty, then try looking at why they're loyal. If it's a shallow thing, their loyalty to you can wind up making a lot of difference, but not if you push them away.
[filtered 70%] he's just a fluffy phoenix chick deep down
Two of them are here now. We may share a lot of old memories together, missions we went on as a team, but that isn't some kind of balm that can settle old scores. The feud between my family and that village goes back much further than I originally knew and it would be difficult for me to want to work with any of them as it is.
Would you desire to work with that marine, even if his allegiance changed?
[filtered 70%] during Spring :P
I find it difficult to trust marines, period. But there's a difference between Akainu who was actively responsible for killing Ace; and all the other marines. Ace's grandfather is Garp, the hero of the marines. He stood by to let Ace's execution happen and punched me out of the sky when I tried to grab Ace on my own. He still tried to kill Akainu after he killed Ace, and the Fleet Admiral Sengoku had to stay out of the fight in order to hold Garp back.
I don't trust any marine, but I know full well a lot of them hate Akainu as much as I do. Would I welcome them into my crew if they found him too unbearable? I can't say. But I wouldn't slam my door on them either. I'm not in a position to make them change their mind either, but I am in one to expose some of the bullshit he pulls on his own men.
[filtered 70%] it still sort of counts as spring!
If they offered to help me with my goals I might consider it, if I thought their allegiance was real. [ Sasuke pauses momentarily. ] Though I don't personally want them involved. It's not that simple; it's beyond a matter of trust alone.
[filtered 70%] yup close enough
But outright ignorance and preferring to believe what they want things to be, even when the world shows them otherwise... that gets annoying.
A man without nakama doesn't have much at all Sasuke. Even Blackbeard has those he calls nakama; whether they can trust each other or not.
[filtered 70%]
[ And here there's a lengthy pause. ] I have a few allies, those that I've assembled. It hardly makes them worthy of being called 'friends' or 'nakama'.
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Beyond that it isn't my business or concern.
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