'Antlers, really? Aw man.' Shikatsui's antler complex continued, but at least he had a companion to talk to, even if he didn't join the crew. It seemed as though the split-man before him was asking questions to gain more information about Shikatsui's ambitions. It was a valid concern, after all, dedicating all your loyalty to someone you just met couldn't possibly be an easy decision. Val, as he was called, wanted to know how Shikatsui could become Pirate King. To tell the truth, the deer mink hadn't even thought of that himself but he knew his resolve in his ambition was absolute. He inhaled slowly, readying himself to tell his long story.
"You know Val, I grew up in the North Blue, quite unbecoming of a mink. My mother, like every other mink, grew up on our home island of Zou in the New World, but she was exiled for loving another species. I had to live around humans all my life. Dumb, country humans. They hated me because I was different, like an animal. But I trained. I trained so hard, to become a warrior and a scholar. Minks in the New World develop all their skills with the help of masters, but I was alone. So naturally, I took on more human features." Shikatsui paused and let the bartender pour some whiskey to help him continue.
"And you know, even though I had both worlds, I was part of none. I was isolated, and had no future. And the more I looked at it, the more I realized I wasn't free to pursue what I wanted to pursue. I was isolated and hated. And when I began to empathize with the humans on my island I realized they weren't free either. Some had to work a job they hated to put the food on their table for their children. I tried to start my dream after almost having died; but nothing could work. I was stuck around islands where the people only feared me, and I fell into gambling, debt, drinking." Shikatsui sighed.
"I've wasted more years of my life than most live. But then, I obtained this power, and I saw light at the end of the tunnel. I've left everything behind, and realized that I've also left nothing behind. What sets me apart is this determination to become the Pirate King, the freest man on the seas. I'll do whatever it takes to succeed." Shikatsui declared, slamming his glass onto the table and looking back at Val. "So, what do you think?"