How do dreams begin? More importantly, how do they end? At what point can you say you've developed a lifelong dream, and at what point can you say it was fulfilled? Is it wrong to abandon a dream? What if the dream is selfish? Is it then wrong to pursue it? I believe the ideals of "dreams" are the same as the ideals of "good and evil": entirely impossible to solve, and possibly maddening if you spend too long thinking about it. I would daresay that I am an expert on dreams, as my brothers and I thrive on them, so I'll try my best to give an accurate description of them here.

There are two types of dreams: goals and aspirations. Goals are something you dedicate your life to until it is achieved. Aspirations are something you put effort into, but without the same level of dedication. Take my aforementioned brothers as an example. For one, becoming the Pirate King was a goal, for the other, it was an aspiration. The latter had a different goal, but his stubborn spirit led it to be sadly discarded until a future date.

Which brings me back to the topic of whether achieving dreams is right or wrong. In my travels, I have aided and squashed many dreams, all in the attempt to live out a life of freedom and adventure, which was one of my two dreams. I have been called both a hero and a criminal. Am I wrong or right? In the words of my first mate, I am "neither, just freakishly strong".

To elaborate, my first mate had developed a theory on dreams: "I have the strength to do whatever I want. And I will do whatever I want. Does that make me a criminal? No, because 'whatever I want' has no proper moral designation, since it can be either good or bad; therefore, the only thing that can be determined about me is that I am strong." I stand by my opinion that that is the smartest thing that has ever come out of my first mate's pinwheel-laden mouth.

It is impossible to determine whether a dream is right or wrong; however, it is certainly possible to determine a person's ability to achieve a dream. Even if your aspiration changes, or your goals are selfish, I believe that if you fulfill them, you are not a criminal, nor are you a hero, you are just an exceptionally strong person. There is nothing wrong with that.

Now why have I wasted your time with this rambling, you may ask? I can think of a few who would call this the crazed rambling of a senile old man from a bygone era. You could also think of it the correct way. That this is an important ideal that you must keep in mind in order to judge this work fairly, for this work is unprecedented. For what you are about to read is the another one of my dreams. You are about to read the completely accurate tales and adventures of a legendary pirate and his equally legendary crew. How can I assure you they are accurate? Simple. I am the legendary pirate, and I see no reason to fictionalize myself. I shall pull no punches. Undoubtedly, the World Government will attempt to extricate this book from society, and I pray they have as much success with that as they do with piracy. (800 years of solid prohibition, and it's only gotten worse.)

You know my philosophy, and you know why I'm here. Now, down to business. Despite being the author and protagonist, I shall not be narrating from a first-person perspective, as that would be giving you my adventures from my opinion, forcing you, as a reader, to subconsciously agree with me, the protagonist. As a pirate author, forcing someone to accept my opinion without letting them make an educated opinion of their own first is sacrilege. That's the thing about pirates, we make our own opinions, think what we want to think, and do what we want to do. It's why we're so strong.

One more thing before the tale begins. You may notice that I will occasionally switch to the perspective of someone else, most notably, that of my crewmates and Bartholomew Kuma. I can assure you this was done after extensive interviewing, to make sure that all events and opinions expressed are of the utmost accuracy.

You may also notice that the story starts rather late in my childhood. I start there because I feel there is no point in regaling you with my childhood memories of my home island, as precious as some of them are to me. Hunting animals, beating up thugs, collecting treasure, and causing chaos all seem so boring when not done under a pirate flag, and it certainly wouldn't make an interesting first chapter. This book is about my adventures after all. That being said, I have nothing left to say. It is time to begin the legendary tale of Captain Sabo.