Next Bonus, 100!!
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East Blue, Orange Town.
"Achoo!"
Buggy sneezed, rubbing his nose.
"Which one of my darling fans is thinking of this great captain!?"
"Captain Buggy, we have a problem!" Cabaji zipped over on his unicycle, his expression panicked. "I just heard from the Bounty Hunter's Guild—the villagers hired someone to take care of us!"
"What??" Buggy bellowed. "Who?"
"It's the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro," Cabaji said, his voice trembling, "and the Silver-Haired Asura, Saga! They've been the most ruthless bounty hunters on the scene for the past year! They show no mercy to pirates! We have to run!"
A wave of fear washed over the other pirates.
Buggy shot him a glare. "Run? You want me to run from them? I am Captain Buggy! Bring me my cannon! I'll teach those villagers a lesson for having the nerve to hire the Guild!"
Seeing their captain's bravado, the crew's spirits lifted. They brandished their swords, cheering. Captain Buggy was the greatest!
————
Aboard the Moby Dick.
"Buggy, you say?"
Shanks hadn't expected Whitebeard to remember him. Then again, it was just like an old man—always reminiscing about the old days, the old faces.
"The day the Captain was executed," Shanks said with a smile, "we went our separate ways in Loguetown. I haven't seen him since. I hear he's still a pirate, obsessed with finding Captain John's treasure."
"John..." Whitebeard's eyes glazed over for a moment, the memory of the man flashing before him. "To me, it all feels like the blink of an eye. There are more than a few who could be called legends from that time. The news of your duels with Hawkeye feels like it reached my ears only yesterday."
He took a long swig of sake.
"For a man of your caliber to come back from the East Blue short an arm... anyone would be shocked. Who was it? Who took that left arm of yours?"
Shanks touched his empty sleeve, a faint smile playing on his lips as he remembered his time in Foosha Village.
"I bet it on a new era."
"A new era, you say?" Whitebeard grumbled into his gourd.
"Captain Edward Newgate."
Shanks's expression turned grave. He looked Whitebeard in the eye, his voice low and serious.
"I've been in countless battles. I bear the scars of all of them. But the only one that still aches is this one."
He pointed to the three claw-like scars over his eye.
"I didn't get this in some grand adventure, and it wasn't from Hawkeye. The one who gave me this was one of your own men."
"Marshall D. Teach—Blackbeard."
"And I wasn't being careless," Shanks continued, his voice hardening. "Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you, Whitebeard?"
Whitebeard's gaze narrowed.
"That man was waiting. Biding his time. He never vied for a commander position, never sought fame. He hid in your shadow, Whitebeard, in the shadow of your great name. And now that he has power, he's making his move. This man is not what he seems."
"So what do you want me to do about it?" Whitebeard growled. "That's the real question, isn't it, Shanks?"
"Stop Ace," Shanks said, his voice a low command. "The man was skilled enough to become your Second Division Commander at such a young age. I know he's strong. But his fame, his pride—it will only make things worse. Now is not the time for those two to clash. Tell him to leave Blackbeard alone. That's all I ask."
Whitebeard threw his head back and laughed.
"GURARARARARA...!"
The sea churned, and the sky darkened, the weather itself seeming to shift with the clash of their wills.
"The little brat who was always crying has learned how to talk big."
"Teach committed the one unforgivable sin on a pirate ship—he killed a crewmate. He broke the iron rule," Whitebeard said, his voice turning to steel. "Ace is just doing what he believes is right. You're a hundred years too early to be telling me how to handle my own men!"
He drained his sake gourd and hurled it at Shanks.
Shanks dodged it easily, his expression grim.
This damn stubborn old man.
He picked up a massive sake cup and downed its contents in one go.
Then he stood.
He faced Whitebeard and drew his saber, Gryphon.
"It's a force of nature—a runaway era that no one can stop!" Shanks declared, his voice ringing with conviction. "You know I'm right!"
"There's nothing to be afraid of," Whitebeard roared, rising from his seat, his massive frame seeming to fill the entire deck. He grabbed his bisento. "I am Whitebeard!"
He swung the massive polearm down at Shanks.
Shanks met the blow with his own blade.
Two Emperors.
Two legendary weapons.
Their Conqueror's Haki collided. The sheer force of their will tore the heavens asunder, splitting the clouds in two.
A powerful shockwave rippled through the air, unsettling all who felt it.
On both sides, the crews stood ready, but the fight did not escalate.
After their one clash, Shanks and his crew departed.
He had come out of a sense of duty to the man who had raised him, Gol D. Roger. It wasn't that he was particularly close with Ace; in fact, they were rivals.
But he had done what he felt he had to do. His conscience was clear.
As for Ace's fate... that was his own choice. Ace was a grown man. He had to take responsibility for his own actions. The idea that the former members of Roger's crew should be "loyal" to his son, that they should be willing to die for him... that was a naive and childish way of thinking.
"So it was a failure?" Benn Beckman asked, unsurprised. In his view, it was Whitebeard's family matter. Shanks should never have gotten involved. He and the rest of the crew didn't care who Ace was.
"What a mess," Shanks sighed, shaking his head.
"So what now?" Yasopp asked, polishing his rifle.
"Are we heading to Paradise?" Lucky Roux asked, gnawing on a leg of meat.
"Don't be childish," Beckman said. "We're not saints."
"Forget it," Shanks said. "If we get involved, it will only make things more complicated. And it's not like Ace would appreciate it, anyway."
"Captain!" Rockstar came running out. "The Puddle Pirates are under attack! They're asking for our help!"
"Pirates?" Shanks said. "Alright. Let's go check it out."
This year, a new generation of young pirates had emerged, each of them stirring up the seas in their own way.
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~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
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