The moment Shanks shouted the name, the big round man at the end of the dock looked up from the chicken thigh in his hand.
For half a second, Lucky Roo just stared.
Then his eyes widened.
"Shanks?"
The next second, Shanks was already gone from the ship's deck.
He vaulted over the railing, landed on the dock, and sprinted forward with a grin so wide it looked like his face might split in half.
"Roo!"
Lucky Roo laughed, still holding the half-eaten chicken thigh, and opened his arms just in time for Shanks to collide into him. The impact nearly made the dock boards groan.
The two of them hugged like they hadn't seen each other in years instead of what was, for pirates, a relatively short time.
"You got fatter," Shanks said immediately.
Lucky Roo snorted. "I've actually gotten slimmer."
"That's impossible."
"It's really not."
Shanks pulled back, still grinning. "Man, it's good to see you!"
Lucky Roo looked him over from head to toe, then smirked. "You look fine. That's a good sign."
From the ship, Beckman pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Touching," he called dryly. "Now put the reunion on pause before the Marines remember how to run in a straight line."
That snapped the mood back into motion.
The mountain of Marines still pouring toward the harbor had not gotten any smaller. If anything, seeing the pirates laughing at the dock seemed to have made them angrier.
Shanks looked over his shoulder, saw the wave of white coats, and immediately pointed back toward the ship.
"Right! Everyone move!"
Lucky Roo didn't need to be told twice. He jogged forward with surprising speed for a man his size, somehow still eating the chicken thigh as he moved. Shanks ran beside him, both of them hopping back aboard just as Building Snake adjusted the ship's angle and Beckman finished barking the last of his instructions.
"Push her out!"
The ropes were cast loose. The sails caught wind. The ship groaned once, then began pulling cleanly away from the harbor.
A rain of shouted threats and delayed gunfire came from the dock, but the distance opened quickly. The Red-Haired Pirates were already slipping free of Sabaody Archipelago.
Only once the harbor began shrinking behind them did the crew finally breathe a little easier.
Shanks planted his hands on his hips and turned dramatically toward the deck.
"Alright!" he said. "Now we can do this properly."
He pointed at Lucky Roo first.
"This—"
Lucky Roo bit off the last of the chicken, swallowed, and waved.
"—is Lucky Roo," Shanks finished proudly.
Giovanni blinked once, then looked him up and down with interest.
"So this is the famous Lucky Roo."
Building Snake did the same, though more politely. "It's nice to finally meet you."
Lucky Roo grinned. "Likewise."
Shanks immediately swung an arm around Giovanni's shoulders and dragged him closer.
"This is Giovanni. My best friend."
Giovanni pretended not to care but visibly stood straighter at the introduction.
Lucky Roo's brows lifted slightly. "Best friend, huh?"
Shanks nodded. "Yep."
Lucky Roo looked Giovanni in the eye for a second, then smiled. "Then you must be trouble."
Giovanni smirked. "That depends who you ask."
Shanks then pointed toward Building Snake.
"And this is Building Snake, our navigator. Tall and surprisingly reasonable."
Building Snake gave a small nod. "I'm glad to finally meet you too."
Lucky Roo laughed. "You've got the tired look of a man who already regrets joining."
Building Snake paused.
"…That obvious?"
"Very."
At that, even Beckman let out the faintest chuckle.
Shanks turned toward Beckman. "So you found him already?"
Beckman nodded. "Snake and I ran into Roo while getting the ship ready."
Lucky Roo shrugged. "I was on my way back anyway. The timing just worked out."
Shanks suddenly looked emotional.
"Roo…"
Lucky Roo blinked. "What?"
Shanks placed a hand over his chest. "I missed your cooking."
There was a beat of silence.
Then Giovanni slowly raised a hand.
"…Same."
Lucky Roo stared at him.
"You've never eaten my cooking."
Giovanni lowered the hand with complete seriousness. "If Shanks missed it. Then i missed it too."
Lucky Roo burst out laughing.
"That's fair."
Then he rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck once, and started heading toward the galley.
"Alright then. I'll cook."
Shanks' face lit up. "Really?!"
Lucky Roo looked back over one shoulder with a grin. "I'll make a feast."
The reaction was immediate.
Shanks punched the air. Giovanni did the same. Even Limejuice, who had been standing slightly off to the side with the expression of a man still trying to convince himself he was not part of any of this, looked mildly interested.
Beckman folded his arms. "About time."
The galley became a battlefield of its own.
Only this time, Lucky Roo was winning with pots.
He moved through the kitchen with terrifying efficiency, far faster than anyone that size had any right to move. One moment he was carving through meat. The next he was seasoning broth. Then he was grilling fish, flipping vegetables, and stirring sauce all at once.
Shanks had his face pressed to the galley doorway like a starving child.
"Is it done yet?"
"No."
Giovanni leaned in under his arm.
"What about now?"
"No."
"Now?"
"Still no."
Building Snake stood a little farther back, trying and failing to maintain his dignity against the smell drifting through the hall.
Limejuice, meanwhile, had been pretending not to care for the past ten minutes, arms crossed, gaze drifting anywhere but the kitchen.
Beckman took one look at him and said, "You can admit you're hungry."
Limejuice didn't even blink. "I'm not."
His stomach growled loud enough for everyone to hear.
Shanks pointed at him immediately. "Traitor."
Limejuice's eye twitched. "That's not what that word means."
Finally, Lucky Roo emerged carrying the first tray.
Then another.
Then another.
The table filled quickly.
Roasted sea king slices brushed with sweet glaze. Rice piled high in steaming bowls. Thick stew packed with vegetables and meat. Grilled fish seasoned just enough to make the smell alone hurt. Fried roots from Sabaody vendors he had apparently "borrowed" and improved. And at the center, a massive platter of roast bird that looked so good Giovanni actually went silent.
Everyone sat.
Lucky Roo crossed his arms proudly. "Eat."
That was all the permission they needed.
The crew attacked the food.
And for a few glorious moments, there was no Marine pursuit, no Admirals, no Celestial Dragons.
Only eating.
Shanks took one bite of the roast and froze.
Then tears burst from his eyes.
"ROO—!"
Giovanni had the exact same reaction after tasting the stew.
"THIS IS INSANE!"
Both of them were crying openly now, eating with the intensity of men who had found religion.
Lucky Roo laughed so hard he had to hold onto the back of a chair.
Beckman shook his head and continued eating in peace. "You two are embarrassing."
Building Snake had gone wide-eyed after one bite of fish. He lowered the chopsticks slowly.
"…I understand," he said.
Limejuice was chewing very carefully, as if refusing to show too much enjoyment.
Shanks pointed with a sauce-covered hand. "You like it."
Limejuice swallowed. "It's… decent."
Lucky Roo snorted. "That means he loves it."
Giovanni was already on his second serving. "Roo, if you ever leave this crew, I'll kill you."
Lucky Roo laughed. "What a kind thing to say after a meal."
The feast went on.
Plates emptied. Bowls refilled. Even Beckman ate more than usual.
At some point during the third round of food, Limejuice finally spoke.
"When you drop at the next island," he said, "that's where I'll get off."
The table went quiet for a moment.
Then Shanks looked up from his bowl.
"No can do."
Limejuice frowned. "What do you mean no can do?"
Shanks pointed at him with his chopsticks. "You're already part of the crew."
Limejuice stared.
"I am absolutely not."
"You fought Marines with us."
"Against my will."
"You ran with us."
"Because I was being chased!"
"You ate with us."
"That's not a crime!"
Giovanni swallowed a mouthful of roast and pointed too. "Sounds like crewmate behavior."
Lucky Roo nodded solemnly. "Very crewmate."
Limejuice looked from one to the next in growing horror.
"Are you all stupid?"
"Yes," Shanks said.
"Undeniably," Giovanni added.
"Frequently," Lucky Roo confirmed.
Beckman took another bite and said, "At least they're honest."
Limejuice groaned and dragged both hands down his face. "I am not joining your crew."
Shanks leaned back in his chair and smiled like a shark. "Too late."
Giovanni nodded. "You've already been claimed."
Lucky Roo added, "And if you leave, who am I supposed to cook for when these two get unbearable?"
Limejuice pointed at himself. "That is not a valid reason!"
"It's a great reason," Shanks said.
The argument kept going.
For nearly ten more minutes.
Limejuice tried logic.
Shanks ignored it.
Giovanni twisted every reasonable point into nonsense.
Lucky Roo kept quietly offering more food at suspiciously strategic moments.
Eventually, Limejuice found himself eating again in between trying to protest.
Then at some point, after another perfect bite of roast and a bowl of stew that had no right being that good, he exhaled slowly and gave up just enough to survive the conversation.
"…Fine," he muttered.
Shanks leaned forward instantly. "Fine what?"
Limejuice glared at him.
"I'll stay a little longer."
The deck erupted.
Shanks slammed the table and laughed. Giovanni pointed like he had personally won a war. Lucky Roo nodded with the serene satisfaction of a chef whose trap had worked flawlessly.
Limejuice raised a finger.
"Only because of the food."
"Of course," Beckman said dryly.
"No other reason."
"Obviously," Lucky Roo replied.
"You people are impossible."
"We know," Shanks said happily.
---
A day and a half later, the sea was calm again.
The Sabaody incident had already begun to feel like something half unreal, carried away behind them by distance and salt wind. The Red-Haired Pirates sailed steadily through open water, the ship cutting a clean path across the sea.
Giovanni stood near the bow with one hand shading his eyes.
Then he straightened.
"…Captain."
Shanks, who had been half asleep against a barrel, cracked one eye open. "Hm?"
"There's a ship ahead."
That got everyone's attention.
Ahead of them, cutting across the horizon, was a vessel far larger than their own. It was broad, heavy, and built like something meant not just to sail, but to intimidate. Massive black sails hung from thick masts. Iron plating reinforced portions of the hull. The figurehead at the front was shaped like a snarling sea beast with fangs bared toward the waves.
Giovanni narrowed his eyes.
And felt it.
Not one presence.
Hundreds.
'Three hundred… maybe more.'
His fingers tightened slightly against the railing.
'This crew is big.'
At the front of that approaching ship stood a pirate with the sort of face that looked carved out of old violence. Broad shoulders. A scar running from temple to jaw. Thick beard braided with bone rings. A long coat made from patched sea king leather. At his side hung a curved saber almost as ugly as he was.
A voice projection transponder snail was lifted to his mouth.
The giant snail's amplified voice boomed across the sea.
"HOY! SHIP AHEAD!"
The Red-Haired Pirates all looked up.
The man grinned, all sharp teeth and bad intent.
"I am Captain Dorga Bale of the Marauder Claw Pirates!"
The name rolled across the water with theatrical force.
Then Bale lifted the transponder snail higher and laughed.
"So tell me, Captain of that ship!"
He pointed his saber forward.
"Would you fancy a little old Davy Back Fight?!"
For a moment, the crew of the Red-Haired Pirates just stared.
Giovanni's eyes widened.
"A Davy Back Fight…?"
Images flashed through his mind. The absurd games, humiliating stakes, Foxy's ridiculous face, the sheer nonsense of the Straw Hats getting dragged into that mess.
'No way,' he thought. 'That's real here too?'
Then he looked closer.
And froze.
On the massive enemy deck, among the sea of pirates, he spotted three familiar faces.
A huge man with a permanent, dangerous grin.
Beside him, a monkey perched on his shoulder.
And a lean man with dirty-blonde hair tied into a small ponytail, a stitched scar on the left side of his forehead, and an open coat that exposed his torso.
Bonk Punch. Monster and Hongo.
Giovanni blinked once.
Then again.
And the sea between the two ships suddenly felt very, very interesting.
---
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