Next, Benn Beckman continued to speak eloquently, revealing everything about Luna seemingly encouraging Luffy. After all, they were merely spectators to the fight under the nose of the judicial forces, watching from a distance, and he knew nothing about their internal conversations.
Otherwise, the Red Hair Pirates would surely be astonished that Luffy had not eaten the Rubber-Rubber Fruit, and Shanks would be utterly shocked.
The rest of the Red Hair Pirates are currently unaware of nika; only Red Hair, their Captain who has yet to reveal his identity as a Celestial Dragon, truly understands the fact that Luffy ate the nika fruit, not the Rubber-Rubber Fruit.
In other words, they are currently completely clueless, simply because the subordinate at the time knew nothing about the specific conversations between the Pink Hat Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates.
He did not dare approach rashly, as the Pink Hat Pirates were filled with experts, and he was afraid that if he made the slightest mistake, he would be instantly eliminated by the Pink Hat Pirates.
Fortunately, he had disguised himself as a repair worker at the time, and neither crew paid much attention to him; even Luna only regarded him as an ordinary repair worker who was repairing the buildings of Water Seven that had been devastated by the Aqua Laguna.
Following this, Benn Beckman quickly listed the members of the Pink Hat Pirates who had connections with the Straw Hat Pirates one by one.
The childhood sweetheart relationship between Usopp and Kaya stunned the rest of the Red Hair Pirates upon hearing it, leading them to mock Yasopp profusely: "Seriously, did you arrange this on purpose?"
"Stop spouting nonsense! When I left, it seems this small merchant family hadn't moved into Syrup Village yet. I only heard about them in recent years. My son is actually childhood sweethearts with such a rich young lady." Yasopp quickly explained, lest these guys start fabricating stories and drag the conversation somewhere else entirely.
"Then your son is really lucky."
"Yeah, even if he didn't set sail, he'd still have a rich Young Lady as a childhood sweetheart."
Yasopp's mouth twitched as he watched these guys tease him one after another. He knew this would happen, and even Shanks and Benn Beckman were joining in.
"Wait, there are others, right? Who else?"
Yasopp immediately changed the subject, and Benn Beckman continued to speak.
Nami and Nojiko, Sanji and Carmen, Zoro and Kuina—but overall, there are indeed some connections between the members of the Pink Hat Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates.
After all of this was recounted, Shanks immediately fell into deep thought, realizing that Luffy and Luna's relationship also seemed quite good.
It was a relationship similar to the one Captain Roger once had with Whitebeard, or the one he himself shared with Luffy: there was friendship, perhaps even a familial bond, but there was also a disparity in strength.
The strength gap was immense. Luffy and his crew should not yet have the ability to face an Admiral, or even handle a Marine Buster Call.
Especially the latter; although the Marines and the World Government hype it up as terrifying and fear-inducing...
...in front of true powerhouses, as long as an Admiral or those few special entities don't intervene, it can be easily destroyed, like crushing an ant.
Especially when the Yonko face a Buster Call, even if an Admiral is present, or even if Garp or Sengoku lead the charge, they are not afraid.
But what about the strength of Luna's Pink Hat Pirates? Now, including them, no one should underestimate this group of young rookie Young Ladys anymore.
Unless they are truly brainless people, even someone as arrogant as Kaido and Charlotte Linlin should not look down on the Pink Hat Pirates now.
Because the strength of this Young Lady crew has already far surpassed the Yonko, and can even be fully compared to the Marines, capable of full frontal confrontation.
Moreover, the Pink Hat Pirates haven't even fully matured yet, and it is estimated that even the Five Elders have been alerted and are paying attention to them.
Therefore, there is a strength disparity between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Pink Hat Pirates, but there is also a friendship and a hint of familial bond.
This was Shanks's judgment, but overall, the friendly relationship definitely exists.
And Luna is actually friends with Luffy, plus Rocks is his grandfather and possesses the ability to resurrect the dead. If it were him, perhaps he would do the same.
Because who doesn't want their family reunited, especially those who have already lost loved ones, and those who are orphans by birth?
Furthermore, considering that the Pink Hat Pirates' actions are currently very reasonable, they have never done things that true pirates would do. Instead, they are somewhat similar to an adventure crew, just like them, and they also build their own influence.
Luna has merely done what a powerhouse, a hegemon, ought to do.
Of course, there is one thing Shanks wouldn't admit: he also lacked the confidence to lead the Red Hair Pirates to defeat Luna's Pink Hat Pirates; their strength simply wasn't enough.
They are both elite crews, but only he and Benn Beckman are Yonko Level here, and Luna alone could fight both of them.
However, the others in his Red Hair Pirates, those girls with Reserve Admiral level strength, could perhaps fight, maybe a 70/30 split, but against the girls with Admiral Level strength, especially Kuina and Shiro, haha, there is simply no chance of winning.
They are somewhat unable to win, and coupled with Luna's Void ability—whether it's immunity to attacks or the ability to resurrect the dead—as well as her relationship with Rocks, this is why Shanks decided to abandon targeting and suppressing them.
But the most important point is that the other party is Luffy's friend, which makes her his friend too. He has no need to offend the Pink Hat Pirates over this.
If things get difficult, they will surely come to the New World. He could simply make a trip, just as he is now visiting the Whitebeard Pirates. Understanding each other and maintaining friendliness requires communication.
Therefore, Shanks decided to wait until this matter was concluded, planning to finish his conversation with the Whitebeard Pirates first. As for Luna and her crew, he would deal with them once they reached the New World. Besides, perhaps they would also have to face Rocks...
Meanwhile, inside Pangu Castle in Mary Geoise.
Of course, Luna was dissatisfied with this city name. After all, why use the name of a trash race from a decent slice-of-life anime? To name a city, or rather, a garbage dump—a pigsty—after the name of the great Chinese creation god?
Therefore, she had long since decided to raze this place to the ground.
And in the near future, this matter really will happen.
But now, inside this garbage dump, the Five Elders sat together with serious expressions, discussing the war between the Marines and the Pink Hat Pirates.
However, right now... "Alright, let's begin."
---------------------------------
I hope you enjoy this fanfiction! If you're having fun and want to read 30 chapters in advance, feel free to check out my Patreon: patreon.com/TLScarlet
Your support means a lot so if you like the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone.