After the Battle of God Valley, the Oro Jackson slowly sailed away from the ruins.
On the deck, the Roger Pirates gathered in a circle, staring curiously at a luxurious treasure chest Rhett had snatched from the battlefield wreckage.
"Hey, Rhett, what goodies did you fish up this time?" Gaban rubbed his hands together, his face full of anticipation.
Rhett shrugged, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. "Who knows? Maybe it's Celestial Dragon treasure. No treasure escapes my eyes."
Rayleigh adjusted his glasses calmly. "Given your character, it's probably something valuable."
Roger let out a hearty laugh and flipped open the chest lid—
"Whoa!!!"
Inside, there was neither gold nor jewels, but…
A red-haired baby, sleeping soundly, with a tiny fist clutching a pacifier.
The entire deck fell silent.
Roger: "...?"
Rayleigh: "...?"
Gaban: "...?"
Rhett (whistling): "Well, well, unexpected haul."
The baby seemed to stir awake, opening his eyes groggily to reveal a pair of clear, large eyes.
And then—
"Giggle, giggle!"
He laughed at Roger, his tiny hands waving as if trying to grab Roger's straw hat.
Roger froze for two seconds before bursting into even louder laughter. "Kuahahaha! This brat likes my hat!"
Rayleigh facepalmed. "Captain, that's not the point…"
Gaban crouched down and poked the baby's cheek. "Hey, kid, what's your name?"
Of course, the baby couldn't answer, only babbling as he reached for Gaban's unkempt beard.
Rhett stroked his chin thoughtfully. I found him in a Celestial Dragon treasure vault.
Rhett knew Shanks came from a treasure chest, but he never expected to be the one to fish him into the Roger Pirates. He couldn't wait to see how this little butterfly would change the future.
Roger scooped the baby up and raised him overhead. "From today, you're a member of the Roger Pirates! Kuahahaha!"
Rayleigh sighed. "Captain, have you ever raised a child before…"
Roger waved it off. "What does it matter? We've got plenty of food on this ship! We raised little Rhett just fine, didn't we?"
Rhett: Remember those words, Captain.
Roger was scratching his head in front of a boiling pot of milk. The liquid inside was an eerie pink, occasionally bubbling suspiciously.
"Rayleigh!" he shouted. "Are you sure this is how you make formula?"
Rayleigh frowned, flipping through a small manual titled Spartan Childcare Guide. "The recipe says…" His words cut off as the liquid in the pot let out a dull pop, emitting a cloud of black smoke.
Rhett lazily poked his head out from his hammock. "Friendly reminder, are you sure chili sauce is suitable for babies?"
The kitchen descended into chaos. Gaban scrambled to rescue the pot, Rayleigh flipped through the manual frantically, and Roger pulled out a bottle of rum, ready to pour it in.
"Stop!" Rayleigh swiftly intercepted his captain. "Babies can't drink alcohol!"
Roger scratched his head and laughed. "What's the big deal? When I was a kid…"
"You drank goat milk," Rhett interjected, appearing at the counter with practiced ease. He pulled out a new bottle. "45-degree water, powder first, then gently shake." His wrist moved deftly, and soon the liquid in the bottle turned into a uniform milky white.
The formula had been specially purchased by the Roger Pirates on an island.
Gaban's eyes widened. "How are you so good at this?"
Rhett handed the bottle to Shanks, who immediately started gulping it down. Rhett's lips curved slightly. "I might just be a genius."
Just then, Roger suddenly slapped the table excitedly. "What if I use my Haki to heat it faster?" Before anyone could react, dark red Haki coiled around his fingertips.
"Wait, Captain—"
Boom!
The bottle exploded into a dazzling firework right before their eyes. Shanks blinked, then clapped his hands happily, his giggles ringing out crisply amidst the cloud of powdered milk.
Rayleigh trembled as he picked up the broken shards of glass. "That was my last collector's edition rum glass…"
Rayleigh clenched his teeth, trying to suppress his anger.
"Roger, prepare to die."
"How about this?" Spencer brought over a coconut. Ten minutes later, Shanks was happily sucking coconut juice from a hole drilled into the shell.
Gaban was moved to tears. "We did it!"
Just yesterday, they were fighting for their lives against the Rocks Pirates, and today they were fumbling around with a baby. Hahaha, this was too much fun.
Late at night on the Oro Jackson, Shanks' cries echoed through every cabin.
Shanks was sitting on Gaban's lap, tugging at his hair and trying to stuff it into his mouth, drool smeared all over his face.
"Gah…ba…" the baby babbled incoherently, completely unaware he was destroying the image of a fearsome pirate.
Rhett leaned against the mast, holding a Den Den Mushi, laughing hysterically. Hahaha, my ever-proud Gaban, you're really something else.
"Shut up, you bastard!" Gaban roared in frustration. "Why do I have to be on night duty?!"
Rayleigh calmly flipped through the duty roster. "Because you cheated at dice last time."
"..."
Gaban was speechless, while Shanks had successfully soaked his hair with drool and was now attempting to bite it.
"Ow—! Let go! Let go, you brat!!"
The deck was in chaos as Gaban shook his head wildly, trying to escape Shanks' clutches, while the baby thought it was a game and giggled, holding on tighter.
The other crew members looked at Rayleigh in despair. "Vice-Captain, can we… just put him in the captain's cabin for one night?"
Their eyes lit up.
"—If you want to see a drunk baby."
Everyone instantly deflated.
The most unreliable person on the Roger Pirates was Roger himself. The first time he tried to take care of Shanks, he ended up drinking with the baby. Rayleigh had to rally the crew to beat Roger up before that mess ended.
"What do we do?!" Spencer was frantic. "If this keeps up, we're all going to have nervous breakdowns!"
Rhett yawned and lazily walked over, plucking Shanks from Gaban's arms. "Alright, I'll take the night shift."
Gaban looked like he'd been granted amnesty. "Really?!"
"Yep." Rhett slung Shanks over his shoulder. "My Observation Haki is strong. I'll calm him down before he even starts crying."
The crew was moved to tears.
"Rhett!! You finally have a conscience!!"
Rhett smirked. "But—"
"From today onward, your alcohol belongs to me."
The deck fell dead silent.
Three seconds later—
"You opportunistic devil!!"