"Very strong."
These three words startled the red-haired man. He turned and looked at Beckman.
This kind of high praise was rarely heard from his vice-captain.
"I'm not the type to exaggerate,"
Beckman flicked ash from his cigarette and said seriously, "But that's the truth."
"Among them, the most noteworthy is definitely the female swordsman named Kuina. She's probably already on the level of Flower Sword Vista… or maybe even stronger. You'd have to fight her to know."
"And that wild elephant Jack, the Ancient Mammoth fruit user, is also a beast in battle. Even I would have to put in a good effort to take him down."
"The rest—the shipwright, the cook, the archaeologist, and even the two pets—are also impressive in combat."
"Even the youngest, the orange-haired girl, is a natural ability user with a bounty of 160 million berries. The Navy's dubbed her the 'Pet-Eating Demon'. I don't think she's as simple as she looks."
Beckman handed another cigarette to Shanks.
"So the least noticeable among them all have bounties over 100 million?"
Shanks waved it off and thought aloud, "They're going for a balanced, iron-wall crew style. In that sense… they're kind of like us."
There was still quite a gap in overall strength—after all, the Red Hair Pirates were a veteran emperor-level crew.
But… when you think about it—
These people were so young, and had only been sailing for a little over seven months…
And from top to bottom, the entire group had become terrifyingly strong, progressing at a shocking speed.
At this rate, no one could say what would happen in the future…
"Since that guy said he's not the same type of person as you, you'd better stay cautious."
Beckman pulled a life card out from his coat, letting it flutter in the moonlight with a small smirk. "I got this off that big guy Jack while we were drinking."
Shanks looked at the paper, which fluttered against the wind toward the northwest.
That was the direction Shano and his crew had left in.
After meeting with him, they had refused to stay and set sail again that same night, heading deeper into the New World.
He immediately understood.
It was unclear who the life card belonged to, but it must have been someone important in Shano's crew.
It might even belong to Shano himself, since Jack had kept it so carefully.
"Isn't that a bit extreme?"
Shanks frowned. "Beckman, this doesn't seem like your style."
"If it were the other Emperors, I wouldn't bother. But these people are different. To maintain balance in this sea, I had to."
Beckman shrugged. "Call it a backup plan if you want. Or, looking at it in a better light… deep down, you don't want anything to happen to them either, right? This way, if they do something reckless and run into trouble, we'll be able to step in in time."
"…"
Shanks was silent, but didn't argue.
His vice-captain knew him too well.
…
At the same time—
Aboard the Ender, which had just left Black Rock City and was sailing toward their next destination—
Shano had already taken a hot shower and enjoyed a relaxing steam session. Wrapped in a towel, he was about to return to his room when he spotted Jack in the locker room, sweating and rummaging through his things.
"What are you looking for, Jack?" Shano asked as he opened his own locker and started changing into pajamas.
"Boss!"
Jack turned around, visibly relieved at the sight of Shano. Then he scratched his head anxiously:
"I—I lost one of my life cards! I still had it when we boarded this morning!"
"You lost a card? Whose was it?" Shano frowned.
Back in Water City, only he had delayed making life cards due to the fight with Kaido on Judicial Island. The rest of the crew had completed and distributed theirs.
"It wasn't one of ours. I left those in my bedside drawer and didn't even bring them off the ship!"
Jack looked bitter. "The one I lost was sold to me by a fishman street vendor back in Fishman Island. He said I looked strong and offered me a fragment of the strongest fishman in the world's life card. Said if I ever wanted to challenge him, I could use it to find him…"
"The strongest fishman in the world?"
Shano raised an eyebrow. That's probably Jinbei, right?
"A street vendor selling Jinbei's life card on the street?"
He looked at Jack with deadpan eyes. "You seriously believed that? How much did you pay?"
"Eh? It's fake?" Jack was stunned.
"Obviously."
"Damn that bastard fishman! He had white hair and three daughters to feed. He looked so pitiful! I felt bad, so I bought all the snacks at his stall... and he scammed me!"
Jack stomped angrily. "I spent 100,000 berries at his stall, including the card!"
That was his entire month's allowance!
"Well, every failure's a lesson. Since it's fake, don't feel bad about losing it."
Shano patted his arm. "Just be more cautious next time."
"…Yes, boss…" Jack nodded, dejected, and went back to his room.
As Shano watched him go, he glanced out the porthole.
He sneered.
Jack thought he lost it? How could it be such a coincidence—it went missing right after drinking with the red-haired man?
It was obviously stolen by Shanks!
Heh… stealing is fine…
But you stole from me?
Do you think just because you were once the Pirate King's crew, you can look down on the real Pirate King?
Shano had originally been softened by Shanks's sincerity, thinking he'd just sneak on board at night, swipe a few personal items, and be done with it.
But now…
Since you started it—
Don't blame me for being rude!
…
Late at night, under moonlight.
On the Red Force, the few crew members on night watch yawned lazily in the crow's nest.
Most of the crew had followed Shanks into town to party. The only ones left guarding the ship were a few newbies—trainees who hadn't yet proven themselves.
They weren't very alert or strong, but nobody expected trouble.
After all, this was Whitebeard's territory.
And the Red Hair Pirates' flag flew above. Under the pressure of two Emperors, who would dare cause trouble?
Suddenly, one of them felt something swimming beneath the hull.
"Huh?" He looked down at the moonlit water—nothing but calm sea.
Must be my imagination…
The newbie shook his head and leaned over the railing, only to suddenly feel a massive jolt and terrifying weightlessness!
Splash!
The ship and everyone on board were lifted into the air by something!
"Is it a Sea King?!"
"I don't know!"
"Stop it before the ship flips!"
The trainees grabbed weapons and rushed to the side of the ship, ready to check the sea below—just in time to see the ship disappear.
…
Half an hour later, at the port of Black Rock City.
Shanks, Beckman, and the others stood dumbfounded at the empty dock, staring at where the Red Force had been moored.
There was nothing now—only a faint glowing outline where it once was.
Shanks rubbed his eyes, then felt around the dock.
Once he confirmed it wasn't an illusion, his jaw dropped, snot dripped from his nose, and his eyes bulged.
No… where's my ship?
Where's my Red Force, a ship that big?!?!
Beckman stood stunned for a long time, cold sweat pouring down. His cigarette fell to the ground without him even noticing.
"…What the hell happened?"
"Hey! You guys!"
Yasopp was the first to snap out of it. He rushed to the pier, grabbed a few soaked trainee crew members by the collar, and shouted:
"What happened? Where did the ship go?!"
"I—we really don't know!"
A trainee cried, "We were watching it! We didn't even blink, boss! Then something lifted the ship up from below, and the next second—it vanished!"
"Yeah, boss, it disappeared in a flash. We all fell into the sea. When we swam up… there was nothing left!"
Lifted by something? Vanished in an instant?
The senior crew looked at each other, confused.
The ship doctor, Togo, frowned. "They don't seem to be lying. Even giant Sea Kings can't do something like this…"
"No, this wasn't a Sea King. This felt more like… a Devil Fruit user."
"Yeah… to take a whole ship and vanish instantly… that ability…"
As the senior crew speculated, Shanks slowly came to.
He suddenly looked up toward the horizon—and laughed.
"Hahaha, hahahahaha!"
"Shanks?!"
Lucky Roux panicked and reached to feel his forehead. "Hey, are you okay?! Don't scare me!"
"Right! Shanks, if you want to cry, I'll lend you my shoulder."
Yasopp looked worried. "This reaction isn't normal…"
"Hahaha~!!!"
Shanks kept laughing, his voice echoing into the night. Eventually, he stopped and patted Lucky Roux's hand away, signaling he was fine.
"Cry? Why would I cry?"
His smile faded as his eyes turned sharp.
"Do those so-called 'gods' think I'll be scared by such petty tricks?"
Beckman frowned. "You mean… the Holy Knights?"
He kept his voice low—some things the older crew knew well, but the trainees shouldn't hear yet.
"Who else could it be?"
Shanks sneered. "Appearing and vanishing without a trace… erasing a ship completely—this is their 'divine punishment' style, isn't it?"
"They're afraid! They saw me meet with Shano, thought we were teaming up, and panicked!"
"This is a warning? They think stealing my ship will make me back down? Shut up? Stop meddling?"
"How laughable!"
He kicked a wooden crate across the dock, sending splinters flying.
"This just proves I'm on the right path!"
Compared to witnessing their fear—losing a ship meant nothing.
Shanks looked up, his gaze heavy. He had been staring toward Mary Geoise since the beginning.
Wait…
Those scumbags who've ruined the world…
Are you scared now?
Too early!
Even if that kid Shano fails, there's still Nika behind him!
Just a few more years… When the war drums of freedom beat across the sea and the sun god Nika fully awakens…
Then the Holy Land will know what true fear is!
…
Aboard the Ender.
Shano stepped out of the shower, now humming and beaming.
He was clearly in an excellent mood.
Who said this trip was fruitless?
He happily hummed "Permanent Pointer," opened the system panel, and began reviewing the data:
[You sacrificed Beckman's spare gun and received 2,800 points]
[You sacrificed Yasopp's wife's portrait and received 1,900 points]
[You sacrificed Lucky Roux's sunglasses and received 1,900 points]
[You sacrificed Dongxiang's single bed and received 1,400 points]
…
Several other named cadres followed, bringing a total of 3,000 points.
But those were appetizers.
The real prize was this one—
Shano clicked the final entry:
[You sacrificed Shanks's Red Force and received 15,000 points]
[Red Force]
[Quality: Legendary]
[Value: 15,000 points]
[Appraisal: The flagship of Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors. Crafted from the branches of the Treasure Tree Adam—extremely durable. It has braved countless storms and wars since the beginning of the Great Pirate Era and still stands strong. Not just a loyal companion for 20 years, but also a symbol of a sea emperor's power.]