PART 2 — The Red-Haired Audience
By the time the sun cleared the rooftops, Foosha Village was fully awake. And Luffy still hadn't stopped moving.
He hit the bar door at a run.
It banged open so hard it rattled the bottles behind the counter.
"HEY SHANKS!"
The Red-Haired Pirates were mid-laughter, mugs raised, one of them halfway through a story involving a sea cow, a cannon, and what sounded like an extremely poor decision. The punchline died in the air as Luffy skidded across the floor, slid under a table, popped up on the other side, and slammed both hands onto the counter.
"YOU'RE STILL HERE!" he said, grinning like this was excellent news.
Benn Beckman took a slow drag from his cigarette and glanced at Shanks. "Thought you said he'd sleep eventually."
"I said he'd get tired," Shanks replied, lifting his mug. "Those are different things."
Luffy climbed onto a stool sideways, immediately tipping it back until it balanced on two legs.
"Tell me a story!" he demanded. "A good one! With fighting!"
"You just interrupted a good one," Yasopp said cheerfully.
"Then start over," Luffy said.
Makino sighed behind the counter. "Luffy, don't bother them first thing in the morning."
"I'm not bothering," Luffy said. "I'm participating."
He leaned too far back. The stool slipped.
Luffy yelped, arms flailing—then twisted mid-fall and landed on his hands, legs snapping back into place as he bounced upright again.
He laughed like it was intentional.
Several pirates blinked.
"That looked painful," Lucky Roux said, mouth full of meat.
"Nah!" Luffy said, already hopping from foot to foot. "It's fine!"
Shanks watched him over the rim of his mug, eyes half-lidded, smile easy. "You're energetic today."
"Every day!" Luffy said proudly. He slapped the counter. "Did you fight any strong guys? Did you steal treasure? Did you see a Sea King? Did you almost die?"
"Yes," Shanks said.
Luffy's eyes lit up. "Which one?"
"All of them."
Luffy whooped. "TELL ME!"
The pirates laughed, chairs scraping as a few leaned back to make room when Luffy climbed straight onto the table between them. He paced its length, nearly stepping on a mug, arms windmilling as he mimed sword swings and explosions that didn't match any known fighting style.
"So then I go—WHAM!—and then they go—ARGH!—and then—" He stopped abruptly, squinted at Shanks. "Wait. Did you do that, or was it Benn?"
Benn didn't look up. "I don't scream like that."
"You don't know," Luffy said seriously.
Makino set a mug down a little harder than necessary. "Off the table."
Luffy hopped down immediately, then hopped again for no reason, then crouched, then stood back up.
He stayed standing.
For half a second.
Then he rocked on his heels.
Then his toes.
Then he leaned sideways and grabbed the edge of the counter, swinging his legs up and hanging there upside down.
"HEY," Makino snapped.
"Sorry!" Luffy said, still upside down. "I forgot!"
Shanks laughed, deep and easy. "You always forget."
Luffy grinned back at him, hair hanging toward the floor. "That's 'cause there's too much stuff to do!"
"And yet you're doing none of it," Yasopp said.
Luffy frowned. "I'm doing this."
"What's 'this'?"
Luffy considered, abs tensing as he swung once more before dropping lightly to the floor. "Dunno. But it feels better than stopping."
The room went quiet for a beat—not uncomfortable, just… noticeable.
Shanks tilted his head. "Feels better how?"
Luffy opened his mouth.
Paused.
Scratched his cheek.
"…Less boring," he said finally, bright grin snapping back into place. "Anyway! When're you leaving?"
"Soon," Shanks said.
"Oh." Luffy bounced once. "Okay."
He didn't slow.
He didn't sit.
He just kept pacing, circling the pirates, peering into mugs, poking at weapons he wasn't supposed to touch, peppering them with questions that overlapped and contradicted each other.
Shanks watched it all with a smile that never quite faded.
But his eyes followed Luffy even when the boy wasn't talking.
Especially then.