Shanks' Compromise
Moonlight streamed coldly through the iron bars, Cut the cell into fragmented shadows.
Shanks huddled in the corner, his Red-Hair losing its former luster, his eyes vacant, like a dried-up well.
It felt as if my whole being had been hollowed out, leaving only a disoriented shell.
Roy stood outside the fence, blending into the darkness, only his eyes piercing through the iron bars and striking straight to the heart.
The silence was so long it was suffocating.
Until Shanks managed to squeeze out a hoarse, broken whisper, "Roy... I've lost... utterly and completely."
"The Great Pirate Era Captain Roger started with his life... has finally been ended by you."
Roy's voice was calm and indifferent, without the slightest ripple. "Shanks, I've always been curious—was the so-called Great Pirate Era really necessary?"
Shanks' body trembled, and he slowly raised his head, a hint of hesitation and trembling flashing in his eyes.
Roy continued, "The Roger Pirates could perhaps be considered 'free,' having committed fewer killings than ordinary Pirates."
"But the ensuing Pirate frenzy... has long since slipped out of your control."
"Countless civilians have lost their homes and families due to the ravages of Pirates —is this the 'freedom' you want?"
Shanks' jaw clenched so tightly it trembled, blood trickling from the corner of his lips, yet he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
Roy slowly stepped forward, the iron bars seeming meaningless to him. "I don't know what Roger saw in Laugh Tale, nor what his true arrangements were."
"But Crocus of Twin Capes, Rayleigh of Sabaody, and even Gaban of Elbaf..."
Shanks' pupils constricted sharply, his voice trembling. "You... how did you know?!"
Roy's gaze was as cold as a blade, completely ignoring his shock. "You are nothing but pawns on the chessboard of fate—puppet masters moving along predetermined paths."
These words struck the prison like a thunderbolt.
Shanks trembled violently, his chest heaving like a drum, and he gasped for breath.
Buggy's hoarse roar seemed to echo in my ears again:
"You guys don't understand the true nature of Pirates at all!! All you think about is fate, balance... You've all become fools!!"
The prison was deathly silent until Shanks let out a long sigh and murmured, "At this point... what's the point of saying all this?"
"That pink-haired boy... you must have caught him too, right?"
Roy said casually, "Ah, we bumped into each other on the way."
Shanks' eyes lit up slightly, a long-lost glint of light flashing in them. "That boy, he's the hope I've placed so much of..."
"His efforts, his persistence, that stubborn look—if he can mature, one day—will definitely make you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Roy impatiently interrupted, "I didn't touch him, I just released a little bit of my aura, and he immediately knelt down and even peed his pants in fear."
The air froze instantly.
"?!!"
Shanks stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.
Involuntarily, images of Roy's earth- Haki clash with "He" on the Battlefield, and black and red lightning tearing through the sky, flashed through his mind.
He then let out a long sigh, smiled helplessly, his expression full of bitterness.
"With your Haki... it's already a miracle that that kid survived until he knelt down."
"You're really going too far..."
Roy raised his eyelids, his tone nonchalant. "No, I only used less than one ten-thousandth of my strength, just the kind you use to bully a small-time Pirate from the New World ~"
Inside and outside the prison, a deathly silence fell once again.
Roy's voice, cold as iron, shattered the silence in the prison. "Alright, I'm not going to waste any more time with you."
Shanks's apple bobbed, and he slowly closed his eyes, his voice hoarse and low. "Ah... are you sending me on my way?"
You won't die for now.
Roy said calmly, "But you have to do something for me..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shanks suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes bloodshot, his voice hoarse to the point of roaring:
"Roy!! We are mortal enemies!! Benn Beckman... and my crew, you killed them all!!"
"It's only natural for the navy to kill Pirates."
Roy interrupted coldly, his gaze indifferent. "Have you destroyed too few Marine warships over the years?"
He paused, then said calmly, "The Intelligence Division sent a message—just as news of your defeat spread across the seas, a certain 'female singer' suddenly announced that she would hold Concert near Marineford to celebrate the navy's victory."
"Boom--!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shanks was struck dumb. He lunged at the iron bars, gripping them tightly, and roared that echoed throughout the prison:
"Roy!! You can't touch her!!"
Roy's gaze remained unchanged, and with a wave of his hand, spatial power surged instantly.
With a loud "boom," Shanks' body was pressed back into the corner by an invisible force, unable to move, like a dying Beast.
What's there to be excited about?
"I have always been very forgiving of innocent people."
He turned, his figure disappearing into the darkness, his voice still unhurried. "Your captain's child, I raised him like a younger brother. How has he been doing under my command...?"
You didn't know that, did you?
Shanks' heart tightened, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief.
However, Roy's next words pierced his heart like an ice pick. "But—you don't think I don't know the truth about the tragedy in Elegia, do you?"
"--!!!"
Shanks' eyes suddenly turned bloodshot, his veins bulged, and he roared as if trying to break free of his shackles, "It wasn't her fault!!"
Roy did not stop walking; his back was as cold and unyielding as iron.
Before the iron gate slammed shut, a cold, scathing sentence was uttered. "You have one night to think it over."
"Boom--!"
The iron gates closed, and darkness engulfed the prison.
Shanks' roar and scream echoed in the boundless night until they turned into a desperate echo.
Meanwhile, the distant sea level
On a magnificent, giant performance ship, Flame shone brightly, colorful flags fluttered, and the sea breeze swept across the stage-like deck.
A young girl stood alone at the bow of the ship.
Uta, the Devil Fruit User.
She has unique two-tone long hair—flame-red on the right and pure white on the left, fluttering in the wind.
The headphones surrounded her ears, as if to shut out the noise of the world.
She wore a gorgeous outfit adorned with feathers, a black bow tie at the chest, and a white mini-skirt at the bottom, her bare legs gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
On her feet were a pair of exaggeratedly thick white ankle boots, adorned with pink circular patterns, giving them a dreamy and childlike look.
Her slender figure stood in stark contrast to the luxurious giant ship.
The woman gazed into the distance, and the outline of the Sabaody Archipelago gradually emerged through the sea mist.
But her eyes showed no joy whatsoever for Concert; instead, they were filled with suppressed worry and unease.
Her lips moved slightly, and she murmured softly, "Father..."
The howling sea breeze swept her voice into the endless darkness, as if echoing that unease.