Shanks

The night wind howled, its chill like a blade scraping against the skin.

The moment Roy uttered, "Do you know why I let you go?", the entire air seemed to freeze.

Shanks' heart tightened, and veins bulged on his forehead.

The bloody memories of the past years flashed before his eyes—

Roy showed no mercy, slaughtering his own crew and sinking his own ship.

Provocation after provocation, humiliation after humiliation.

The sounds of blood and furious roars still echoed in my ears.

"Roy--!"

He growled, his bloodshot pupils about to explode, but suddenly—

"Whoosh--"

A faded photograph was tossed over.

Shanks caught it instinctively, his brow furrowing.

His breath caught in his throat when his gaze fell on the photograph.

In the photo, an infant has a large bump on its head, its eyes rolled back into an "X," and it is unconscious.

Its small body was curled up, so fragile that it seemed it would break at any moment.

Shanks' fingertips trembled, his throat dry and unable to utter a sound, "Hey... Roy, this can't be...!"

Roy's lips curled into a smile, his tone playful. "Ah~ this is a photo of you when you were little, pretty cute, isn't it?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Shanks roared, his face flushed red, "You weren't even born when I was a kid!!"

The night wind howled, as if trying to etch their conversation into the heavens.

Aren't you curious? How exactly did you manage to survive the God Valley?

Shanks's teeth clenched so tightly they were grinding together, his breathing rapid. "Needless to say? It was Captain Roger! He found me in the treasure chest, took me out to sea, and trained me to be a free Pirate! That's everything I have!!"

A cold smile crept across Roy's lips, his eyes filled with mockery. "Oh? Don't you want to know—who put you in the treasure chest?"

"--?!!"

Shanks' pupils contracted sharply, his heart felt like it was being squeezed, and he gasped for breath.

"What do you mean?!!"

Roy stepped forward slowly, each step seeming to crush the air.

"Actually, the person who truly saved you back then was Monkey D. Dragon."

"Wh... what?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shanks felt a sudden, overwhelming shock!

That name, like thunder, resonated with power—"Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Army, the World Government's number one enemy, and the world's most heinous criminal!"

Shanks' breathing became erratic, and he roared, "Impossible!! He's Revolutionary Army!! How could he be on that island?!"

And at that time, he was only --"

Roy raised his hand to interrupt, "Regarding the truth about God Valley... having returned to the Holy Land, haven't you figured out a bit of it yet?"

"The so-called God Valley Battle was nothing more than a bloody battle between Pirates and Celestial Dragons over 'Shakky' —the legendary treasure of the Pirates —in the Celestial Dragons' hunting Paradise during that 'Great Age of Oppression'."

Shanks' pupils trembled, and veins bulged on his forehead.

"Your biological father, Saint Garling, in order to win the championship and marry Shakky, actually attacked your mother, a native of God Valley."

"Puff--!"

Upon hearing this shocking news, Shanks' mind went blank, he almost lost his balance, his face turned ashen, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"And your mother, in her desperate escape, met Dragon —at that time, he was just Navy Trainee, Garp's son—before she was dying."

"As a young man, he faced the evil of the Celestial Dragons for the first time, and his heart was ignited with Justice —so he chose to save you brothers."

"But the Celestial Dragons' hunt soon began. Dragon fought desperately, but ultimately couldn't protect them all."

"In the end, your brother was taken away by the Celestial Dragons, and you—"

Roy pointed to Shanks' trembling hand. "To save your life, Dragon had no choice but to hide you in a treasure chest and entrust you to fate. That's how you were discovered by the Roger Pirates, who rescued Shakky, and taken away from that Purgatory."

"If it weren't for that, there would be no 'Red Hair Pirates' today, and you, Shanks, would not exist."

Shanks trembled all over. He felt as if the world had been turned upside down, the ground beneath his feet was cracking, and all he could hear was a deafening roar.

Having sailed the seas for many years, Shanks is not as naive as his older brother, who grew up in the Holy Land.

He was intelligent and decisive, and had witnessed countless storms and bloodshed in the seas, so he naturally knew what kind of group the Celestial Dragons were.

They were a group of demons cloaked in the guise of gods, arrogant, ignorant, and tyrannical, treating human life as a plaything.

That's why, when Roy coldly revealed the truth about God Valley, his heart felt as if it were being gripped by an invisible giant hand, and he instantly lost his breath.

Mother was killed by her father with his own hands for the sake of another woman.

My brother was forcibly kidnapped by the Celestial Dragons.

And I, from childhood to adulthood, have been nothing more than a pawn pushed onto the chessboard.

"Piece..."

Buggy's unintentional roar has now become a vicious curse, echoing endlessly in his mind.

"No... it's impossible..."

Shanks' eyes were vacant. He staggered backward, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, his face deathly pale.

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through my chest, as if my heart were being torn apart.

"Damn it... so that's how it is..."

"Cough--!"

A strong, metallic taste of blood welled up in his throat, and a mouthful of blood suddenly spurted out, flowing down the corner of his mouth.

--At this very moment.

Shanks!!

A furious roar, booming like thunder!

Shanks' body stiffened, and he instinctively looked up.

Roy stood in the darkness, his eyes cold as knives. "I'm telling you this not so you can wallow in despair like a stray dog!"

"If this continues—you won't even have the right to be used by me!!"

The air suddenly became deathly still, as if even the sound of the wind had been cut off.

Shanks stared at him, his heart pounding.

"I let you go many times because of a message Dragon left for me. Because you were his chosen salvation."

But the way you look right now... I'm extremely disappointed.

Shanks was jolted.

The sound of my friends' laughter echoed in my mind.

The boisterous drinking on the deck, the shouts of battle songs carried on the sea breeze, and the melody sung by Uta on stage...

No... I can't fall.

"At least, not now."

He slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, as if to expel all the stale air from his chest.

When he opened his eyes again, his Red-Hair fluttered in the night wind, his fists were clenched tightly, and his shoulders straightened again, as if he were once again bearing the weight of the entire sea.

His eyes were cold, yet they burned with a long-lost flame.

"Roy... even if I agree to do it, remember—our feud isn't over yet!"

The air suddenly tensed!

Shanks' aura is gradually returning, sharper than before, as if a new flame is burning in his blood, soaring straight into the night sky.

Roy narrowed his eyes, sensing the change, his gaze sharpened slightly, and then he let out a soft hum.

"Hmph, if you really want revenge, then find a way to break through your own limitations."

"And what I want you to do will become the opportunity for your transformation."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around, his back as cold and unyielding as he uttered four words:

"Return to the Holy Land."

The night wind howled, and all was silent.

These four words, however, were like an ironclad rule, striking deep into Shanks' soul.