Austin's American Fishing Method

"Throwing the match? Uncle, that's not my style."

Austin's eyes showed disdain. He was determined to suppress Shanks. Only then could he always be the best in the New Era.

He wanted to be a man who never lost!

Perhaps seeing the resistance in Austin's eyes, Bitam pouted helplessly.

After a while, he managed to say, "After this is done, I'll give you half of my earnings."

"Master, you know me so well!" Austin couldn't help but grin.

It wasn't that he had no backbone; it was just that the money he got as an intern was too little to spend. He was forced to agree.

"Shanks, let's settle this with one move!"

"Huh?" Hearing Austin's words, Shanks, who was tired from being toyed with, gritted his teeth. "Alright, I'm all for it!"

The surrounding crew members also cheered: "Is it finally time to decide the winner? Go, Shanks, don't lose face!"

"Good job, Austin, stay sharp, don't let it slip away!"

The atmosphere was lively and everyone was excited!

Seeing the mood reach this point, Austin also got serious. He clenched his five fingers and looked at Shanks, who was equally serious. In his slightly narrowed, world-disdaining eyes, faint red light seemed to burst forth.

"What is that...?!"

Gaban, who was watching, spoke first. A few drops of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. He opened his mouth wide as if he had seen something incredible.

Rayleigh, standing nearby, also had his pupils contract. He stared at Austin with a very serious expression. "No, he just has the potential. That level of advanced Observation Haki is not something a kid his age can master."

Roger was also shocked, his smile stiffening. "The King of the Next Generation has met his match! Hahahaha!"

At this moment, Austin, who was fully focused, was clearly unaware of the high praise from the three legendary pirates. He was just trying his best to get a clearer look at the trajectory of Shanks' sword strike.

He was trying to predict it.

Just as Shanks swung his sword with all his might, delivering his highest-level slash, Austin watched as the sharp blade light flashed past the side of his cheek.

He saw a fleeting, blurry "trajectory."

The trajectory the blade was about to take.

"A good slash, Shanks, but unfortunately..."

"Hoo..."

Austin held his breath, seizing the moment after Shanks' skill animation. He clenched his fist and unleashed a full-power blow to Shanks' stomach. The muffled thud even left him feeling a bit dazed.

"Ugh—"

Shanks vomited bile. Austin, relying solely on his monstrous strength, was tormenting this fledgling kid, Shanks.

"Thump—"

Young Red Hair's figure swayed precariously. His eyes had rolled back, and he looked as if he was about to collapse.

"Ah—"

Seeing that Shanks was unlikely to regain consciousness, Austin sighed.

Then, he suddenly raised his fist, a ridiculously exaggerated and perfunctory expression on his face.

"Ahhh, my fist hurts so much! Was it the recoil? It hurts, it hurts so bad I fainted, cough (sticks out tongue)."

Austin glanced back at the crowd, then resolutely closed his eyes and fell to the ground. Coincidentally, he landed at the exact same moment as Shanks, both sprawled out on the ground like starfish.

Then, The entire place fell silent.

"Holy crap..." Bitam couldn't hold it in, his snot almost spraying out.

You're acting, at least put some effort into it, you bastard!

Could you be any more over the top?!

There was nothing for it. Bitam had to grit his teeth and speak, "It seems to be a draw, everyone. Apologies!"

"Huh???!!!" ×N

At this moment, Buggy, who had been secretly hiding and counting his private stash, emerged from the ship's cabin. He looked at Uncle Bitam, surrounded by his crew members, the motionless Shanks, and Austin, who was lying on the ground picking his nose.

He was completely bewildered.

"Don't be like that, Shanks. Rest and work are both important, you know."

Austin looked at Shanks, who was doing squats with a barbell on his back, and advised him kindly.

"Shut up, you bastard! Put down the tons of steel on your back before you talk to me!!!" Shanks roared, his fangs bared. Even for someone with his good temper, he couldn't help but be provoked by Austin.

"Ah... Hahahahahahaha!!!"

Austin was speechless and could only offer an awkward laugh before continuing to do one-handed push-ups with tons of steel on his back.

"You two monsters! Can't you be quiet for a while!" Buggy, who was on the side, heard the conversation between these two ambitious people and his face turned red.

He could only do curls with small dumbbells now. Let alone Austin's monstrous physique, even Shanks could easily surpass him.

As Shanks, who was stimulated, began to grow stronger crazily, Austin also reaped considerable rewards while training.

Even Buggy, the expert slacker, had to increase his training intensity, and he complained about it a lot.

The following days were quite boring.

As a result, Austin's few joys each day were reading newspapers, fighting, training, and fishing.

However, because he wanted to learn too many things, his hobby of fishing was difficult to make time for.

But this was no match for the clever Austin.

"Hey! Austin, haven't you caught anything yet?" Buggy leaned over him, watching Austin sit still on the edge of the boat with his eyes closed. "It's almost time for training, isn't it?"

Hearing this, Austin, who had just been practicing expanding his Observation Haki range, slowly opened his eyes. Traces of reddish light disappeared from his pupils.

"Don't worry, when have I ever failed to catch a fish before training?"

"But Shanks has already started..."

"Alright, alright... I know."

Austin sighed and simply drew a pistol from his waist.

Have you ever heard of the American fishing method?

"Bang bang bang--"

A few crisp gunshots rang out, and soon several fish floated belly-up on the sea, still emitting wisps of smoke.

Austin flicked his fishing hook and immediately snagged these unlucky fellows, tossing them into the fish basket and carrying it towards the cabin.

"Let's go, Buggy!"

"Wait for me!"

"Austin has gotten stronger again."

"Yeah, he's practically a monster. Reminds me of someone."

"I guess you're thinking of Redfield?"

"Uh... something like that. But actually, I was thinking of Whitebeard."

On the deck, watching the little fellow sparring with the Vice-Captain, Rayleigh the Poneglyph, many crew members were discussing, including the two little fellows at the very front.

"That guy Austin, there's no way we can defeat him, right?"

"Don't be so pessimistic, Buggy. We'll definitely get stronger and stronger in the future." Perhaps due to being discouraged by Austin too many times, Shanks, who had initially been flustered, slowly calmed down and returned to his usual easygoing nature.

"What nonsense are you spouting, Shanks? If we get stronger, won't Austin get stronger too?" Buggy wasn't comforted at all; instead, he felt even more like giving up.

Originally, with Shanks on the ship, he was already quite discouraged. Almost everyone had high hopes for Shanks, leaving Buggy to be merely a foil.

Now, with Austin popping up, it was hard not to feel despair.

"Don't be so downcast. Look, Austin and the Vice-Captain's sparring match has begun!"