"Heh, that really is bad news..."
Crocodile wore a conflicted expression. He first glanced at Shanks, who was kneeling on the ground and shouting in grief and fury, yet ultimately did not continue the pursuit.
Then he looked at Gan Fall's retreating figure, gradually fading into the rain.
He fell silent for a moment and pondered for a long while.
In the end, he still stepped forward and followed.
At worst, he would die.
If one lost their freedom, then what difference was there between living and dying?
And so, Crocodile and Robin followed Gan Fall, one after the other, heading deeper into Upper Yard.
Yasopp, who had been left at the rear, hesitated for a moment. Gritting his teeth, he hurried after them as well.
Shanks's condition was extremely unstable, on the verge of losing control.
But compared to staying behind to look after his captain, keeping a close eye on these two people who could not yet be fully trusted was the duty he, as the vice-captain, ought to fulfill.
Rayleigh, the captain's former vice-captain, was already dead. Beckman, the captain's more recent vice-captain, had also defected.
In the current Red Hair Pirates, he, Yasopp, was the captain's only reliable right-hand man.
He felt that he had to shoulder this responsibility.
As for Luffy, although his injuries were severe and there was a bloody hole through his abdomen, he did not look like he would die.
Leaving him here for the time being probably would not cause any major trouble.
Thus, the group gradually departed.
Once their figures had completely vanished into the curtain of rain, the beach paved with cloud-sand fell into deathly silence once more.
Only the patter of rain remained, along with Shanks's suppressed, broken sobs.
"Can following this pack of vermin truly lead you