Shanks: Mihawk, Haven't You Noticed Something Is Wrong?

New World, a certain sea area.

The Red Hair Pirates' Red Force is adrift here.

On the ship, the Red Hair Pirates gathered on the deck, having a banquet and drinking.

And there was another person mixed in there, none other than Jora Mihawk.

However, Mihawk looked rather disheveled today. One of his hands was bandaged and hanging in front of his chest, clearly indicating that he was recovering from a fracture. He also had a bandage wrapped around his forehead, which made him look somewhat comical.

The reason he ended up like this is because he was beaten by Garp. If the Red Hair Pirates hadn't happened to run into him there and helped him out, he probably would have been beaten even worse.

"What are you thinking about? Drink up, Marine Hunter!" Shanks raised his glass and said with a smile, "This is a fine wine from the West Blue that I bought at a high price from the Dark World. It's absolutely delicious!"

Mihawk sighed softly, raised his glass and clinked it against Shanks's, then said, "Thanks this time, Red-Hair..."

"Thank me for what?" Shanks shook his head casually.

"Lately, I feel like I've been having some bad luck... I've run into that Garp guy several times already..." Mihawk said with a slightly bitter tone.

Shanks, upon hearing this, looked at Mihawk with a strange expression. "Not very lucky?"

"Yeah, every time I land on an island, it doesn't take more than a few days before the Marines ships catch up with me..." Mihawk said with a helpless tone.

Shanks looked at the sentimental Mihawk, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Have you considered that this matter has nothing to do with luck, it's simply... who did you offend?"

"Offended people?" Mihawk paused for a moment, then nodded matter-of-factly. "I've offended quite a few people. I've challenged many swordsmen. You mean... they're helping the Marines target me?"

Shanks was completely baffled by Mihawk's thought process, and scratched his head vigorously. "Is it possible that you've directly offended the Marines?"

"Huh?" Mihawk was genuinely puzzled this time. He frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "I don't think so. Although there are quite a few swordsmen in the Marines, I haven't challenged any of them recently..."

"Did you offend Ortolan back on the Porispian Island?" Shanks asked directly, exasperated.

"Ortolan?" Mihawk frowned, thought for a moment, and then shook his head. "Probably not. After you left, he seemed to have something to do. We just exchanged a few words and then went our separate ways. We didn't even fight again."

"Is that so?" Shanks also doubted his own deduction this time, and then said, "Now it's not the Marines chasing you, but both the Black and White factions, along with the CP Agency, are chasing you. At first, I thought you had offended that guy Ortolan, which is why you ended up like this..."

After taking another sip of his drink, Shanks asked with a smile, "So what did you say to that guy back then?"

"Oh..." Mihawk also took a sip of his drink, and then said, "He invited me to Shichibukai, but I refused."

Shanks paused for a moment, then nodded seriously. "Then the case is solved. It was indeed you who offended Ortolan. That guy is petty; he must have orchestrated all of this behind the scenes, targeting you!"

"You mean, all of this started because I refused to Shichibukai?" Mihawk was even more surprised, his tone somewhat incredulous.

Really? Aren't the Shichibukai supposed to operate on the principles of voluntariness, equality, and open conflict?

"I think that's possible. What else did he say to you? Tell me, and I'll analyze it for you," Shanks asked curiously.

"He said he would introduce me to the Shichibukai, but on the condition that I pay the G- Shichibukai Marines guarantee fee of 20 billion Belly. To be honest, I had actually considered becoming Shichibukai before, but as soon as I heard that it would cost 20 billion, I immediately refused. However, Ortolan was not angry at the time. Instead, he exchanged Den Den Mushi signals with me and said that if I changed my mind in the future, I could contact him at any time..." Mihawk thought for a moment and then told Shanks everything that had happened that day.

After hearing this, Shanks said without hesitation, "I don't care anymore. All of this must have been orchestrated by that bastard Ortolan. His goal was to force you to Shichibukai so he could extort 20 billion Belly from you. But speaking of which, did you contact him afterward?"

"No... I didn't even think about those things." Mihawk shook his head.

After a pause, he still said with some doubt, "Ortolan... he wouldn't be that bad, would he?"

"Whether it's true or not, just call him on Den Den Mushi and ask him, then you'll know," Shanks said after thinking for a moment.

Mihawk pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded and said, "Then I'll ask him!"

Forget about drinking, Mihawk took out his Den Den Mushi from his pocket, fiddled with it a few times, and dialed.

A moment later, the Den Den Mushi was answered, and Ortolan's voice came from the other end. "Mihawk?"

"It's me," Mihawk replied calmly.

"Why did you think of contacting me? Have you scraped together 20 billion Belly and are planning to become one of the Shichibukai? No problem, as long as the money is there, I can arrange for you to take the position anytime. Once you become one of the Shichibukai, you'll be a member of our World Government, and we'll be part of this big family. I heard you've been chased by Mr. Garp of our Marines several times recently? Don't worry, once you become Shichibukai, Mr. Garp won't continue to hunt you down..." Ortolan said with a smile.

Hearing this, even Mihawk, who was usually naive, was stunned. He said with some indignation, "So it really was you who was behind this!"

"What's going on?" Ortolan asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Was it you who secretly instructed that guy Garp to hunt me down?" Mihawk questioned.

"You need to sort out your logic first. What is your identity? What is my identity? And what is Mr. Garp's identity?" Ortolan showed no guilt or remorse whatsoever, instead asking the question with an air of self-righteousness.

Then, before Mihawk could speak, Ortolan said, "You're a pirate, Great Pirate with a bounty of 400 million Belly, causing trouble in the New World. When you get excited, you fight people regardless of the occasion, causing countless injuries and losses to innocent civilians. As for me and Mr. Garp, we are the Marines. Our positions are inherently opposite. You cause trouble outside, so what's wrong with the Marines arresting you?"

Mihawk opened his mouth, unable to refute Ortolan's words for a moment. It made sense, it made so damn sense!

"In the past, we thought you were young and prone to making mistakes. So after the Shichibukai were introduced, our Marines decided to give you a chance to start over. Therefore, after meeting you, I specifically asked you if you wanted to become Shichibukai, but you refused. Your refusal to become Shichibukai means that you are determined to go down the path of no return as a pirate. Since that's the case, our Marines will not leave you any more room for maneuver. Therefore, we have increased our efforts to capture you. Is there a problem with that?" Ortolan asked again.

Mihawk was rather tongue-tied when it came to debating, and for a moment he was rendered speechless by Ortolan's words, so he could only look to Shanks for help.

Shanks paused for a moment, then covered his mouth and waved his hand. He dared not make a sound. If Ortolan found out that he was giving orders behind his back and held a grudge against him, he would no longer be able to survive in the New World.

After all, Mihawk has set a good example for him, fully demonstrating that in the New World, you can offend Whitebeard, you can offend Kaido, you can offend the Big Mom Pirates, and you can provoke the Marines without restraint.

But you absolutely cannot offend Bane of G-5, otherwise he can unite the Marines, pirates, and CP Agency to deal with you, making sure you have no peace anywhere, neither in heaven nor on earth!

Seeing that Mihawk remained silent, Ortolan said even more matter-of-factly, "If you're calling this Den Den Mushi just to spout this nonsense, that's really boring. I'm busy. As a pirate, you should enjoy this freedom of being hunted by the Marines. It's what you deserve. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up..."

However, Ortolan paused for a moment, then said earnestly, "But our Marines has always been about winning people over with virtue. If you change your mind and want to start anew, you can contact me again. Our doors are always open for those of you who are willing to turn back and repent. Of course, the prerequisite is that you pay 20 billion Belly. Our Marines will use this money for the cause of justice, as a way to make amends for your past crimes. Do you understand?"

After saying that, Ortolan didn't wait for Mihawk's response and hung up the Den Den Mushi.

On the Red Force, Mihawk glanced at Shanks, Shanks face twitched slightly. "What are you looking at me for? I can't beat him..."

"I didn't intend to invite you to join me in dealing with Ortolan." Mihawk shook his head, then asked, "I wanted to ask you, do you have 20 billion? I suddenly really want to Shichibukai, I just need this guarantee fee. Don't worry, I'll definitely pay you back when I have the money..."

"No, do you think any pirate would lend money to another pirate, especially 20 billion Belly in one go!?" Shanks looked at Mihawk with disbelief.

Mihawk paused for a moment, then said, "If you don't lend me the money, I'll tell Ortolan that you're the one who stirred up trouble between us, slandered him as the mastermind behind this incident, and defamed his reputation..."

Shanks' face twitched, and he said through gritted teeth, "Why weren't you this clever before..."

"Because I realized that if I don't use my brain, I'll be tricked to death by you guys," Mihawk said matter-of-factly.