Sword of Damocles

On a sunny afternoon, the summer sun was like a giant fireball, as if it would burn everything in the world to ashes.

Under such weather, everyone felt lazy and unmotivated.

However, in such an environment, on a small island in the sea, there was a group of people with flushed faces, lying on the ground, looking drunk, clearly having drunk a lot of alcohol.

Looking at the animal skeletons scattered everywhere, it suggested they might have had a grand feast.

At this moment, a young boy with a big red nose groggily opened his eyes.

"Hmm, what is that thing?"

He saw something appearing in the sky. Just as he thought he was hallucinating from drinking too much, he noticed the object in the sky becoming clearer. He quickly rubbed his eyes, and sure enough, the thing was still there.

"Cap-cap-captain, look at the sky."

This discovery instantly cleared his head, and he shouted out.

With this shout, the others also slowly woke up.

"Hey, Buggy, what are you shouting about?"

That's right, the little guy who had just shouted was an intern of the Roger Pirates, and the people who had just finished their feast on this island were members of the Roger Pirates.

"No, Captain, look at the sky."

"Hmm?" Hearing Buggy's frantic call again, Roger looked up, squinting his eyes.

"What is that, a sword?"

Seeing the object in the sky, Roger thought to himself. The others also started discussing, as the object hanging in the sky was too conspicuous.

"Is it Shiki?" Roger said in a low voice, because in his impression, only the Golden Lion's Doss-Doss Fruit could achieve this.

"Hmm, it should be him. I can't think of anyone else who would have this ability, but where did he get such a huge sword?"

The one speaking was a yellow-haired man wearing glasses. He was the King of the Underworld, Silvers Rayleigh.

At this moment, both of their eyes were somewhat solemn, because the Golden Lion was no simple character, and even they had to deal with him seriously.

Just then, a white light suddenly flashed from the giant sword, and then something separated from the giant sword and descended from the sky.

Seeing this, Rayleigh placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to unleash a slash at any moment if something went wrong.

"Don't act rashly yet, Rayleigh. This probably isn't the Golden Lion."

Hearing Roger's words, Rayleigh's hand slightly loosened its grip on the hilt, but his current posture showed that he could still draw his sword instantly.

"That looks like a person."

As the white light got closer to the land, the people on the island slowly made out the object within the white light.

"That's right, it's indeed a person inside."

This statement came from Roger.

Subsequently, the others on the island relaxed. One person alone couldn't be that strong, and they, the Roger Pirates, were not afraid at all.

Even if the Whitebeard Pirates appeared before them now, they could still deal with them with ease.

As for their earlier nervousness, it was entirely because something beyond their understanding had appeared, making them inevitably a little tense.

But now that they knew it was just a person, there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Will he fall and die?" At this moment, the big red-nosed Buggy started talking again. Although he was a bit cowardly, he was fearless now within the Roger Pirates.

"Who knows? But even if he dies from the fall, it's none of our business?"

A red-haired young man beside Buggy spoke up. He was another intern of the Roger Pirates, Shanks.

At this time, he did not have the three scars on his face, nor that imposing aura.

When the white light landed, there was no "boom" sound of a heavy object hitting the ground as everyone had imagined. Instead, it descended onto the ground in a very stable manner.

After the white light dissipated, a boy who looked seventeen or eighteen years old appeared before everyone. The giant sword in the sky also vanished, as if it had never appeared.

At this moment, the boy lying on the ground became the focus of everyone's attention.

"It seems that sword was conjured by this kid."

"Hey, Buggy, see if you can wake him up and ask him what's going on."

"Yes, Captain."

Receiving the mission from the captain, Buggy casually picked up a half-empty bottle of wine from his side and poured it over the white-haired boy's head.

However, the boy remained unresponsive, as if he were dead.

"Reporting to the Captain, he's probably dead."

"Get lost." Hearing this, the First Mate Rayleigh cursed at Buggy.

His Observation Haki clearly sensed that the white-haired boy's heart was beating at a very stable frequency.

"He's probably just fainted. Buggy, Shanks, I'll leave him to you two to keep an eye on. Tell me when he wakes up."

"Yes, Captain."

Afterward, the Roger Pirates went their separate ways, some continuing to rest, while others, having just sobered up, started drinking again.

After all, they had escaped from the clutches of the hero Garp once more. It was definitely time to rest and celebrate.

"Hey, Buggy, you stay here and watch things for a bit. I'm going for another drink."

"Shanks, no way! If anyone's going for a drink, it's me, Buggy the Great! You're the one who should be watching things here."

"Alright, you go ahead. I'll stay here and watch. I'll go for a drink after you're done."

Hearing Shanks say that, Buggy was clearly taken aback. When had Shanks become so agreeable?

"Fine, Shanks. Then I, Buggy the Great, will go for a drink."

As Buggy turned to leave, Shanks punched himself in the face.

"Report to the First Mate, Buggy abandoned his post. I tried to reason with him, but he punched me."

Just as Buggy was about to happily head off for a drink, he suddenly heard those words. Turning around, he saw a swollen red mark on Shanks's face.

Seeing Shanks's appearance, Buggy knew he'd been tricked.

"First Mate, please let me explain! I didn't do anything, Shanks did this to himself!" Buggy explained frantically.

"So, you're saying he beat himself up?" Rayleigh said after hearing Buggy's explanation.

"That's right, exactly."

"Then do you think Shanks is an idiot, beating himself up?"

Hearing Rayleigh's words, the smile on Shanks's face froze. Am I an idiot? Beating myself up... it is pretty stupid, but for alcohol, it's worth it.

"But Shanks really did hit himself."

"Alright, Buggy, you don't need to say any more. You were assigned the task of guarding him, so you'll do that. As for Shanks, you can go do whatever you were going to do."

"Yes, First Mate." Hearing this, Shanks happily hurried off to get his drink.

"Shanks, you're shameless, you're a scoundrel, you have no dignity!"

Seeing Shanks's joyful retreating back, Buggy shouted angrily.

Then, he turned his gaze back to the white-haired young man. "It's all your fault! You've made it so I can't even drink now."

He then gently kicked the young man.