Seeing Is Believing

"I'm such an idiot. Shanks drew all my attention, so I didn't even notice there were people from the merchant ship in the tavern..."

Wright turned to leave. He had recognized the loud voice the moment it rang out—the guy was the wine merchant from the ship. This shipment was made up of various liquors, so his appearance in a tavern was perfectly natural. Besides, he was clearly treating his men, and those men had all been healed by Wright...

"Doctor!! Let me buy you a drink! No, three drinks!"

"You're pathetic! I'll buy the doctor a whole barrel! To repay him for saving my life!"

"Get out of the way! I'm the first one buying the doctor a drink!"

One man dragged a wine cup forward, only to be stepped on by the second, who was then stepped on by the third...

The scene instantly descended into utter chaos.

"Thankfully, they're all drunk. It'd be a real hassle if they latched onto me."

Wright slipped into a nearby alley, intending to leave quietly. As for Shanks... there would be plenty of chances.

Just as he was about to leave the alley, Wright froze—

"Hey, little brother!"

Shanks appeared at the mouth of the alley and waved at Wright.

I didn't spread my Observation Haki when I entered the tavern just now, but I only noticed Shanks when he got this close!

Is he a monster? He drank so much just now, yet he looks completely fine!

Wright held his forehead, sounding helpless. "I'm not a doctor. Don't listen to their nonsense. I don't know anything. I'm just a swordsman. Look, I'm carrying a sword..."

Shanks's eyes lit up. "A swordsman is even better! Your reactions were sharp just now, so I'm sure you're quite skilled. What's rare is that you're still so young—you've got a bright future ahead of you. Come aboard my ship!"

"My name is Shanks. I'm a pirate!"

"All right, I'm a doctor. My wish is World Peace."

"...Hahaha! You're really an interesting little brother!"

Shanks casually stepped forward and slung an arm around Wright's shoulders. "It's rare to meet someone as interesting as you. Let's go have a drink!"

"Didn't we just drink?"

In the end, Wright, dragged back to the tavern by Shanks, was still plied into a dead drunk by the wildly excited wine merchant and patrons. What could he do? After all those years of training, he had never let himself drink so freely.

The next day, the sobered-up Wright and Shanks came to an open clearing in the mountains far from town.

A gentle breeze rustled the forest in the distance. Orange Town occupied only a small stretch of this island's coast, where its harbor and town had been built. Most of the island remained untouched wilderness, with forests, grasslands, and rivers spread throughout it, producing the various goods Orange Town relied on to trade with the outside world.

"Wright, come out to sea with me. East Blue is only one of the Four Seas, and beyond them lies the Grand Line—countless islands, countless extraordinary people and strange events, wondrous sights beyond imagination. The splendor of the sea is something you can't possibly imagine."

Looking out across the island's beautiful natural scenery, Shanks could not help sighing as he once again invited Wright.

Once Shanks learned that Wright truly was the "interesting doctor" he had wanted to meet, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that Wright possessed accomplished swordsmanship and medical skills as miraculous as the rumors claimed, he began sparing no effort in inviting Wright to join his "soon-to-be-established" pirate crew and explore the Grand Line together.

It had been two years since Shanks's captain, the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, had been publicly executed by the Marines in Loguetown. Shanks, only fifteen at the time, had stood at the execution site clutching Roger's straw hat and crying with desperate restraint. To care for the seriously ill man whose name absolutely could not be read backward, Shanks had willingly given up the Pirate King's final voyage and missed the Final Island, Laugh Tale.

Shanks had once decided that he would reach Laugh Tale aboard his own ship someday. But after Roger returned, Shanks learned certain things, and perhaps made other decisions.

But whatever that decision was, Shanks needed to form his own pirate crew. On the day of the execution, Shanks had invited his "friend"—the man whose name absolutely could not be read backward—to form a pirate crew with him, only to be refused because the other man would not serve beneath anyone. In the two years afterward, Shanks wandered alone. No one knew what he had gone through. Now, he had once again decided to form a pirate crew and return to the sea where he had once sailed and fought alongside his captain.

"Shanks, it's still too early to talk about that. I've only just grasped the realm of Iron Cutting, and I basically have no real combat experience..."

Wright sighed. This world was not an anime; it was real. There would be no one who could only be killed by the plot. Even with Holy Light Power, which made him harder to kill than most people, he would still be helpless if he was struck down in one blow. And never mind the Grand Line—even if he ran into one hidden expert in the Four Seas, the current him would end up either dead or crippled.

Wright understood that perfectly well. Since he had not started out invincible, he absolutely could not be reckless. If his ship capsized, who knew whether he would get lucky enough for another chance... Wasn't it better to keep a low profile? Playing it safe was more secure. He had to grind monsters in the beginner village until they gave no more experience before entering a new map!

Besides...

"My wish is World Peace! How can I become a pirate!"

"Hahahahaha..."

Shanks clutched his stomach and laughed so hard he bent over. "Sorry, sorry. I know I shouldn't, but I just can't help it, hahaha..."

"When I heard you say that yesterday, I thought you were just saying it to brush me off. You really mean it?"

Wright glared darkly at Shanks, who was nearly laughing himself limp. "Laugh yourself to death, you bastard! I didn't pay for your drinks so you could stand here making fun of me!"

"You're only a few years older than me, but I can tell you're much stronger! More importantly, you're a pure swordsman. I can sense that aura shared between swordsmen!"

"Draw your weapon! Let me see just how wide the gap between us is!"

Clang—

Ashes slid from its sheath. Empowered by Holy Light Power, a layer of golden-red Holy Fire ignited along the blade. Wright gripped the sword with both hands and took a guarded stance, his Observation Haki fully unleashed.

"Oh, so this is your ability? That's such a cool effect. Damn, I'm so jealous~"

Shanks stopped laughing and tried to make himself look serious. He had yet to obtain the famed sword Gryphon, suspected to be one of the Supreme Grade Swords 12, and the blade he used now looked like an ordinary renowned sword.

"Your ability is truly unusual, Wright. I've heard of people with abilities that can heal injuries and be used for attack, but it's my first time seeing one as efficient as yours."

"What's most unfair is, are all healing abilities this flashy? That guy's ability is colorful too. I'm so jealous..."

The hell do you mean, you've heard of it? You two have probably fought more times than either of you can count, haven't you? Zoan—Mythical Zoan—Bird-Bird Fruit—Phoenix form, the Whitebeard Pirates' ship doctor, "Phoenix" Marco!

With Marco's Fruit ability around, my Holy Light Power won't seem all that unusual on the Grand Line. I can just call it a special Paramecia. After all, I can't turn into an element, so it isn't that famous Logia, the Glint-Glint Fruit...

Still, maybe Yellow Monkey will set his sights on me?