Conversation with Shanks

On the Red Fox, somewhere along the Grand Line.

Lucky Roux, tugging at the chicken leg in his hand, asked, "Boss, we haven't seen Luffy in a long time. Are we really not going to go see him again...? Besides, his injuries look pretty serious!"

"It's not time to arrange a meeting yet... let Ace handle it..."

Shanks spoke calmly, paused, and then enthusiastically poured a bowl of wine from the jar, placing it in front of Buggy. "This is wine from my home in the West Blue. You should try some, Buggy!"

"Wine from the West Blue..."

Buggy grabbed the wine bowl, gulped down two mouthfuls, wiped the wine stains from his lips, and said without any hesitation, "Time flies... Twenty-three years have passed since the Roger Pirates disbanded. Those days really flew by. Apart from that time in Loguetown, this is the first time we've met in twenty-three years... Oh, by the way, I ran into Mr. Gaban and Crocus at Twin Cape before..."

"Really? Crocus is still there looking after his Laboon, huh? Haha--" Shanks seemed to remember something, and laughed heartily, then said with a touch of melancholy, "Speaking of which, I haven't seen him since I went to the East Blue ten years ago and returned to the Grand Line. He should still be the same. Mr. Gaban, did you also go to Twin Cape...? Hmm, Buggy, since you stayed in the East Blue all this time, how come I never heard from you when I went there?"

"So you went to the East Blue ten years ago. No wonder that kid's hat looked so familiar..."

Buggy nodded, feigning understanding, then glanced subtly at Shanks' severed arm, and continued, "Because I unexpectedly obtained a treasure map and have been busy with it, I naturally didn't attract the Navy's attention. You know I'm not one to show off..."

"Hahaha--" Shanks slapped his thigh and laughed, "It's really strange to hear you say 'I don't like being flamboyant'!"

"We heard your declaration during that battle on the signal Den Den Mushi when we arrived. Someone who could say something like that can't be a low-key person..." Ben Benn Beckman, a cigarette dangling from his lips, stood to the side. "And..."

His words came to an abrupt halt, and he didn't continue. As a smart man, Ben Benn Beckman would analyze the course and outcome of a matter from a perspective of interests. In his view, Buggy's actions were not simply about saving the former captain's bloodline. However, he wouldn't so abruptly reveal his thoughts; that wouldn't be the way a smart person would speak.

Buggy shrugged ambiguously, offering no further explanation. Instead, Shanks poured Buggy another shot of sake and asked bluntly, "... How did you know Ace was Captain Roger's descendant...? Did Captain Roger tell you before he died?"

"Don't try to pry into my secrets..."

"No, tell me!" Shanks affectionately put his arm around Buggy's shoulder, urging him on. "Even Mr. Rayleigh and Mr. Gaban were kept in the dark about this, right? How did you know? Did I really guess right? But there's no reason for that. If you knew about this, why did you only meet Ace for the first time in Marineford? I really don't understand!"

"You're so annoying..." Buggy shook off Shanks' hand from his shoulder, only to find it stuck like a leech. He could only say, "I have my own sources of information. You've become one of the Four Emperors of the New World, surely I have some achievements to speak of all these years?!"

"What 'great achievements'? You're too tight-lipped..." Shanks pouted unhappily, taking another swig of his drink. "But no one could have imagined that Fire Fist Ace, the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates... was actually Captain Roger's son, and Luffy's sworn brother. Even now, I still can't quite believe it... But it's all so good that they're all rescued... Thanks to you, Buggy!"

As he finished speaking, his expression relaxed.

"But Whitebeard is dead..." Buggy raised his wine bowl, clinking it against Shanks's, splashing up glistening droplets of wine. "A man who could rival Captain Roger ... ultimately couldn't withstand the ravages of time..."

People grow old, but their will remains unchanged by time. It is passed down from generation to generation, and even if buried in the sand, among the pebbles, or deep in the ocean, it will one day be unearthed and become a benchmark that guides the world!

"[Willpower]... that's not a topic I like to discuss. Does that mean someone whose name doesn't contain [D] can't encompass and embrace the world?!" Buggy's tone softened. "Never mind... this kind of thing doesn't matter to me."

Shanks paused, then said, "You... you've got your own ideas, haha!!"

He then asked, "So what do you plan to do next?"

Buggy replied, "I'll go to Sabaody Archipelago first, and then go to the New World after I'm ready. That's the real [arena], where only the fittest survive..."

Shanks tentatively asked, "So, how about coming with me...?"

"You want me to join your pirate crew? Like I said, stop dreaming."

"Haha... really? The same answer as when we parted ways in Loguetown twenty-two years ago. It seems you really haven't changed at all..." Shanks also truthfully revealed his upcoming voyage, "Then we'll also go to Sabaody Archipelago coating, but we won't get too close. The Marines on the island aren't very welcoming to us. After that, we'll escort Ace and the others back to the New World..."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Buggy suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "Do you know an island called 'Uze'?"

"Uze ..." Shanks shook his head. "I'm not sure."

"Is that so..." Buggy replied, as expected.

"You mean that Uze Island..." Benn Beckman, leaning against a pillar, said slowly, "That island is at the border between Kaido's and Whitebeard's forces. It's said to be a moving island; countless renowned pirates have gone in and never come out again. In short..." He then succinctly summarized in three words, "Very dangerous."

"A dangerous island?"

Buggy secretly observed that an island described with those three words by Benn Beckman must be extraordinary, which also meant... there was a high possibility that the [legendary] Uranus existed there!!