"Kid, do you want to eat better meat?"
As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of cured dragon jerky from his clothes. Its oily sheen looked especially tempting under the sunlight. Luffy's eyes instantly lit up as though stars were hidden within them, and the meat fell from his mouth.
"What is this?"
"It smells even better than the village chief's cured meat!"
"This is a specialty from the far end of the Grand Line—Shanks."
He broke off a small piece of jerky and placed it in Luffy's palm.
"Out on that sea, there are mountains that breathe fire, islands floating in the sky, and more delicious food than you could ever eat."
Ace suddenly grabbed Luffy by the collar and dragged his younger brother behind him.
"Hey, what exactly are you trying to do?"
"Using these lies to fool children?"
"I'm only telling the truth!"
"Pirate King Roger's treasure is hidden at the end of the Grand Line, and pirates are people who dare to set foot in those unknown waters and pursue freedom."
"Freedom?"
"Hmph, it's nothing but an excuse for murder, arson, and plunder."
Ace spoke with a cold laugh. He could not understand what the man in front of him meant at all.
"Then why do you secretly go train by the shore every day?"
Shanks's voice suddenly became sharp as a blade. "Is it so bandits won't bully you in this little village, or because you want to seize your own fate?"
"Ace, you were born to belong to the sea."
At that moment, the stranger's words were like a flame that ignited the desire that had lain dormant in his heart for so long.
Luffy broke free from Ace's hand and grabbed Shanks's cape. "I want to go! I want to eat every