A Billion Beli Bounty for Eight Million?

Shanks turned around at that moment.

He held the last unopened bottle of rum in his hand.

That trademark harmless smile hung on his face.

"Sorry, Mr. Bandit."

"We really did drink all the alcohol here."

"If you don't mind, how about this bottle?"

Shanks held the bottle out to him.

His manner was exceedingly humble.

There was none of a great pirate's arrogance about him.

Higuma looked at the bottle, then at Shanks's smiling face.

All at once, he felt inexplicably insulted.

He had come looking for trouble.

Not to beg for handouts.

"Smack!"

Higuma swung his arm.

With one punch, he smashed the bottle in Shanks's hand.

Glass shards and liquor sprayed everywhere.

They all splashed over Shanks.

His white shirt was instantly soaked through, liquor dripping down from his hair.

He looked utterly miserable.

The tavern fell deathly silent.

Yasopp's hand moved to his gun.

Benn Beckman stubbed out his cigarette.

Lucky Roux even stopped chewing his meat.

A terrifying killing intent brewed in the air.

At a single word from Shanks,

these bandits would become piles of flesh the next second.

Kahn remained seated on his barstool.

He even shifted aside a little, afraid the liquor would splash onto him.

He was watching the show.

Watching how this ant that didn't know its place danced atop an elephant's toe.

Shanks did not get angry.

He did not even wipe the liquor from his face.

Instead, he crouched down and began picking up the broken glass from the floor.

"Oh dear, the floor's gotten dirty."

"Miss Boss, do you have a rag?"

Shanks looked up with a smile, as though he had not been the one doused in liquor.

Higuma froze for a moment.

Then he burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

"I thought you were someone impressive."

"So you're just a spineless coward!"

Higuma kicked over a chair by the bar.

He pulled out a handful of Beli from his pocket and tossed it onto the floor.

"That's for your bottle."

"Let's go!"

"The liquor here has been ruined by the stink of a bunch of cowards!"

Higuma swaggered out of the tavern with his men.

Before leaving, he even spat on the floor.

The tavern fell quiet again.

Only Makino stood there helplessly with a rag in her hand.

Shanks was still wiping up the spilled liquor.

He smiled as he wiped.

"It's all right, it's all right. Everyone, keep drinking."

He stood up, trying to lighten the mood.

But this time, no one laughed.

Luffy climbed up from the floor, his little face flushed red.

His entire body was trembling.

"Why didn't you fight back?!"

Luffy shouted at Shanks.

"A guy like that could be sent flying with one punch!"

"Aren't you a pirate?!"

"What kind of man lets himself be humiliated like that without fighting back?!"

Ace stood off to the side as well, his fists clenched until they cracked.

He hated pirates.

But he hated cowards even more.

"How embarrassing."

Ace spat.

"And here I thought you had some skill."

Sabo said nothing, but the trace of admiration in his eyes had vanished too.

The noble education of honor told him that a sword had to be drawn in a moment like this.

Faced with the children's accusations,

Shanks scratched his head, looking helpless.

"It was only a bottle of liquor."

"There was no need to get angry over something like that, right?"

"And killing people isn't a good thing."

Luffy could not accept such lofty reasoning at his age.

He thought Shanks was just making excuses.

"Coward!"

"I'm done with you!"

Luffy turned and tried to run.

But a large hand pressed down on his head.

Kahn.

Kahn had gotten to his feet at some point.

He held Luffy's head down and looked at Shanks, who was wiping off his clothes.

"Eight million Beli."

Kahn suddenly said something completely out of the blue.

Shanks looked up, a faint shift passing through his eyes.

"That bandit."

Kahn pointed toward the door.

"His life is worth only eight million."

"How much is your bounty? One billion?"

"Trading a billion for eight million is indeed a bad deal."

Kahn's voice was extremely calm.

It even carried a trace of a merchant's pragmatism.

But that was precisely what explained Shanks's actions.

A lion would not turn around and bite a dog just because it barked once.

That would only lower the lion's standing.

Shanks smiled.

This time, his smile was completely sincere.

"See?"

"This little guy gets it."

Luffy was still struggling.

"I don't care! I want to become as strong as Kahn too!"

"I want to be able to beat that fat guy too!"

"I don't want to be a cowardly pirate!"

Luffy dragged the conversation back again.

He still thought Kahn's straightforward way of dealing with things was cooler.

Shanks walked over to Luffy.

He crouched down.

And looked straight into Luffy's eyes.

"Luffy."

"Strength isn't measured by fists."

"True strength is being able to smile and forgive those who know no better."

"And..."

Shanks's gaze became somewhat profound.

"It is the sword you draw only when your friends are hurt."

Those words were too profound.

Five-year-old Luffy was utterly confused.

But he vaguely felt that Shanks might not be so useless after all.

Kahn released his hand from Luffy's head.

He walked to the bar and pulled out a stack of Beli from his pocket.

It was the "dividend" Sabo had insisted on giving him two days ago.

"Big Sister Makino, this is to pay for that table."

Kahn pointed at the bar counter he had cracked.

Makino hurriedly waved her hands.

"No, no, that was—"

"Keep it."

Kahn set the money on the table.

Then he turned and headed outside.

"It's time to go back."

"That old hag Dadan is still waiting for us to eat."

Ace and Sabo exchanged a glance and followed him.

What had happened today had left them very unhappy.

But they did not want to stay any longer in a tavern filled with the air of "cowards."

Luffy hesitated for a moment.

He looked at Shanks, then at Kahn.

In the end, he pouted and scampered after Kahn.

"Wait for me!"

The four little brats walked out of the tavern.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long.

Shanks stood at the entrance, watching them leave.

Ben Beckman came over and lit another cigarette.

"That big kid sees things very clearly."

"To have that kind of temperament at his age, he's practically an old monster who's lived for decades."

Shanks touched his wet hair.

He smiled.

"Yeah."

"Looks like this sea will really become lively in the future."

"But..."

Shanks glanced at the sword at his waist.

"I hope they don't go looking for trouble with that bandit."

"Especially Luffy, with that short temper of his."

Ben Beckman blew out a ring of smoke.

"Don't worry."

"With a monster like Kahn around,"

"the one who should be worried is that bandit."

The mountain road wound onward.

Kahn walked at the very front.

His Super-Hearing had been covering all of Foosha Village.

The bandit named Higuma had not gone far.

He had checked into an inn on the other side of the village.

There, he was loudly bragging about how he had humiliated a red-haired pirate.

His voice was loud.

And grating.

Luffy followed behind, still muttering under his breath.

"I'm so pissed! I'm so pissed!"

"I'm definitely going to beat that bandit up!"

"I'll avenge Shanks!"

Although Luffy called Shanks a coward, he had already come to see Shanks as a friend.

And when a friend was bullied, he had to get even.

Ace shoved both hands into his pockets.

"Count me in."

"I've disliked that guy for a long time."

Sabo tugged down the brim of his hat.

"The Justice Knight cannot stand by and do nothing."

With just a few words, the three brats had settled on a battle plan.

Kahn stopped walking.

He turned to look at the three boys who knew no better.

"Want to go get yourselves killed?"

Kahn's voice turned cold.

Luffy stuck out his neck.

"We're not going to get killed!"

"I'll use those things you taught me... those Haki things!"

"I'm a Rubber Man now!"

Kahn looked at Luffy's supremely confident expression.

Then shook his head.

"Go ahead."

Kahn did not stop them.

He even stepped aside to clear a path for them.

"But don't expect me to save you."

"This is the path you chose yourselves."

"If you get beaten to death, I'll collect your bodies."

Those words were cruel.

But in the One Piece World, that was the best kind of lesson.

If they did not suffer once,

they would never understand what a bounty of eight million Beli truly meant.

Luffy snorted.

Then he stormed off toward the inn where Higuma was staying, with Ace and Sabo in tow.

Kahn watched their retreating backs.

A nearly imperceptible smile curled his lips.

Of course, he would not really ignore them.

He merely wanted to see

whether the plot would shift because of his presence.

Or rather,

he wanted to see whether Shanks, the man who had lost an arm to save Luffy,

could keep that arm this time.

If he did not lose his arm,

could Luffy still become the man who wanted to become the One Piece?

Kahn raised his head and looked at the sky.

The sun was about to set.

The last ray of twilight fell across his face.

Energy surged within him.

If he made a move,

that bandit would not even have the chance to draw his blade.

But that would be far too boring.

"I should go watch the show too."

Kahn lightly tapped off the ground with his toes.

His whole body rose soundlessly into the air.

He hovered above the treetops like a ghost, trailing far behind the three brats.