"Oh? What sort of identity do you think I have, young Lott?"
Shanks was filled with wariness. From Lott's words and expression, he could clearly tell that he knew quite a few secrets.
Lott, meanwhile, recalled the scene in the original story where Shanks went to see the Five Elders.
That was Pangaea Castle in Mary Geoise, the very center of the World Government's power.
How could an ordinary pirate get in so easily?
Yet Shanks had gotten in, and he seemed to have discussed some sort of deal with the Five Elders.
On top of that, he was a child the Roger Pirates had picked up after the battle at God Valley.
Before that battle, the Celestial Dragons had held an event there called the Genocide Competition.
And Saint Figarland Garling, the commander of the Holy Knights, bore an uncanny resemblance to Shanks.
It was hard for Lott not to connect these things.
All the signs indicated that Shanks had a very special identity.
He was very likely one of the Celestial Dragons.
To think someone like that would choose to become a pirate.
More importantly, he had deliberately brought the Gum-Gum Fruit to the East Blue.
Lott would never believe that Shanks knew nothing about the Gum-Gum Fruit's mysteries.
Then there was Roger passing his straw hat down to Shanks.
Putting it all together, Lott had a bold guess: Shanks had very likely gone to the East Blue specifically to find Ace, intending to put the Gum-Gum Fruit in his hands.
Unfortunately, Luffy had happened to eat it instead.
If Shanks had killed Luffy back then, the Gum-Gum Fruit would not have easily found its way back into his hands.
Besides, he knew that the fruit had a will of its own. Since it had chosen Luffy, it