"Oh! Let me see."
Shanks took the paper and started reading. He didn't mind fighting Vic; he had read a lot of news about Vic before and was already eager to try.
Shanks' rapid improvement in strength is due to two main factors: his natural talent and his warlike nature, which makes him itchy to fight any strong opponent.
One of the reasons he rarely takes action in the original work is that he is not the protagonist, and he rarely appears in plots that are not related to the protagonist.
However, Shanks, as one of the Four Emperors, cannot simply hold banquets there every day. He needs to face many pirates who challenge his status, and he needs to fight them off.
And how did he get the title of the Emperor of the Sea? As the youngest Emperor of the Sea, he earned the title and territory through countless battles.
He also inevitably encountered friction with other Emperor of the Sea vying for territory. How many battles did he go through to finally secure his territory and title?
Another point is that after becoming the Emperor of the Sea, there are not many battles that require his personal intervention anymore; they are mostly between other Emperor of the Sea.
Challengers are mostly dealt with by his subordinates; for example, Beckman broke Kid's arm. He only takes action when he encounters a good opponent; fighting opponents who are too far inferior to him is a complete waste of his time.
So, in the eyes of the next generation, Shanks is quite a refined person, always rescuing people and putting out fires, and avoiding fighting whenever possible. But a refined person can't become the youngest Emperor of the Sea, and a person who doesn't like to fight won't often spar with Hawk-Eye.
"As expected of the man who dared to entrust his life to me on our first meeting, you really know me. This is definitely not my type. Asking the World Government to obey their summons would be worse than death for me. You can have this!"
After reviewing the rights and conditions of the Shichibukai, Shanks returned the contract to Vic without any consideration or weighing of the pros and cons.
This completely contradicts his beliefs, and the answer is obvious without even thinking. He is a descendant of the Celestial Dragons, and the World Government has already informed him of his lineage. With his status, wouldn't it be incredibly easy for him to secure a position in the World Government or the Navy?
He's not like Doflamingo, whose parents voluntarily relinquished their Celestial Dragons status. Celestial Dragons Shanks grew up on the Pirate King Roger's ship. Different education, environment, and experiences shaped his character, and his beliefs transcended the bonds between bloodlines and races!
"Heh! I knew this would be the result, but the process still has to go through, lest those old men in the World Government say I'm slacking off. They even gave me a Den Den Mushi to contact them, clearly afraid I won't do my job properly. You can refuse them yourself!"
Vic put away the papers and took out the special Den Den Mushi that Sengoku had given him. This Den Den Mushi seemed to be a one-to-one connection and could also prevent eavesdropping. Vic even guessed that the Den Den Mushi that could be paired with it was currently on the table in the Room of Authority Mary Geoise.
"No need for that. You can just tell them yourself. Just say I don't want to, that's all. I'd rather have a couple more drinks!"
Shanks pushed the Den Den Mushi that was being offered to him back, his face full of resistance, seemingly not wanting to reveal his Celestial Dragons bloodline, fearing that the Five Elders might let it slip.
"Alright! I'll reject them for you."
Vic didn't insist and simply dialed the Den Den Mushi. Anyway, Shanks was right there, so he could just have him give the go-ahead.
Not every candidate needs to contact the Five Elders; only those approved by Vic are required to, and Shanks is certainly approved by Vic.
However, your approval doesn't mean the other person has to agree to become Shichibukai. It's a two-way selection process, so there's a negotiation involved. If both parties are willing, a deal will naturally be reached. For someone like Shanks who can't be persuaded at all, there's no need to contact him personally; Vic can do it for him.
" Red-Hair boy?"
The Den Den Mushi rang for five seconds before being answered. A dignified yet emotionless voice came from the other end. Clearly, the Five Elders had received intelligence from the Navy and knew that Vic had been trying to contact Headquarters for information about Shanks.
Therefore, they knew that Vic's first target for evaluation was Shanks. In this way, being able to call out the other person's name from a distance would make him seem unfathomable and put pressure on him!
This is a common tactic used by big shots; to put it bluntly, it's about using information asymmetry to show off. However, this time, the person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi was Vic, which caught the other side off guard.
"No, I'm Vic! Who are you?"
Although Vic knew that the people opposite him were the Five Elders, his tone remained indifferent, showing no respect or fear. They were decision-makers who treated people like dirt and trampled on them at will, and Vic had no goodwill towards them whatsoever.
"I, Vic, am in charge of the Shichibukai policy, responsible for the Warrior God of Science and Defense Jegarcia Saturn! Do you have anything to say?"
The Five Elders ' Saturn remained calm and cold. While not condescending, he was not gentle either. A Vice Admiral from the Marine Headquarters was not worthy of his attention. He would have cursed even Marine Admiral without hesitation.
Given Vic's utter lack of respect, Saturn's tone was already quite amiable. The others who were still eating and drinking unconsciously lowered their voices, demonstrating that even lawless pirates could be influenced by the deeply ingrained beliefs of the Celestial Dragons.
"Oh! So it's Saint Saturn! It's like this, I've found the Red-Hair and shown him the item, but he refused. Do you think there's any point in me continuing?"
If all else fails, should I just kill him to prevent future trouble? This guy is no pushover; he'll definitely be a major menace in the future.
Vic glanced at Shanks beside him and replied with a smile, but his tone was quite serious.
If Vic hadn't been smiling, Shanks ' henchmen would probably have pulled out their guns and aimed at him again. What a master of emotions! He's been manipulating everyone's emotions the whole time.
Vic was obviously joking when he said that. What kind of status does Shanks have? Even if he grew up in the lower Celestial Dragons, he is still Celestial Dragons, which is much higher than the status of Doflamingo's family who voluntarily withdrew. Even the Five Elders have to give him some face.
There are so many pirates on the high seas that even if the World Government were to wipe them all out, Shanks would be the last one left.
However, the details of the God Valley Incident when Vic traveled back in time haven't been revealed yet, and he's not entirely sure if Shanks is Celestial Dragons. Saying this now also has a probing meaning, to confirm Shanks ' true background. Even if Saturn really orders him to take action, he will force a draw, so as not to affect the outcome or their relationship.
"No need for that. If we can find him once, we can find him ten times. There will be plenty of opportunities to punish him. This time, we approached him with the intention of cooperation. If we kill him directly, it will affect your subsequent operations, and it will be much harder to find others later. Let's leave it at that."
Saturn's meaning is quite clear: he doesn't want you to make a move. Although he puts it in a high-sounding way, the deeper meaning is that.
If it were anyone else, they would never have suspected Shanks, because Saturn's words made some sense, and he didn't specifically target Shanks; everyone else was treated the same way. But Vic understood the essence of things and looked at the surface, so he basically confirmed his suspicions: Shanks ' identity Celestial Dragons was beyond doubt.