"Shanks, there's a question we need answered. Why did you appear there? As someone who was also a member of Roger's crew, what kind of relationship do you have with Douglas Bullet?"
"No relationship at all. I just came to listen to the concert."
"..."
Silence fell on the other end of the Den Den Mushi. Shanks's answer left Saturn speechless for a long while, until he finally let out a long sigh.
"Shanks, at a time like this, are you still going to respond to us with such perfunctory words?"
"Everything I've said from beginning to end is the truth. If you don't believe it, what can I do about that?"
People are more willing to believe what they have already decided in their hearts. When they receive an answer that contradicts their expectations, many people's first thought isn't that they might be wrong. It's that the other person is lying.
They won't re-examine their own conclusions. Instead, they try to prove that the other party is wrong. Among certain arrogant people in power, this trait is even more pronounced.
And in Shanks's case, it seemed like nothing was wrong, yet everything about it was suspicious.
There was nothing strange about an Emperor of the Sea wanting to attend a concert. Even sailing nearby with a few subordinates would have made far more sense.
Yet Shanks had arrived alone, slipping in unnoticed, without even the Marine surveillance ships detecting him.
And the place where he appeared just happened to be the very location where Bullet had planned his operation. Even more coincidentally, Kaido had detoured here and sparked a chaotic battle.
But Shanks claimed it was all just coincidence, that he was merely a fan of this singer and had come for the concert. Saturn found it very hard to believe.
It was like Queen using Natural Gift right in front of Akainu, awakening the consciousness of that Zoan-type fruit, and then claiming that the whole thing had nothing to do with him. It was the kind of explanation that was difficult to take seriously.
Anyone who didn't know the inside story would think it was just a joke.
"Before, Kaido flew around for days looking for you just to drink. Now you've spent days sneaking here just to attend a concert. Don't you think that sounds strange?"
"Maybe a little. But it's the truth.
What, would you only believe me if I told you we were planning some grand conspiracy to overthrow the world?"
"So that really is your objective?"
Exhausted in both body and mind after dealing with those two battle maniacs, Shanks had no desire to continue talking. He was ready to hang up immediately, but Saturn hadn't finished speaking.
"The Revolutionary Army and the pirates. However fanatical they appear, this is merely their final frenzy. Do not underestimate the foundation of the World Government. The current situation does not mean they are powerful, it's simply that we haven't truly made our move yet."
"You really dare to say that."
"It's a fact. I'm merely stating it. Order may appear to be collapsing, but in reality this is only a process of resetting. Shanks, you'd best not forget your identity. That's the only way to avoid being erased."
"My identity? I'm a pirate, Saturn. Do pirates have to report everything they do to you?"
Shanks hung up the call immediately. In his view, those five old geezers had been sitting in their offices for far too long. For the sake of the people he cared about, it was time for his way of thinking to change as well.
There was no result to be gained from talking with people who didn't trust him. He understood that clearly. Since those five "meeting addicts" loved to indulge in their own fantasies in the office, he would just let them stew in their thoughts.
"It looks like things are really about to change.."
Looking up at the starlight above, Shanks sensed something unusual in the air and made a different decision.
And in Mariejois, some people were thinking the same thing.
"Indeed. His thoughts have already moved beyond what we could speculate."
"Then we can only proceed this way. It was his own choice. He has no one else to blame."
Once trust develops cracks, connections that were never sturdy to begin with naturally fall apart.
After ending the communication from the other side, Shanks felt no psychological burden. He was a pirate, after all, and for all these years he had continued to roam the seas with that identity.
It was just that his background and connections were a bit complicated, allowing him to speak with certain special individuals.
When he returned, Uta was waiting beside the bonfire. Not far away, Luffy, his stomach round and full from eating, was sleeping soundly without a care in the world. Being able to sleep this peacefully in the middle of an "enemy camp" was something only he could do.
The rest of his companions were near the Sunny. For a moment, Shanks felt as if time had returned to more than ten years ago, when Luffy would fall asleep on the open ground of Foosha Village after stuffing himself full of food.
Uta sat beside him, listening as he told stories about the stars in the sky. In the blink of an eye, all of these people had already grown up.
"Uta, do you still remember our promise back then?"
"I remember. When I become the world's number one songstress, you'll come take me back. And that goal… I already achieved it, didn't I? I don't think there's anyone in my field whose popularity is higher than mine now.
But Shanks, you seem to have been busy with something all this time."
"It's almost over. Once everything is finished, we'll go on a proper journey together. When the time comes, the entire pirate crew will be your accompanist."
"Hmph, if you guys went on stage with that level of skill, people would immediately notice the flaws. But with me there, I'm sure I can make up for it."
"So for now, you should stay over there. I don't like Kaido's personality, but he won't abandon everything on the Beasts Fruits side. In the current seas, your place is actually the safest."
After hanging up the call with Saturn, Shanks had already made this decision. His relationship with the Five Elders had always been one of mutual concealment.
The Five Elders didn't know what he was truly thinking, and he didn't know what they themselves were hiding. The Mother Flame, the God's Knights—no one could guarantee that these represented everything the World Government possessed.
Moreover, Shanks had territories of his own to protect. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he had to face the truth. He had no way to deal with something like the Mother Flame.
But the Beasts Pirates did.
"The order they value is also part of the rules…"
"Shanks, what did you say?"
"Huh? I said it'll definitely be an interesting voyage when the time comes."
"Excuse me for interrupting. It may be a bit inappropriate, but where I come from, saying something like that is called raising a flag. "
Olga's voice rang out. Shanks also sensed more than one presence. It seemed quite a few people had already noticed him.
That was normal. His conversation with Uta hadn't exactly been quiet, and a man here was practically a rare species. It was only natural that patrolling warriors would notice him.
"Raising a flag? Interesting expression."
"How did you end up here? I can't believe Governor-General Kaido would let you leave."
"He certainly didn't want to let me go. Didn't you see it took me an entire day to get away from those two lunatics? Just finishing that warm-up fight with them took quite a bit of effort. Your Governor-General is truly dangerous when he goes crazy."
As Shanks said this, some people couldn't help glancing toward the distant island. They couldn't understand why a battle of that level would be called a warm-up.
"That's true. The only one who can suppress him is Lord Arceus."
"Then what do you do when he goes crazy normally?"
"Hide behind Queen, or go find our young miss. That way it's safe."
"…"
It turned out that Shanks still didn't understand the strange internal dynamics of the Beasts Pirates, nor the "pot culture" circulating among them. [TN: Pot= Scapegoat]
After all, a pot can also be used as a shield.
The night had grown deep. Shanks didn't linger any longer, instead sending Uta back to sleep first and leaving the remaining matters for the following morning.
The next day, Luffy woke up feeling like he couldn't breathe.
"Who is it?! Don't just pinch someone's nose like that! Shanks?!"
"Long time no see, Luffy. You've gotten stronger too, you've even made it to the New World."
"Of course! Oh right! The hat..the hat you asked me to take care of. I brought it with me! It got damaged a few times on the way, but everyone helped fix it!"
"I saw that. But it's still not quite time. Return it to me once you've become even stronger. For now, you should keep it with you."
After catching up a bit and asking about Luffy's plans, Shanks decided to send Luffy and the others away first. Kuja wasn't a place suitable for them to linger.
"That was my plan anyway. If we weren't waiting for you, we would've left last night."
For Sanji, this island was practically a fatal place. To prevent any accidents, Law had even given Sanji an anesthetic injection yesterday, worried that if he woke up he might die from blood loss.
Now that everything they wanted to do was done, Luffy naturally intended to continue their journey.
"Alright, then I'll send you on your way."
Looking into the distance, Shanks swung his blade toward the sea. With that single strike, the ocean itself seemed to almost split apart.
"Follow this direction and you'll return to the normal route. Don't worry, no one will bother you along the way."
After saying their goodbyes to the people on the island, the Sunny set sail once again. Meanwhile, Shanks also noticed a group of unfortunate people on the island.
"This is… the petrification from the Love-Love Fruit? Could you give me some face and undo their petrification first? I'll make them leave."
He knocked lightly on Buggy's face. Although they had been turned to stone, they hadn't been shattered yet, which meant there was still hope of rescuing them.
Shanks's reputation carried some weight here. However, before Hancock acted, Shanks suddenly had a new question.
"Wait.. if we draw something on them now, will it still be there after the petrification is undone?"
"I don't know. I've never tried something so pointless."
"Well, now we can give it a try."
To be precise, the current Emperors of the Sea were all a little abnormal, just in different ways.
The people on the island could only watch as Shanks, like a child, left quite a few doodles all over Buggy before finally letting Hancock undo his petrification.
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