"Alright, alright."
Seeing that the atmosphere had finally eased, Shanks clapped his hands at the right moment and cut in, "Let's talk about all that old stuff later. Right now, we'd better focus on the important matter first."
That one mention of the important matter immediately pulled everyone's attention back.
The joking expressions they had worn just moments ago all disappeared, replaced by serious looks.
Shanks looked around the room, lowered his voice, and told them everything that had happened when he and Crocodile had tested the lightning barrier around the outskirts of Upper Yard, and then accidentally discovered the White-White Sea underground.
He told them everything, from beginning to end, in full detail.
"So, that lightning barrier can guard the sky and all around the surface, but it can't guard the White-White Sea beneath our feet," Shanks summed it up, "As long as we can pass through that sea of clouds that can nullify Devil Fruit abilities, it might not be impossible to get onto that island."
The moment he said this, the room fell silent.
Apart from the few members of the Straw Hat Pirates, the rest of the Red Hair Pirates all showed shame on their faces.
After all, their assignment this time had been to land on the island and gather information.
And what happened?
The moment they landed at the port, before they could even get a touch of information, that Sky Knight had knocked them down one after another with a single shot each. Now they had even become prisoners, being meekly confined here.
Shanks, on the other hand, had not only gone alone to test the lightning barrier and figured out what it was really like.
Afterward, he had also casually investigated the details of the island and found out roughly where their group had ended up.
The difference was obvious.
Thinking of this, the members of the Red Hair Pirates felt embarrassed.
They really were ashamed of themselves.
Sensing the deep guilt on the faces of several of his crewmates, Shanks instead burst into hearty laughter and reached out to pat Yasopp on the shoulder, "Alright, alright. Don't all look so gloomy. I'm the captain, after all. Worrying about these things is what I'm supposed to do. Just take care of your own responsibilities. That's enough."
His laughter was open and carefree, as though the dangers and setbacks from earlier were nothing more than ordinary little matters in his eyes.
Crocodile shot him a sideways glance but said nothing.
If it were him, he definitely couldn't say something like that.
He had long since seen straight through Yasopp and the others.
In terms of strength, they could barely be considered fighters. In terms of brains and strategy, there was little to praise.
Companions?
Hah, were they even worthy?
If he had strength like Shanks, he would have gone it alone long ago. He simply wouldn't care about these deadweights.
You could say they had some strength, but when facing an S-rank powerhouse, they were the kind who would be knocked down in a single move.
As for the World Government they were going to face, Crocodile estimated that there were at least dozens of S-rank powerhouses on their side alone.
Obviously, Yasopp and the others were only fit to handle odd jobs.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's just go!"
Luffy had long since been unable to hold himself back. His eyes were shining, and he looked as though he wished he could rush out immediately.
"No."
Robin shook her head, a trace of calm consideration flashing in her eyes, "This matter isn't that simple."
She paused before slowly speaking, "According to what Mr. Shanks just said, the Lord of Hell is very likely hiding in Upper Yard. If we rashly enter, we may very well walk straight into his trap and fall into a dead end."
"So...", She raised her eyes and looked around at everyone, "The people going this time must be kept to a minimum. We have to move quickly. Once we get the Poneglyph, we leave immediately and go straight back to the Grand Line. Hesitating and dragging things out will only get us killed."
"As for the rest..."
When she reached this point, her gaze fell on Sanji, meaningful.
Everyone looked at one another, not quite understanding what she meant by that glance.
Only Crocodile understood instantly.
He raised the corner of his mouth in an amused smile and slowly looked toward Sanji, "Well, young master. Since you're also considered a member of the Straw Hat Pirates, I assume you'll cooperate with our operation, right?"
He really hadn't expected Robin to scheme Sanji into this as well.
Back then, they had allowed Sanji to come along partly because his strength was too great to ignore, and partly because his relationship with Luffy was closer than theirs as outsiders.
But in reality, Crocodile had always been secretly on guard against this guy and had never truly lowered his guard.
"Be more specific."
Sanji raised an eyebrow, a cigarette between his lips, his expression calm.
He had actually already guessed what Robin and Crocodile were planning, but at a time like this, he obviously couldn't be the one to expose it first.
"It's simple."
Robin's voice was cold and certain:
"Crocodile, Shanks, Luffy, Yasopp, and I, the five of us will go to Upper Yard. The rest of you stay in this small building and use the World Government's connections to find a way to leave."
This division of forces had taken almost every possible situation into consideration.
On the surface, the group going to Upper Yard was taking the risk of charging into the enemy's lair.
But in reality, leaving Luffy here would be even more dangerous.
With Sanji as an unstable factor, who knew what might happen?
Robin was confident that with her and Shanks's strength, as long as Rosse wasn't after Luffy's life, she could get Luffy out alive.
Staying here, on the other hand, with Sanji as a ticking time bomb, involved too many variables.
"I have no objection."
Sanji shrugged and didn't say much. Instead, he cast an amused glance at Lucky Roux and the others, "Come to think of it, their strength isn't much worse than Yasopp's. Aren't you taking them along?"
At these words.
The members of the Red Hair Pirates, including Lucky Roux and Snake, all turned their eyes toward Shanks at once, their gazes full of expectation and eagerness to fight.
"If their injuries don't affect their ability to move, of course they can come along."
Robin added unhurriedly, "However, this still depends on Captain Shanks. Yasopp is a sniper, so the gunshot wound in his abdomen affects him the least."
Her words left no room for criticism. She neither directly refused them nor completely extinguished their hope.
This was Shanks's family matter, and it wasn't appropriate for her to interfere. She had simply made the most rational judgment.
Lucky Roux and the others' eyes immediately lit up even more as they looked at Shanks, their gazes almost burning with eagerness.
"Captain, we're fine!"
"Yeah! Our injuries aren't a problem anymore. Let's go together!"
Their injuries weren't even as serious as Yasopp's.
If even he could go, what reason did they have to stay behind?
However, Shanks was silent for a moment before finally shaking his head, "You stay. This time, Yasopp will go with me."
At these words, everyone froze.
"Captain?", Lucky Roux looked at him in confusion.
Shanks didn't explain further. He simply patted him on the shoulder, his tone firm, "Listen to me."
He believed this was the rightest choice.
Given the current relationship between Yasopp and Usopp, which had fallen to freezing point, he really didn't feel comfortable leaving Yasopp here alone.
And in that short period just now, he had already noticed that Yasopp's eyes had been fixed firmly on him the whole time, with an obsessive fixation in their depths.
If he didn't take him along, it might instead cause even greater trouble.
But on the other hand, some people also had to remain here.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Sanji.
The fact that he had allowed Sanji to follow them all the way here was already enough to show his attitude toward him.
But given what Sanji had just said and that half-smiling, half-not-smiling expression, Shanks instinctively felt that something was wrong.
If he took everyone away and only left Sanji and the others behind.
Who knew what might happen during this gap?
Leaving Lucky Roux and the others behind would also allow them to keep an eye on Sanji and the others, preventing them from doing anything that might be disadvantageous to them.
Even if Rosse was watching them from the shadows, who could guarantee that those eyes could watch every corner at every moment?
Holding onto a sliver of luck, Shanks ignored everyone's objections and still made this decision.
"Captain, this isn't fair!", Lucky Roux couldn't help saying.
"Yeah! Yasopp gets to go. Why can't we?", Snake was also dissatisfied.
Yasopp, meanwhile, couldn't hide the smugness on his face. He even deliberately puffed out his chest, looking pleased with himself as though to say that they could only envy him:
"Can't be helped. Who told the captain to trust me the most? After all, I'm the vice-captain!"
"Bullshit! Your strength isn't any better than mine just because you're the vice-captain!"
Lucky Roux glared at him, his face red with anger.
Looking at Yasopp's smug look, Lucky Roux and the others felt disgusted, yet there was nothing they could do.
Shanks remained silent.
He simply gave Lucky Roux a deep look. There was a trace of helplessness and a trace of instruction in his eyes.
The meaning he wanted to convey was very simple.
'Stay behind, keep a close eye on Sanji, and don't let them send the information out.'
But obviously, Lucky Roux hadn't understood that look.
He only thought the captain was hinting that they should know when to stop and quit making a fuss.
Lucky Roux gritted his teeth before finally nodding silently.
Seeing this, the others were full of unwillingness, but they also stopped saying anything.
The frustration and dissatisfaction on their faces, however, were impossible to hide.
Especially when they looked at Yasopp's smug expression, they wished they could go over and beat him up.
Shanks watched the subtle looks and atmosphere between his crewmates and only felt tired.
He somewhat missed the days when Beckman was still around.
Back then, he didn't have to worry about this kind of nonsense at all.
"Alright."
He took a deep breath and pulled himself together:
"The plan is settled. Get ready. We're officially moving."
———
The operation officially began.
The group of five led by Shanks.
Himself, Crocodile, Robin, Luffy, and Yasopp.
Under Crocodile's cover of sand, they once again burrowed underground, avoiding the layers of guards above ground.
The sand surged and rolled downward until they reached the edge of the vast White-White Sea.
The white sea of clouds quietly churned, giving off that familiar salty smell, just as it had when Shanks and Crocodile first encountered it.
But a problem came with it.
"Now there's only one last problem."
Crocodile stared at the sea of clouds, his brows tightly furrowed.
Apart from Yasopp and Shanks, the other three were all Devil Fruit users.
That White-White Sea could nullify all Devil Fruit abilities.
This meant that once the three of them sank into that sea of clouds, they would be no different from ordinary people who couldn't swim.
Not only would they be unable to use even the slightest bit of their abilities, they would probably also become completely weak like Devil Fruit users immersed in seawater and sink straight down.
"How are we supposed to get across?"
Luffy scratched his head and looked at the vast white sea with a troubled expression.
"How about this?", Shanks thought for a moment before speaking first, "I'll go onto the island and scout the way first. None of us can say for sure whether this sea of clouds can be crossed. I don't have an ability, so going in won't be a problem. If it works, I'll come back and get you and take you across."
He could simply grab them and cross the sea with them.
It was just that they didn't know whether the bottom of the sea was safe yet, so doing that wasn't suitable for the moment.
"No!"
Before he could finish speaking, Yasopp immediately rejected the idea and stepped forward, "Absolutely not! If we're going, everyone goes together! How can we let you take the risk alone, Captain?"
"Your life is worth too much, Captain! If something happens to you, our Red Hair Pirates will be left without a leader! How can we let you handle something as dangerous as scouting the way?"
At these words, apart from the carefree Luffy, Crocodile and Robin were speechless at the same time.
So Shanks's life was precious, while the lives of the rest of them weren't worth anything?
This one-of-a-kind loyalty made everyone else look like expendable cannon fodder.
The corner of Crocodile's mouth twitched. In the end, he said nothing, merely adding another note to his assessment that Yasopp was useless for anything important.
Even so, faced with Yasopp's refusal to budge, Shanks could only helplessly shake his head and compromise, "Fine, fine, we'll go together. Together."
"I have an idea."
Robin spoke at the right moment, breaking the stalemate, "It's actually very simple. We just need to find some wood, or something else that won't be affected by seawater, and wrap the few of us ability users tightly from head to toe, making a sealed carrier. Then Mr. Shanks can push us from behind as we move forward. Wouldn't that work?"
"That is an idea," Shanks's eyes lit up, but then he frowned, "The problem is, where are we supposed to find something that big and suitable?"
He looked around. Apart from the endless sea of clouds, all that remained was the bare rock of the underground.
"There's no shortage of timber on the nearest Angel Island," Robin pondered, "But we're fugitives now. If we openly go around collecting this stuff, I'm afraid the guards of the Sky Island will spot us before we even get started."
For a moment, everyone fell silent again.
Just then...
"Huh? Isn't that the Going Merry?"
Luffy suddenly pointed into the distance of the sea of clouds and cried out in surprise.
Everyone followed his gaze. They saw a familiar, battered sailing ship floating clearly on the white sea of clouds.
It was their Going Merry.
It floated alone with the waves, its main mast broken, its hull blackened, and its body even more badly damaged. It had clearly gone through quite an ordeal before drifting all the way here.