Chapter 38 Misty Island! Shanks's Lucky Ride!
Lister said, "Oh, I remember—the preface to the novel Island of Mist! It tells the story of a ship that has lost its way and accidentally enters a misty island.
The crew members who live in the town are torn apart by the captain's unexpected death. Former companions suspect, betray, and kill each other.
The protagonist, who survives to the end, discovers the cause of the captain's death: a vampire bat.
It's an absurd detective novel that exposes the ugliness and darkness of human nature, while praising resilience and perseverance."
"Few young people read such profound books."
"I saw it by chance. I wanted to see that island with my own eyes to check for vampire bats, because I suspected that the person who killed the captain was the one who survived to the end."
"Hahaha, a young man who dares to seek the truth! But you should know the dangers of the Grand Line. Without a record, finding a mist-shrouded island in the dangerous New World is harder than climbing to heaven."
"We should at least give it a try, shouldn't we?"
"Shanks has a permanent marker for Misty Island!"
Shanks?
"Well, you've come at just the right time," Ridley said. "I'm coating their ship."
A new world, with vast, blue waves.
The Red Fosse.
"Hey, buddy, let's drink! Come on, drink it all, drink it all, hahaha..." Shanks casually sat on the deck, tipsy, with his arm around Lister, shouting loudly.
"Captain, you're drunk!"
The Red-Haired Pirates' officers also sat around, drinking, eating, and laughing loudly without any regard for appearances.
"Haha, come on, drink up! How can you get drunk on this little bit?"
Lister rolled up his sleeves, finished the wine in his large wooden cup, grabbed the bottle, poured it into Shanks' cup, and said, "Hey, it's your turn. Bottoms up!"
Upon learning that Shanks possessed a permanent marker for Misty Island, Lister asked Rayleigh to take him to meet Shanks.
Upon hearing Lister's purpose, Shanks unhesitatingly gave him the permanent quota and agreed to give Lister a ride.
Lister asked Rayleigh to look after Wisdom and his companions. Once the coating was complete, he would join Shanks and his crew to travel through the "undersea route" to Fishman Island and reach the New World.
Shanks was a generous and easygoing person who didn't fuss over details. Lister was not pretentious either. With his emotional intelligence, he quickly integrated into the cheerful atmosphere of the Red-Haired Pirates. Drinking, eating heartily, and being sincere with each other—that was all that mattered!
"Hey, Captain! Pirate ship spotted ahead!" Yasopp, in charge of lookout and observation, shouted.
There was a moment of silence on the deck.
"Haha, hey, did you see whose ship it is?" Shanks asked with a laugh.
"I've never seen a pirate flag like this before, I don't recognize it!"
"Alright then, let's ignore that. Come on, keep drinking! The banquet, the banquet!" Shanks raised his glass.
"Is everything alright?" Lister asked.
"No problem, no problem..."
Shanks hadn't finished speaking.
Call out...
The sound of cannonballs whistling rang out, followed by a huge column of water bursting up from the sea to the left of the Red Fosse. The ship shook, and the falling seawater soaked everyone.
"Captain, they've opened fire!" Yasopp shouted.
Boom boom boom...
One shell after another fell as the Red Fosse bobbed with the waves.
Shanks finished his drink, drew his sword, and his demeanor changed drastically, completely losing his previous lazy air. He shouted, "Hey, guys, prepare for battle!"
"Oh!"
"The war is finally about to begin!" Ben Beckman said, puffing on his cigar.
Raki Lu took a bite of the meat in his mouth, and the other officers were eager as well.
The current Red-Haired Pirates were not yet the Yonko crew they would become. Like many pirate crews entering the New World, they were challengers.
"Shanks, leave him to me."
Lister reached out to stop Shanks.
"Hey, kid, this is our battle." Shanks glared at Lister. The "we" he referred to was the Red-Haired Pirates. Shanks had invited Lister to join the crew before boarding, but Lister had refused.
"No, Shanks, your goals are different from mine. I don't want to owe you two favors."
Lister and Shanks exchanged glances. After a moment, Shanks scratched his head and said, "Oh, I see. Hey, stop it, hand the ship over to him."
Shanks sheathed his sword and sat down on the deck.
"Oh, Captain!"
The other crew members relaxed and ignored the incoming shells.
"Hey kid, don't be reckless. This is the New World, not the East China Sea!" Ben Beckman put away his gun and reminded him.
"Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it," Raki Lu said, taking a bite of meat.
They had stayed in Donghai for a while and were treated well by the Windmill Village, so they felt a sense of "home" connection with Lister. Moreover, Lister's generous attitude suited their tastes perfectly.
"Thanks."
Lister waved his hand to indicate it was unnecessary, leaped onto the ship's railing, soared into the air, kicked away an oncoming cannonball, and quickly approached the enemy ship.
"You're quite capable, buddy!"
"Oh? That's amazing! What kind of ability is that? It allows you to leap through the air." Raki Lu was so surprised that he forgot to chew his meat.
Shanks said, "Moonwalk!"
"Moonwalk?"
"One of the Six Styles of the Navy! I've heard that only the most elite members of the Navy can learn this superhuman technique." Ben Beckman narrowed his eyes.
"Huh? Could it be that this young man is in the Navy?" the officers exclaimed.
Shanks laughed loudly: "Hahaha, don't be nervous. Whether he's a Marine or a pirate, anyone you're drinking with is a friend!"
"Besides, even if he is a naval officer, he will soon be separated from us," Ben Beckman said.
"What's the meaning?"
"Idiot, didn't you hear? Our course is different. In order not to delay our journey, he plans to steal a ship and go to Misty Island."
Shanks laughed and said, "That's fine too, it's safer than having them with us."
The sea was calm and still, and the sky was overcast, as if a storm was about to break.
Four days after leaving the Red-Haired Pirates, the two-masted sailboat continued its journey.
The lookout suddenly shouted, "Hey, Captain! There's thick fog ahead!"
After taking control of the ship, Lister dismissed most of the crew, leaving only the navigator, helmsman, and lookout.
Lister stood at the bow and said, "Let's keep going!"
"Yes!"
The sailboat disappeared into the thick fog that shrouded the sea. Lister squinted, staring at the permanent indicator.
There was no wind in the fog, but the boat continued to move slowly. It was the waves that propelled the boat closer to Misty Island.
The novel Misty Island describes it as a special island that acts like a whirlpool, drawing in seawater.
Ships that sail into the mist, no matter which direction they go, will eventually reach the shore. On the day of the full moon, however, the seawater spreads in all directions, so ships that enter the misty island can only leave on that day.
"Unfortunately, Shanks has never been to Misty Island either."
Lister shook his head. Shanks obtained his permanent index from an island in the first half of the Grand Line and had planned to adventure there after becoming one of the Four Emperors.
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