Chapter 214: Grand Line Pirates: Always Pulling Back...

"Shanks?"

When the player found Shanks, he was bending over a child, listening to something with a serious look on his face.

The player looked at the child, who was probably no more than ten years old, then at Shanks, who was chatting animatedly with the other person, and asked hesitantly, "Mmm, what are you guys doing...?"

This kind of person is very old, but he can't give people a sense of life experience at all...

"Oh, it's you!" Shanks' eyes lit up upon seeing the player, and he greeted her cheerfully. Then, a thought struck him, and he ran a hand through his hair. "I've discussed yesterday's idea of ​​taking you out to sea with me with me. Beckman suggested that you wait until the merchant ship passes by the island before setting out to sea."

The other party's original words were, "A civilian appearing on the ship of the Four Emperors, who are highly regarded by the maritime powers, is too conspicuous. Be careful not to let your good intentions backfire and cause trouble for others." Shanks, as is his habit, abbreviated them.

He smiled at the player, his expression no longer gloomy. "Sorry, I can't take you out to sea."

"—How undignified." The player turned his head away and said in a self-deprecating whisper, "A captain who can't even make a decision on his own to take passengers on a full voyage."

"Ahahaha... I'm being disdained," Shanks laughed nonchalantly, a rare hint of seriousness in his eyes. "But a captain who doesn't listen to his companions won't get far on this sea.

His attitude was frank and unadulterated. When the player paused for a moment, Shanks laughed heartily, jokingly saying, "Don't you want to know what I was talking about with that kid?"

"Ah, um..." The player nodded.

Shanks narrowed his eyes, smiled brightly, and told the players directly what they had been talking about before without hiding anything: "It's treasure!"

"Whose house are we going to rob?" Based on the other party's identity, the player guesses the most reasonable answer.

"—Hahahaha!" Shanks laughed unceremoniously. After he had laughed enough, he raised his index finger mysteriously, "It's the treasure hidden on this island."

Shanks showed the player the paper in his hand with a hint of pride. "I begged and pleaded for a long time before that kid finally gave me this treasure map. With this, we can find the treasure."

The player leaned in to look at the crumpled drawing and vaguely saw lines like stick figures on the edges.

It looks like just a child's random doodle.

The crude map was removed, and Shanks' bright smiling face appeared before the player, inviting her: "I plan to find it. Do you want to cooperate?"

“…”

The player blinked slowly, and the other player's smile widened. As if having received an answer, he suddenly raised the hand holding the map into the air: "Yo! Let's go!"

His rare image of reliability only lasted for less than a second. Shanks scratched the end of his hair with one hand and said nonchalantly, "I'll have to ask you to get the map."

He shook his shoulders, and his empty sleeve swayed with them: "You can't read a map with one hand, hahahaha."

"oh!"

Spreading out the so-called treasure map, the player and Shanks leaned their heads against each other and muttered to each other. They identified the location and followed the route.

It was a path that few people walked on. There was only a narrow flat area wide enough for people to pass through, and the surrounding area was full of overgrown vegetation that would easily get caught on clothes if you were not careful.

Shanks drew out his sword with one hand to clear the way, and with a seemingly unskillful swing, the branches that were blocking his way were neatly cut off by the sword energy, cutting them to calf height so as not to affect his progress.

Finally they arrived at the location marked with a red X on the treasure map. Shanks beside them also stopped at the same time and the player put down the treasure map in his hand.

——In front of me is a sandy beach near the coast. Large and small shellfish are scattered on the light golden sand, reflecting arcs of different colors under the sunlight.

There were no gold coins, no gems, and no treasure chests in sight.

A beach that seems completely unrelated to the treasure hiding place.

The player looked at Shanks in confusion, but his eyes were sparkling as he looked at the beach.

His striking red hair gleamed in the natural light, and the pure joy in his eyes, almost overflowing, made it impossible to look away. "Treasure? Isn't it everywhere?"

"Yeah," the player stared at him, "yeah."

He turned his head, his face showing genuine joy: "Now the treasure belongs to both of us."

Hmm, huh? There's also a player's share.

The childish pirate ran to the beach excitedly and started to choose his favorite collection. The loss of an arm did not affect his vitality at all.

The player walked slowly behind him. The shells washed up on the beach by the sea shone like pearls in the sun. She squatted down and took them in her hands to examine them.

"That kid really has a great treasure hiding spot." The player exclaimed.

Shanks, who came up to the player with the shell in one hand, corrected him, "Since we two found this place by following the instructions on the treasure map, the treasure has nothing to do with that child."

The player raised his hand: "Um... you want to leave, right?"

"Well...it doesn't matter if we leave."

Shanks's indifferent tone revealed a hint of dominance that would not tolerate refusal: "But until I am satisfied, every shell here belongs to the Red Hair Pirates."

Player: I've suddenly become childish in this regard...

Players who participate in each other's treasure hunt plans have special treatment and are classified as those who are allowed to share the "treasure".

The two of them happily picked up shells on the beach, and Shanks's exclamations of surprise could be heard one after another.

"Wow! Beautiful shells!"

"Wow! What a big hermit crab!"

"Ouch! My hand got pinched!"

The players concentrated on digging out a giant conch buried under the beach, which was about the size of two people's fists.

Even on the beach where shellfish washed ashore can be seen everywhere, it is rare to find such a complete large conch.

The player poured out the fine sand and examined it in his hand: "..."

A red head came over, carrying the scent of sea breeze and a hint of rum. He said, "Hmm?" and said excitedly, "Oh! I found a similar one over there."

He was very quick to act. He immediately turned and ran to a nearby place. He dug out the conch from a pile of shells he had just collected, held it high for the player to see, and then put it to his ear, saying whimsically, "With this, we can hear each other from a distance."

“…”

Seeing the player looking at him like he was an idiot, Shanks waved his hands in disbelief: "Don't make such a hurtful expression. Stand back and let's try!"

At Shanks' command to "continue," the player silently took a few steps back. He stepped on a hard, raised object and only managed to let out an unexpected "Huh?" before he lost his balance and fell backwards.

Sitting on the warm sand, the player could now see clearly what had tripped her.

A... black slug?

"It's a Den Den Mushi." Shanks walked a few steps to the player and recognized what the player stepped on.

Seeing the players staring at him, confused, Shanks elaborated, "They're different from the Den Den Mushi used for communication. They're smaller and usually used for eavesdropping."

The player took out the phone, and the appearance of the Den Den Mushi changed into a snail-like Den Den Mushi according to the settings.

The player held up the Den Den Mushi, pressed it close to Shanks's face, tilted his head, and asked, "Want to exchange numbers?"

"Even if Shanks leaves here later, we can still keep in touch and find each other on the sea."

Shanks blinked and agreed vaguely: "Um... OK! But the Den Den Mushi is on the boat, you can come back with me later to get it."

"But," he was still concerned about this eavesdropping Den Den Mushi, "Why did I find it here..."

"Yeah... so you've come here. Could you please return the Den Den Mushi to me?" A strange voice came from not far behind. The yellow figure, which was vaguely obscured by the branches but still clearly visible, raised his hand, pushed aside the branches in front of him, and a face wearing sunglasses appeared in the field of vision.

"Thank you for your help, otherwise I don't know how long I would have found it." Borsalino put the eavesdropping Den Den Mushi back into his watch and thanked him in a rhythmic tone.

"If you want to find someone at sea, the Life Card is the most convenient," the admiral who was feeding the Den Den Mushi mentioned casually. "The fact that you can point to the Life Card itself is something that the Den Den Mushi can't compare to."

The player reflexively looked at Shanks, who was unusually quiet and didn't say a word, which was uncharacteristic.

Borsalino answered for him, his words carrying a hint of provocation he hadn't attempted to conceal: "Of course, the Four Emperors' Life Cards can't be handed over to others so easily."

"It's dangerous if your whereabouts are tracked." He smiled intriguingly, his eyes behind the lenses fixed on Shanks who was beside the player.

Shanks did not deny Kizaru's statement.

The player turned away: "Coward."

Hearing the player's unkind comments, Shanks seemed a little discouraged, and his unique hair color seemed to look listless.

"As a captain, every decision I make not only represents myself, but also affects the crew below me."

He scratched the end of his hair, smiled sadly at the player, and said seriously, "So, any decision you make must be made with extreme caution."

"It's really scary... With such a competent captain, the entire pirate group is probably united." Borsalino sighed in a very careless manner.

Hiss...

A slight tearing sound entered my ears.

Borsalino tore off a corner of the paper he was holding, bent down with a smile, and handed the small piece to the player. "The Navy doesn't have that kind of habit."

The player took the life card and looked up at him.

The man had straightened up, his hands in his pockets, his posture calm and relaxed. "If the pirates get their hands on it, they can just follow the Life Card and find us."

The coat he was wearing fluttered in the wind, but it always stayed firmly on his shoulders. The word "justice" on his back appeared and disappeared in the wind, and was deeply imprinted in his eyes.