Chapter 165 The Players' "Sibling" Conflict...
Tap, tap...
The mature ship's first mate, with his half-black and half-white hair neatly combed back, held an unopened document bag in one hand and gently tapped the table with the other.
A few minutes later, Beckman looked up at Violet, who was fidgeting and shifting her legs restlessly, and raised an eyebrow in a rather dashing manner.
“This handwriting, it’s Marco’s, isn’t it?” Beckman affirmed. “You’re going to give this document to Shanks? That guy isn’t the type to sit at a table and read such a long passage.”
"...Alright, come with me."
Beckman stood up with the document in his hand, and led Vera out of the cabin to Shanks, who was sitting on the deck leaning against a barrel of wine.
“Hmm…” Shanks looked up at Beckman, paused for two seconds, then burst out laughing, “Beckman… oh right, Violet is here too, come on Violet, cheers!”
Beckman rubbed his temples: "Boss, it's important."
Shanks looked up at Val and Beckman, and after a few seconds, he staggered to his feet, leaning on a barrel of liquor: "Let's talk in the captain's cabin."
After he finished speaking in a deep voice, he didn't forget to call out to the other companions who were enjoying the banquet: "Remember to save my share of wine. Luo is not yet an adult, so don't force him to drink!"
Yasopp laughed heartily: "Don't worry, we'll keep your wine safe in the most secure place, boss." The safest place, of course, is inside their bellies!
Shanks rubbed his chest, sensing something was off, but unable to pinpoint what it was due to the alcohol.
He supported Griffin with one arm, and together with Beckman, they flanked Vera on either side as they walked towards the captain's cabin.
At the banquet, Luo looked up at the concave shape, his expression showing a hint of wariness and worry.
Beckman slammed the captain's cabin door shut behind him, then stood silently in the doorway. When Val turned around, Shanks was already seated in the captain's chair.
The captain's cabin is the largest and most fully equipped room on the Red Firth, including a separate bathroom, study, and weapons storage area. Bright sunlight streams into the room through the windows, and as the ship rises and falls on the sea, the sunlight sweeps back and forth between Shanks' stubble chin and deep-set eyes.
"Ugh..." Shanks raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight, but when he realized that this didn't stop him from being blinded by the glare, he sighed and rubbed his hair helplessly. "It's so thick."
Beckman raised an eyebrow at Vera, then reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and was about to light it when he glanced at Vera before putting the match back in his pocket.
Beckman: "It's Marco's handwriting."
Violet added, "Marco said you should know more about these things."
Does he understand better?
Shanks had to admit that Val had piqued his curiosity. He tore open the file folder, took out the documents inside, and quickly scanned them with his eyes.
Beckman straightened up, sensing trouble coming from Shanks' silence.
He glanced at Vera, feeling utterly exhausted and wanting to sigh.
"What's up there, boss?"
"Fragile Rose".
Violet's eyes lit up. Shanks actually knew about the [Fragile Rose] item?!
Shanks leaned back, resting his head on the back of the chair and staring at the ceiling, letting his thoughts drift into memories. A few minutes later, he looked at Violet again and waved to her.
Valerie walked over to Shanks and frowned at the strong smell of alcohol emanating from him.
Shanks bent down, resting one arm on his knee, and gazed intently at Violet. This usually unassuming sea emperor rarely showed such seriousness, and looking into his reddish-brown eyes, Violet tensed up as well.
"Hmm..."
Shanks looked at Violet seriously: "Vile, let's fight."
Violet: "Huh?!!"
Beckman frowned: "Boss?"
Shanks raised his hand to stop Beckman from walking towards them.
Shanks: "I'm serious. I'm not Marco, and I don't have a hobby of taking care of children."
"If you want something from the pirates, you have to follow the pirate rules." Shanks pressed down on Griffin. "Or you can choose to give up, and I'll have Yasopp and the others prepare a small boat for you to leave."
Beckman frowned, glancing at Shanks and then at Violet.
“No, I need clues about [Fragile Rose].” Violet finished speaking and looked at Beckman. “Mr. Beckman, how far is the nearest uninhabited island from here?”
If it's too far, Val can use her Frost Staff to create an ice surface as a battleground, but given her and Shanks' fighting strength, she doubts whether the ice layer can withstand it.
Beckman: "...Start changing the alleyway now, and we'll be able to pass a deserted island in about an hour."
After Beckman finished speaking, he looked at Vera's youthful face and then at his own boss's unshaven appearance, and asked, "Boss, are you serious?"
“Yes.” Shanks nodded. “Let Bendick Snake change course.”
——
"What is the boss thinking?"
Yasopp, draped in a star-studded cloak, looked at Shanks and Val, who were standing at the bow of the ship, two or three meters apart, and shook his head in confusion.
"Why the sudden challenge to a match with Violet?"
Although the World Economic News's report on Violet suggests that her current strength is among the top of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, considering the age difference between Violet and the boss, Yasopp couldn't help but feel that his boss was bullying a child.
Beckman silently smoked his cigarette, and judging from the speed at which it burned, his mind was far from calm.
What is Shanks thinking?
On the deck of Honjo, he was currently taking stock of the medical supplies available in the medical room, determined to rush up and save people as soon as the battle ended.
Despite being the focus of everyone's attention, Violet and Shanks remained calm.
Val suddenly remembered something: back in the Sabaody Archipelago, she seemed to have made a harsh statement to Shanks.
Violet: "Shanks, if I beat you this time, don't forget to call me 'older sister'." All the members of the Red-Haired Pirates heard this promise, and Hongo even said he would remember it and never let Shanks break his word!
Shanks: "Pfft!"
When was this agreed upon? No, wait, it seems like this really happened!
"Wait a minute, this isn't right." Shanks noticed the flaw in the agreement. "If I win, I have to call you 'older sister,' but what if I win? There's absolutely no benefit to it, right?"
Shanks was itching to get Vale to call him brother.
Vera gave him a pitying look: "Too late. Who told you not to say so back then?"
"You need to have a sense of contract, Shanks. You don't want the people on the high seas to know that Shanks is a person who goes back on his word and doesn't keep his promises, do you?"
"...You're talking really strange," Shanks remarked, then shrugged indifferently. "Anyway, judging by age, I am your older brother."
If you continue to be so unkempt, you'll be more than qualified to be my uncle.
Violet muttered to herself, glancing enviously at Shanks's shadow on the deck, which was noticeably longer than hers.
"Ah, I see it."
Shanks, who had been gazing into the distance, spotted an unusual dark green on the otherwise azure sea.
We've arrived at that deserted island!
The Red Firth stopped a dozen nautical miles off the deserted island, leaving Val and Shanks to travel to the island alone.
On the deserted island, Valerie and Shanks stood facing each other, both placing their hands on the longswords at their waists.
As a king of the sea, Shanks' fighting style and frequently used techniques are not exactly secrets. After losing his arm for unknown reasons, many speculated that the sword-wielding pirate's strength would rapidly decline, and that his enemies might even seize the opportunity to exploit his weakness and disappear from the sea.
Of course, considering that Shanks is still standing perfectly fine in front of her, and has even become the Emperor of the Sea, those unlucky souls who actually believed that his strength would be greatly reduced are the ones who are truly in deep trouble.
"A missing arm, a limp, and blindness are the hallmarks of a top player in the game." Violet sighed, realizing that those people hadn't seen enough. If they had read more novels featuring overpowered protagonists, they would know that it's best not to mess with people who have these characteristics.
Shanks, holding Griffin's fist, looked at the young man before him with a touch of emotion: "Vil, do you know about the advanced applications of the three types of Haki?"
Shanks didn't ask Violet if she had Conqueror's Haki, because when the two arrived at the deserted island, their Conqueror's Haki was released, creating a subtle confrontation.
Upon hearing Shanks' question, Val nodded slightly and answered according to the information she had received from Rocks: "Flowing Sakura, Foresight, and Entanglement."
Ryuo is an advanced application of Armament Haki, which allows attacks to deal damage from a distance, ignoring defense!
Foresight is an advanced application of Observation Haki, allowing one to foresee the future seconds or even minutes in advance and make plans accordingly!
Entanglement, or rather, Conqueror's Haki Entanglement, can create terrifying attacks like black lightning, producing effects no less than natural disasters!
Shanks nodded in satisfaction. This way, the battle would have been meaningful.
He drew his Griffin, its surface wreathed in crimson and black lightning-shaped energy. Centered on the Griffin, a massive black "spider web" instantly covered most of the island!
He looked up, his powerful Observation Haki allowing him to foresee what Violet would do in a few minutes, but he neither changed the direction of his attack nor chose to release his attack prematurely to interrupt Violet.
Because Shanks "saw" that longsword, which was between illusion and reality, like a shadow, saw the Haki wrapped around it, and saw Violet's attack coming straight at him!
Perhaps after today, the number of Great Grade Swords will increase by one.
The Twenty-Second Greatsword - Shadow Sword!
The two simultaneously pressed their bodies down and charged forward. The moment the Shadow Sword collided with Griffin, all sound vanished.
The waves no longer pounded the rocks, and the sea breeze no longer blew through the leaves. The surrounding air was compressed to its limit, like the high-pressure atmosphere a second before a storm.
Standing on the ship's side, Beckman, who had been keeping a close eye on the situation on the distant island, suddenly widened his eyes. His Observation Haki allowed him to see a terrifying scene—the Conqueror's Haki that had erupted on the island and was intertwined and attacking each other collided, creating a huge shockwave that instantly exposed the seabed and caused massive waves tens of meters high!
Even after traveling more than ten nautical miles, it was still quite terrifying when it rushed towards them, enough to instantly snap the mast of the Red Firth.
"Hard to port!"
Beckman gave the order to prepare to rotate the Red Firth in advance, using its strongest side hull to meet the attack of this wave.
With a loud bang, the Red Furs was instantly carried more than ten meters into the air by the waves, and then plummeted back down to crash onto the sea.
Those weaker pirate subordinates were unable to control their bodies during such a deadly toss and were sent flying!
Along with them, various ropes, barrels, and boxes on the ship also took to the air.
"ROOM!"
A pale blue semi-circular field surrounded the Red Furs. The pirates and various items that took off disappeared in mid-air and landed steadily the next second.
Beckman let out a long breath, but his expression twisted again the next second.
Damn it, Shanks and Val, do they even remember they're still here?!
These two must have gotten so caught up in the fight that they don't remember anything!
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Author's Note: The captain is having a blast on the island.
Meanwhile, Beckman was furious and Ronaldo was exasperated.
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