Chapter 26
You didn't underestimate the island where it's winter all year round. Compared to the Red-Haired Pirates who only wore basic warm clothing, you, who were bundled up so much that you practically covered your head, were still shivering from the cold.
You had considered staying on the ship instead of disembarking with them, but Rem and Hongo's apparent willingness to stay because of you made you hesitant to remain. You didn't think you could handle two pirates at once. Although everyone on the ship was a pirate, being with Shanks and his crew meant you were at least in a public place, which was barely within a safe zone.
Perhaps your coldness was too obvious, because Lyme, who had been walking behind you since you disembarked, frowned.
"I'll give you my clothes."
As you were talking, Lem reached out to unbutton his shirt, startling you so much that you quickly reached out to stop him.
"Please don't! I only look cold, but I'm actually fine, really."
You don't know if what you said convinced Lem, but after his gaze left your face, Lem released his hand from unbuttoning his shirt. Instead, he took your hand in his.
When it gets cold enough, a person's perception of things decreases. That's why you only realized your outstretched hand was being grasped when you felt Lyme's unusually high body temperature. Lyme, who did this without warning, maintained a nonchalant expression and, when you looked at him, stated in a matter-of-fact tone that his actions were perfectly justified.
Your hands are cold.
So he started doing it without your permission? You should be glad you're at the end of the line, the people in front of you don't have time to bother with you and Lyme, otherwise you might not be able to guarantee you wouldn't die of shame from the teasing of others.
However, there are always exceptions, and Hongo is one of those pirates who never look back. Perhaps it was Rem who started it, but Hongo slowed down and landed at your level, calmly taking your other hand.
"You should say so if you're cold, your hands are freezing."
Hongo and Rem reacted exactly the same way, and the two hands, which were about the same temperature, jolted you awake from your temporary loss of sensation due to the cold.
"I'm fine. It's definitely better to be ahead."
Regardless of their reactions, you quickly shook off their hands before they could exert any force, and used all your strength to quicken your pace, thereby increasing the distance between you and them.
Meanwhile, Hongo and Rei, who had been shaken off, glanced at each other. Neither of them had a good expression, but they didn't argue about it.
"It seems my impression of her is similar to yours."
Hongo said this with a faint smile on his face, but there was no real joy in his words. Reim, who wanted to argue that he and Hongo were treated differently, swallowed back what he was about to say after understanding the implication in Hongo's words.
"Didn't we agree not to bother each other?"
Lem, who had spoken privately with Hongo not long ago, focused his gaze on your retreating figure as you ran forward with all your might, until you were on the same level as the group of people on the road, at which point Lem let out a displeased single murmur.
Hongo, who felt no remorse for breaking the contract, noticed the nervous look on your face as you fled from them. And now, you're chatting and laughing with the resident crew member in the kitchen, your face flushed, whether from exhaustion or cold.
Even though he and Lyme haven't explicitly told you what they're thinking, your reaction has already given the clear answer: you still want to get off the ship.
Realizing the meaning behind your dodging action, Benxiang subconsciously tightened his grip on your hand.
"I didn't say I'd let you sneak away."
-
Pirates who love lively gatherings can hold banquets even in the most icy caves. To borrow Shanks' words, as long as there's a campfire and some wine, a banquet can be held anywhere. This leaves you momentarily speechless, unsure of what pirates mean by "banquet." Fortunately, Shanks was just mentioning it casually and didn't intend to continue the conversation.
In the past, you would have found a corner to hide in during these situations, but now you feel relatively safer around Shanks and Beckman. As for Lyme, who is sitting directly across from you and expressing his displeasure with his eyes, you don't dare to meet his gaze for the time being.
The banquet continued amidst the chaotic pirate songs, and Beckman, who was closest to Shanks, casually struck up a conversation with you among the group.
"Did you have a fight with them?"
Beckman didn't explicitly name "they," but his confident tone suggested he was fully aware of the recent changes on the ship. This statement essentially implied that, in Beckman's eyes, or rather, in the eyes of the Red-Haired Pirates, you were now aligned with Rem and Hongo.
Beckman's words brought your body temperature, which had been gradually rising as you sat closest to the campfire, back to the level it was before entering the cave. Your thoughts were in turmoil, but when you met Beckman's eyes, which held a faint smile but held no real emotion, your facial muscles instinctively forced a not-too-bad smile.
"How could such a thing happen? Everyone on the ship treated me very well."
The moment your eyes met, you heard the sound of dry firewood burning in the campfire, and the gaze that seemed to be scrutinizing you shifted away as Beckman chuckled unintentionally.
"Really? That's good."
"After all, Whitebeard's territory is still some distance away. It wouldn't be good for either you or them to strain relations."
Regardless of your reaction, after saying what sounded like a warning yet also like a persuasion, Beckman got up and left amidst the calls of the crew members not far away, leaving you sitting alone, staring blankly at the campfire that was burning just right.
You yourself have said similar things quite a few times, and Shanks has said them a few times as well. But hearing it from Beckman this time carries a completely different meaning.
If I'm not mistaken, you're probably not going to be able to leave the Red-Haired Pirates. Even if you wanted to, would Shanks, who hasn't taken a clear stance on recent events, care about Rem and Hongo's affairs?
No, Shanks is in charge, but his answer isn't what you're looking for.
As you gradually clear your thoughts, you seem to see a bleak future, and those two intensely focused gazes seem unlikely to leave your sight. Your head aches, but you don't know if it's from the jumbled mess of thoughts or from the increasingly loud noise from the drink.
What pulled you out of the dead end was a group of people who suddenly burst into the cave. Basically, the moment the outsiders entered the cave entrance, the Red-Haired Pirates went into battle mode, and you moved to hide behind Shanks in the process. Shanks, who had seen everything you did, ignored you and happily chatted with the newcomers.
You couldn't see the outsider's face clearly, but judging from his voice, he was probably a few years younger than you. When they mentioned the name "Luffy," the tense atmosphere dissipated with laughter from both sides.
And so, Shanks, laughing heartily, remembered you hiding behind him and timely dispelled your sense of crisis.
"Don't be afraid, they are friends."
Shanks' identity and the terms he used suggested that he was an outsider whom one could not afford to be complacent about. However, the boy talking to Shanks became somewhat interested in what he said: "Are you talking to that person in the newspaper? Deus mentioned her."
The betrayed man, named "Deus," uttered a dissatisfied single syllable, which elicited hearty laughter from both groups. You, however, returned to your original position amidst laughter that mirrored your own situation. At the same time, you recognized the newcomer. You'd seen him before—the Fire Fist Ace, hailed as a "Supernova," and his companions were also boys of similar age; the one with the ruddy complexion was likely the "Deus" Ace had mentioned.
Considering that Ace was the main reason you came out, you greeted Ace first, whose expression froze slightly upon your arrival.
"I've seen you in the newspaper, Fire Fist Ace."
A single sentence woke Ace, who had also seen you in the newspaper, and the boy with adorable freckles returned your sunny smile, which was unlike that of a pirate.
“I’ve seen you in the newspaper, but I don’t know your name.”
Ace's reply made the Red-Haired Pirates laugh, but Ace's crew had a "it's always like this" expression. However, it was clear from their expressions that they did not have any intention of complaining or criticizing Ace for this.
The noisy banquet became even more lively with the arrival of Ace and his group, and this liveliness made you, who had lost the will to struggle with the seemingly settled future, even more negative.
You don't know where else you can go, or what else you can do to change the situation. Escape now? Thinking of the vast, white snowfields, you feel it's unrealistic. But if you continue sailing with the Red-Haired Pirates, perhaps before you even reach the next island, a ferocious beast with bared fangs will devour you.
Unable to sort out your thoughts, you suddenly look up when Ace mentions his plan to challenge Whitebeard.
Perhaps it was because you hadn't reacted to the topics we'd discussed before, or perhaps it was because Shanks had unusually spoken earnestly to Ace about the feasibility of this idea, but Ace seemed momentarily taken aback when he saw the light in your eyes.
You don't know what Ace was thinking at that moment, but having grasped a glimmer of hope, you begin to consider whether the fleeting idea in your mind is feasible. Right now, the most important thing is to calm yourself down and not let others notice anything unusual about you.
-
All good things must come to an end, and this is especially true for pirate banquets. After the chill had dissipated considerably from everyone thanks to the wine and the campfire, the two pirate crews, who rarely met, boarded their respective ships, ready to continue their voyages.
"It's a bit of a pity that I didn't get to say more than a few words to her."
Leaning against the ship's railing, Diuss gazed at the island gradually shrinking, and sighed, barely recovering from the tension of almost being killed by a glare. Of course, he would only say a few words for now.
Standing beside Deuce, Ace recalled your reaction when you looked up at Whitebeard. Before that, Ace's impression of you was limited to "a woman Deuce was interested in." But you, who seemed completely unsuitable for life at sea, showed a fleeting look of joy when he announced his intention to defeat Whitebeard.
Are you happy because of his ideas that seem unrealistic to most people? Or is it because of something else? Ace couldn't figure it out, but he knew Deus's character very well.
"Even if he could, Deus wouldn't be able to say more than a few words, would he?"
Stunned by the attack on his Achilles' heel, Deus was speechless for a moment, his eyes filled with envy and helplessness as he looked at Ace.
"Tsk, you can say something like that because you can actually talk to her, right? Only you could withstand the pressure of those two people turning into real knives and say a few words to her."
Ace, who was also very sensitive to gazes, knew that Deus was referring to Hongo and Rem, who, although not sitting with you, had been observing you from a distance. Rather than expressing concern, Ace felt their gazes were more like the gazes of someone looking at an object.
However, that's a problem for the Red-Haired Pirates to consider; it's none of their business.
Little did Ace know that just as he finished speaking, panicked voices from the crew erupted in the warehouse, startling Ace and Deuce, who were still on deck. They rushed to the warehouse to check on the situation. When they arrived, they found you, having sailed off the island and returned to normal temperatures, your forehead dripping with sweat from your winter clothes.
You were still standing in the wooden barrel in their cabin, apologizing to the frightened crew members, when Ace's impressive eyes fell on you, with a smile even brighter than when you were on the island.
"It might be a bit shameless, but please, take me to the next island. I'll work on the boat as collateral for the fare."
Things seemed to have turned out differently than they had anticipated.
-
"...She really got on Fire Fist's ship."
Resisting the urge to crumple up the note you wrote in your room, Rem gritted his teeth and expressed his anger, perhaps also the resentment of not being chosen by you, but Hongo, who had come with him to find you, was in no mood to care about Rem's emotions.
"I really don't know what she's thinking. The boss clearly said that challenging Whitebeard is not a wise choice."
That was what Shanks said to Ace, and also what Shanks used to remind you not to have any other thoughts. Even so, you ran away without looking back, and on the island where the snow was up to your knees, you unhesitatingly left his and Ryme's feelings, along with the gold, silver, and ornaments they gave you, on the ship.
They clearly care about you and are worried about you, so why would you do something so reckless? Based on my understanding of you, you don't seem like the type of person to do this.
Shanks, who hadn't expressed any dissatisfaction with your actions from beginning to end, was thoughtfully watching the dozing Den Den Mushi in the captain's cabin.
How should I explain this to him?
Knowing that Shanks had let you join the crew partly because of Mihawk, Beckman lit a cigarette.
"Save your energy on acting. Everyone knows she's not even there, and you don't care about her at all."
Beckman, who had roughly figured out Shanks' personality since they set sail, said this. Shanks, whose thoughts had been exposed, made a sound like he had been wronged, but his expression showed no sign of apology or injustice.
"It's not quite like that. I promised to let her off the ship, but you know Hongo and Reim's attitudes. I have to choose between them."
"Besides, she always wants to go to Whitebeard's place, so why not let her go and find out for herself how we differ from Whitebeard?"
Shanks' words clearly revealed his attitude towards your escape, and Beckman, understanding the unspoken meaning in Shanks' words, shook his head helplessly.
To be fair, Beckman personally admires you. You are calm and intelligent, and you should be able to find a suitable way to survive anywhere with your strong adaptability.
But your intelligence and meekness could also plunge you into an abyss of no return. While Beckman was distracted, Shanks finalized your decision to leave only a long, heartfelt letter of thanks before departing.
"Let's wait until she survives in this sea and tells us she wants to come back before we think about what to do next."
Of course, all of this is based on the premise that you survive.
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