Shanks smiled faintly when he heard Katakuri's plan. Swirling the sake bottle in his hand, he spoke softly.
"Going home, huh... Yeah, everyone needs a place to call home."
As he said that, Shanks pulled out a pale blue, pear-shaped Devil Fruit from inside his coat. He tossed it lightly in his palm, wondering to himself:
"I wonder if that old man I've never even met would like this gift... Eh, whatever!"
...
At that moment, Buggy's upper body drifted by. He noticed the Devil Fruit in Shanks' hand and immediately stuck his face closer, shouting:
"Oh? Isn't that a Devil Fruit?! Damn it, just seeing one of these things pisses me off! If it weren't for you back then, who knows how many sunken treasures I'd have found by now! My treasures, man! Ugh..."
Buggy had clearly drunk a lot—his face was nearly as red as his nose, and heavy fumes of alcohol poured from his mouth. Shanks didn't mind, though. Grinning, he slung an arm around Buggy's neck, pulling him close with a laugh.
"Come on, Buggy. How many years has it been? You're still obsessed with your treasure? We've even seen the legendary One Piece with our own eyes now. Time to broaden those horizons a little, don't you think?"
"Tch! That so-called treasure—just a few scribbles and an empty box! Give me a break! I've never been after that kind of thing, damn it!"
"Heh. For me, sailing across the seas with like-minded companions, discovering strange and new things... that experience itself is the greatest treasure. I have no regrets."
Buggy snorted and looked away dismissively.
"There you go again with that crap. You've got no pirate spirit! Might as well head home and raise some kids!"
"Well, funny you say that, because that's exactly what I'm planning. But hey, Buggy, you're not seriously thinking of staying a pirate, are you? Let me tell you—my brother's out there now. The pirate life's only going to get harder. One of these days, you might get caught again."
"You bastard! You trying to jinx me?! Use your damn brain—who says I can't just change careers? I'll go get myself registered as an adventurer or something!"
"Huh?"
Shanks tilted his head back, chuckling.
"Buggy, you're lucky they even let you out with your criminal record. You think you can waltz into a government office and register as an adventurer? If the World Government doesn't toss you back into Impel Down, that's already a miracle!"
"And you? What the hell do you do, anyway? You're from the Figarland family, aren't you? Is there any force stronger than the Figarlands these days? The World Government wouldn't dare act without your family's say-so!"
"So what, you want me to pull strings for you? I'm not the one in charge, you know. I'd need to talk to my brother. And honestly, Buggy, is that the attitude of someone asking for a favor? With that attitude, I'm not helping you."
"...Shanks, c'mon, we've been through so much together. Just do me this one favor. You know me—I don't really care about much else in life. I just want to find treasure. If there's no hope left for that, I might as well be dead."
Shanks crossed his arms and gave Buggy a long look. After a moment, he replied:
"Buggy, you really are one of a kind. Fine, I'll bring it up when I return to the family. But whether or not my brother agrees... that's out of my hands."
Buggy instantly lit up with joy, his eyes gleaming as he plastered on a fawning smile.
"Shanks, I've always believed in you! You've got connections everywhere!"
You had to hand it to Buggy—he'd known Shanks since they were kids, and he knew exactly where to poke. Sure enough, Shanks thumped his chest and burst into laughter.
"Damn right! I—"
Before he could finish, a cold voice rang out from behind.
"Oh? And what exactly would you do?"
Caught up in his swagger, Shanks blurted out without thinking:
"I'd cut 'em down with a single swing!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a heavy silence fell over the deck—so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.
Shanks blinked, confused, then finally noticed something was off. Buggy's eyes were practically popping out of their sockets, his jaw slack with fear.
All around them, the crew stared with complicated expressions. Benn Beckman had a hand to his forehead, sighing deeply.
"What an idiot..."
It was then that Shanks finally recognized the voice—it was painfully familiar, so much so that his whole body shuddered.
He forced a smile more painful than a grimace and slowly turned his head. Sure enough, his brother—Carl—stood not far off, arms crossed, watching with calm amusement.
"You're here?"
Carl's lips curled slightly as he began walking toward Shanks.
"Mmm. You seem to be in a good mood today. Makes me happy, really. But I was just a little confused by what you said. The Devil Fruit I gave you—was that some kind of 'Connection Fruit'? Hmm?"
Shanks' mouth twitched as he wiped sweat from his brow, forcing out a laugh.
"O-of course not! The Fruit you gave me is a top-tier Mythical Zoan—I couldn't be more grateful!"
"Oh? Is that so..."
Carl stepped in front of Shanks, who was still sitting cross-legged on the deck. Hands in his pockets, Carl leaned forward slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips.
A wave of pressure—purely from bloodline and presence—washed over Shanks. He swallowed hard, planted a hand on the floor to stand up...
...only for Carl to press a hand down on his shoulder, shoving him right back down with a thud.
Carl chuckled.
"What are you so nervous about, dear little brother?"
"I-I'm not nervous..."
"Really now? Then why are you breathing so hard? And that pounding heartbeat—I swear I can hear it. Sounds like your heart's about to leap out of your chest. Got a heart condition or something? That won't do. Let your big brother check it for you."
Still smiling, Carl slowly reached toward Shanks' chest. Shanks blinked, and the next moment, something horrifying happened—Carl's hand slipped right into Shanks' chest like it was air.
With a flick of his finger from inside, Shanks shot up like someone had lit a fire under him. This time, Carl didn't stop him. He just glanced at his younger brother with a smirk and muttered:
"Well? Feel your heart flutter? You're growing up, huh...."
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+140 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg