At the Party's Bar in Foosha Village, the warm, familiar clink of glasses and the scent of hearty food filled the air. Makino bustled around with her usual effortless grace, balancing trays laden with drinks and steaming plates as she expertly weaved between tables. Her main customers today were none other than Shanks and his boisterous pirate crew. Although truth be told, not all of them had made it inside. Many were still sprawled across their ship, nursing the painful aftermath of last night's wild celebration.
"Bartender-san, my usual hangover soup, please?" Shanks called out, his voice light despite the dull ache pulsing in his head.
"Coming right up!" Makino replied with a knowing smile.
Glancing around the bar, Shanks took in the relatively calm atmosphere, something rare whenever his crew was involved. Leaning back comfortably, he mused aloud, "I wonder if those kids will show up again today."
Ben Beckman, ever the perceptive first mate, gave a slow, amused smirk as he exhaled a plume of smoke from his cigarette. "Considering they come running every time you sneeze, I would say the odds are in your favor."
Before Shanks could respond, the double doors burst open with a bang that made several patrons jump.
"Shanks! We're here!" Luffy's voice rang out with so much enthusiasm it made the windows rattle.
Beckman chuckled, nudging his captain with a look of smug satisfaction. "See? Never doubt my instincts."
Three small figures darted into the bar with boundless energy, and trailing behind them was someone new.
A young girl stepped into the room, her presence immediately commanding attention despite her quiet demeanor. She appeared to be around twelve or thirteen years old, with short, tousled blonde hair that brushed her shoulders and sharp blue eyes that seemed to miss nothing. On her cheeks were three faint whisker-like marks, giving her an almost fox-like appearance. It did not take long for the seasoned pirates to realize who she was. This must be the mysterious "big sister" the boys had spoken about so fondly.
Beckman leaned casually against the bar, taking a slow drag from his cigarette while his sharp eyes studied the young girl. "If my eyes were closed right now, I would think she was not even standing there."
"That girl," he added quietly, his tone thoughtful, "she has no presence at all."
Shanks, always one to find amusement in the unexpected, grinned broadly. "Oho? Now that's interesting."
Naru's sharp hearing caught their murmured remarks, but she did not react outwardly. Her cool blue gaze swept over the pirates with calm detachment, as though she were assessing whether any of them were worth her attention.
Before anyone could say another word, Luffy bounded forward, grabbing her hand with uncontainable excitement. "Nee-chan! I want you to meet our friend!"
With a small sigh that carried both patience and resignation, Naru allowed herself to be dragged forward. The three boys practically glowed with pride, as if they were presenting a priceless treasure.
"Nee-chan, this is Shanks! Shanks, this is Nee-chan!"
Naru fixed her gaze on the red-haired pirate, observing him without the slightest hint of fear or hesitation. "I did not expect to see a well-known pirate from the Grand Line spending time in a quiet village like this."
Shanks grinned at her blunt tone. "Well now, aren't you well informed?"
Naru gave a simple shrug. "I like to stay updated. Otherwise, I would not know which infamous criminal had wandered into my home. Someone like you, who can survive in the chaos of the Grand Line, surely is not a foolish man. You know whose island this is, and yet you still dared to come. That kind of courage deserves to be acknowledged."
The so-called infamous criminal let out a booming laugh, clearly more entertained than offended. "Little lady, are you planning to report us to your grandfather, then?"
He made no attempt to deny her words. After all, he knew very well whose territory he was in. But Shanks had never been the type to back down. Since his days as an apprentice, he had lived by daring choices, and now, as a captain, that courage had only grown stronger.
After all, the treacherous seas of the Grand Line were not for the cowardly souls.
Luffy, blissfully unaware of the tension humming in the air, continued grinning with open admiration. Meanwhile, Ace and Sabo exchanged uneasy looks, sensing the tension their younger brother had missed.
Sabo leaned closer and whispered, "Uh… does Naru not like Shanks?"
Ace scratched the back of his head awkwardly, clearly wanting to defuse the situation. "Naru, Shanks is a good pirate! They're just here to restock, nothing bad!"
Naru raised an unimpressed eyebrow, her gaze moving between the three boys, who were practically pleading on the pirate's behalf.
"Whether a person is good or not, a pirate is still a criminal. One that is detested and hunted by the world." She exhaled slowly. "If you pirates had done something foolish from the very beginning... Believe me, you wouldn't even have the chance to still be sitting here drinking peacefully."
Shanks chuckled, unaffected by the threats coming from a young lass.
"You don't hold back, do you? Ilike that." He leaned back in his chair, taking another sip of his drink. "But you're right. We're not exactly known for being model citizens either. However, I like to think that we've got some decency left in us."
Naru looked at him silently, her face unreadable. She knew he meant no harm to her brothers or to the island. Still, that did not mean she trusted him. As long as his crew remained here, her clones would never stop keeping watch. The moment they stepped out of line, they would be dealt with swiftly.
Casually, Naru took an empty seat and asked Makino, who had just returned from serving food, to pack some of her favorite dishes. She did not plan to stay long, and she had no intention of befriending pirates.
Meanwhile, the boys were as lively as ever.
"Shanks! My sister went to Loguetown!" Luffy announced proudly, practically bouncing with excitement.
Ace joined in, "You're from the Grand Line, right? You must have been there too!"
Sabo, not wanting to be left behind, added, "Naru said it's the last island before entering the Grand Line!"
Shanks turned toward Naru with a look of admiration. "Loguetown, huh? The kids always brag about how amazing their big sister is, and it seems they weren't exaggerating. From here to Loguetown isn't a short trip. Sailing alone, that's impressive."
The three boys puffed their chests with pride, as if they had taken the journey themselves.
"Told you! Nee-chan is amazing!" Luffy said with absolute conviction.
Naru, used to her brothers' endless praise, sighed inwardly. If she weren't so accustomed to their antics, she might have blushed.
Shanks chuckled and looked back at Ace. "As for your question, yes, I've been there many times." A shadow of nostalgia passed across his features. "And the little missy here is correct. Loguetown truly is the final stop before entering the Grand Line."
However, there was something else about Loguetown.
Something significant.
"But that's not the only thing it's known for," Shanks added, turning his eyes toward Naru with curiosity. "Tell me, little missy, do you happen to know its other claim to fame?"
Naru hesitated for only a brief moment before answering. "…Yes," she admitted, though she opted not to elaborate.
"Come on, Shanks! Tell us!" Luffy shouted eagerly.
Grinning, Shanks said, "Loguetown is not only known as the final stop in East Blue, but also as the place where the Pirate King, Roger, was born and executed. The place of the beginning and the end. Quite poetic, isn't it?"
At the mention of the Pirate King, Naru's expression subtly shifted. A flicker of unease passed across her face as she stole a glance at her brothers. As expected, their demeanor had changed as well.
Luffy suddenly perked up, a thought clicking in his head. "Pirate King? Wait, I've heard that before... Oh! That's Ace's dad!"
"Luffy!" Naru hissed, her expression snapping to alarm. Of all times for him to remember something clearly, it had to be now!
What a disaster!
Ace, meanwhile, looked like he had just swallowed a live fish. "You idiot! You weren't supposed to say that out loud! A secret's supposed to stay secret, you know?!"
"A secret?" Luffy blinked in innocent confusion, then, as if enlightenment suddenly dawned, he beamed. "Oh! I promise I won't tell anyone!"
"You just did, you fool!"
"Maa, maa, maybe we should stop talking…" Sabo muttered nervously, sensing the impending catastrophe.
The room descended into a heavy, suffocating silence.
The pirates remained utterly still, frozen mid-swig and mid-bite as if time itself had stopped.
"Whose dad?" Yasopp was the first to speak, his voice slightly slurred, confusion furrowing his brow as he tried to comprehend what he had just heard. "Roger? Did I hear that right… or am I still drunk from last night?"
Lucky Roo's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Oi, did Luffy just say Ace is the Pirate King's son?!"
"No way!"
Shanks was frozen in his seat, feeling the same astonishment as the others. He didn't even care if the claim made by a brat was questionable and needed more verification, he just could not bring himself to doubt it. Something deep inside him, an instinct honed over years at sea, screamed that this was the truth.
Ace was the son of his old captain.
A whirlpool of emotions welled inside Shanks as he gazed at the boy. Now that he truly thought about it, there had always been something familiar about Ace, something that had tugged at him from the very first meeting.
No wonder he had often been reminded of Roger whenever he looked at him.
His chest constricted with nostalgia and sorrow.
Ace was Roger's son.
Meanwhile, Naru's expression hardened, her once-neutral gaze sharpening into something dangerous and unreadable. A subtle yet undeniable shift rippled through her aura, and her brothers immediately sensed it. They were closest to her, and they could feel every tremor in her mood.
"Naru…" Ace whispered, his hand trembling as he clutched her shirt. He trusted Shanks, yet unease twisted his stomach. He could not forget that his father, the Pirate King, had possessed immense wealth and power, treasures that countless people coveted. Would Shanks still treat him the same after knowing the truth?
Suddenly, Ace felt afraid, and he instinctively sought the only source of security he had, his older sister. He also did not forget to grab Luffy and draw him closer to him. Sabo quietly inched closer to them, while carefully looking around the room. He, too, felt uneasy with the sudden attention.
Naru's protective instincts snapped into full alert. Without realizing it, she shifted her body to shield the boys, positioning them between herself and the counter. Her narrowed eyes scanned the pirates with a fierce, dangerous edge, her body taut like a drawn bowstring, ready to unleash violence at the slightest provocation.
Meeting Shanks's steady, intense gaze, Naru made a decision. She would not allow anyone to think they could touch her family without consequences. Without warning, like a tidal wave breaking free, she unleashed her killing intent upon the room.
Earlier, she had borne the presence of a ghost.
Quiet, almost invisible.
But now, it was as if she shed a skin she had been wearing. She transformed into something primal, a beast that had long been caged and was now breaking free. The power that erupted from her was raw and murderous, slamming into the room like a sudden storm. The air grew thick and heavy, the atmosphere oppressive, as if the walls themselves struggled under the weight of her fury.
She had no intention of truly harming anyone. She merely wanted to warn them. Even so, the sheer force of her controlled power sent every instinct screaming.
Shanks and his men were veterans, warriors who had brushed against death more times than they could count. Yet even they were not immune. Cold sweat beaded across their skin. The haze of drunkenness evaporated in an instant. Lucky Roo's cherished roasted meat slipped from his grasp, forgotten on the floor. Yasopp's fingers faltered, and his mug shattered upon impact. Beckman clenched his teeth, gripping his weapon tightly, waiting for the slightest cue from his captain.
Shanks knew that this little girl would not hesitate to attack.
He had to appease her and make sure that she knew that he bore her no harm. Especially not to her brothers, who strangely looked fine and unaffected by the danger around them
He raised both hands in a placating gesture. "Little missy, we are not your enemies."
Naru gave no response, her expression unreadable. Her gaze, deep and calculating, rested on them like the weight of a blade. Ace, Luffy, and Sabo grew increasingly anxious. They could not perceive the killing intent surrounding them, yet they knew something in her had shifted dangerously.
Even Luffy's cheerful spark dimmed. "Nee-chan…?" he murmured softly.
And just like that, as if a switch had been flipped, Naru withdrew her killing intent.
At that very moment, Makino emerged from the kitchen, blissfully unaware of the tension that had thickened the air moments ago. With her usual warm smile, she placed a neatly wrapped package on the counter.
"Here you go, Naru-chan! I even packed some of Dadan-san's favorite food too!"
"Thank you, Makino," Naru said simply, accepting the package.
After paying for the food, she turned toward her silent brothers. "Didn't you three say this morning that you wanted a sparring session? Let's go then. We still have a few hours before heading home."
She paused, her eyes shifting briefly toward Shanks, whose emotions were far from steady. "Ace is my little brother, and that is a fact that will never change."
Her voice was calm, but her words sliced through the air like steel, leaving no space for argument.
"Let's go," she said again, softer this time.
The boys gave the pirates an uneasy look, before following their big sister. No matter how fond they were of Shanks and his crew, Naru would always be the one they trusted most.
And so, the children left.
The weight of what just happened settled heavily upon Shanks and the others, their faces grim. The sudden revelation of Ace's lineage, the astonishing power display from the one named 'Naru', and how easily she had controlled her power to only affect those she had targeted.
It was too much to simply brush aside.
"Captain.." Beckman finally broke the silence, exhaling the breath he had been holding as he looked at the redhead. "What are we going to do about this?"
Shanks did not immediately answer. His eyes were still fixed on the door where the children had disappeared into, recalling the recent events as if he was afraid that he would forget about it soon. Slowly, he let out a chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief.
"What a crazy bunch of kids," he murmured, running a hand through his tangled scarlet hair. A smirk tugged at his lips, though his eyes gleamed with quiet seriousness. "Leaving aside that little missy, Garp truly is something else. He managed to keep such a big secret undetected for years."
"That girl… I still can't believe someone that young could wield that kind of strength," Yasopp muttered, rubbing his arms as if to chase away the chill that lingered from her killing intent. "For a second, I thought I was done for. Was that Haoshoku Haki? It felt different, though…"
"It feels like it, but not at the same time." Lucky Roo agreed, munching absentmindedly on a piece of meat he had newly grabbed from is plate. "It wasn't just her willpower, there was real bloodlust in it. That girl's been through things."
Beckman nodded, deep in thought. "More than just experience. That girl has the eyes of someone who has fought for her life too many times to count. The kind of presence you only get from surviving battles you were never meant to win."
"I always knew Garp was insane," Yasopp added, still shaken. "But training his granddaughter to that level? That's a whole new kind of madness."
"Since she's already that strong, I can't help but wonder how powerful those boys will become in the future," Lucky Roo said quietly.
Their gazes turned to their captain.
Shanks closed his eyes for a brief moment before sighing. "Not a single word leaves this room about what happened today."
The crew fell silent once again, each of them digesting the night's events. The air in the bar still carried the remnants of Naru's killing intent, a lingering reminder of her quiet but deadly presence.
Shanks lifted his drink, the faintest smile curving his lips as his voice softened. "Captain… you really did leave behind one hell of a legacy."