"Fire Release, Ultimate Fire Technique!"
With a low shout, the searing chakra in Aren's throat erupted outward and turned into a massive serpent of flame that roared as it slammed into the surface of the sea.
"Boom... sizzle!"
The instant the high temperature met seawater, a huge cloud of white steam blasted skyward, and the sea breeze turned scorching hot.
A few unlucky sea bass flipped belly up and were hurled into the air by the shockwave. Before they even fell back down, a faint aroma of grilled fish was already wafting from them.
Aren panted heavily and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Even with the terrifying power of the All-Attribute Chakra Constitution, the chakra consumption of this B-rank ninjutsu was still a heavy burden on a ten-year-old body.
A light sulfur taste lingered in his throat.
With a thought, he called out the system panel.
[Sign-in reward has been claimed.]
[Current location: Foosha Village (Sign-in complete)]
[Next sign-in location: Shimotsuki Village]
[Current "Reject Red Hair" event completion: 99% (Final settlement will only occur once the host has formally left the island and exited the Red Hair Pirates' sphere of influence)]
Staring at that progress bar stuck stubbornly at 99 percent, Aren's mouth twitched.
So the system really insisted on watching him row his boat clear out of the bay before it would admit the job was done.
Still, Shimotsuki Village... the place with Isshin Dojo... that did sound like a pretty good next stop.
Aren slapped the sand from his trouser legs, took one last look at the gradually thinning cloud of steam over the water, then turned and started back toward the village.
Since he was leaving, there were some things he needed to settle properly.
When he pushed open the door of Makino's Bar, it was just as noisy as ever.
Aren walked up to the counter and pulled a small pouch of Beli from his pocket, setting it on the bar. The pouch was heavy. It was every last bit of savings he had scraped together over the years by helping out around the village.
"Makino," he said, "today's drinks are on me."
Makino, who had been wiping a glass, froze for a moment. At the side, Red Hair Shanks paused mid-swig, raised an eyebrow in surprise, and grinned.
"Oh? Kid, did you hit the jackpot or something?"
"I'm leaving." Aren's voice was not loud, yet in the noisy bar it still reached quite a few ears.
The smile on Shanks's face faded a little. He set down his mug and gave Aren a long, deep look.
"In such a rush? That little boat of yours doesn't even have a proper sail."
"The wind's good today." Aren did not explain further. He simply pushed the money pouch across the counter. "Once everyone finishes this round, I set sail."
Just then, a rapid "buru-buru-buruuuu" sounded from a corner of the bar.
Lucky Roux, still clutching a hunk of meat, fished a Den Den Mushi out from inside his clothes. It was vibrating violently, its expression wildly exaggerated, brows knotted and mouth turned down, looking like it was ready to bite someone.
"Captain, it's that old geezer calling," Lucky Roux said through a mouthful of grease as he casually tossed the receiver over.
Shanks's expression shifted. He caught the receiver like it was a hot potato. Before he could even lift it to his ear, an enraged roar blasted out from the other side.
"Red Hair! You bastard, what did you put in Luffy's head this time! The brat just told me he wants to be Pirate King!"
The voice was full and powerful, carrying an aura that brooked no argument.
The entire bar went silent in an instant. Even Yasopp, who usually loved to stir things up, hunched his neck and kept his mouth shut.
Shanks forced out a couple of dry laughs, holding the receiver a bit farther away as he walked toward the door.
"Ahaha... Vice Admiral Garp, that's the kid's own dream..."
Aren sat at the bar, listening to the muffled argument from outside, his fingers tapping lightly on the countertop.
Even through the wooden door, he could still catch fragments of the conversation.
"... not just Luffy. I found another kid here who's even more interesting." Outside, Shanks's voice had grown more serious. "He is neither pirate nor Marine. Garp, this sea might be getting another member of the Worst Generation, one that no one can control."
There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by Garp's dismissive snort.
"Hmph, another brat who doesn't know how high the sky is? Old man like me has seen plenty of those. Once they set sail, they end up as fish food."
"Not the same." Shanks's voice dropped lower. "He awakened the sprout of Haki at ten, and he did not waver at all in the face of my invitation. Those eyes... even on the day Captain Roger was executed, I never saw freedom that pure."
The other end went completely quiet.
After a long while, Garp finally clicked his tongue.
"... what is going on with Foosha Village lately? It's churning out nothing but freaks."
A moment later, Shanks pushed the door open and came back in. His carefree, heartless smile was once again plastered on his face, but when he tossed the Den Den Mushi back to Lucky Roux, his movement was noticeably heavier.
"That was Garp, the hero of the Marines," Shanks said as he sat back down beside Aren. He sounded casual, but his gaze was locked tightly on the boy's profile. "He says that if the Marines encounter a ship sailing without a flag, they will sink it without mercy. If you do not join any faction, you will become a target for both pirates and Marines at the same time. Scared?"
Aren lifted the glass of orange juice Makino had handed him and knocked it firmly against Shanks's rum bottle.
The glass rang with a clear, crisp note.
"Sounds perfect to me." Aren tilted his head back and drained the juice in one go, the sweet and sour taste bursting across his tongue. "If they are friends, they will naturally lower their cannons. If they are enemies, then we just hit them. I don't care if it is a Yonko or a Marine Admiral. Whoever dares block my way, I will beat them down."
Shanks stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly burst out laughing again.
"Hahahaha! Good! Well said! In that case, I won't keep you!"