After leaving the island where they'd last stationed, Shinju, Hashirama, and Madara boarded the Thousand Sunny once again. Shinju sat by the railing, looking out over the sea.
On the far horizon, a massive pirate ship cut through the waves as it approached.
That was the Red Force, flagship of the Red Hair Pirates.
The atmosphere on its deck felt a little heavy.
Luffy pressed down on his straw hat, staring at the skull-and-crossbones flag.
Zoro's hand rested on his hilt, thumb pushing the guard and sliding his blade a fraction free.
Sanji lit a cigarette and drew in a long breath.
Usopp hid behind Franky, legs trembling.
Shinju watched as the ship drew closer.
The Red Force stopped beside the Sunny.
The two ships came level, side by side.
A thick plank was laid across. Footsteps sounded as boots stepped onto the wood.
Shanks walked over.
A black cloak draped over his shoulders. At his waist hung the famous blade Gryphon. His left sleeve was empty.
He came alone.
Beckman, Lucky Roux, Yasopp, and the others stayed over on the far railing, not following him across.
Shanks carried a huge barrel of liquor in one hand.
He stepped onto the Sunny's deck. Luffy was about to yell
Shinju raised a hand to stop him.
Luffy shut his mouth and took a step back.
Shanks glanced at Luffy and smiled.
Then he looked at Shinju.
Their eyes met.
A suffocating stillness fell—so quiet even the sound of waves against the hull seemed to vanish.
Nami felt her breathing tighten. She grabbed Robin's arm.
Chopper rolled his eyes back and dropped to the deck.
Shanks withdrew his gaze. The invisible pressure dissipated.
"Long time no see, Luffy."
He greeted him lightly.
Luffy grinned wide.
"Shanks!"
Shanks waved a hand—meaning: later.
He moved to face Shinju and sat down cross-legged.
The liquor barrel sat between them.
"Kaido lost."
Shanks' voice was calm.
Shinju nodded.
"He lost."
Two simple words.
Shanks peeled off the seal. The scent of alcohol drifted out.
He took out two big bowls and filled them. The liquor ran clear.
"The balance of the New World has been broken."
Shanks raised his bowl. Shinju raised his. They clinked.
Shinju tipped his head back and drained it.
"Balance was meant to be broken."
Shinju set the bowl down.
Shanks stared at the empty bowl, silent for a few seconds.
"You made too big a scene."
He refilled Shinju's bowl.
"Marine Headquarters. The Yonko. They're all watching you now. Kaido's territory, Big Mom's territory—will you take them?"
Shinju looked at his reflection in the liquor.
"Territory means nothing to me."
Shanks narrowed his eyes.
"Then what do you want?"
Shinju lifted a finger and pointed toward the sky.
Shanks looked up. Only blue sky and white clouds.
"I want that seat."
Shinju said.
Shanks' hand froze. A few drops of liquor spilled onto the deck.
"Pirate King?"
Shanks asked.
Shinju shook his head.
"Too small."
Shanks set the barrel down. The lazy vibe vanished from him, replaced by something sharp and serious.
"Do you understand what you're saying?"
Shinju met his eyes.
"Mary Geoise. The Empty Throne."
The moment those words left his mouth—
Shanks' gaze became razor-sharp. The air pressure dropped again.
Luffy and the others didn't understand, but their bodies recognized danger.
Shanks stared at Shinju for a long time.
"You know that existence?"
Shinju smiled.
"Imu."
Shanks' hand grabbed his sword hilt.
In that instant, Zoro fully drew his blade, and fire bloomed around Sanji's foot.
Shinju waved a hand, signaling his crew to stand down.
He looked at Shanks' tensed arm.
"Relax. If I know the name, I know more than that."
Shanks slowly loosened his grip.
"Who the hell are you?"
Shinju didn't answer.
He asked instead.
"What Captain Roger saw on Laugh Tale… you can guess it."
Shanks fell silent.
"They laughed until they cried—because they arrived too early."
Shinju continued.
"You know they came too early. That's why you've been waiting… for Joy Boy's successor."
Shanks looked toward Luffy.
"You mean Luffy?"
Shinju nodded—then shook his head.
"Luffy is Joy Boy. But he's not enough by himself."
"The failure from eight hundred years ago can't repeat."
"The World Government isn't a single slab of iron. The Five Elders are puppets on the stage. The one truly controlling everything… is that monster who's lived for eight hundred years."
Shanks took a deep breath.
He raised his bowl and drank it dry.
"You even know that."
Shinju poured him more.
"The mission of the D. clan—called the natural enemy of the gods. But those 'gods' are only mortals who stole power."
"Uranus. Poseidon. Pluton."
"The three Ancient Weapons. The World Government holds Uranus. That's the backbone of their rule."
Shanks' face grew darker.
Some of this matched his suspicions. Some of it was information he'd chased for years and only barely brushed against.
Yet Shinju talked about it as casually as tonight's dinner menu.
"What are you planning to do?"
Shanks asked.
"Overthrow it."
Shinju answered.
"Completely. Not swapping one group in power for another—ripping the World Government out by the roots."
"Building a new order."
Shanks stared at him.
"A lot of people will die. The sea will run red."
Shinju looked out at the distant horizon.
"And the world right now isn't bleeding already?"
"Heavenly Tribute from the Celestial Dragons—how many nations has it crushed? Slave trading. Homes destroyed. Families ruined."
"This fake peace is just slow death."
"Better sharp pain than endless rot."
Shanks stayed quiet for a long time.
The barrel was half empty.
"You didn't come just to say all that."
Shanks said.
"I want your stance."
Shinju's tone didn't change.
"Kaido is down. Big Mom is next. The New World is about to open up a massive power vacuum."
"The Marines will move in. Blackbeard is stirring."
At the mention of Blackbeard, Shanks touched the scar over his left eye.
"Teach is dangerous."
"I know."
Shinju said.
"That's why I need you."
"You need to stabilize the New World."
"Before I attack Mary Geoise, this sea can't fall into chaos."
Shanks smiled—this time it was a bitter, incredulous smile.
"So you want me to babysit for you?"
"You can think of it that way."
Shinju was completely frank.
"As a trade, I'll tell you what Roger wanted to do but couldn't. I'll finish it for him."
"And…"
Shinju paused.
"I can keep Luffy alive."
Shanks' eyes changed.
"Are you threatening me?"
"I'm stating facts."
Shinju pointed at Luffy.
"When he awakens the Nika Fruit, the Five Elders won't sit still. They'll pay any price to erase him."
"Do you think the Straw Hats, as they are now, can withstand a full-scale assault from the World Government?"
Shanks looked at Luffy.
Luffy was fighting Usopp over meat—completely carefree.
Shanks sighed.
"You've got a hell of a lot of face."
Shinju suddenly said.
Shanks blinked.
"What?"
"I said you've got a hell of a lot of face."
Shinju repeated.
"You have face with the Marines. You even have face with the Five Elders."
"But in an era that's about to change… face isn't enough."
Shinju leaned forward until only a handspan separated them.
"Face is something others give you."
"Power is something you take for yourself."
"I need your power—so we can hold the New World steady together."
"Only if we join hands can we keep this board alive."
Shanks stared into Shinju's eyes.
It didn't feel like he was looking at some new pirate.
It felt like he was looking at a king who'd ruled the world for years.
That kind of bearing… even exceeded Captain Roger back then.
Roger was an adventurer chasing freedom.
The man in front of him was a reformer chasing order.
Shanks lifted the barrel and filled his own bowl.
"If you fail… the world will be destroyed."
Shanks said.
"If I don't do it, the world is already rotting."
Shinju replied flatly.
Shanks raised the bowl.
"Fine."
One word—promise made.
Shinju raised his bowl as well.
"Pleasure doing business."
Their bowls clinked again.
Liquor splashed out.
This time, both of them drank slowly.
Shanks stood.
"Good booze."
Shinju stood too.
"Next time, it's on me."
Shanks walked to the railing.
Luffy rushed over.
"Shanks! You're leaving already?"
Shanks pressed down on Luffy's straw hat, pushing it firmly.
"Luffy… get stronger. Right now, you're still far from enough."
Luffy held onto the hat.
"I'll surpass you! I'll become the Pirate King!"
Shanks laughed.
"I'll be waiting."
He crossed back over the plank to the Red Force.
The Red Hair Pirates departed.
They came fast—and left just as fast.
On the Sunny's deck, Zoro sheathed his blade.
"That guy… really is strong."
Sanji exhaled a smoke ring.
"Of course. He's a Yonko."
Shinju watched the departing silhouette of the ship.
"He's not helping us."
"He's helping the world."
"And besides…"
"He didn't have a choice."
Shinju turned and headed toward the cabin.
"Get ready. We're going to the next place."
At the same time—Mary Geoise, Hall of Power.
Five old men sat in different postures, the atmosphere heavier than anything on the Sunny by ten thousand times.
A Den Den Mushi on the wall had just gone quiet—CP0's report.
Kaido defeated.
A shock event that hadn't happened in decades.
The blond elder, Shepherd Ju Peter, wiped his long blade.
"That Namikaze Shinju… cannot be allowed to run free any longer."
The bald elder, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, adjusted his glasses.
"His threat level has already surpassed Revolutionary Dragon."
The bearded elder, Marcus Mars, stared at the wanted poster on the table—Shinju's photo.
"He knows too much. Robin, the remnant of Ohara, is on his ship. Now he's defeated Kaido—information on the Ancient Weapons may already have fallen into his hands."
The curly-haired elder, Jaygarcia Saturn, tapped his cane against the floor.
"The light must be extinguished."
"Imu-sama has issued the order."
All five focused on the table's center.
A map lay there—with a red X marked on it.
"Use that."
Warcury spoke, voice icy.
"When we erase the Lulusia Kingdom… erase him too."
"But he's moving."
"Then predict his route. Or…"
A red glint flashed in Saturn's eyes.
"Deploy the God's Knights."
"And the Marines?"
"Have Akainu prepare. Those two monsters chosen by the World Military Draft—send them too."
"This time… failure is not permitted."
"The will of D must be buried again."
"History's dust… belongs as dust."
Their shadows stretched long in the candlelight—like five enormous beasts crouched atop the world, gazing down at the ants below.
A vast conspiracy targeting Shinju officially began.
The giant gears started turning—grinding down anything that stood in the way.
(End of Chapter)
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