Chapter 8: Uninvited Guests
Time passed, day by day. The frequency of Garp's visits grew less and less, and the time he could spend at home each trip grew shorter. The seas were growing restless; more and more pirates were setting sail. Even if Garp wanted to slack off, the higher-ups at Marineford wouldn't allow it. A combat asset like him couldn't be wasted on extended vacations.
"Satoru! I'm gonna challenge you! My fists are as strong as bullets now!"
While Satoru was sitting on the shore, gazing thoughtfully at the sea, a familiar, determined voice called out from behind. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"Luffy," Satoru said without looking back, holding up a single finger. "You'd need another 20,000 years of training to beat me."
"Hmph! I don't believe it! I'll win this time! Take this, Satoru!" Luffy shouted. He charged forward, his small feet kicking up sand, and swung a punch aimed straight at Satoru's back.
"Some people never learn," Satoru sighed. He stood up and turned in one fluid motion. The moment Luffy's fist arrived, Satoru's open palm was already there to catch it, wrapping around the small fist effortlessly.
"Damn it! Why are you so strong? You're only two years older than me!" Luffy grunted, straining with all his might. The veins on his forehead bulged. He was using every ounce of strength he had, but Satoru's arm might as well have been made of iron. It didn't budge an inch.
"The gap of these two years is one you'll need 20,000 to cross," Satoru stated matter-of-factly. Then, in a swift move, he pivoted, using Luffy's own momentum to flip him over his shoulder. Thud! Luffy landed flat on his back in the soft sand, letting out a winded oof!
"Ugh... I'll definitely beat you next time, Satoru!"
"I've heard that more than a hundred times now, Luffy."
Satoru allowed a small smile before his gaze drifted back to the horizon. He frowned. A small black dot had appeared on the vast blue expanse. It hadn't been there a moment ago, and it was growing larger—a moving object.
Activating the heightened perception of his Six Eyes, Satoru focused. The details of the distant ship snapped into clarity. He saw the flag—black, with a skull. A Jolly Roger. A pirate ship. The flag had a specific design: two cutlasses crossed behind the skull, and three red scars slashed across one of its eye sockets.
It looked familiar, but he couldn't immediately place the crew.
On the pirate ship, a man lounging against the bow railing suddenly frowned and let out a low, thoughtful sound.
"What's wrong, Captain?"
A large man with a chicken leg in his hand—Lucky Roux—asked around a mouthful of food.
"For a second there... I felt like we were being watched. Not sure if it's just my imagination."
The atmosphere on the deck shifted instantly. While their captain might not yet be among the absolute top tiers of the sea, his strength was formidable, and the intuition of someone at his level was rarely wrong.
"Sounds like there might be someone powerful on that island ahead," Benn Beckman mused, lighting a cigarette.
Though the rest of the crew didn't feel the gaze, they trusted their captain's instincts implicitly. If he felt it, it was real. It just meant the observer was beyond their current ability to detect.
"We'll need to be cautious when we make landfall," Shanks said, his usual easygoing tone replaced with one of seriousness.
"Don't worry, Captain. We'll be careful," Yasopp affirmed, his sharp eyes scanning the approaching shoreline.
As the ship drew closer, Satoru's vision clarified the man at the bow. Red hair. A straw hat perched atop it. A name clicked into place.
Red-Haired Shanks.
A former apprentice of the Roger Pirates, a future Emperor of the Sea. Right now, he was a rising star, a pirate whose bounty had already surpassed 100 million Berries. In the calm waters of the East Blue, he was a force of nature.
Realizing it was Shanks, Satoru felt a wave of relief. This crew wouldn't bring harm to Windmill Village. If it had been any other pirate group, with his current strength, he'd be powerless to stop a serious attack. He had no idea of Shanks's exact power level now, but he knew it was far beyond anything he could handle.
"Hey... is that a pirate ship?!"
The ship was now close enough for even Luffy to see clearly from the beach. He scrambled to his feet, panic flashing across his face. Luffy's current dream wasn't to be a pirate—it was born from the stories his grandfather, Vice Admiral Garp, had drilled into him. Pirates, according to Garp, were vile scum who burned, looted, and killed without mercy, leaving ruin in their wake.
"It is! I have to warn the village! Satoru, you run and hide! Find a good spot and don't come out! If these pirates catch you, you're done for!"
Without another word, Luffy turned and sprinted toward the village as fast as his little legs could carry him.
Satoru didn't follow. He remained on the beach, watching calmly as the elegant pirate ship, the Red Force, glided closer. The serious atmosphere he'd sensed from the ship was palpable even from here. They were on guard because they felt a "powerful presence" on the island. The irony almost made him smile.
"Captain," Roo said, pointing. "There's a kid. Just standing there. Looks like he's waiting for us."
Shanks had already seen him. The moment his eyes met the boy on the shore, that same intense feeling of being observed returned, sharper now.
Was that gaze from earlier... this kid? Is it some kind of Devil Fruit ability? Shanks wondered, his earlier theory about a hidden powerhouse evaporating. The source of the pressure was this small, white-haired child.
"Hey, kid!" Shanks called out, leaning over the railing. He put on his best scary pirate face. "Aren't you gonna run? Don't you know we're pirates? The kind who might gobble up little boys like you!"
His crewmates chuckled behind him, playing along.
"You won't," Satoru replied, his voice flat and clear, carrying over the water.
"Hahaha! We won't? We're pirates! Is there anything we wouldn't dare to do?" Shanks laughed, playing up the role.
"Because I have someone backing me up," Satoru stated. "If you lay a hand on me, no matter where you run to the ends of the earth, he will find you. And he won't let it go."
"Oh? A backer, huh?" Shanks's grin widened, intrigued. This was getting interesting. "Well, go on then. Who's this scary person? Let's see if the name frightens us."
Satoru took a breath, his pale blue eyes locking onto Shanks's. He spoke the name like a fact, a promise, and a warning all in one.
"My backer is the Hero of the Marines. Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp. So, I'll ask again. Do you dare to do anything to me now?"
(End of Chapter)
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