Chapter 13: Departures
The Red-Haired Pirates, who had only planned to stay in Windmill Village for a short resupply, found two months had slipped by almost unnoticed.
In that time, a deep, unexpected affection had grown between the rowdy pirates and the peaceful villagers. The bond was most apparent between Shanks and Makino. Even Satoru wasn't entirely sure when it had happened, but the two had clearly grown close. To outsiders, they acted normally, but Satoru's perceptive eyes saw the subtle changes—the lingering looks, the slight flush on Makino's cheeks when Shanks laughed, the way Shanks's gaze softened when he spoke to her. Who had pursued whom first was a village mystery.
"Shanks! I want to go to sea with you! I'm gonna be a pirate!"
In Makino's bar, a young Luffy stood triumphantly on a chair, holding his glass of juice aloft as if making a grand declaration.
The entire tavern fell into a brief, stunned silence.
"Hahaha! Luffy!" Shanks boomed with laughter, pointing at the glass. "Pirates need to drink! You can't become a pirate on juice!"
Ever since learning Luffy was Garp's grandson, Shanks had taken a peculiar delight in whispering about the freedom and adventure of a pirate's life, carefully highlighting all the romantic, exciting parts. It was working. Luffy's childish dream of becoming a Marine to please his grandfather was being steadily eroded, replaced by visions of sailing under a Jolly Roger. The quickest path to that dream, in Luffy's mind, was joining Shanks's crew right now.
"Then how come Uta gets to be on your ship?!" Luffy protested, pointing an accusing finger at the girl sitting quietly at a corner table, sipping her own juice.
Uta, suddenly dragged into the argument, gave Luffy a flat, unimpressed look. I was just sitting here. Why are you dragging me into this?
"Because Uta is my daughter, Luffy," Shanks said, his smile turning warm and genuine as he looked at the girl. "It's different."
Though not related by blood, Uta was his in every way that mattered. Seeing Shanks's affectionate gaze, Uta smiled back, a sight that always made Shanks feel like his heart might burst. Love for Makino extended to the girl as well, and Makino, in her gentle way, had also taken to doting on Uta.
"Then how come it's okay for Satoru to drink milk?!" Luffy fired back, shifting his finger to where Satoru sat calmly at the bar, methodically working through a glass of milk. "You've asked him to join your crew a hundred times!"
Shanks's ongoing campaign to recruit Satoru was the worst-kept secret in the village.
Seeing the spotlight swing to him, Satoru didn't even glance up. He kept drinking his milk. Milk had calcium. Calcium was needed for growth. In a world where two-meter-tall men were commonplace, he had no intention of ending up a shrimp.
"Because Satoru is strong," Shanks stated simply. "If you had his strength, Luffy, I'd let you on the ship in a heartbeat."
"Damn it!" Luffy grumbled, utterly defeated. He plopped back into his chair and proceeded to chug his entire glass of juice in one sullen gulp.
"Hahaha! Luffy, you don't drink juice like that!"
"I don't need you to tell me how to drink!" Luffy snapped back, his pride wounded.
To Shanks, Luffy was like Uta—a real child, easy to tease and easy to soothe. Satoru was different. He was a fake child, one who kept ledgers of slights and would exact payback at the earliest possible opportunity.
"We'll be setting sail soon," Shanks said suddenly, his tone shifting as he walked over and leaned against the bar next to Satoru.
"Oh," Satoru replied, not looking up from his milk.
His utter lack of interest was palpable.
"Last chance," Shanks said, his voice low and earnest. "Sure you won't change your mind? Our ship's a good one. You'll regret missing out."
"I won't regret it," Satoru said, finally meeting his gaze. "I told you. I have no interest in being a pirate. And if I ever do become one, I'll be the captain. I don't take orders."
Shanks studied him, that intense, assessing look returning. "I don't know why... but you give off a unique feeling. Like you already see the future laid out in front of you, and you're just waiting for it to happen."
"Maybe," Satoru shrugged, his tone dismissive. "Or maybe I'll just get strong enough to do whatever I want."
He was aware of the strange, confident aura he projected. Different people sensed it differently, but it always made him stand out.
"I hope," Shanks said, his voice dropping further, "that one day, we won't have to be enemies."
"Who knows?" Satoru replied, his pale blue eyes utterly calm. "If you stand in my way in the future, Shanks, I'll take you down."
Silence crashed over the tavern once more, heavier than before. Even the sound of the sea outside seemed to hush. No one, not even the crew, had expected such a blunt, fearless challenge from the boy.
Luffy's jaw hung open. Makino froze, a glass halfway to the washing basin.
"You've got nerve, kid," Shanks said, his affable demeanor vanishing. A palpable, chilling pressure—a killing intent refined on the Grand Line—radiated from him, dropping the temperature in the room several degrees. "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you right now?"
"I am afraid," Satoru admitted, his voice not wavering in the slightest. He didn't flinch under the pressure. "But if you try and fail to kill me... I will kill you. Someday. That's a promise."
Their eyes locked—one pair burning with the intensity of a seasoned conqueror, the other cool and absolute as glacial ice. Neither looked away.
Seeing that unwavering resolve in Satoru's impossible eyes, Shanks knew it wasn't a bluff. The kid meant every word.
A beat passed.
Then, Shanks threw his head back and roared with laughter, the oppressive aura vanishing as suddenly as it had appeared. "HAHAHA! You're really, really something else, kid! Alright, men! Adventure calls! Time to see what the next island has for us!"
With that, he turned and strode out of the tavern, his crew filing out behind him, shooting bewildered looks back at the small boy at the bar.
Soon, the tavern was quiet again, leaving only Makino, a stunned Luffy, and Satoru, who had gone back to finishing his milk.
"Satoru," Makino finally breathed, her voice a mix of worry and scolding. "How could you talk to him like that? He's a pirate! A powerful one! What if he had actually... done something?"
Satoru set his empty glass down and turned to look at her, his head tilted. "But you were here, Sister Makino. I was sure you'd stop him."
Under the direct, knowing gaze of those pale blue eyes, Makino felt as if every little secret in her heart had been laid bare. A deep blush instantly spread across her cheeks.
(End of Chapter)
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