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Shanks has spent his entire childhood on the ship of the man known as the Pirate King to the entire world. From infancy to teen, he sailed the seas on it, seeing a vast amount of islands and having lots of adventures. He was on it, even before that man was granted the title, when the only names he carried where ‘Gol D. Roger’ and ‘Captain’, when the government saw him as a threat on the same level as Whitebeard, Big Mom and Kaido, not one even greater than them. By right alone, Shanks should’ve been there when they reached the legendary island ‘Laugh Tale’, should’ve seen what the ‘One Piece’ is. He’s a Roger Pirate. Roger Pirates are said to be in the know, are pursued almost as much as their captain for that fact. It’s only natural, that he wanted a part of the cake too then, so even though he acted as if it didn’t bother him, he secretly blamed Blue for falling ill and denying it to him.
That is, until he caught one of those in the know, right after Roger’s execution, drinking himself into oblivion and spilling the beans as soon as Shanks carefully prodded. He made sure the guy couldn’t tell anyone else after. Doesn’t matter if he recognized Shanks as one of his own, even with alcohol dulling his senses. He couldn’t risk the possible leak of information. It’s too valuable. Too many candidates could appear, that would stand in his way to reaching his goal.
It’s then, when he started planning and he never thought this would be a project for a lifetime, but throwing over the World Government isn’t a thing you do in one night either. Roger couldn’t do it. He didn’t have enough time left, his lifespan waning even before they found the location of ‘Laugh Tale’! He took his remaining time to form a new age. Shanks will do it in his stead! He’ll unite the world under his rule and bring it the ‘One Peace’ it’s been waiting for, for eight-hundred years!
It was a slow progress, from the scrawny teen who just lost his captain, to having a crew with strong individuals, that is widely recognized and feared by many and it took even longer to gather allies, getting other crews to see him as their leader and build his fleet. The shadow of once having been a member of the Pirate King’s crew always loomed over him, made it harder to gain the trust of those his former captain started fights with and frightened those seeing only a monster in the man. Years were spent only on letting people forget little Red on Oro Jackson and see Akagami no Shanks, captain of his own crew and rising star in the world of pirates instead. Enough to make him realize, that this is not how it will work. No matter what he does, he will need to follow what has been told on ‘Laugh Tale’, needs to make the prophesied time be now, or his plan will fail inevitably. Humans, no matter how many, can’t make up for the powers of a god.
So he spent the next few months reading Devil Fruit encyclopedias, comparing the powers gained through them with those of the god told of in the history of the void century. Many of his men saw the sudden interest in books as odd, didn’t comment on it though, as he always tended to be a bit different to the usual person. His constantly bad mood after another fruitless session was expected at some point, as was the random order to find out the locations of certain Devil Fruit Users with the weirdest powers in relation to the sun, or altering reality in some way or another. What was received with more raised eyebrows, was the demand to show every Devil Fruit, found by either his own men or one of his allies, to him, before being consumed by anyone. Before that, whoever saw it first was the sole owner of it and could do with it whatever they wanted. A fact that was only common on certain ships, like Whitebeard’s or Roger’s and made Shanks stand out.
It didn’t help. Not a single one was matching what he was looking for, except for a few candidates that were nowhere to be found, or proved themselves as wrong in some other way. And then, one night while being hunched over another encyclopedia, it hit him, that only having the Devil Fruit won’t be enough! If it were that easy, the god would’ve resurrected a long time ago! Would’ve brought the promised time sooner and not waited hundreds of years, in which the World Government could get stronger and solidify their position!
No, only having the Fruit itself wouldn’t help in Shanks’ plan. He needed someone to unleash its full power, someone to be a vessel to the god and preferably being faithful to Shanks, or they could become a problem to him in the future. He was pretty sure he didn’t have the Freedom in himself needed for that, his thoughts shackled by the plans he wanted to see fulfilled. It would’ve been a waste on him, or anyone of his men. They all lacked the mindset to awaken the playful being resting in the Fruit.
Which meant he would need a suiting vessel too!
More searching. More time spent roaming the seas looking for things his crew didn’t even know they were looking for. Shanks is a cautious man. He wouldn’t risk blabbermouths. His actions were already enough of an indicator for the World Government, the Gorosei or even Imu themselves, to figure out his motives. He didn’t need more things pointing to it, more people to stand in his way.
Wherever they went, he kept an eye out for young, impressionable minds, with a playful spirit, that could be possible candidates for becoming a vessel, on top of the other things he already did, because without one, his whole plan wouldn’t work in the first place. It was just as important as the Fruit itself and why do one thing after the other, if he could do it at the same time? It only spared him from visiting places twice.
But, finding one such youth was easier said than done, cause his captain’s words may have made people go out and be pirates to follow their dreams of finding the One Piece, but the original kind of pirate still existed, which meant lots of pillaging and raiding and killing done and the free ones, those not following the usual order and trying to stand up for the sake of their own, were the first to be found dead, with a knife in their stomach or a slit throat. The mad ones didn’t stop, even when children were involved.
So Shanks had a hard time finding what he was looking for, again, and it made him frustrated. How was he to get this thing done, if stones kept getting in his way?
Then, they came upon a small, seemingly unimportant village on an island in the East Blue – which had the fitting name of ‘Dawn’ – where he did find someone fitting the criteria he made. Monkey D. Luffy, a ‘D’ just like his captain and Garp’s grandson on top. A young boy with a heart too big for his little body and a mind far away from his peers, always smiling, always seeing the good in things, but pretty stupid too. Or rather simple-minded. Not thinking about the ill intentions someone could have, as shown by the way he immediately became friends with the pirates randomly appearing in his village one day. All things perfect for what Shanks was searching for. No hostility or guard to get over, so he could immediately start making the boy what he needed him to be, in between his continued search for the Fruit. He gained his complete and undeniable trust, the stories and adventures he spoke of like the words of a saint to this child, always received with eager. Always ready to do whatever Shanks asked of him, may it be stupid or pointless. At some point, it didn’t matter anymore.
Any less willed man would’ve fallen for the kid’s kind nature, would’ve rethought any plan involving manipulating the little guy, after spending some time with him. Shanks’ own men started loving him on their fist day in Foosha, taken in by the absolute innocence following him around everywhere and the sun-like smile he loved to greet them with. It helped disguise his sudden attachment to the boy too. Why he all of a sudden decided to spend so much time with a kid.
Shanks couldn’t have asked for a better vessel! He was sure, Nika would approve too!
Not a single ally was informed of Luffy’s existence. They would’ve blabbered and rumours of Akagami no Shanks having a kid would’ve spread. It would’ve put Luffy in danger, not only through the Navi – though he was sure Garp could’ve taken care of that – but through other pirates aiming to get a bargaining chip against such a renown pirate – an Emperor to be – too. He even clapped his own shoulders for having made sure, only his most trusted crew members were present with him during the search and only allowing them to accompany him, whenever he went back to Foosha.
But his search wasn’t over yet. He had found one of the things he needed, but the other, the more important one, was still missing. That was, until he got the reports of a ship from the World Government with Cipher Pool agents carrying a Devil Fruit, whose powers it was supposed to grant didn’t match that kind of security at all and he knew, he just knew, this was it! This was the one he’d been searching for! Putting all of his resources into delaying it enough to catch up with it on the Red Force, he snatched it from right under the Government’s noses and made absolutely sure no one was following him on his way back to Dawn. The whole time, he kept it close to him, making sure none, not even his own men, knew where it was at any time of the day and while holding it, he could almost feel the being resting inside it. Maybe due to knowing what to look out for, maybe because Nika could feel his intentions to set him free and projected his presence outward for him to notice. He didn’t know and he didn’t care either. He needed to get it to Luffy, make him eat it and then start training him, so one day, he could awaken the powers of the Sun God.
It never got to that. The eating part was alright. The Fruit itself took care of that, like Zoan types love to do and with how eager the drums had felt in his hand when it came into the presence of the kid, he wasn’t surprised it did. He made the right call at that part. But then the whole incident with the bandits happened and when the leader took Luffy, the only thing Shanks’ mind screamed was: ‘Protect the vessel! Protect it, or you’ll have to start all over!’ He did. He put himself between Luffy and a Sea King, losing an arm for the foolishness of forgetting the existence of Haki in the heat of the moment.
It made him realize, that there’s no way his vessel could gain strength, if he’s there to protect it from such things all the time. You become stronger by overcoming situations on you own and wanting to be stronger. His own captain had made sure to beat that into him enough times, he could’ve hit himself for forgetting it. So that meant saying goodbye for now – but only after secretly making a Vivre Card out of a strand of black hair and binding Luffy even more to himself through a promise and a hat. A hat he had no real reason to carry anymore, after deciding he had no interest in being the Pirate King like his late captain, but wanting more, so he wasn’t that sad to see it go and it would make a great reminder to the kid. A visualisation of his own words to the man he sees as his idol.
It was a lot of waiting from there. The drawback of choosing a child to be your leading role. A seven year old can’t be your main fighter, he needs to grow into his powers first, needs to learn what the world out there is like, before he returns into your caring arms and follows your orders to the point. Judging by the ever changing form of the Vivre Card, sometimes sizzling, sometimes shrinking, but always returning to its original size, there were a lot of things to be learned. A lot of dangers and fights to be overcome. Sometimes his heart would skip a beat at a huge chunk turning to ashes beneath his fingers, fear for his plans, for what he build gripping his lungs and squeezing them. What if he made the wrong choice? What if he’ll loose his ace? Then it would return and he’d breath lighter, knowing this was a part of a necessary process.
And grow Luffy absolutely did.
Shanks was delighted, when he saw the first Bounty Poster. The strongest in his own sea in a matter of weeks. Then the news of Crocodile having fallen hit, right after one of his informants reported having seen ‘Straw Hat Luffy’ in Alabasta. And then the Straw Hats declared war on the World Government in Enies Lobby… The kid was blasting his way from a Rookie to being a man known to the entire world in half a year, which told of his strength and resolve to reach his dream no matter what and keep the promise he made to Shanks years ago. Things were looking good.
Until he was occupied with Kaido for a little too long, during which the Straw Hats were separated in Sabaody after punching a Celestial Dragon and Ace was announced to be executed. Things only got worse from there.
The Red Force raced towards Marineford, Shanks wanting to honour the man who’d raised him one last time, by saving his son, maybe gain a favour or two from old Newgate in the process, one eye always on the continuously shrinking piece of paper labelled with the name ‘Nika’. It had been a relieve to see it was still there, after he got the message, but its condition worsened for the last few days and if he didn’t need to show the Marines what openly messing with pirates meant, he would’ve followed it to its owner instead. Like this, he had to hope Luffy would be okay until he had the time for him.
He just wished it wouldn’t lead in the direction they’re sailing into anyway. Nika’s vessel was not ready yet for the battlefield that was Marineford. Too many strong foes, that would usually only roam the New World, resided there. Too much chaos to keep an eye on. Too many who’d see the familiar way it would treat him. Not to mention the Admirals, that would immediately be ordered to kill it, if its true nature were revealed. The False Dragons would be warned. His whole plan with years and years of preparation, would be made useless.
In the end, he was as lucky as he was unlucky. He arrived too late to save either Fire Fist or Whitebeard, but Luffy was already gone too, critically injured but in the hands of the best doctor the world had to offer, so Shanks concentrated on what needed to be done, ending the War and announcing a new era. Then he spent more time watching the Vivre Card crumble to the size of a pinhead, during the whole funeral of the two great pirates, only to slowly reform over the next few weeks and knew, there was no need to get further involved, even without the newspaper reporting of another sighting of Straw Hat. Better get back to his allies and relay more orders. He felt that the time would be soon. They needed to be ready for it.
It still took two more years for Luffy to show up again, defeat Doflamingo, invade Big Mom’s territory to bust a wedding and challenge Kaido of all people to a fight, for him to finally awaken the powers of Nika. Shanks had laughed, when he felt the Haki signature race across the sky, announcing the rebirth of a god.
Now, he drives his men forward, silently calling the wind to aid their ship in its travel through the wild waters of Wano. Yasopp has taken lookout duty, while Benn and Lucky Roux keep him company on the deck, as he walks up and down, shooting glances towards the fortress that is the home to the proud Samurai people. It’s time he claims his price! He’s been waiting for so long! Has pulled all these strings to get to it.
“Ya haven’t slept for days, Chief. Sure ya don’t wanna lay down a bit? It’s still a little ‘till we get there.” Hongo climbs the stairs up to them and flops into the chair next to Benn. “We’re all eager to see little Anchor again, but it won’t help if ya can’t keep yar eyes open when we get there.”
“I’m surprised he even wants to meet him.” Benn mumbles, not having looked away from Shanks for a single second since they settled down on this part of the ship. “Not after everything that happened with the Barto-Club guy.”
“The captain of a Grand Fleet doesn’t control every single move his allies do.” To be honest, he was outraged, when he was told of his flag being burned down by one of Luffy’s people. The brat dared declare war on him? Shanks, who gave him his powers and made him who he is now? Then he met the guy responsible and knew immediately, that it had been an independent act and not something his vessel ordered. He got what he deserved for challenging an Emperor.
“Tell that to yourself.” Lucky Roux laughs, biting into his drumstick. “You even tell them what time they are supposed to eat, while they’re on one of your missions.”
“Good thing you aren’t part of them then. You’d starve to death.” Hongo teases.
“You might be right about that!”
Shanks laughs with them, the elation of his plans bearing fruit not having left him yet, but he doesn’t follow Benn’s advice. There’s no way he could rest now of all times. He’s tempted to go the what’s left of the way on his own. He’d be a lot faster that way. Hm… maybe he’ll do just that.
“Make sure not to wreck the ship, guys. I’ll go on ahead!” The last thing he hears is a ‘Hey, not fair Chief!’, before the wind caused by using Geppo beats in his ears and he climbs the sky. He prides himself as a patient man. The years and years he’s waited for this moment, the moment when he can collect his spoils, are proof of that. But even a patient man wants to see results at some point, so he doesn’t care about what his crew might think in this moment. About how they might gossip about his unusual behaviour. He wants to see it! Now!
It takes way too long to reach the capital city, always following the piece of paper, that hasn’t left his side for the last twelve years. He’s already feeling age slowly gnawing away at his strength, though he hasn’t even reached his forties yet. He’ll have to act soon, or his own body betraying him will be what stops him in the end. If things get really hairy, he’ll have to find a certain Surgeon of Death. Not that that will be any problem, once he has Nika by his side. Maybe he’ll do it anyway. One Peace can only be maintained with a strong leader on the top and he doesn’t trust anyone to keep it the same as he will. And if his informant is right, the Heart Pirates are here in Wano too. It will be easy to have a ‘talk’ with their captain.
He settles down somewhere in the outskirts of the city and releases a pulse of Haki to make his position known. He knows he’d already been noticed before by some people, cause he never bothered to hide his presence in the first place, but that way said people know he’s noticed them too and wants to talk, not fight. It will also teach Luffy to know and recognizing his Haki signature and respond to his calls. He has used his Conqueror’s a few times when he was a kid – not much, just little bursts that can’t do anything – to ingrain the feeling into the kid’s brain and make him accept it more easily.
And just like he planned, it takes only a few minutes for a bright ball of rubber to appear over the edge of the city, flanked by three others Shanks recognizes as Roronoa Zoro, Vinsmoke Sanji and Jinbe.
Shanks’ first thought, when he sees the boy he groomed to be his ultimate weapon, is disappointment. He looks just like always. Chest and arms still bandaged from the wounds he received in the fight against Kaido and dressed in a celebratory kimono, but still like the young pirate he’s recently seen a lot in the newspaper. Not the divine white form, the one of the Sun God, depicted by his new Bounty Poster, which Shanks had taken in with absolute glee a few days ago. Not even a flicker of it. Black hair, dark eyes. A human just like any other.
He has not much time to think about that though, cause he’s immediately tackled to the ground by a rubbery body, his name being shouted happily into the night sky.
“Don’t attack another Emperor so soon, rubber for brains! We need some more time to recover from the last two!” Vinsmoke grumbles but smiles at the antics of his captain. He’s not seeing an enemy in Shanks. Neither are the other two, standing relaxed a few feet away and watching the reunion with fond eyes. Good. More allies are always better. Especially strong ones like these. His vessel did good to collect them.
“It’s been so long!” Luffy grins and finally lets him stand up again, taking the hat from a string around his neck, presenting it. “But I’ve kept my promise! I’ve kept your hat save and became a great pirate with a crew that can rival yours Shanks!”
Cheeky brat. “I’ll give you the first part, since Emperor is quite an impressive title. But the second still has to be debated on.” It’s not like Shanks really cared what the promise was about. He just used it as a motivator. And the hat… what to do about the hat? He takes it, turns it this way and that, thinking, then puts it on Luffy’s head with a huff. “It’s yours now! You’ve earned it!” He doesn’t want it back. It feels like his old captain looking down on him, if he would wear it again. “And how can you be called ‘Straw Hat Luffy’ without a straw hat?” Well, he’ll be known by another name pretty soon. But until then, it’s more effective to work with the fame.
Luffy looks at him with big eyes, one hand reaching up to touch the brim, as if not believing that it’s supposed to be his own possession now. Then he bursts into tears and yeah, why is Shanks surprised? He’s known the kid when he was still a child and prone to letting his emotions flow. That’s not something new.
He gets a long, wet hug, littered with grateful cries and denials of being a crybaby when it’s mentioned. Vinsmoke and Jinbe share knowing looks, choosing not to say a word. Only when Roronoa clears his throat, do the tears dry and Shanks is able to sigh quietly in relieve. This is what he wanted – and it’s also what was needed, going by who Nika wanted as his vessel – but he’s not a fan of all the emotions. He prefers clear rules and orders, that are fulfilled without a question asked. Not this… chaos. It’s been too long since he’s been exposed to the mess that is Luffy.
“So… Kaido, huh?” He wrangles the conversation in the direction he wants it to go. “Finally gave him that beating he’s wanted for years.”
“It was glorious!” Vinsmoke chuckles and that prompts the entire story of what happened here in Wano, from the day the Straw Hats first set foot into the country, to Kaido’s final defeated cry, as he was send far into the ground beneath. Luffy mostly does the visuals and sound effects, while his men explained, until they get to his last confrontation against the former Emperor. That’s where things get interesting for Shanks. Everything else was only a repetition of what he already knows.
“...and then that CP0 guy interfered, so Kaido hit me head on! It was really quiet after.” Luffy pouts as he says it, like he’s still peeved about it, then it turns into a wide, toothy grin. “But it’s okay, cause then I was the freest and everything was fun and I kicked his ass!”
There it is. “The freest you say?”
“Yeah! Wanna see?”
So easy to manipulate. “Of course!” His heart pounds in anticipation. Finally! Finally!
But then, to his surprise, Roronoa of all people steps forward, before Luffy can so much as move, a glimmer of concern shimmering in his eyes, that is gone so fast, you could think it was a trick of the light.
“You’re still injured, captain.”
Luffy sends him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, I’m not fighting! Don’t want to make Chopper worry after all!” And then, white bleeds into his hair. His clothes lose their colour, a halo forms around his head and his eyes turn a startling red, almost pink. And Shanks knows, feels the presence of the divine being infront of him, but he can’t believe it! Can’t believe, that the waiting is over! That his plans can finally be put in motion! That the World Government’s fall and the One Peace achieved through it, are only mere weeks, maybe months away! He’s won! He has won!
Then, the form disappears and Luffy flops to the ground, groaning. “Damn, I’m still too tired to hold it for long!”
“No wonder, you almost died three times that night.” Vinsmoke grumbles, forcefully lighting a cigarette, visible calming himself. Shanks saw the way he and the other two startled at the transformation, apparently being privy to it for the first time and not having expected the sight.
“Chopper said, that last time I was really dead.”
“Even more of a reason to take it slow for now.”
He still stares at empty space, not able to believe what he’s just heard.
It’s not ready yet? Nika can’t fully use his vessel, even after Luffy became strong enough to beat Kaido? But… but how was he supposed to use that power, if it’s still attached to human limitations? Is he missing something? He must be! The story of the Void Century clearly told of the Sun God decimating entire armies on his own! And Nika chose Luffy to be the carrier of his power and will! They are the perfect fit!
..or so he thought.
There’s not much more time to think about these things. Just in that moment, another presence makes itself known with Haki. A tremendously powerful one. And it’s approaching fast!
The three Straw Hats react immediately, taking a protective stance in front of their captain, only for Vinsmoke to push Roronoa back with a hissed, ‘You’re still injured too, idiot!’
Shanks turns slowly, already recognizing the Admiral from a past encounter they had. He’s not worried. The guy is a lot weaker than him. He could take him with his eyes closed and wouldn’t even break a sweat. No, his mind isn’t even on Ryokugyu. It’s on how he can use him, to judge what his vessel is capable of. If he knows the amount of strength Nika possesses, he might still be able to work with his plans, after some tweaking here and there.
“Luffy!” He says, knowing more than seeing the way the other captain perks up at being called. “Want to show me what a great pirate you’ve become, by kicking this guy’s ass?”
“What?” Vinsmoke immediately protests. “You can’t be serious! He’s still hurt!”
“That didn’t hold him back, when Ace was concerned.” By the way silence greets his words, he knows he’s hit a good spot. “I’m sure if this guy were to threaten his friends, he wouldn’t hesitate a second to protect them, no matter how injured he is.” There’s still hesitation rolling off of Luffy in waves and he mumbles something concerning his doctor and meat, so Shanks fixes him with his eyes, gives him the most ‘Scared?’ expression he can do and says, “I’m here to take over, if it’s too much! You can stop any time!” Of course, there’s no way any real pirate would back-off from the fight now. And just like he predicted, Luffy ignores the pleading looks of his cook and helmsman and the slightly alarmed one of his vice and steps forward, just as Ryokugyu enters the area.
“Well, well, well!” The Admiral chuckles. “Looks like I don’t even need to search. My prey showed itself on its own.” He eyes Shanks with a wary look. “Though admittedly, I didn’t expect another Emperor to be here with it.”
He lifts his hand placatingly. “Act like I’m not here! You’re all his!”
He gets araised eyebrow in return, that turns into a shrug, when he takes a few steps back and indicates the other Straw Hats to do the same. They comply, though they hate doing it. He keeps an eye on them during the fight, to make sure they won’t interfere, while the rest of his attention is on it. It’s impressive, even before Luffy turns into Nika and starts to bend reality to his will. It shows how much he’s grown since he’s last seen him and why it had to be him with the Fruit for Nika to finally resurrect. He still has the imagination of a child, even at the end of his teens, has found the weirdest ways to use his rubber body, that Shanks would’ve never come up with himself and his Gears do a great job of keeping an Admiral on his toes, even while being injured.
Shanks still knows, there’s no way his vessel can beat Ryokugyu without Nika’s powers, so he waits patiently for the moment Luffy realizes that himself and accesses it. Again, the shine of divinity lights up the space around them. But this time, it stays for more than a few seconds, blesses them with chaos incarnate in the form of bending what shouldn’t bend, throwing the laws of physics out of the window entirely. The air is filled with laughter and the beat of drums he recognizes as the Drums of Liberation, said to accompany the Sun God everywhere. Ryokugyu gets one or two good hits in, but they do nothing more than make his opponent’s body stretch, absorb the attack until it’s nothing more than a tickle. Meanwhile he gets thrown around like a rag doll, looking like nothing more than a toy in front of this powerful being. He has no chance! It’s glorious! Shanks could lose himself in the sight... if there wasn’t the distracting muttering of Roronoa, Vinsmoke and Jinbe.
“...get Chopper here, so he can check him over.”
“I can do that. I assume, from what I’ve heard, Zoro would only get lost again.”
“Thanks Jinbe! I knew you would fit right in!”
“What is that supposed to mean, shitty cook?”
“It means, it’s good he knows not to let you do directions, stupid swordsman!”
“My sense of direction is great!”
“Only you think that!”
They’re annoying! He can’t enjoy his triumph the way he deserves like this! But he can’t make them leave either, not without using force to do so. Instead, he sends them a tiny burst of Conqueror’s Haki, to make them shut up. That does work, they instantly fall silent, looking around like they’re expecting to be attacked at any moment. The sight amuses him. They still have a lot to learn.
He turns his attention back to the fight, catches the moment Nika slams the Admiral into the ground – without it bouncing him back up – and lands beside him, breathing heavily. His Kimono, bleached white by the divine powers, has a crimson stain at its front, that slowly gets bigger. Some of his wounds must have reopened. The stain quickly disappears into the red of the fabric, when he slumps forward, losing control over the transformation.
“That’s… as far... as I can go… right now.” He huffs, looking completely exhausted.
Shanks smiles, approaches him and claps him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll work on it!” His worry had been unwarranted. Even with the timely limited strength of the Sun God, Luffy is immensely powerful! Some work on his endurance and everything will be just as Shanks needs it!
“Don’t chat like I’m already done!” The having-become-unnecessary Admiral groans, lifting himself out of the rubble his impact has caused. He’s nothing more than an annoying bug now, so Shanks draws Gryphon and in one fluid motion, beheads him.
Silence reigns, the only sounds Luffy’s gasps of air, and the dead body hitting the ground.
Then. “Did he just kill an Admiral?”
“He’s a pirate. What did you expect?”
“That’s not what I’m going at, mosshead! It was an Admiral!”
“And he’s an Emperor! What did you expect?”
“Luffy did most of the work!” Shanks quickly intervenes before they can start another tirade. “And I think he might need- Chopper was his name, right? Your doctor?”
Jinbe nods, ever the one to understand implications with ease and starts making his way back to the city, so Shanks turns to the other two.
“Could you have a look in the area? I don’t trust him to have come alone. He probably brought some guys from CP0 with him.”
Vinsmoke hums. “I don’t sense anyone. But those guys are pretty good at masking their presence, so that doesn’t say anything. Let’s go moss! I don’t want anyone to interrupt the fun beautiful Nami-san and Robin-chan are having right now!”
“Don’t order me around!” The green-head bites back, but his eyes quickly settle back on Shanks. “What about Luffy?”
“I think I’m capable of defending against anyone that might come for him, until your crewmates are back.”
A sharp nod and a ‘Don’t you dare let him get more hurt!’ is everything Shanks gets, before he’s alone with the younger captain.
“Well then.” He says, exhaling a long breath. “Let’s get you to Hongo, so he can have a look at that wound.”
Luffy perks up, confusion putting a frown on his face. “Didn’t Jinbe just go to get Chopper?”
“Yeah, but the others really want to see you, so I thought, why not put the two things together? I’ll make Benn call your friends, so they know where you are.”
“Oh, okay!” Gullible as ever. Not even thinking about the fact, that there’s no way the Red Hairs have the Den Den number of the Straw Hats. It’s to Shanks’ advantage now. Well, it has always been to his advantage. Otherwise, getting Nika’s vessel to follow his orders without asking would’ve been a lot more work.
He lets the boy climb on his back, something he’d done often when he was still a kid and elicits a giggle now, as it had back then, makes sure he holds on tight – sometimes the loss of his arm still annoys him – and starts his way back to the Red Force. The Surgeon of Death can wait for another time. He wants to get this price home as fast as possible.
They’ve only come as far as the outskirts of Udon, when a heavy presence slams into his back, full of betrayal, rage and guilt. Oh, so one of the kids has Conqueror’s Haki too! Interesting! It’s neither controlled, nor strong at such a range, but it is enough to get Luffy’s attention, who immediately shifts on his back.
“Zoro!” He mumbles.
“He probably found an enemy.” Shanks quickly says, before the suggestion of turning back can come up. They noticed faster than he had planned, but they’d never be able to catch up to them.
“Strange. Zoro never feels like that.” A yawn.
“You sure you’re not just too tired to feel it right?”
“Hm… could be.” He feels a face burying itself in his neck. “It’s nice to have Shanks back. ‘s been so long.”
“Too long!” He agrees wholeheartedly. “Don’t worry, there’ll be nothing to keep me away from you any more! We have all the time in the world!”
“Really? You won’t go anywhere this time? Promise?” The words are almost not audible. The bundle on his back is already half-asleep.
“Not without you! Promise!” Knowing there’s no way Luffy will remember it, he adds. “You’re mine now, Nika! It’s time we take down the ones who have been on top of this world for too long and lead it the One Peace it’s been longing for! Just fulfil my orders and everything will turn out as it should!”