Chapter 208: Shanks’ Grand Gamble!!
The Seas of the New World
The sky was a brilliant azure blue.
Thin clouds drifted like gauze while sunlight generously poured across the ocean, scattering into countless shimmering golden ripples.
The Red Force cut through the waves with its massive crimson dragon prow, sailing aimlessly across the sea.
The sound of the hull splitting the ocean was monotonous and endless.
It had already been three whole days…
And all they could see in every direction was sea after sea.
"Boss…"
Lucky Roux took a huge bite of meat, cheeks bulging as he spoke through a muffled mouthful.
"We've been drifting around for three straight days already! We haven't even seen the shadow of an island… this is torture!"
His round body turned toward the bow of the ship.
There, Red-Haired Shanks lazily leaned against the railing, letting the sea breeze ruffle his crimson hair.
A sake bottle dangled casually from his hand as he occasionally tilted his head back for a drink, looking completely relaxed.
"Don't be so impatient."
Shanks turned slightly, his voice carrying a lazy smile as the wind swept past.
"Isn't this kind of voyage more fun? Never knowing where the next stop will be…"
"That's what adventure is all about."
The utterly matter-of-fact expression on his face drew a collective sigh from the crew sprawled all over the deck.
Some shook their heads.
Others held their foreheads helplessly.
But every one of them wore the same familiar, indulgent smile.
What could they do?
On this ship, the course was always determined by the captain's reckless instincts.
"—Haaah."
A quiet sigh drifted out together with a cloud of smoke.
Benn Beckman slowly stepped out from the shadows near the cabin entrance, the cigarette at the corner of his mouth glowing faintly.
"I think you're being a little too relaxed about all this."
His calm voice was like a stone dropped into still water.
Lucky Roux immediately perked up, forgetting all about the meat in his hand.
"Beckman! How's Uta been lately? Did Gordon send any news?"
This had practically become an unspoken routine aboard the Red Force.
Every so often, Gordon from Elegia would contact them.
After all—
Uta had once been the crew's precious little princess.
And their "face-conscious" captain always pushed the responsibility of handling those conversations onto his vice-captain.
The moment the question was asked, every gaze on deck focused toward Beckman.
Even though Shanks still appeared casually leaning against the railing, the hand holding his sake bottle paused almost imperceptibly.
Beckman took in everyone's reactions before deliberately pausing for a moment.
Then he finally spoke.
"Uta, huh…"
"She got 'stolen away.'"
His tone carried obvious amusement as his gaze landed directly on Shanks.
"WHAT?!"
The deck instantly exploded into chaos.
The previously lazy atmosphere vanished completely, replaced by sudden fury.
"Who?! Which bastard dared lay a hand on Uta?!"
"That shameless piece of trash!"
"I'll chop him to pieces myself!"
"Captain! Give the order! Let that damn thief experience the wrath of the Red Hair Pirates!"
Amidst the furious uproar, only Shanks lifted a hand to his forehead.
"…There's more to that sentence, isn't there, Beckman?"
He looked up helplessly.
"The expression on your face already gave you away."
"Did it?"
Beckman finally stopped smirking and removed the cigarette from his lips.
The deck fell silent instantly.
Only the sounds of waves and fluttering sails remained.
Then he said clearly:
"The one who took Uta away…"
"…was Luffy."
For a brief instant, time itself seemed to freeze.
Even Shanks stared blankly for a moment, slowly lowering the hand from his forehead.
Under the burning stares of the crew, Beckman finally stopped dragging things out.
Putting the cigarette back into his mouth, he calmly recounted everything that had happened on Elegia.
.........
"If it's Luffy…"
"Then there's no problem at all!"
Lucky Roux let out a huge sigh of relief and immediately bit into his meat again.
That single sentence seemed to release all the tension on deck.
The atmosphere instantly became lively once more.
The crew's worry disappeared, replaced by a strangely emotional sense of relief—
Almost like seeing a daughter finally get married.
Beckman slowly walked over beside Shanks and leaned against the damp railing.
Exhaling a long stream of smoke, he lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear.
"This news will probably reach the Five Elders very soon."
"Uta's Devil Fruit ability is a thorn in their idea of 'stability.'"
Turning his head slightly, he stared sharply at Shanks.
"From the World Government's perspective, you're the one who broke the agreement."
"What're you planning to do, Shanks?"
"Heh."
Shanks chuckled softly before tilting his head back and draining the remaining sake in one gulp.
The sound of swallowing echoed clearly through the brief silence.
He casually set the empty bottle aside.
When he looked up again, the usual carefree smile in his eyes had sunk into something heavy and deep like the ocean itself.
"So what?"
His voice wasn't loud.
Yet the surrounding air suddenly grew heavier.
"She's my daughter."
Shanks rose to his feet, casually resting his right hand upon the hilt of Gryphon.
It was a simple movement.
But an invisible sharpness seemed to unsheathe itself alongside it, slicing through the sea breeze.
"Anyone who dares touch her…"
"Can ask my sword for permission first."
The wind suddenly intensified, whipping through his red hair and cloak.
Even the natural leak of his aura caused the laughter on deck to subconsciously quiet down.
"Luffy's already grown strong enough to shoulder this sea."
Shanks looked toward the endless horizon, a sharp and exhilarated grin spreading across his face.
"I don't need to maintain that fragile 'balance' anymore."
Turning back toward Beckman, his eyes gleamed with the burning excitement of a gambler.
"Besides…"
"Hasn't that brat already been the World Government's biggest thorn in the side for ages now?"
"Adding Uta to the mix won't change anything. "
Beckman stared at his captain silently.
The cigarette between his fingers flickered in the wind, ash growing longer and longer.
After a long while, he slowly shook his head before finally raising a thumbs-up with a helpless smile.
"You really are…"
"A gambler to the core."
He flicked away the ash and glanced toward Shanks' empty sleeve, his tone complicated.
"One arm wasn't enough…"
"And now you're betting your daughter too?"
——————————
Time passed swiftly between crashing waves and clashing blades like sand slipping through fingers.
In the blink of an eye—
Only three days remained until the promised date.
The Outer Waters of Amazon Lily
On a deserted island—
Heavy Seastone shackles clanked loudly with every movement.
Standing in the center of an open clearing, Luffy rolled his neck slightly.
A provocative grin spread across his handsome face.
"So…"
"Who's first?"
Everyone present twitched at the corners of their eyes simultaneously.
The instant his words fell—
A blazing blue-white bolt of lightning exploded across the ground!
With the shriek of electricity tearing through the air, a figure blasted past the sound barrier and appeared beside Luffy in an instant.
"I seriously… CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE, YOU IDIOT CAPTAIN!!"
Sanji's furious roar exploded together with violent thunder!
His black dress shoe carried enough terrifying heat to split mountains apart as it tore through the atmosphere toward Luffy's head.
At the critical moment—
A strange crimson gleam flashed through Luffy's eyes.
His Observation Haki had already fully predicted the attack trajectory.
Without hesitation, his right foot smashed into the ground.
Dark red lightning burst wildly around his body as Conqueror's Haki Infusion wrapped around his leg.
Then he launched a brutally direct upward kick!
BOOOOOOM—!!!
Thunder and Haki collided head-on!
Blue-white lightning and dark crimson arcs intertwined violently as compressed shockwaves exploded outward in a spherical blast, instantly tearing apart and pulverizing everything within dozens of meters.
Sanji's pupils shrank violently.
His right leg felt as though it had shattered apart.
His entire body transformed into an uncontrollable streak of lightning, blasting backward through seven or eight giant trees before finally smashing clean through the center of a distant rocky hill.
Broken stones rained everywhere.
A few moments later—
Sanji slowly walked back out of the smoke with both hands in his pockets, desperately maintaining a cool posture despite the visible twitch of pain at the corner of his mouth.
Glancing toward the eager Yamato and the observing Law, he forced out a warning through gritted teeth:
"Be careful…"
"This bastard's Conqueror's Haki is completely ingrained into him now…"
"Every single attack is coated with Conqueror's Haki Infusion!"
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