One Piece: From Picking Up Red Hair's Broken Arm

Chapter 189 Red Hair, I Don't Mind Taking Your Other Arm!
Blackrock City, the largest tavern.

In the dim light of the night, the louvered door was suddenly pushed open.

"Hey! Boss! Bring out all the liquor from your cellar. I need to entertain my guests. Remember, I said all of it!"

Amidst loud laughter, Shanks walked confidently to the bar, casually stacked a large pile of Berries on it, startling the bartender.

This startled all the guests in the tavern, who all turned to look.

"It's Lord Shanks! Didn't you and your men say you were leaving today? Why are you back?"

The boss, beaming as he collected the money, boldly asked a question.

"Well..."

Shanks scratched his head. "Because we met some important guests. We originally planned to have a banquet on the ship, but it was raining quite heavily, so we decided to come here instead..."

An important guest?
The pirates in the tavern looked at each other in bewilderment. Who could be the guest that Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, would value so highly?
Just then, the louvered door was pushed open again.

A cold wind mixed with rain poured in, and a tall, slender figure in black slowly stepped in. His black hair was wet with rain and casually stuck to his forehead, but it could not hide his sharp, knife-like eyes.

After he calmly swept his gaze across the room, the entire tavern fell silent.

"Hey, Shanks!" Shanks waved enthusiastically. "Over here, over here!"

Xia Nuo nodded slightly and strode away. Behind him, the crew members of the Fallen Ones filed in one after another, followed by the executives of the Red-Haired Pirates.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the pirates finally dared to whisper among themselves.

"It really is Xia Nuo, the world's greatest swordsman!"

"What the hell? How come these two are showing up together, and they seem to get along quite well..."

"Could it be that they are going to join forces to attack the other four emperors?"

"Is the new world about to change?!"

That's just how the world is.

Even a casual action or a chance meeting by important figures can be magnified and meticulously analyzed once noticed.

"Never mind that!"

A seasoned and composed pirate whispered a warning, "The Red-Haired Pirates are one thing, but don't you know the Fallen Ones' ways of doing things?"

"This is no longer a place for us, let's go!"

The others then suddenly woke up.

According to rumors, this world's greatest swordsman doesn't seem to like calling himself a pirate and is quite rude to his fellow pirates.

So... it's better not to stay here and get in the way.

Immediately, many pirates quietly withdrew, while Shanks and Shano naturally had no time to pay attention to these gossips. The two sat down at the bar, and Shanks generously opened a barrel of liquor, pouring a large glass for Shano and himself.

"A toast to our meeting!"

Shanks grinned, raised his glass, and clinked it heavily with Shanks's, the golden liquid splashing as they collided.

"Respectfully we meet."

Xia Nuo laughed heartily, tilted his head back, and drank the entire glass of wine in one gulp.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually became lively.

The Red-Haired Pirates' officers and the male crew members of the Fallen Ones seemed to have become close friends, sharing amusing anecdotes from their voyage.

The girls, annoyed that the crew on Shanks' ship were all middle-aged men, decided to share a table. Nami slammed her hand on the table, yelling that she wanted to drink beer too, and was punched by Noji, before falling asleep on the table.

But regardless of which side they were on, they all tacitly tried to keep their distance from the bar, leaving ample space for the two captains.

"Hey, Shano."

Shanks' face was already slightly flushed. He leaned closer and whispered, "You noticed too, didn't you? Even though it was a chance encounter today, but... hiccup, there are some things I've actually wanted to ask you about for a while now..."

"What a coincidence."

Xia Nuo put down her wine glass. "Redhead, I also have something I want to ask you."

"I'll say it first!"

"I'll say it first!"

The two looked at each other.

"You speak first!"

"You speak first!"

"Stop!" Shanks rubbed his temples, exasperated. "Hey, come on, I'm the one who paid, give me some special treatment, let me go first..."

He considered it for a moment and then spoke:

“Unlike the other Yonko who are too arrogant and don’t know much about you, I’ve specifically gathered information about you and know some of what you said, what you said to Uncle Rayleigh in Sabaody Archipelago, and what the World Government covered up in Loguetown…”

"Logically speaking, even pirates should remember the principle of not speaking too intimately with casual acquaintances. I should keep this doubt to myself."

"But today... after personally experiencing the power of your Conqueror's Haki, I simply can't suppress the urge to get to the bottom of things."

Xia Nuo remained calm and poured himself a full glass of wine.

"Xia Nuo, what exactly are you trying to do? What is your goal?"

Shanks stared intently into his eyes. "You spout nonsense about ending the Great Pirate Era, but we both know, don't we? Where exactly does the root of this chaotic era's troubles lie...? I've seen it all from your actions, Shanks! Tell me! What you truly want to bring to a close is that place called the Heavenly Holy Land, but in reality, the Gates of Hell, isn't it?"

Xia Nuo drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

"Good wine..."

He smacked his lips in enjoyment, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Tsk, you figured it out, didn't you?"

really!

Shanks remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders and breathed a sigh of relief.

They are potential allies in the future!
but……

So impulsive, so young, so arrogant, just like myself back then.

Right now, they are also something that must be stopped!
“Well, there are some things I can say clearly now. Please hear me out, Xia Nuo.”

Shanks took a deep breath:

“We are essentially the same kind of people, but the absurdity and horror of this world are far beyond your imagination. There are many things that are not as simple as they appear on the surface.”

"I can feel your fighting spirit, but... it's not the right time! At least not now!"

"In the next few years, you will have a great future in the New World. I will not interfere with anything else, but please do not disrupt the hard-won stability, and do not recklessly challenge enemies you cannot defeat... Absolutely not! Before the time is right, that would be like a moth flying into a flame, understand?"

As he spoke, his voice unconsciously became more urgent, but he tried his best to control his emotions.

It seemed he didn't want to explain certain taboo matters clearly, yet he was also afraid that Xia Nuo would misunderstand his meaning.

however.

Unexpectedly, Xia Nuo's expression remained calm as ever, and he even laughed happily.

"Why are you getting nervous?"

Shanks smiled and poured him a glass of wine as well.

"Your reaction has finally given me some trust in your stance, and I'm no longer inclined to believe those speculations about your dark side... In fact, I was indeed curious about it before."

"What are you curious about?"

Shanks was taken aback.

"Why would someone like you willingly become a guardian of order?"

"Despite possessing the most powerful Conqueror's Haki and the strength to change the world, he has been preventing others from challenging this corrupt era, and has even become one of the representatives of this corrupt era himself..."

"The time isn't right yet? Are you setting up a stage, waiting for someone? Someone from the East Blue like me, but not named Shana?" He tilted his head slightly, as if joking, and said, "Hey, Shanks, did Roger think the same thing back in Laugh Tale?"

Shanks' pupils suddenly contracted, and he almost dropped the wine glass in his hand.

He stared intently at Xia Nuo, and the drunkenness on his face instantly dissipated.

"..." Shanks asked with difficulty, "How do you know all this?"

"Oh, that's a long story. I have a friend, or rather, a younger brother, in the East Blue, named Monkey D. Luffy."

Xia Nuo shrugged. "That guy is undoubtedly a brainless idiot, but he is absolutely convinced that he can become the Pirate King. He told me that a guy once saved his life, but that guy paid the price of losing an arm. In order to fulfill the promise, he has such a grand ambition."

"A member of the Roger Pirates, a great figure standing at the top of the world, lost an arm to a small sea king that even my sister Nami could easily defeat."

Shanks clicked his tongue. "Hey, Shanks, isn't this ridiculous... Shanks? Shanks?!"

no respond.

The hustle and bustle of the tavern seemed to freeze at that moment, the crew's conversation seemed to be in another world, and only the sound of raindrops tapping on the window remained.

"..."

Shanks gripped his glass tightly, his breathing became rapid, and fine beads of sweat kept appearing on his forehead.

"Looks like you also think it's too fake, right?"

Xia Nuo laughed and patted his somewhat stiff shoulder:

"I told you to relax, but why are you getting more and more nervous... Well, let me tell you something even more ridiculous. Before I met Luffy, I encountered that little sea king... Of course, for me, who was just a little boy at the time, it was a huge creature, but that's not the point!"

"The key point is that it couldn't digest something and vomited it in front of me. When I picked it up, I realized it was an arm, and on it, there was a pattern that looked like a pentagram!"

"At that time, I didn't know what the pattern represented."

Xia Nuo paused for a moment, then continued, "Until recently, a guy who claimed to be the vice-commander of the Holy Knights approached me. The pattern on their arms was exactly the same as that one. The most ridiculous thing is that the Celestial Dragon looked exactly like you."

"I seem to encounter all sorts of things."

Shank leaned against the bar, sighing softly, "So... should I keep calling you Red Hair, or should I kneel down and call you Saint Figarando Shanks, waiting for Nika to appear?"

"..."

Shanks remained silent for a long time, then suddenly tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful of wine, the liquid dripping down his chin.

He drank the entire glass of wine, then licked every last drop off the glass clean with his tongue before finally setting it down and staring intently at Xia Nuo.

"You," Shanks' voice was terribly hoarse, "Shamrock, Luffy, Nika... so you knew everything."

"Yes, I know everything, and you know everything too, don't you?"

Xia Nuo grinned. "You just said that you and I are essentially the same kind of people, but I don't think so. Do you know why?"

"Deep down, you're hesitant, fearful, and afraid! You can only wait, only want to pave the way, and only believe in the future you've gambled on!!"

He burst into loud laughter, the wine swirling violently in the glass, reflecting the boy's ferocious and unrestrained smile!
"But I've never believed in that bullshit thing called fate!!!"

Boom!
The wine glass was slammed heavily on the table. Shano got up and left the bar, walking outside. The crew of the Fallen Ones all got up and followed without hesitation.

"The wine is very good."

As Xia Nuo pushed open the louvered door, she paused, turned her head, and casually uttered her last words:

"Thank you for your hospitality, Redhead. I hope that next time we meet, we won't be in this relationship of constantly dissuading each other."

"Of course, at our level, our beliefs are not something outsiders can interfere with. You can continue to be your visionary strategist if you want, but don't interfere with me, and don't even think about stopping me."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't mind taking your other arm."

Bang!
The louvered door shook violently.

When Shanks looked up with a complicated expression, the wind howled and the rain poured down in the pitch-black night outside, and there was no trace of Shanks and the others.

……

Naval Headquarters, Marinevando.

Beneath the plaque that read "Rule the World with Justice," Sengoku's face was grim.

"What did you say? Shanks and Shanks ran into each other in Blackrock City?"

"Yes...yes, Marshal!"

The civilian adjutant in front of him stammered, "It's an urgent intelligence report just sent by the surveillance ship of the G-14 branch. This afternoon, the two ships met head-on outside the harbor and a brief conflict and exchange of fire broke out!"

"How is the result?"

According to eyewitnesses, both sides unleashed a crimson sword aura with earth-shattering power, even briefly altering the celestial phenomena. However, they ultimately did not engage in actual combat but instead stopped and began to converse...

"Crimson sword energy?" The Chief of the General Staff frowned deeply. "Roger's Divine Evasion... This Xia Nuo can do that too?"

This is a point that was never mentioned in previous intelligence reports.

Did you only learn it recently?
This is noteworthy!

However, compared to the significance behind this event, it's nothing.

"A Yonko, and another being who is almost at the level of a Yonko, suddenly meet in the New World and shake hands to make peace..."

He sighed softly, "Whatever they talked about, it's definitely not good news for the Navy."

"That's what I think too. Redhead has always been mysterious and his actions are hard to predict, and Shano also harbors great ambitions..."

Sengoku frowned, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. "These two are both so young, they're completely different from the other three Sea Emperors..."

Will they join forces?

Even if the collaboration between these two companies is only temporary...

Doesn't this all mean that the new world order is about to undergo a dramatic reshuffling?

"Damn it!"

Sengoku slammed his hand on the table, feeling agitated. The intelligence was still too little and too one-sided!

The Navy's control over the New World is far too weak. Without sufficient intelligence support, even he and Tsuru can only speculate wildly.

"Get the G-1 branch to cooperate and send out more surveillance ships!"

Sengoku issued a stern order, "Send out all the surveillance ships you can. In the coming days, do your utmost to monitor the movements of Shanks' forces! Report immediately if there is any disturbance!"

"Yes, Marshal!"

……

Blackstone City, night has fallen.

"Boss."

Beckman, a cigarette dangling from his lips, walked under the moonlight to the rooftop and sat down next to Shanks.

“Beckman…”

Shanks turned to look at him, his mood still somewhat downcast. "You're the one who knows the most about my plans among us. Have you ever thought that my choice was wrong?"

Beckman did not answer immediately, but instead took a deep breath and exhaled a long smoke ring, the embers flickering in the night.

"To be honest, at first, I definitely thought it was unreliable."

He gazed at the night sky and said leisurely, "To entrust the future of the world to a child... that's a bit strange, but Luffy is definitely different from others. I think we can wait until that day."

Shanks was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed and patted Beckman on the shoulder hard: "...Thanks, old buddy."

He didn't want to continue the topic, so he turned his gaze to the distant sea and casually asked:
"Let's not talk about Xia Nuo. That guy's strength is enough to qualify him to go his own way. As for his subordinates, how's your intelligence gathering going after spending time with them today?"

"Very strong."

Beckman answered without hesitation, then emphasized and added, word by word, "Very strong."

(End of this chapter)