After retiring from the Navy, I became a doting husband.

According to Martin, Shanks is a generous and easygoing person who doesn't fuss over details and is often very casual in both his clothing and attitude.

He had a very good temper, always smiling, treating his subordinates equally, and never getting angry at others for being rude.

Now it seems that this future Yonko is indeed all smiles and very polite, not like a pirate, but more like a businessman, yet hiding a wild side.

"I am Shanks, may I ask your name, friend?"

"Martin, the knifemaker."

"Oh? You're a swordsmith? I don't think so. You have the aura of a swordsman."

"I only have a rudimentary understanding of swordsmanship."

"Heh, may I ask why you're hunting down Alvida?"

"This fat woman kidnapped people from our town and even tried to burn, kill, and plunder in the town. Pirates like that deserve to die."

"Martin, I've met Alvida once before, and she did do something wrong... Could you please do me the favor and let her go?"

Upon hearing Shanks's words, Martin didn't know what to say, but instead wanted to laugh: "He really is a man who ate the Face Fruit, expecting me to give him face as soon as we meet."

Shanks is a great guy in the pirate world, often saving people by saving face. He actually wanted to save Alvida just because he had met her once.

This is speechless.

Legend has it that in the world of One Piece there is a fruit that is not a Devil Fruit, but is more powerful than any other Devil Fruit. That fruit is the "Face Fruit".

The Face Fruit allows the user to gain face from any creature (even the sea). In most cases, the other party will give face and make concessions, and the Face Fruit will reward them accordingly. However, if the other party insists on not giving face, they will suffer varying degrees of damage, and in severe cases, they may even lose their lives.

The holder of the "Face Fruit" is Shanks.

Martin knew perfectly well that this was a metaphor, and also an affirmation of Shanks' strength and personal charisma.

This allows him to resolve many thorny issues simply by virtue of his "face," forcing even the Marine Headquarters to give him face, and even sea monsters have to respect him. Not only the Marine Headquarters, but even the Five Elders made time to meet with Shanks during the World Government Summit to give him face.

"Hey Shanks, dinner's ready. How about we eat and chat?"

On the Redford, bathed in the setting sun, someone was shouting loudly.

"Mr. Martin, would you do me the honor of having a meal with me?"

Seeing that the other party did not reply, Shanks smiled and invited them.

You can't hit someone who's smiling, especially since this is Shanks, one of the future Four Emperors. He's being so polite, already using his Face Fruit ability. Martin simply nodded: "Jason, you guys guard the ship. Kill anyone who dares to move!"

Just then, Shanks was also hungry, and his act of saving face came at the perfect time.

Shanks leaped lightly back onto the Redford, and Martin used Shave to appear beside Shanks.

"Oh? Shave, one of the Six Styles of the Navy?"

Shanks smiled, a different meaning appearing in his eyes.

"Welcome, Mr. Martin. Please come with me to the restaurant."

A man of medium build with naturally curly hair greeted them.

Yasopp!

Martin recognized the other man by his thick lips, except for his nose, because Yasopp and Usopp looked strikingly alike.

The other person also wore a headband with his name on it, a cloth collar shirt and trousers, and a flintlock pistol at his waist.

He looks quite energetic.

In my memory, Shanks first used the "Face Fruit" ability on his father, Usopp.

When Shanks approached Yasopp, he said to him, "So I'm asking him... I hope he'll do me a favor."

Yasopp soon abandoned his family and appeared on Shanks' ship, becoming Shanks' partner.

Martin followed Shanks and Yasopp into the ship's living room.

The dining table inside was already full of food. A fat man wearing small tinted sunglasses, a green hat, and a green and white striped shirt was tidying up the table, with a piece of meat in his mouth.

This is Lucky Roux, a nimble combat chef and one of the future Yonko executives.

Martin didn't stand on ceremony. He was hungry, so he ate. Why be polite with pirates? He then held a wine glass in his left hand and ate a large piece of meat with his right, sitting in a swaggering and unrestrained manner.

During the conversation, he even shared a few drinks with Shanks, who poured him several drinks in succession, showing him considerable respect.

Halfway through the meal, the overweight Alvida was brought aboard by the other crew members. Her body was wrapped in bandages, and upon seeing Martin, she immediately collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably, "Please forgive me, Mr. Martin, I know I was wrong..."

"Mr. Martin, what would it take for you to let Alvida go?"

Shanks, who was willing to mediate, asked, "If you have any requests, you can tell me. If you need money, I have some here too."

Martin put down the large bone club in his hand and said, "I'm not the kind of person who's short of money. I'll let this fat woman go if you'll let me."

"Find me a Devil Fruit."

Indeed, Martin went all out and made an outrageous demand.

"Devil Fruit? I do have a Gum-Gum Fruit here, but..."

Shanks nodded.

"What? The Gum-Gum Fruit!"

Martin almost lost control of his racing heart and forcibly suppressed his expression.

Are the rubber fruits still there?

Luffy probably hasn't eaten that amazing fruit yet.

You should know that after the Gum-Gum Fruit awakens, it becomes the legendary Nika Fruit, which can defy fate and change destiny. Whoever eats it will become the protagonist.

Back then, he also wanted to eat this fruit to change his life, but unfortunately, Shanks was homeless and his strength was too mediocre to handle him, so he had to give up.

It's even better to eat it now. Indeed, this fruit has many benefits for dual cultivation. It can be said to be a powerful fruit that can help people reach the pinnacle of life. So much so that the future empress was captivated and infatuated when she saw it.

cough cough...

Therefore, I, Ma, am determined to get this rubber fruit!

"Where is that Rubber-Rubber Fruit? If I get the fruit, I'll wipe the slate clean. Alita, I won't kill you!"

Martin patted his chest and assured him.

Shanks was a little embarrassed; he hadn't finished speaking yet: "That Gum-Gum Fruit..."

Just then, a shrill voice came from the barrel next to the table: "I ate that rubber fruit!"

Martin immediately looked over and, upon closer inspection, saw a head emerge from a barrel not far away, along with a slender hand that snatched the meat bone from his hand and locked it back up.

Then a little boy jumped out of the barrel and began chewing on chunks of meat.

The little boy had short, messy black hair, a scar under his left eye, and was wearing a red vest, blue shorts, and open-toed straw sandals.

The future Pirate King, Wang Luffy, is only seven years old this year!

"Damn it, spit out the Gum-Gum Fruit right now!"

Martin rolled his eyes, looked at the seven-year-old brat Luffy, and, his anger rising, grabbed him and pulled down the little guy's underwear...

-----

[Thank you Yangde for the 1500 donation; you continue to hold the number one spot on the donation leaderboard.]

Here are the consequences of not giving face to the user of the Face-Given Fruit →_→:

Sigmund showed no respect for Shanks, bullied him, and was ultimately devoured by the Lord of the Coast.

The Lord of the Coast showed no respect for Shanks, biting off Shanks' left arm, and was knocked down by Luffy with a single punch ten years later.

Because Akainu gave Shanks face at Marineford and stopped fighting, he gained the boost from Shanks' Face-Saving Fruit two years later and became Fleet Admiral.

Although Kizaru disregarded Shanks's feelings at Marineford and used his ultimate technique, the Eight-Span Magatama, to chase after Law's submarine, Shanks showed him some respect by raising his hand and stopping, which could be considered a partial act of courtesy. Therefore, his merits and demerits canceled each other out, and he remained an Admiral two years later. (Furthermore, this scene of Kizaru raising his hand in the face of threats from Shanks's second-in-command, Beckman, gave rise to the meme "Don't touch the Devil Fruit.")

Aokiji completely disregarded Shanks's feelings at the summit and used Ice Age to chase down Law's submarine. Two years later, he met with misfortune, having his leg broken by Akainu and losing his position as an admiral.

Sengoku and Garp gave Shanks face at Marineford, agreeing to a ceasefire and retire peacefully two years later. Sengoku was even able to reminisce with Law about his beloved disciple Corazon.

Overall, the Navy gave Shanks face, halting their pursuit of the Whitebeard Pirates during the Marineford War, and they became even stronger two years later.

Among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Donquixote Doflamingo and Gecko Moria showed no respect and even fought each other, ultimately losing their titles. One was defeated by Luffy and imprisoned, while the other lost his crewmate once again. Meanwhile, Dracule Mihawk (Hawkeye), Boa Hancock (Empress), and Bartholomew Kuma (Tyrant) retained their Warlord status and also gained certain benefits. Mihawk took Zoro as his apprentice, Boa Hancock cared for Luffy's recovery, and Tyrant protected Luffy's ship.

In One Piece, although Blackbeard had many grudges against Shanks, he wisely gave Shanks face at Marineford and became one of the Four Emperors two years later.

Marco stepped forward without giving Shanks any face, and as a result, he was handcuffed with seastone and seriously injured in the battle; however, after Shanks appeared, he gave him face, stopped fighting the Navy, and two years later, he was not captured by Blackbeard and successfully joined the protagonist's crew.

Kaido gave Shanks face by not participating in the Marineford War, thus becoming the strongest creature in the world of land, sea, and air.

Buggy the Clown gave Shanks face and handed the straw hat to Law. Two years later, his strength greatly increased, and he became one of the Four Emperors.

Shanks tried to reason with Whitebeard, but Whitebeard not only ignored him but also spoke ill of him and even drew his sword against him. Whitebeard not only died tragically at Marineford, but his crew also suffered heavy losses. Two years later, Whitebeard was kicked out of the Four Emperors, and his pirate crew was wiped out. His failure to recall Ace also indirectly implicated Ace, leading to Ace's death at Marineford.

Kidd showed no respect for Shanks and formed an alliance with Apoo and Hawkins to challenge Shanks. In the end, they encountered Kaido of the Beasts and were defeated. Kidd was seriously injured and almost died (he was captured by Kaido and imprisoned). Apoo and Hawkins betrayed Kidd and joined Kaido.

Therefore, it can be seen that the Face Fruit is a causal fruit, and may be the strongest fruit in history!

So, everyone who has votes, please do me the honor of sending one!

[This concludes the Shanks-sponsored ticket request segment (*^▽^*)]

Chapter 50: Beating Up the Pirate King

Snap! Snap! Snap...

Martin pulled down Luffy's pants and used his iron fist to slap Luffy's bottom, making a loud cracking sound as Luffy yelled in pain.

You brat!

I've been waiting for you for over twenty years. Every time I watch One Piece, I have to hear you say, "I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

I've listened to it thousands of times, but you still refuse to become the Pirate King. You drag it out, you dawdle, and it takes you several episodes to fight even a minor soldier.

You're too stubborn. Even after Ace died, you're still acting recklessly. Your intelligence has remained so low, and you've never grown up. How can an idiot like you become the Pirate King?

I'll beat you to death!

The fruits of my harmonious married life, you just wasted them all?

It made me happy for nothing.

Spit it out.