Chapter 51: A Day at Home

When Shanks woke up, he felt the sunlight streaming through the curtains and onto his bed. He had grown accustomed to waking up early for training. After washing up, he quickly headed out.

In the morning light, he noticed someone already diligently running, beads of sweat glistening on their forehead.

"Ginny is as hardworking as ever," he muttered with admiration.

As Shanks was marveling at this, the ground beneath him began to tremble slightly. Kuma was running past the training field, carrying a massive boulder on his shoulders. The enormous rock seemed almost weightless to him, as if it were nothing.

A drop of cold sweat rolled down Shanks' forehead. Kuma's strength was overwhelming. Even though they had started training at the same time, Shanks felt like he was falling further and further behind his two older siblings.

"Good morning, Ginny!" Shanks walked over to Ginny with a big smile.

"It's not that early anymore," Ginny said, stopping to wipe the sweat from her face. "You only got up when the sun was already high."

"I'm still growing, so I need plenty of sleep," Shanks replied, tugging at Ginny's sleeve playfully.

Ginny gently tapped Shanks' nose. "You always use that excuse, you..."

"Even if I wake up late, I always finish what I need to do for the day," Shanks said proudly, puffing out his chest.

"Alright, alright. We know our little Shanks is the best," Ginny praised.

Just as Shanks was basking in Ginny's praise, Renji walked out of the kitchen holding a spatula. Seeing the heartwarming scene, he smiled and said, "Ginny, Shanks, go call Kuma. Breakfast is ready."

"Got it, big bro!" Shanks scampered off. "Ginny, you go ahead. I'll get Kuma."

Ginny watched Shanks run off and shook her head with a smile. "Renji, what delicious food did you make for us this morning?"

She walked into the kitchen and began setting the table.

"I made some hand-pulled noodles. We're having spicy oil noodles this morning," Renji replied, busy with his cooking.

Ginny sat quietly at the table, her eyes sparkling as she watched Renji work.

As always... Renji looked so handsome when he was focused on cooking!

"..."

Before long, Shanks and Kuma returned, and the four of them sat around the table, enjoying a hearty breakfast.

"Kuma, I really envy your ability. You can go anywhere you want," Renji said, popping a clove of garlic into his mouth.

Their trips to and from Sabaody Archipelago were all thanks to Kuma's ability.

Renji couldn't help but think how overpowered that ability was.

Kuma chuckled warmly. "Haha, my ability is your ability. Just let me know wherever you want to go."

"Kuma's the best! Let's travel the world together someday!" Ginny said, leaning back in her chair after finishing her noodles.

"Big bro, is Sabaody Archipelago fun?" Shanks asked curiously.

He wanted to go out and explore with Renji, but he was always turned down because of his age.

"It's alright. The scenery is different from here, but in other ways, it's not as good," Renji replied, thinking back. "Plus, it's pretty chaotic there. It's not a good place for kids."

Doflamingo: Then what am I?

Shanks glanced at Renji and suddenly laughed. "Big bro, I've noticed that wherever you go, something big always happens."

Seeing Shanks laughing so hard, Renji couldn't help but chuckle too. He realized it was true—many of those big events were actually caused by him.

Shaking his head, Renji replied, "Just bad luck, I guess. Wherever I go, trouble follows."

"Did you see what the Celestial Dragons look like? I heard you can see them there..." Shanks asked innocently.

At this question, the kitchen fell silent. Ginny and Kuma both lowered their heads, reminded of painful memories.

Renji noticed their reactions and sighed inwardly. The Celestial Dragons had left such a deep scar on them. Even after all this time, the impact was still so strong...

"No, I didn't see them. I just heard they look like pigs—fat and lazy, can't even walk on their own," Renji said.

"Renji, you haven't told us about what happened during your trip," Kuma said, puzzled. "When I picked you up, I heard the Navy was chasing Golden Lion Shiki's flying pirate fleet. Did something happen there?"

Hearing Kuma's question, Ginny perked up, her ears practically twitching.

"Nothing major. Just heard that a Celestial Dragon was killed, and the Navy is hunting the culprit," Renji replied, stroking his chin.

He was also curious about how things had turned out between Sengoku and Shiki. Given their strength, the fight must have been intense. Too bad he had to rush back and missed the outcome...

"What?! A Celestial Dragon is dead?!"

Unlike Renji's calm demeanor, Kuma and Ginny jumped up from their seats in shock.

Shanks, startled by their reaction, also jumped up, looking at them in confusion. Why are they so worked up over a Celestial Dragon dying?

Renji took a sip of tea, pleased with their reaction. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

He wanted to break their ingrained belief that Celestial Dragons were untouchable, to show them that Celestial Dragons were just humans—humans who could be killed.

And then, step by step, help them overcome the psychological shadow the Celestial Dragons had cast over them.

"Celestial Dragons... Celestial Dragons..." Kuma repeated through tears.

Seeing Kuma suddenly break down, Shanks immediately moved closer, wanting to comfort him but not knowing how. He could only clutch at Kuma's clothes with his small hands.

Seeing Shanks' innocent confusion, Ginny's grief lessened slightly. Her pain was no less than Kuma's, but she was used to masking her inner turmoil with a smile.

"Flap flap..."

The sound of wings flapping came from outside.

"The newspaper's here. I'll go get it," Renji said, noticing the heavy atmosphere. He got up and headed to the door.

News Coos were used to deliver newspapers, which were the primary way to learn about major events in the world. And the price was reasonable.

"One newspaper, please," Renji said, handing over 100 Berries.

The News Coo pointed at the small bag on its chest and squawked twice.

"Hey, your service attitude is pretty bad today. Be careful, or I'll file a complaint," Renji said, pulling out a newspaper from the bag. He took it and headed back inside.

"So, feeling better?" Renji asked as he unfolded the newspaper. The headline immediately caught everyone's attention.

Breaking News!

Navy Admiral Clashes with Golden Lion Shiki in the Garoon Sea!

Multiple Islands Appear at the Battle Site!

Golden Lion Shiki Defeated and Flees! Current Whereabouts Unknown...

Navy Suffers Heavy Losses! Admiral Sengoku Severely Injured, Escorted Back to Marineford for Treatment...

...

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