Chapter 10: Red-Haired Shanks

Chapter 10: Red-Haired Shanks

A people who had suffered genocide had, in turn, inflicted genocide upon those who had helped them.

"Perhaps," Louis mused, "that's why they were ostracized and nearly destroyed on the Grand Line."

Yelena turned to look down at the chaotic town below, a hint of mockery appearing on her once-peaceful face. "After all, they are just that sort of despicable, self-righteous, and repulsive race."

Then, Yelena turned her head again. Her scarlet eyes met Louis's as she asked, "Is there a race on the seas more despicable than the people of Jacob Kingdom?"

Yelena had never been far from this land in her entire life. Given her condition, she probably wouldn't get the chance to leave. Therefore, she hoped to learn more about the world before she died.

"Yes."

Louis nodded. Although the depravity of this nation's people was astounding, it still fell short when compared to the Celestial Dragons. While both were naturally gifted in their vileness, the Celestial Dragons, who lorded over the entire world, were far more deserving of hatred.

"Who are they?" Yelena asked, a little curious. It was a casual question; her limited experience made it hard to imagine a group more vile than the people of Jacob.

Louis turned and gazed out at the sea, his eyes seeming to pierce through the endless ocean to land on the city atop the Red Line. He said meaningfully, "The Celestial Dragons."

"Celestial Dragons..." Yelena looked at the emotion revealed in Louis's deep eyes and nodded thoughtfully.

She had never heard of the Celestial Dragons. But she was very familiar with that look in his eyes. It was the exact same look she and her people had when they looked at the people of Jacob.

After a moment of contemplation, Yelena gave Louis a gentle smile and offered him the same words she used to comfort her own people: "As long as your people and family are still here, supporting each other, everything will be alright."

"Losing your homeland doesn't mean you've become a rootless wanderer. The place where those who think of you are... that is your home."

Louis was taken aback and gave her a rather surprised look.

"You..." Louis opened his mouth, wanting to say something. But in the next moment, he frowned and looked toward the area several kilometers away where Yelena's people lived.

"That person followed us?"

Within the vast range of his Observation Haki, Louis sensed that the powerhouse he had brushed past in the storm was now mingling with Yelena's people. What Louis couldn't figure out was that not only was there no conflict between them, but they seemed to be... hugging?

"Is that guy who I thought was Garp... a guest?" Louis looked at Yelena's confused face and told her what he had discovered.

She was just as bewildered. She had lived here for over a decade and had never seen any guests. But this development still put her on high alert. She dropped the sea beast she was dragging and sprinted in the direction of her home.

Louis watched her go, thought for a moment, and then followed, flapping his wings.

A distance of several kilometers was not very far, even for Yelena who was terminally ill.

She stood at the entrance of the village, staring blankly at the sight of her elders chatting familiarly with a red-haired man.

A hundred meters in the air, Louis flapped his wings, hovering, ready to flee at a moment's notice. As he looked at the red-haired man wearing a straw hat and a white shirt, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

"So it wasn't Garp?"

"That makes sense. He's also someone who could be in the East Blue at this time."

The man before them, with short red hair, a friendly face, a bit of stubble on his chin, and a complete lack of any intimidating aura, was none other than the future Emperor, Red-Haired Shanks.

Then, Louis thought back to the strongest warrior on his home island and realized the flaw in his earlier assumption. If that man were only slightly weaker than Garp, with his personality, he would have already flown to Mary Geoise to act as a bomber.

As Louis and Yelena stared at Red-Haired Shanks, he and his crew were also sizing them up.

He first stared at Yelena's black oni horns, a trace of confusion in his eyes. When he saw the style of Louis's clothes, a hint of nostalgia surfaced.

For a moment, the atmosphere became a bit strange.

After a long while, a middle-aged man beside Shanks sensed that the mood was becoming awkward and quickly explained to both sides. "Your Majesty Yelena, Shanks is one of the group who helped us back then, the ones who destroyed the Jacobites' army. He's not an enemy!"

Yelena was stunned. Her grandfather had mentioned that a group of pirates had helped the Canaan clan many years ago, allowing them to return to the plains to live and prosper. But all of that was undone when the recently deceased king returned, leading to the deaths of many of their people.

The middle-aged man then turned to Shanks and continued his explanation. "Shanks, lad, Her Majesty Yelena is the child the princess gave birth to after she returned from the Grand Line."

A look of understanding flashed in Shanks's eyes. He smiled and said, "Oh, so that's how it is."

"Destroyed the Jacobites' army..." In the sky, Louis was deep in thought.

His knowledge of the original One Piece story was limited, mostly gleaned from various fanfictions and derivative works. But one piece of information about the Pirate King, Roger, was frequently mentioned: that he had destroyed a kingdom's army because his companion was provoked.

Louis came back to his senses and looked out at the city on the plains. "If it was a country with that kind of character, it makes sense that Roger's crew would destroy it."

After a moment's thought, Louis folded his wings and slowly descended, his eyes sweeping over the figures behind Shanks.

There was a chubby man in green, gnawing on a large shank of meat. There was a young man with a ponytail, a pistol tucked into his waist, and a toothpick dangling from his lips. There was also a burly man who revealed a set of sharp, serrated teeth, and another with a monkey on his back. They were carrying large bags and stood in a very casual manner. They looked nothing like pirates with bounties in the billions of berries.

This group had one thing in common: they all looked like unremarkable small fry from the sea. They completely lacked the霸氣 (dominant aura) they would have over a decade later.

The crew seemed to notice Louis's scrutiny and grinned at him one after another.

"..."

Louis silently took a few steps back. They were too friendly; he couldn't handle it.

And the culprits themselves were completely unaware, instead exchanging glances and bursting into loud laughter.

"Idiots..." Louis was at a loss for words. This group was really asking for a beating...

The group's laughter also drew the attention of Shanks and Yelena, who were in conversation.

Shanks turned and smiled at his crew. "Alright, put everything down! It's time for a banquet!"

"YEAHHH!!" The word "banquet" made everyone's eyes light up, and they started howling like a pack of huskies. This only further convinced Louis that their brains weren't wired correctly.

Just then, Shanks's voice rang out again. "Our young friend from Baal, you should join us too! Speaking of which, I really miss my friends on Baal."

"..."

"???"

Louis's eyes went wide, his face a mask of utter shock.