A Promise in Windmill Village

 Chapter 52: A Promise in Windmill Village

---

The sun had just begun to set as the Red-Haired Pirates emerged victorious from their fierce battle with CP0. The sea breeze carried away the remnants of the conflict, and the crew stood proudly on the deck of their ship, the Red Force, ready for their next adventure. 

Shanks, his red hair billowing in the wind, turned to his crew. "All right, men. We've got our next destination: Windmill Village."

A collective cheer rose from the crew. Their captain's decision was final, and they knew it meant more than just a visit—it meant adventure, camaraderie, and the unknown.

As they sailed towards Windmill Village, the crew took a moment to rest and recover. Benn Beckman, Shanks' trusted first mate, was strategizing their next steps. Yasopp cleaned his rifle, while Lucky Roux and Lime Juice were enjoying a hearty meal.

---

The Arrival at Windmill Village

A month later, in the East China Sea Windmill Village, the Red Force appeared outside the small village. The huge pirate ship attracted countless villagers to watch. It was the first time for everyone to see such a huge pirate ship.

So, everyone came out to watch the excitement. Only one old man frowned as he looked at the pirate ship docked on the shore in front of him, because the East China Sea is a symbol of peace, and because Garp often goes home to visit, the Windmill Village has always been safe, and few pirates come.

"I hope these guys don't cause trouble!" The village chief looked at the Red Hair Pirates who had landed, knocked on his crutches, and then found a place to sit down, looking calmly.

"Hey, Boss. This village is pretty good, and I saw a tavern!" As soon as he got off the boat, Lakilu began to look around the streets of Windmill Village. He saw a tavern at a glance and said happily.

"Oh, hahaha, it seems that we are lucky. Tell the brothers to rest here," Shanks said.

"Remember, don't make trouble. Donghai is a very powerful governance officer." Shanks seemed to remember something and ordered.

"Yes, Boss! We are not that kind of people!"

Shanks and his party began to walk towards the tavern. As soon as they entered the door, they saw Makino who was cleaning the table. Looking at the mighty pirates, Makino was not panicked at all.

"Excuse me, what do you want to drink?"

"Wine! Give everyone a bottle of wine!" Shanks waved his hand, took the lead in coming to the counter and sat down, and then said generously.

"Boss, generous!" Lakilu and others cheered excitedly, and a group of people entered the tavern in an orderly manner. After all, they were a group of polite pirates.

Outside the tavern, looking at the quiet and peaceful tavern, the village chief shook his head and left with a cane, as long as this group of people did not make trouble.

"Are you pirates?"

Just then, a child in a T-shirt ran in from outside like a whirlwind. As soon as he entered the door, he stared at Shanks, the leader, with wide eyes. The person who came was Luffy, who was still a crying kid.

"Yeah!"

"I want to become a pirate too. Take me with you when the time comes." Luffy looked at Shanks eagerly, with excitement and nervousness on his face.

"Hahaha, where did you come from, little brat, pirate? This is not a game of playing house!" Shanks looked at Luffy, whose face was full of seriousness, and laughed.

"Luffy!" Makino looked at Luffy, hurried over to hold him, and said.

"If your grandfather knew that you wanted to become a pirate, he would definitely beat your ass!" Makino warned with a serious face.

"Hmph, I don't want to be a navy, I want to be a pirate, this is my dream", Luffy's mouth twisted, looking reluctant, but he was still sent out of the tavern because Makino took out Garp as a deterrent.

But Luffy has been stubborn since he was a child, and he came again the next day. He was rejected every time but never gave up.

Time flies, and a month has passed.

"Shanks, please take me to the sea, I'm a good swimmer!" Luffy, who has been familiar with the Red Hair Pirates, sat on the chair opposite Red Hair Shanks very naturally and continued to ask.

"No, Luffy, being a pirate is not just about swimming well, you are still too young!" Listening to Luffy's tireless request to get on the ship, Jesus Bu said.

"I can fight, I'm awesome, my fists are as powerful as pistols!" Luffy retorted with a look of dissatisfaction, and then stood on the chair and began to punch non-stop, wanting to show his own strength.

"Really? ⚆_⚆?" Hearing Luffy's self-praise, Shanks's casual voice sounded, like a thunder in Luffy's mind, and suddenly, it exploded directly.

"Damn it, Shanks, what do you mean by this!" Luffy opened his mouth wide and yelled at Shanks angrily, as if he wanted to eat someone.

"Ahem, Luffy, to put it simply, you are still too young. There will be all kinds of dangers on the Grand Line, and it is not suitable for you yet!" Lakilu took a bite of the chicken leg and looked at Luffy and said his true thoughts.

"Luffy, grow up well on the island. You are the same age as my kid!" Jesus Bu agreed.

"I am no longer a three-year-old child. I am seven years old!" Luffy hit the table with his little fist and said angrily.

"Okay, don't be angry, Luffy, drink a glass of juice!" Looking at the angry little

Luffy, Shanks handed over a glass of juice, saying softly.

"Thank you!" Luffy took the juice, thanked him, and drank it with both hands holding the cup.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

"Hahaha, you said you were not a kid, but you were bought off with a glass of juice!" Shanks looked at Luffy who had finished the juice, raised his head and laughed while patting the table, and a strange atmosphere filled the air.

"ヽ('⌒´メ)ノ, Shanks, you are too mean!" Luffy said angrily, then turned his head and didn't look at Shanks in anger. In contrast, Shanks didn't care, it was just a little guy, and he would be bought off with a piece of candy after a while.

At this moment, the strongest bandit king in the East China Sea who was said to have "defeated" the two Four Emperors appeared. The door of the tavern was kicked open, and a group of bandits with ferocious looks walked in.

"Is this what you call pirates? They all look like a bunch of idiots!"

"We are bandits, but we are not here to cause trouble. Hurry up and prepare ten barrels of wine for us!"

'King of Bandits' Sig walked in arrogantly, looked at the Red Hair Pirates with disdain, and walked straight to the counter and said.

"Sorry, the wine is sold out!"

"Sold out? Then what are these pirates drinking?" Sig said angrily, and then ignored Makino, and focused his eyes on Shanks who was eating.

"Oh, we drank all the wine. If you don't mind, this bottle of wine is for you. It has not been opened yet!" Feeling a sense of hostility, Shanks raised his hand and handed the wine in front of him to the bandit Sig.

However, to everyone's surprise, Sig directly broke the wine glass and spilled all the wine on Shanks.

"Tsk, are these pirates?"

"Oh my, they're all over the floor, damn it." Shanks didn't take the humiliation seriously, but squatted down to clean up.

"Do you like cleanliness?" Sig frowned as he looked at Shanks who ignored him, then drew his sword and smashed all the bottles and cutlery on the table, which fell to the floor.

"Are these pirates? They're just a bunch of cowards, but I'm a man with a bounty of 8 million berries!" Sig walked away arrogantly.

"Puff, hahahahaha"

"Hahahaha! The boss is really embarrassed"

After Shanks laughed for the first time, everyone in the Red Hair Pirates laughed, and the tense atmosphere disappeared instantly.

"Laugh? You can still laugh! ╰_╯╬

Why, why don't you fight back? Even if, even if the opponent looks a little strong, he shouldn't be afraid to resist, right?" Luffy looked at the embarrassed Shanks and the laughter that filled the tavern, and shouted loudly.

The young Luffy didn't understand why Shanks did this, but he felt that it was cowardly to be bullied without fighting back.

"Luffy, it's not that I don't understand your feelings, but it's just a little water splashed on you, it's no big deal!" Shanks looked at Luffy who was really angry, and explained gently.

"Humph, I won't pay attention to you!" Luffy turned his head away angrily, his body floating up and down, wanting to eat something to calm down, and happened to see the opened box on the table, then grabbed it and bit it.

Maybe it was a sense of fate, Shanks looked at Luffy who was eating, his face suddenly changed, and he stood up suddenly.

"Luffy, what were you eating just now? Did you eat the things in the box?! ⊙▽⊙"

"Spit it out, spit it out quickly!" Shanks turned Luffy over and shook it up and down vigorously, trying to spit out the fruit pulp that Luffy had just eaten.

Unfortunately, it had been swallowed by Luffy.

"DUANG!"

While shaking, Luffy, who was suspended in the air, suddenly had a close contact with the ground.

"Luffy, do you know what you just ate? That's the rubber fruit. Once you eat it, you can't swim anymore!" Shanks roared loudly, because the people from Roger's pirate group were not too dependent on devil fruits.

Wuwuwu, please don't!" Luffy's little head collapsed when he heard that he would never be able to swim again, like a thunder exploded in his mind.

"Hey, fate? This is it!" Looking at Luffy who was irreversible, Shanks sighed.

"Shanks~" Luffy's little figure squatted on the ground, sad tears kept flowing from his eyes, and the swimming he had been practicing hard for a long time was useless.

"Okay, okay, not being able to swim is a disadvantage, but if the devil fruit is properly developed, it will become very strong!" Shanks patted Luffy's little head, and then began to explain some information about the devil fruit.

"Really?" Luffy heard Shanks' explanation, and his big black eyes released a dazzling light again. He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and regained his optimistic attitude.

"Of course!"

One day later, a small figure was knocked out at the edge of the small village.

"Bang!"

"We were drinking well, why are you here to make trouble!" The bandit Sig looked at Luffy who was knocked out and hit the barrel, and spoke fiercely, stepping in front of Luffy step by step, with threats beyond words.

"Damn it, you bastard, apologize to Shanks!" Luffy shouted loudly with a face full of dissatisfaction, and in return he was kicked hard. Fortunately, he had taken the rubber fruit and had a strong ability to resist beatings, otherwise such power was not something a child could bear.

Just when Sig decided to give Luffy an unforgettable lesson and punishment, the village chief and Makino ran over, looking at the subdued Luffy with a nervous and solemn look.

"Please let him go, he's just a child. If I offend him in any way, I'm willing to use my treasure as collateral!" Seeing Luffy in danger, the village chief knelt down and begged.

"Huh? As expected of an old man, you really know what's happening. However, this kid has offended me, so I have to teach him a deep lesson!" Sig glanced at the village chief, then drew his saber from his waist, wanting to execute Luffy.

At this moment, the Red Hair Pirates appeared behind the village chief at some point.

"I saw that there was no one in the tavern, and I thought something had happened. Isn't this the bandit from before?" Shanks looked at Luffy, who was held on the neck by the bandit Sig, without laughing as usual, but with a serious face.

"Pirate? You're still here? Have you been mopping the floor in the tavern?!" Sig looked at Shanks, frowned, and mocked.

"Luffy, aren't your fists as powerful as a pistol?" Shanks ignored the bandit Sig, and strode forward to look at Luffy who was resisting.

"Stop talking nonsense, Shanks!" Luffy retorted angrily.

"I don't know what you are still doing here, but if you come any closer, I will punch your head into a honeycomb, you cowardly pirates," Sig's threatening voice sounded, and a bandit raised his pistol and pointed it at Shanks' head in cooperation with his boss.

"I told you not to get close, pirate, watch out for your head!"

"Hey, hey, are you serious? A man who raises a pistol is risking his life!" Shanks looked at the gun pointed at his forehead, not afraid at all, but turned his head to ask the bandit a question.

"Huh?! What are you talking about?" The bandit looked confused, not knowing what Shanks meant.

"I said, since you have drawn the gun, you have to risk your life. This is not a toy for playing house to scare people," Shanks pointed at the pistol seriously.

"Bang!"

A crisp gunshot sounded, and Lakilu chewed a chicken leg with one hand and pointed at the bandit's head with the other hand and pulled the trigger. A life ended just like that because of ignorance.

Everyone, seeing the Red Hair Pirates' move, opened their mouths in shock and looked horrified.

"Suddenly taking action? This is too despicable!"

"Despicable?" Jesus Bu said with disdain.

"Don't say such naive words, do you think your enemies are all saints?" Ben Beckman looked at the bandits calmly.

"The one in front of you is a pirate!" Shanks said in one word.

"Damn it, this matter has nothing to do with you!" A bandit said angrily.

"Listen, bandits, whether you pour wine or spit on me, these are just a smile,

But no matter what your reason is, I will not allow you to attack my friends!" Shanks was completely angry.

"Hahaha, you won't forgive me. Just you pirates? What a joke, guys, kill them!" The bandit Sig laughed with his head raised, not caring at all, because his perception was wrong from the beginning.

"Hehe, kill them!" The bandits roared excitedly, waving their long swords and rushing towards the Red Hair Pirates.

"One of me is enough!" Ben Beckman looked at the pirates rushing over, holding the long gun in his big hand and took a step forward.

"Bang bang bang! Boom!"

In a moment of fighting, all the bandits were knocked out. For Ben Beckman, they were just a group of minions, and he could solve them with a wave of his hand.

However, this scene made the bandit Sig see it, and it was like a bolt from the blue in his mind. He didn't expect that the pirates who were so cowardly in the tavern before were so powerful.

"If you want to fight with us, at least send a warship," Beckman said in a serious tone.

"Damn it!" Sig was horrified, secretly took out a smoke bomb from his arms, and then,

"Bang!"

A black mist spread, covering the surrounding area of ​​several hundred meters, and Sig took the opportunity to escape with Luffy.

"What should I do? What should I do? Luffy was taken away!"

"Stupid boss, let's find him together, we will definitely find Luffy back," Lakilu said helplessly.

In the near sea, Sig took a small boat to catch the little Luffy, and was proud of his clever escape.

"Asshole, let me go, you stinky monkey!" Luffy punched and kicked unwillingly, but he didn't get hit once.

"Hehehe, worry about yourself, kid!" Sig looked at Luffy viciously, then threw him into the sea with a flick of his hand.

"Hahaha!" Sig laughed wildly, and at this moment, a huge head suddenly emerged from the sea, swallowing him in one gulp with a horrified look.

"Help, help!"

Looking at Luffy who had devoured the bandit and turned his eyes to him, he cried for help desperately. Just as the bloody mouth was biting down on Luffy, Shanks appeared and took him into his arms, but his arm was also bitten off by the King of the Sea.

"Get out!"

Looking at the King of the Sea who wanted to continue attacking, Shanks widened his eyes, and the Conqueror's Haki directly frightened him. In great fear, he plunged into the sea and ran away.

"Shanks! (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ)", looking at Shanks with a broken arm, Luffy burst into tears.

A few days later, the Red Hair Pirates, who had recovered from their injuries, were ready to set off for the New World.

"Hmph, I won't let you take me out to sea anymore, because I've decided to become a pirate myself!"

"Pirate? You? Hahaha!"

"Don't look down on me, Shanks. In the future, I will definitely find a partner who is not inferior to you guys, find the world's largest treasure, surpass you, and become the Pirate King!" Luffy almost shouted.

"Luffy, haven't you always wanted this straw hat? Now I'll give it to you for safekeeping. It's the most important thing to me!"

Hearing Luffy's voice, Shanks pondered for a while, put the straw hat on Luffy's head, and after a few serious instructions, he left on the pirate ship, leaving Luffy with tears flowing.