Chapter 1: The Sword of Damocles

"On a sunny afternoon, the sun in the summer seemed like a huge fireball, as if it wanted to burn everything in the world to ashes.

In such weather, everyone's mood became lazy, lacking motivation.

However, in such an environment, on a small island in the sea, there was a group of people lying on the ground with flushed faces, looking drunk. It was evident they had consumed a lot of alcohol.

Looking around at the animal skeletons scattered everywhere, it indicated they might have had a grand feast.

At this moment, a young boy with a red nose groggily opened his eyes.

"Hmm, what's that?"

He saw something in the sky, and just as he thought he might be hallucinating from drinking too much, he rubbed his eyes and realized the object in the sky was becoming clearer. He quickly rubbed his eyes again and, sure enough, it was still there.

"Captain, look up!"

This discovery instantly sobered him up, and he shouted out loud.

With this shout, the others slowly began to wake up too.

"Hey, Buggy, why are you yelling?"

That's right, the boy who had just shouted was an intern from the Roger Pirates, and the people who had just finished the banquet on this island were members of the Roger Pirates.

"No, Captain, look up."

"Hmm?" Hearing Buggy's anxious shout again, Roger looked up, squinting.

"What is that, a sword?"

Seeing the object in the sky, Roger thought to himself, and the others started discussing as well because the object hanging in the sky was too conspicuous.

"Is it Shiki?" Roger said softly, because in his memory, only the Floating Fruit of the Golden Lion could achieve this level.

"Yeah, it should be him. I can't think of anyone else who could have this ability, but where did he get such a big sword from?"

The one speaking was a person with yellow hair and glasses, none other than the Dark King Silvers Rayleigh.

At this moment, both of them had a hint of seriousness in their eyes because the Golden Lion was not a simple person. Even they had to deal with him seriously.

Just then, a burst of white light suddenly appeared on the giant sword, and then something separated from the sword and fell from the sky.

Seeing this situation, Rayleigh grasped the hilt of his sword, ready to strike at any sign of trouble.

"Don't act rashly, Rayleigh. This shouldn't be Shiki."

Hearing Roger's words, Rayleigh's hand loosened slightly on the sword hilt, but from his current actions, it could be seen that he could still strike instantly.

"It seems to be a person."

As the faint white light approached the land, the people on the island gradually saw clearly what was inside the light.

"Yes, there is indeed a person inside."

This sentence came from Roger's mouth.

Then the others on the island relaxed, only one person could be so powerful that the Roger Pirates were not afraid at all.

Even if the Whitebeard Pirates appeared in front of them now, they could remain calm.

As for their nervous behavior just now, it was completely because something unexpected had appeared to them, so it was inevitable to be a little nervous.

But now that they knew it was a person, there was nothing to be afraid of at all.

"Is he going to fall and die?" At this moment, Buggy with the big red nose started talking again. Although he was timid, in the Roger Pirates, he was fearless.

"Who knows, but even if he falls and dies, it has nothing to do with us."

Beside Buggy, a red-haired youth spoke. He was another intern from the Roger Pirates, Shanks.

At this moment, his face didn't have those three scars, nor did he have that much domineering aura.

When the white light landed, there was no "thud" sound as imagined when a heavy object fell, but it descended to the ground in a very stable manner.

After the white light dispersed, a young man who looked seventeen or eighteen appeared in front of everyone, and the huge sword in the sky also disappeared, as if it had never appeared.

At this point, the young man lying on the ground became the focus of everyone's attention.

"It seems that the sword was conjured by this kid."

"Hey, Buggy, see if you can wake him up and ask what's going on."

"Yes, Captain."

Receiving the captain's order, Buggy casually picked up a bucket of unfinished alcohol from beside him and poured it on the head of the white-haired young man.

However, the young man seemed to be dead, showing no reaction at all.

"Captain, he seems to be dead."

"Get lost." Hearing this, Vice-Captain Rayleigh scolded Buggy.

His Observation Haki was clear, and the white-haired young man's heartbeat was very stable.

"He's probably just passed out. Buggy, Shanks, I'll leave him to you two to watch. Let me know when he wakes up."

"Yes, Captain."

Then the Roger Pirates went about their business, some continued to lie down and rest, while others who had just awakened from drinking continued to drink.

After all, they had once again escaped from the hands of the hero Cap, so it was time to rest and celebrate properly.

"Hey, Buggy, you stay here and watch. I'm going to have another drink."

"Shanks, you can't. If anyone's going to drink, it's me, Buggy, who should stay here and watch."

"Okay, you go then. I'll watch here, and I'll go drink after you're done."

Hearing Shanks' words, Buggy was clearly stunned. When did Shanks become so easy to talk to?

"Okay, Shanks, then I, Buggy, will go drink."

As Buggy turned to leave, Shanks punched himself in the face.

"Report to the Vice-Captain, Buggy has abandoned his post, and when I advised him, he even hit me."

Just as Buggy was about to happily go drink, he suddenly heard these words. Turning around, he saw a swollen mark on Shanks' face.

Seeing Shanks' appearance, Buggy knew he had been played.

"Vice-Captain, let me explain, it wasn't me, Shanks did this to himself." Buggy explained anxiously.

"So you're saying he beat himself up like this?" Rayleigh heard Buggy's explanation and said.

"Yes, that's right."

"Do you think Shanks is stupid enough to beat himself up?"