Chapter 167

In the Sea, East Blue

A lone boat drifted under the vast expanse of the sky, carrying a young teen with fiery red hair that billowed in the wind. The boy, Shanks, was deep in thought, brooding over the recent tumultuous events that had shaken his life to its core. His youthful face, usually adorned with a carefree grin, was now etched with a mix of determination and sorrow.

Shanks' life had taken an unexpected turn in Loguetown when a CP agent disclosed his true identity. The revelation of his celestial lineage had left him grappling with an internal conflict about his place in the world. Torn between the weight of his bloodline and the promise he made to his captain, he finally resolved to fulfill his captain's wish. His captain had prophesied that the next era would bring monumental change to the world, and Shanks wanted to be a part of that transformation.

But before setting sail on his journey, Shanks needed to uncover the truth about his lineage. His quest had taken him to the Holy Land, where he had discovered many truths about his heritage. Despite the prestigious position offered to him due to his unique status, Shanks had rejected it all, choosing instead to carve his own path.

However, the event that cut him the deepest was Buggy's departure. The loss of his best friend had left a gaping hole in Shanks' heart. He had always believed that Buggy would be by his side until the end. Reflecting on their last moments together, Shanks realized that it was partially his fault.

He could have apologized to Buggy, mended the rift, and his friend would have stayed. Instead, pride and misunderstanding had driven them apart, leaving Shanks alone.

Shanks stared at the bounty poster in his hand, its edges worn from the countless times he had unfolded it. The stern face of his other friend stared back at him.

[ WANTED ]

[ DONQUIXOTE ROSINANTE ]

[ DEAD OR ALIVE ]

[ 2,494,900,000 BELLY ]

Shanks couldn't help but reminisce about the old times as he gazed at the poster. Memories of their stupid fights and verbal wars played like a reel in his mind. With a heavy sigh, he resolved that sooner or later, he would catch up.

He knew many secrets about the world of which his friend Ross was not aware, secrets his captain had shared with him, and the journey to the Holy Land had shown him just how deep the rabbit hole went. He had a choice to make: embrace his bloodline as a celestial dragon or fulfill his captain's wish. The decision in his heart was already made.

Shanks was determined to earnestly embark on his journey. He was training relentlessly, pushing his limits to become stronger—stronger than anyone out on the sea. Recently, he heard a rumor about a formidable sniper in the Gecko Islands. Intrigued, he had set sail to recruit this marksman for his crew.

As Shanks sat brooding over his recent experiences, the air around him grew still, as if nature itself held its breath. Suddenly, Shanks felt a prickle on the back of his neck—someone's observation haki had scanned him. His senses sharpened, and he immediately stood up, slipping the bounty poster into his bag while scanning the horizon. In the distance, he spotted a large Marine battleship rapidly approaching.

Shanks' observation haki wasn't developed enough yet to gauge the strength of his opponents from such a distance. Before he could contemplate his next move, the air was filled with the booming sound of cannons. Explosions erupted around his little dinghy, the force of the blasts rocking it perilously. Under the relentless barrage, his boat capsized. Shanks dove into the sea, grabbing his bag as he submerged. He could fight the Marines, but right now, he opted for the smarter route.

Two hours later, Shanks emerged from the water onto a secluded island, panting heavily. "Huff... Huff..." His swim had been anything but peaceful, forcing him to kill a few sea monsters along the way. As he wrung out his drenched shirt, trying to rid it of seawater, a chilling whisper reached his ears.

"So, you are my little brother?" The voice was cold and condescending, yet not entirely hostile.

Shanks froze, his heart pounding. Instinctively, he unsheathed his blade and swung it towards the source of the voice.

"Clang!" The sound of metal clashing echoed as his strike was effortlessly parried. Agana, the woman before him, was far stronger than he was. She stood with a predatory grace, her eyes cold and assessing.

After her return to holy land after a mission recently, she had heard from the Figarland family members that her little brother, believed to be lost in the chaos of God Valley, had resurfaced. But to her dismay, he had declined the offer of becoming a Celestial Dragon, choosing instead to return to the seas. Intrigued and somewhat nostalgic, Agana had embarked on a mission to find him.

"Pathetic! Simply pathetic! Is this all you've got?" Agana scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain. She moved with blinding speed, her blade a blur. Shanks barely managed to raise his sword in time, but the sheer force behind her strike sent him crashing into a boulder, which shattered upon impact.

"Tch! So weak. Are you sure you're my little brother?" Agana's eyes bore into him, cold and unforgiving. She had always respected strength and power above all else. The news of her little brother's survival had stirred something in her—a twisted kind of love, mingled with a desire to see him strong, formidable, a reflection of her own ruthless might. But what she saw before her now was a disappointment.

Shanks struggled to his feet, his body aching from the impact. He met Agana's gaze, defiance flickering in his eyes despite the pain. "You…you are Admiral Agana! " he said, his voice steady. "I've made my own path."

Agana's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Then prove it; prove that you are worthy of the name Figarland," she said, lowering her blade but not her guard. "Show me the strength of the little brother I thought I had lost all those years ago."

The challenge hung in the air between them, thick with tension. Shanks knew he was outmatched, but he also knew he couldn't back down. He had already figured out who Agana was—his sister, someone he never knew, someone he felt no attachment to. But this moment wasn't just about family. It was about proving to himself that he could stand against any adversary, no matter how powerful.

With renewed resolve, Shanks tightened his grip on his sword, ready to face the fierce woman who was both family and foe.

A flying slash tore through the beach, and Shanks dodged with effort. But his eyes widened as Agana appeared in front of him mid-air, her movements a blur. He immediately hardened his midsection with haki. "Busoshoku Koka!!"

"Boom!!!" A deafening punch sent Shanks swirling through the air. Despite his defense, the sheer force behind the punch cracked his rib. Agana landed lightly on the sand, watching him with cold, disappointed eyes.

"Pathetic," she spat. "Is this really the best you can do? You are nothing but a disgrace to the Figarland name."

Shanks struggled to his feet, pain searing through his side. He spat blood onto the sand and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I don't care about the Figarland name, I am my own man," he growled. "I fight for my own reasons."

Agana's eyes narrowed. "Then show me those reasons," she demanded, her voice a low growl. She lunged at him, her sword a blur. Shanks barely managed to parry her strike, the force of the impact reverberating through his arms.

The battle raged on the beach, each clash of swords echoing through the air. Agana's movements were precise and deadly, and her strength was overwhelming. Shanks found himself on the defensive, barely able to keep up. Her blade danced around him, striking with calculated precision. Each hit she landed seemed to sap more of his strength.

"You're weak," Agana hissed, slashing at his side. Shanks grunted in pain, but he didn't back down. He swung his sword with all his might, trying to find an opening in her defense. But Agana was relentless, her attacks were unceasing. She pushed him harder, her disappointment growing with each failed attempt.

"Is this really all you have?" Agana taunted, slamming the hilt of her sword into his shoulder. Shanks staggered back, barely able to keep his footing. "I thought you were supposed to be strong with the blood of the gods flowing through you. I thought you were supposed to be my brother, it seems that spending time with those pirates all those years has made you forget who you really are."

Shanks' vision blurred with pain, but he refused to fall. "I am not your brother; I am Shanks," he gasped. "And I'll prove it to the world."

He summoned all his strength, lunging at Agana with a powerful strike. For a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of respect in her eyes. But she easily parried his attack, her sword slicing through the air with deadly precision.

"You're not proving anything, surely your clown of a friend must have been delusional to think that you would come save him." Agana said it coldly, kicking him in the chest. Shanks flew backward, crashing into the sand. His body ached, and every breath was a struggle.

Shanks didn't falter this time, as Agana's words caught his attention. His demeanor completely changed as he realized who she was referring to. He wondered how she had managed to find him, and now he realized: although he had parted ways with Buggy, Shanks had given a piece of his Vivre Card to Buggy, just in case his friend ever changed his mind. Agana must have found Buggy. Now, he didn't know the fate of his friend.

"What have you done with Buggy? Where is he?" Shanks' words were cold. He disregarded his wounds and pain, his deadly gaze set on Agana. If she had harmed Buggy, he would make sure to kill her, no matter the cost, even if it was the last thing he did.

"Oh! That clown had a name? Interesting. It seems like you both were close. But you know, with you kids being the apprentices of Roger, you should know his fate. The only reason you are still standing, even after being part of Roger's crew, is because you are one of us," she said with a cruel smirk.

But Shanks, on the other hand, lost his sanity at the point where she spoke of Buggy's fate. The fact that their association with Roger's pirates was known didn't surprise him. Rage consumed Shanks as an ominous aura spread throughout the tiny island. An intangible form of energy rose from Shanks, emanating from the depths of his very soul.

Red and black lightning surged out of his very being, and the entire surroundings succumbed to the pressure. Waves of force burst out as palm trees on the island were uprooted and many boulders shattered under the sheer pressure.

The seas around the island roared as Shanks' Conqueror's Haki awakened fully. The sky darkened, clouds swirling ominously as if mirroring his fury. The waves crashed violently against the shores, the air crackling with raw, untamed energy. Birds fell from the sky, and weaker creatures in the vicinity collapsed, unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure. The very sea seemed to bow to the birth of a new king.

Agana's expression brightened for a brief moment, a flicker of something almost like pride crossing her features. "You are my little brother, after all. You have the qualities of a king, just like me!" she said. "And who knows, maybe one day, you'll be worthy of the name Figarland."

Agana's own Conqueror's Haki burst out in waves, clashing with Shanks' Conqueror's Haki. The siblings' haki clashed with ferocity, Shanks' wrath fueling his conqueror's might. But against Agana, who had honed her spirit for years, it didn't give him any advantage.

"You are still pathetically weak, little brother. And just with this much, you aren't going to survive out at sea, nor will you be able to protect the ones you love." Agana declared. With that, she launched her attack with ferocity, not holding back anymore. She really wanted to know how far she could push her little brother. Now, she held a bit of recognition in her eyes after knowing her brother could use Conqueror's Haki.

Agana felt the intensity of Shanks' unleashed power. For a moment, she almost reveled at the idea of provoking him, but her resolve hardened. This was the test her little brother needed. She moved with blinding speed, her sword slicing through the air with lethal precision. Shanks met her blow for blow, his haki-infused strikes clashing against hers, sending shockwaves that rippled through the ocean.

Their battle was short but brutal. The ground beneath them cracked and splintered with each clash of their swords. Shanks' eyes burned with determination, his every move driven by the thought of avenging Buggy and proving his worth. Agana's strikes were relentless, each one a calculated attempt to break him.

The difference in power was overwhelming, and soon Agana completely overpowered Shanks. Despite the relentless onslaught, Shanks refused to give up. Agana's attacks were merciless, her sword slashing through the air with lethal precision, but Shanks met each blow with determination, his spirit unbroken.

As the battle reached its climax, Agana delivered a powerful strike that sent Shanks crashing into the sandy beach. He lay there, his body battered and bruised, struggling to stay conscious. The last thing he saw before darkness claimed him was Agana's retreating figure, her disappointment palpable even from a distance.

A stinging pain on his cheek jolted Shanks back to consciousness. With great difficulty, he opened his eyes. The sky was already dark, and the soft lapping of the sea filled his ears. Despite his broken body and shattered bones, he couldn't help but smile. Looking down at him with a worried expression was a familiar clown face, frantically trying to wake him by repeatedly slapping him.

"Shanks! You bastard, wake up! Don't you die on me! I swear, I will personally kill you if you die on me!" Buggy shook Shanks, grabbing his collar, his voice a mix of anger and desperation.

Shanks blinked, trying to focus his vision. "Buggy..." he croaked, a weak smile spreading across his face. "You're alive..."

Buggy's eyes widened with relief and frustration. "Of course I'm alive, you idiot! What did you think, I'd let some crazy woman kill me?" He continued to shake Shanks, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You can't just go off and get yourself killed! What the hell were you thinking?"

Shanks winced as the pain in his body intensified, but he managed a chuckle. "I was thinking... I'd get stronger."

Buggy's grip on Shanks' collar tightened, his knuckles turning white. "You're an idiot, Shanks. A complete idiot." But despite his harsh words, his voice was filled with genuine concern. "Don't you ever scare me like that again. And by the way, who was that crazy woman? If not for my perfect acting, she would have really ended up killing me. "

Shanks' smile widened, and he reached up with a trembling hand to pat Buggy's arm. "I won't, Buggy. I promise. And forget about her; sooner or later, we will pay her back."

Buggy let out a shaky breath, releasing his hold on Shanks' collar and gently lowering him back onto the sand. "Good. Because I can't do this without you, you know. And you, moron, would soon be dead in a ditch if I didn't take care of you. You wanted to fulfill Captain's dreams, right? So I will help you; after all, we promised each other we'd reach the top."

Shanks nodded weakly, his eyelids growing heavy. "Yeah... together."

Buggy sat beside Shanks, keeping a watchful eye on his injured friend. The night was calm, with the stars twinkling overhead, casting a serene glow over the beach. Despite the pain and exhaustion, Shanks felt a sense of peace. He had faced a formidable opponent, learned about his strength, and found his best friend by his side once more.

Buggy sat by Shanks' side, staring out at the calm sea. The moonlight reflected off the water, creating a serene and almost magical atmosphere. "So, I was thinking," Buggy began, breaking the silence. "I'll be the Captain, and you can be the Vice Captain. What do you say? I even came up with a great name for our crew: the Clown Pirates! What do you think?"

Shanks, despite his injuries, couldn't help but chuckle weakly. His laughter was a mixture of pain and amusement. "Hell no!" he managed to say, his voice strained but filled with mirth. "There's no way I'm going to call myself a clown, and there's definitely no way you're going to be the Captain."

Buggy looked at Shanks with a mix of frustration and mock anger. "Come on, Shanks. You have to admit, it has a nice ring to it. And besides, I've got the perfect look for it." He gestured to his colorful clown-like appearance with a dramatic flourish.

*****

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Currently updated until Chapter 220.

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