Chapter 69 : Shanks!!

In the waters near Marineford, a massive and uniquely designed twin-masted ship was speeding towards Marineford.

Under normal circumstances, with the entire world aware of the impending battle between the Navy Headquarters and the Whitebeard Pirates at Marineford, no one would dare approach the area. No one wanted to get caught up in such a war!

Yet, this twin-masted ship was heading straight for Marineford!

If anyone were nearby, they would be shocked to see the flag flying on this ship—it bore the emblem of the Red-Haired Pirates, one of the Four Emperors of the New World!

Indeed, this ship was the Red Force, the ship of the Emperor Red-Haired Shanks!

On the deck of the Red Force, Shanks and his crew were staring in astonishment at a screen flickering with snow.

"Captain, is that really your friend, Buggy the Clown?" 

After a long silence, Ben Beckman, the first mate of the Red-Haired Pirates, broke the stillness, turning to Shanks for confirmation.

A long time ago, when the Red-Haired Pirates were still in the East Blue, Ben Beckman had met Buggy a few times while following Shanks. 

The only impression Buggy had left on him back then was that no matter how strong a pirate crew was, there would always be someone who was a drag on them.

And Buggy was undoubtedly that person on the Pirate King Roger's ship!

However, the Buggy they had just seen in the live broadcast completely overturned Ben Beckman's understanding!

Ben Beckman, who was always confident in his judgment, now found himself doubting whether the Buggy he saw in the broadcast was the same Buggy he knew!

The only one who could answer his doubt was none other than Shanks, who had grown up with Buggy.

Shanks snapped out of his shock but didn't answer Beckman's question. Instead, he grabbed Beckman by the collar, looking deeply aggrieved. "Beckman, Buggy… he's actually teamed up with that scoundrel Blackbeard! How could he do this?! What does he think of me?!"

Ben Beckman was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then he felt somewhat speechless.

So, this was what his captain, Shanks, had been fixated on?

But Shanks' words indirectly answered Beckman's question.

Frowning, Beckman said, "So, Captain, are you sure that the person in the live broadcast is your friend, Buggy the Clown?"

Shanks nodded confidently and said, "Of course! I'd recognize that big red nose even if it turned to ashes!"

Then, with a hint of frustration, Shanks added, "But why the hell is Blackbeard standing next to him?"

Beckman ignored Shanks' concerns and said seriously, "If that's the case, Captain, don't you think something's off?"

Shanks was taken aback and asked, "What do you mean, off?"

Beckman hesitated and then said, "Well… don't you think your old friend's strength is somewhat different from before?"

Given Buggy and Shanks' relationship, Beckman didn't want to outright belittle Buggy's abilities behind his back, so he put it mildly.

But Shanks didn't seem bothered and replied, "It's been over ten years since we last saw each other. It's only natural for Buggy to have gotten stronger! Nothing wrong with that."

Beckman furrowed his brows and asked, "Are you sure? I've seen him a few times in the past, and back then, he didn't seem like someone who could possess such strength."

In this world, to become a top-tier fighter, one needs not only talent and effort but also a strong sense of conviction.

A person's conviction determines how far they can go!

And the Buggy that Beckman had seen before was someone who lacked conviction—no, someone who had no desire to become stronger!

Someone like that shouldn't have come this far!

Shanks understood what Beckman meant and smiled, saying, "Beckman, you're underestimating Buggy."

"Buggy and I grew up together on Captain Roger's ship. We competed constantly, and you could say we were evenly matched, with neither of us able to surpass the other."

"In fact, during the time when Buggy had just eaten the Devil Fruit, I was the one who was at a disadvantage!"

"So, Buggy is actually very strong!"

"After the Roger Pirates disbanded, we both stepped away from the conflicts of the sea. Buggy's ambition wasn't in this, so he stopped advancing."

"I think something must have changed his mind, which is why he's back on the path to becoming stronger."

Ben Beckman thought for a moment and realized that made sense. It had been a long time since he last saw Buggy, so it was only natural that Buggy's mindset might have changed.

But was this change for better or worse?

Ben Beckman asked in a serious tone, "Captain, do you know why Buggy showed up at Marineford? What is he planning to do?"

At the mention of this, Shanks also fell silent, his expression turning solemn.

After a long pause, Shanks finally spoke, "Although we were both apprentices on the ship, I have to admit that I was the one Captain Roger favored the most back then."

"Buggy had immense respect for Captain Roger, so when he believed that Captain Roger had chosen me as his successor, he gave up on his own dream, thinking I was the one destined to be the 'Pirate King' of the new era."

"But on the day Captain Roger was executed, I personally rejected the idea of becoming the 'Pirate King,' and that devastated Buggy."

"Maybe it's because I've done nothing significant over the years that Buggy finally abandoned his last shred of hope and decided to revive his old dream, embarking on the path to becoming the 'King' himself."

"And this war is the stage where he declares his ambitions to the world!"

Shanks paused, then added with a face full of frustration, "But why did he choose to align with Blackbeard? He knows how dangerous Blackbeard is!"

"Not to mention, he's recruited Mr. Bullet as well! Bullet is another incredibly dangerous figure!"

Ben Beckman: "..."

Ben Beckman had been listening intently to Shanks' explanation, but he didn't expect Shanks to suddenly shift the conversation back to Blackbeard.

It seemed that Buggy teaming up with Blackbeard had really shaken Shanks to his core!

Ben Beckman said, "Captain, if Buggy wants to become the King, then it makes sense for him to ally with someone like Blackbeard, doesn't it?"

Shanks shook his head and said, "You don't understand! Buggy was the first to recognize how 'dangerous' Blackbeard is! While everyone else overlooked Blackbeard, Buggy had already noticed something unusual about him!"

"Back then, Buggy even warned me to be careful of Blackbeard! But now he's joined forces with him!"

"Hmm... It must be that Blackbeard tricked Buggy! Yes, that's definitely what happened!"

Ben Beckman: "..."

Ben Beckman felt that his captain was being stubborn. After all, Shanks himself had said that Buggy was the first to realize how dangerous Blackbeard was. 

How could he have been deceived by him?

However, before Ben Beckman could say anything more, Shanks, with a determined expression, declared, "Alright, I've made up my mind! We'll head straight to Marineford right now and end this war—along with exposing Blackbeard's true nature!"

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