One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

Shanks crouched down and picked up the shards of glass one by one, placing them in the palm of his other hand.

Sieg watched Shanks squatting on the ground picking up the glass, his expression shifting from arrogance to a twisted anger.

This pirate, the pirate whose bottle he smashed with a single punch, was actually cleaning up the trash on the ground—ignoring him completely.

Sig's right hand suddenly gripped the hilt of his knife at his waist.

A flash of cold light, and the slender blade traced a dazzling arc under the tavern lights before slamming into the bar counter with a thud.

Wood chips flew everywhere, and a deep crack was cut into the edge of the bar.

"Are you deaf?" Sieg coldly retorted.

This time, the Red-Haired Pirates broke their silence.

Beckman slowly stood up, the cigarette in his hand burning silently between his fingers.

Yasopp put down his wine glass and placed his fingers on the holster at his waist.

Raki Lu placed the meat bone in his hand on the table with such a light touch that it was almost silent, but everyone could feel the oppressive aura emanating from him.

Lime Jones and Benk Bingge turned their heads at the same time, their gazes fixed on Sieg as if they were solid objects.

A dozen battle-hardened pirates, a dozen pairs of expressionless eyes, all stared at one person.

Sig's hand holding the knife froze.

He sensed it.

That chill that shot up his spine, that instinctive scream of fear that made him run away.

His hands were trembling, and the tip of the knife was also quivering slightly.

He gritted his teeth and forcibly sheathed the knife at his waist, the clanging of the scabbards particularly jarring in the deathly silent tavern.

But he couldn't afford to lose face in front of his subordinates.

Sieg lowered his head, looking at Shanks who was still squatting on the ground picking up shards of glass, a mocking smile curving his lips:

"It seems you really enjoy cleaning."

Shanks did not answer.

He simply reached up to adjust his straw hat and continued picking up the shards of glass from the ground.

Sig stared at the straw hat for two seconds, chuckled, and turned to wave at his men.

"Since there's no more wine, we can't continue this conversation. Let's go."

He strode towards the tavern entrance, then stopped at the doorway, turned his head, and glanced out of the corner of his eye at the silent pirates filling the room.

The smile on his face was contemptuous and arrogant.

Goodbye, you cowards.

The tavern door was slammed shut.

The footsteps of the bandits gradually faded into the distance, disappearing on the stone-paved road in the direction of the port.

The tavern was silent for a full three seconds.

Then, as if someone had broken free from a freeze spell, Luffy suddenly stood up from the chair.

His face turned bright red, his little fists were clenched tightly, and he looked like a powder keg that had been lit.

"Shanks!!!"

Why didn't you fight back!

That guy smashed a bottle over your head!

He even insulted you!

He went so far—why didn't you hit him?!

Shanks stood up, placed the glass shards he had picked up on the table, patted Luffy's head, and chuckled.

"Luffy, don't take this so seriously."

"A trivial matter?!"

Luffy's voice grew louder, and his eyes reddened.

He called you a coward! He said you're all cowards!

So many people being bullied by one person and not fighting back—what kind of pirates are you?!

The members of the Red-Haired Pirates exchanged glances. Lucky Roux spoke first, shrugging with a clear hint of mockery in his voice.

"There's nothing we can do about it, our captain's a coward."

Yasopp immediately chimed in, shaking his head and sighing.

"That's really lame."

He got his face splattered with wine by a petty bandit worth eight million Berries, and didn't dare utter a sound.

"really."

Beckman leisurely exhaled a smoke ring, then delivered a final, expressionless blow.

"How could I have gotten on the ship of a man like that?"

"you--"

Luffy jumped up in anger, pointing at the laughing pirates, his voice cracking.

"You still have the nerve to laugh! Shanks was bullied like that and you're still laughing! You bunch of—"

He couldn't find the words, so he could only plop back down in his chair in frustration.

Her little face puffed up like a pufferfish, her eyes were still red, but she stubbornly refused to shed tears.

Kuina sat in the corner of the bar, her brow furrowed.

Her gaze darted back and forth between Shanks and Roy, her mind filled with confusion.

She had just witnessed Shanks being covered in alcohol and saw the knife slash at the bar, with sawdust flying to her feet.

Shanks—the powerful figure who had faced Roy head-on in the New World—did not retaliate at all, nor did he even get angry.

What puzzled her even more was Roy.

Roy just sat there, watching from beginning to end, without moving a single finger.

With his strength, he could have dealt with those bandits in less than a breath. But he did nothing.

Kuina couldn't help but look at Roy, her eyes full of confusion.

Roy sensed her gaze and turned around. The calm expression on his face made Roy feel inexplicably annoyed.

She didn't ask.

But Roy read the question she wanted to ask in her eyes.

"No rush."

Roy said only two words, then picked up his glass and took another sip, the meaningful smile on his lips never fading.

He knew that all of this was an inevitable step on Luffy's path to growth.

Shanks's forbearance, the bandits' arrogance, Luffy's anger—all of these were to ignite that seed.

The seed that becomes the "Pirate King" can only sprout in the hottest flames of anger.

He only needs to watch quietly.

The atmosphere in the tavern quickly returned to its lively state.

Maginot used a towel to wipe the wine off Shanks, who smiled and said it was nothing to worry about.

Raki Luke picked up the meat bone again, Yasopp got back into his arm-wrestling stance, and the crew started drinking and playing drinking games again, as if nothing had happened.

Luffy sat alone at the bar, his back to everyone, his face so gloomy it looked like it could squeeze water out of him.

His fingers were still trembling as he held the juice glass, not from fear, but from resentment.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the treasure chest that Shanks had put back on the bar.

The box was unlocked, the lid was ajar, revealing a narrow crack.

Luffy reached out and opened the box.

There was a fruit lying inside.

Its purple peel is covered with spiral patterns, and its shape is so bizarre that it doesn't resemble any other fruit in the world.

Luffy had never seen anything like this before, but his mind was so filled with rage that he couldn't think about what it was.

He grabbed the fruit, opened his mouth, and took a big bite.

Roy's hand, holding the wine glass, stopped the moment Luffy opened the treasure chest.

His Observation Haki covered the entire tavern; from the moment Shanks entered, he had been keeping an eye on the treasure chest.

Strangely enough, even though he had been paying attention, he hadn't seen anyone open the box.

The lid of the treasure chest was already ajar before Luffy got the fruit.

It seems like this fruit was waiting for Luffy from the very beginning.

fate.

Roy's lips curled slightly upward as he continued watching the show, holding his wine glass.