Pirate: I'm about to do something big!

The next morning.

Temporary naval camp on the coast of Windmill Village.

Smoker and the other marines, along with Shanks' core crew, who had been stunned by Shanks' Conqueror's Haki that indiscriminately affected friend and foe, awoke in a daze.

As soon as I got up, I saw the leaders of both sides standing at the entrance of the camp, watching the three small figures moving around on the deck of the naval warship and Shanks's main ship, the Red Voss.

The atmosphere was so harmonious, as if nothing had happened the night before.

"Hey? Smoker, did you guys sleep well?"

"Dyed? What exactly happened?"

Seeing Alyosha greet him nonchalantly, Smoker belatedly drew his weapon, "Jitet," and glared at Shanks next to Alyosha with an unfriendly expression.

"Don't be so nervous. Last night was just a test between Mr. Shanks and me. I didn't expect it to affect you. So I'll just let you get a good night's rest."

Alyosha recounted the events of the previous night at the camp in a casual manner, which made Smoker's eyes twitch as he listened.

Looking at Shanks, who was also acting harmlessly next to Alyosha, he found it hard to believe Alyosha's words.

"Is this guy really that scary?"

"Hmm, that's quite terrifying. If Smoker were to face off against Mr. Shanks, it would be a 30/70 chance, right?"

"Are the odds of winning really that low?"

"It's not a matter of winning, it's that Smoker will be killed seven times by Mr. Shanks in three minutes."

Smoker's face darkened, while Tina and Shanks' core crew members who came up behind him burst into laughter.

"Haha, as a Marine, we're surprisingly not annoyed with you. Why don't you quit being a Marine and join our Red-Haired Pirates, Mr. Ran? Hahaha."

"Raki, Mr. Ran's words also apply to you. If you encounter Mr. Ran at sea, run if you can, and surrender if you can't. Otherwise, if Mr. Ran makes a move, I'll have no choice but to fight him too."

According to the rule of constant smiles, the smiles of the core members of the Red-Haired Pirates were now transferred to the faces of Smoker and his Marine subordinates.

Shanks' meaning was quite clear.

If you happen to encounter Alyosha at sea while I'm away, don't even think about fighting him. Either run away or surrender; that way, there's still a chance to save them.

Otherwise, the only option left is to avenge his brother.

Alyosha and Shanks's back-and-forth banter left both sides in an awkward position.

But soon, they also noticed Luffy and his two companions busy on Alyosha's flagship and Shanks' flagship, as well as Dadan and her band of mountain bandits.

"Huh? Isn't that Luffy? And where did these two brats next to him come from?"

"Oh, that's Luffy's brother."

"Huh?! Luffy has an older brother?"

The core members of the Red-Haired Pirates were surprised by Shanks' words, and on Alyosha's side, Smoker and the others were no less surprised than the crew.

"Ran, you're not kidding me, are you? This brat who's always talking about going to sea to become a pirate is actually Garp's grandson?!"

"Monkey D. Luffy, the same surname as Mr. Garp. No wonder Mr. Garp insisted that I come to the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue first. He doesn't know how to teach children, so he's planning to have me do it for him."

Alyosha put on a helpless expression towards Garp, a veteran with such seniority, and handed the registered names to Smoker and the others.

The names of Luffy and his two friends are naturally written on it.

Of course, apart from Luffy being his full name, Ace's full name had the middle name "D" omitted by Alyosha, and Sabo only had a first name and no surname.

As for the origin of the three little ones, Alyosha also gave a reasonable explanation.

Garp took his young grandson back to Windmill Village in the Goa Kingdom and entrusted him to the care of Dadan, a female bandit who had reformed. At that time, Dadan had already raised a child, so Garp simply adopted this child named Ace as his godchild and Luffy's sworn brother.

It's a reasonable explanation that Sabo and the two brothers met in the Kingdom of Goa.

Even if Alyosha's story were taken to Marine Headquarters, no one would doubt it, because only Sengoku and Garp at Marine Headquarters currently know about Ace's background. They would be happy to see the son of the former Pirate King Roger become an excellent Marine, if possible.

"So he's Mr. Garp's grandson. It's really not right to let this kid become a pirate. He should be properly trained to become an excellent marine. Otherwise, Mr. Garp, as a naval hero, will be too heartbroken."

"No, no, no, Smoker, Mr. Garp's grandson doesn't necessarily have to become an excellent marine. He needs to be educated and taught to distinguish between pirates and marines. This kid looks like the kind who can't sit still. He might not become a marine, but becoming a world-renowned adventurer would be a great thing, wouldn't it? He's still young. Don't instill in them the idea that they have to become marines from a young age, like Mr. Garp did. That's not good. Lieutenant Doll?"

"Yes, Commander Alyosha."

"Take a team to make contact with the royal family of the Goa Kingdom, and while you're at it, investigate the background of this kid named Sabo. The clothes he's wearing aren't something the villagers in Windmill Village can afford. Also, bring Binz and Ain along."

"Yes, Commander Alyosha."

The adjutant, Dol, turned and left with the information Alyosha had given him.

After handing over his tasks, Alyosha led Smoker and Tina, along with Shanks and his crew, toward his ship.

The three little ones have been busy since dawn, cleaning the entire deck of Alyosha's and Shanks's flagships.

Even though the three little ones are naturally energetic and exceptionally talented, they are now exhausted and out of breath, not to mention Dadan and her group who came to help.

Upon seeing Alyosha and the others approaching, Luffy, thanks to the power boost from eating the Devil Fruit, managed to stand up weakly and greeted Alyosha and Shanks.

"Hey, we've thoroughly cleaned your deck, can you let Ace go now? Shanks, look, can I get on your ship like this?"

"Hey kid, don't talk like you're sleeping! You're the grandson of the hero Garp!!"

Seeing Luffy talking while dozing off, and speaking in a tone as if he wanted to become an apprentice crew member of the Red-Haired Pirates, Smoker was furious.

But before he could make a move, Alyosha stopped him.

"Alright, alright, didn't I just tell you to be patient with children and to teach them well? This is just the beginning. Look, aren't they doing a pretty good job?"

"So the spots are decided, just these three little ones?"

"Let's go with these three little ones, but I need to discuss it with them and their parents first."

"Didn't Mr. Karp agree?"

"I'm talking about the foster mother of these three little guys. She raised them all. How can you take someone else's children to Marine Headquarters for training without their mother's permission? Don't you think so, Mr. Shanks?"

"That's right, Mr. Ran. If Luffy and the others agree to go with you, please give us a day to say goodbye properly."

"no problem."

With Alyosha's permission, Shanks boarded the ship with his crew.

As Shanks brushed past Alyosha, he pressed his left arm again, as if to show it to Alyosha.

Alyosha also remembered Shanks' action, and he was also very curious about what secret Shanks' severed left hand held.