One Piece: Starting by Refusing Shanks

Takumi had no intention of entertaining Zoro and Kuina's endless questions.

Despite their attempts to sweet-talk and persuade him, Takumi remained resolute in his silence.

Running out of options, Kuina suddenly came up with an idea. "Takumi, if you tell us, I'll use all my savings to buy you some sake. How about that?"

"Not interested," Takumi replied flatly. "I've got my own money."

"Don't be so stingy," Zoro muttered under his breath.

As they talked, the three of them arrived at the busiest street in Shimotsuki Village's night market.

The street was filled with people, loud calls from vendors, and the hustle and bustle of a lively crowd.

Takumi remained calm, while Zoro and Kuina, their faces flushed with excitement, looked around eagerly.

Kids will be kids, Takumi thought.

"Over there," Kuina pointed to a row of stalls on the left side of the street. One of the stalls was set up on a cart, and a middle-aged woman was loudly calling out to customers. "That's Auntie Sugimoto. Her sake is the best and sells out quickly. If we don't hurry, it'll be gone."

As she spoke, a crowd had already formed around the small cart, with people lining up to buy the limited supply of sake.

The three of them quickly joined the line at the back.

"You two can go have fun elsewhere," Takumi suggested, not wanting them to stick around.

Kuina grinned, "Auntie Sugimoto's sake is limited to one small bottle per person. With Zoro and me here, we can help you get three bottles instead of just one."

Just as Kuina finished speaking, a group of rough-looking men barged through the crowd, pushing people aside to reach Sugimoto's stall.

Leading them was a tall man with a long face, a cross-shaped scar on his forehead, and a sword at his waist.

It was Higuma, the bandit.

This was the same guy who would one day pour sake on the head of Shanks, one of the future Four Emperors.

Back then, Shanks let it slide, showing his magnanimity.

At this point in time, Higuma and his gang hadn't yet gone to Foosha Village, so they hadn't met Shanks.

"With this many people lining up, this sake must be good. I'll take the whole cart," Higuma declared arrogantly.

The surrounding villagers took a few steps back in fear.

"But... but our sake is limited. You can only buy one small bottle per person," Sugimoto stammered nervously. "If you want to buy some, you should line up like everyone else."

"Line up?" Higuma sneered. "I'm an eight million berry bounty criminal, and you want me to line up?"

Sugimoto looked like she was about to cry, and the villagers were too scared to say anything.

An eight million berry bounty was no joke, and the villagers, who were mostly unarmed and defenseless, didn't dare provoke him.

Zoro and Kuina instinctively reached for the bamboo swords they had brought with them.

Kuina's cold voice rang out, "I don't care how big your bounty is. This is Shimotsuki Village, and we won't let you do whatever you want."

"Yeah!" Zoro said, gripping his two bamboo swords tightly. "We won't let you bully people here."

Higuma turned his head to look at the three of them, chuckling under his breath.

His underlings burst into laughter, openly mocking the kids.

"Ha! These little brats think they can pick a fight? They've got no idea what they're up against."

"You kids better scram before the boss loses his temper!"

"Our boss is going to be the king of bandits! Get lost while you still can!"

Seeing how brazen Higuma and his gang were, Zoro whispered to Kuina, "Can we really take them on?"

Kuina glanced at Takumi, who hadn't said a word this whole time, and took a deep breath. "Whether we can or not, we have to try. We can't let them run wild in our village!"

Kuina's gaze turned icy as she stared down Higuma, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "A bunch of bullies like you, calling yourselves bandits? King of bandits? More like a pack of cowards who only know how to pick on the weak. I won't let you get away with this."

"What did you say?" Higuma's brow furrowed in anger.

Sugimoto panicked, "Kuina, stop it! You kids need to leave now."

Even though Kuina was one of the best swordsmen at the dojo, stronger than many adults, she was still just a child with a bamboo sword. How could she possibly stand up to a bandit?

The surrounding villagers were all worried, urging Kuina and the others to back down and avoid provoking Higuma further.

"Leave?" Higuma unsheathed the sword at his waist, pointing the tip at Kuina's forehead. "Sure, you can leave, but you'll have to leave an arm behind."

Kuina clenched her teeth, standing her ground.

Suddenly, Zoro pulled her behind him, pointing his two bamboo swords at Higuma. "Kuina, step back. I'll take him on!"

Kuina protested, "Idiot, you're weaker than me. I should be the one to fight him!"

Higuma burst out laughing. "How touching. Two kids fighting over who gets to die first. Fine, I'll kill you both."

Just as Higuma finished speaking, Takumi suddenly spoke up, "So, you're not lining up?"

The villagers fell silent, not daring to make a sound.

Their silence was taken as agreement.

Takumi looked at Higuma. "You arrived late. You'll have to wait in line behind me."

With that, Takumi calmly walked past Higuma and up to the sake cart.

The villagers gasped in shock, all eyes on Takumi as he reached the cart full of sake.

"How much for a bottle?" Takumi asked.

Sugimoto blinked, momentarily stunned before responding out of habit, "Fifty berries a bottle..."

Takumi casually handed her a hundred berries and grabbed a bottle, pulling out the cork and taking a swig in front of everyone.

"Not bad," Takumi nodded in approval.

Higuma's face turned an ugly shade of red as he glared daggers at Takumi.

But Takumi ignored him, turning to the still-stunned Zoro and Kuina. "Weren't you two going to help me buy sake?"

They snapped out of their daze, quickly putting down their bamboo swords and running over to the cart.

Higuma pressed the tip of his sword against Takumi's neck, his tone dark. "Hey, brat, who said you could buy sake?"

Takumi glanced at him, his voice calm. "shed your sword."

To everyone's surprise, Higuma actually moved his sword away.

But in the next second, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes as he swung the sword straight at Takumi's neck.

"Run, Takumi!" someone shouted.

"He's going to die!" another villager cried out.

"Somebody save him! Where's Koushirou? Is it too late to get him?" voices of concern and panic filled the air.

Zoro and Kuina couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

But as Higuma's sword was about to reach him, Takumi casually stepped back half a step.

The sword's tip missed his throat by a mere centimeter.

Higuma's eye twitched. When had he ever been humiliated like this? And by a kid, no less!

He was furious now.

"Brat! You're dead!" Higuma roared, raising his sword to strike.

Takumi still didn't pay him any attention. Instead, he turned to Zoro and Kuina. "Buy the sake."

"Really? You're still thinking about drinking at a time like this?" Kuina muttered, exasperated, but she obediently paid for the sake. She and Zoro each picked up a bottle.

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