One Piece: Starting in God Valley as a Slave

Shanks clapped his hands, exclaiming,

"As expected, I guessed it right!"

Carl simply smiled without responding. Shanks continued,

"Brother, when are you planning to hold the wedding? With your status, it's bound to be a grand event, right?"

"You're quite the busybody. What's the matter? Want to be my best man?"

Shanks froze for a moment, awkwardly replying,

"Your wedding will probably be at Marineford or Mary Geoise, right? I could attend, but it'd be inconvenient to show my face publicly. So, forget about being the best man. Maybe you could get me a Marine uniform to blend in with the crowd."

Carl raised an eyebrow and reprimanded,

"Nonsense! You're attending your brother's wedding. What's with the sneaky behavior? Are you a thief? Do I need to remind you of your position again?"

"But... wouldn't that cause you trouble?"

"What trouble? Stop worrying about things you shouldn't. Go become the Pirate King first. Once you're done with that, I'll take care of the rest."

As Carl spoke, his expression suddenly darkened.

"By the way, why are you still lingering in this sea? You're the only Emperor left now. The whole world is watching you. Why aren't you taking this chance to make your move?"

Shanks, clearly subdued by Carl's imposing presence, glanced at Beckman for help. Beckman sighed, his face showing helplessness as he spoke,

"Fleet Admiral of the Celestial Dragons, we do want to act, but to reach Laugh Tale, we need someone who can read the Poneglyphs. Unfortunately, both the Kozuki Clan and the scholars from Ohara are gone..."

Carl raised a hand to interrupt.

"Alright, I get it."

He then gave Shanks a sideways glance, asking,

"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?"

Shanks nodded honestly, saying,

"Brother, Katakuri mentioned he has a sister who's part of the Three-Eyed Tribe. Do you know if she's still alive?"

Katakuri and Brûlée had left too early to see Carl take Brûlée's sister Pudding.

Carl smiled faintly,

"Of course. I kept her alive specifically for you."

Shanks was overjoyed at this, but Carl continued,

"Don't get too excited. Her Three-Eyed bloodline isn't pure enough, so her abilities haven't awakened yet. You'll need to wait a bit longer."

With that, Carl waved his hand, and a book landed on the table in front of Shanks.

Shanks picked it up and glanced at the first page. His eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed,

"This is..."

"This is a translation of the Road Poneglyph from Totto Land. I also have an Ohara survivor in custody. She translated this."

"As expected of you!"

Carl smirked,

"Stop flattering me. I'm not handing over the Ohara survivor to you. Her identity is too sensitive, and revealing her to the world would damage the World Government's reputation."

"I understand. I can wait."

"Good. In the meantime, you won't be bored—I've arranged a rival for you."

Shanks blinked in surprise.

"A rival? Who?"

"Marshall D. Teach."

"Him?"

"Don't underestimate him. He's a true pirate. Watch carefully, his name will soon resonate across the seas."

Shanks narrowed his eyes.

"Interesting. If you think so highly of him, I'd like to meet him."

"It's not about thinking highly. He won't be around for long."

Shanks nodded, knowing full well that with Carl's strength, if Teach became a threat, he wouldn't last long.

Thinking of Teach reminded Shanks of his old friend, Buggy. Since their parting, he hadn't seen him again. Recalling their "falling out," Shanks sighed softly.

Carl frowned.

"What's wrong? Why the sigh?"

After a moment of silence, Shanks replied,

"I just suddenly thought of Buggy. I wonder what he's doing now. Did he find the treasure he's been chasing?"

Carl crossed his arms, pondering briefly.

"He's not finding any treasure. Right now, he should be imprisoned in Impel Down."

Shanks was startled.

"What?! Since when?"

Carl explained how Buggy ended up in prison. Shanks slapped his forehead in disbelief.

"That idiot! His luck has always been good. How did he end up in a Marine base?"

He then asked,

"Brother, how long will Buggy be locked up?"

"He's in Level 1, the lowest security. Still, he'll be there for about ten years."

Shanks shook his head, feeling an unexplainable regret.

"Ten years... What a shame. If he knew I was aiming to be Pirate King, he'd be furious. After all, he was disappointed in me back then..."

Carl, with his memories of Earth, understood the love-hate bond between Shanks and Buggy.

Buggy often claimed to hate Shanks for making him eat a Devil Fruit and lose his treasure map. But deep down, that incident didn't really matter to him.

Years ago, when Rayleigh brought them to Sabaody Archipelago, Buggy and Shanks had planned to set out to sea together.

Before their departure, Buggy excitedly shared his dreams of the One Piece. However, Shanks, burdened by his belief in fate, declared he had no intention of pursuing the One Piece anymore.

Those words deeply hurt Buggy. To him, Shanks was destined to be the Pirate King. But hearing Shanks give up made him feel like a fool, a clown.

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+240 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg