Chapter 103: Chapter 103: The Arrival of a Legendary Pirate
When Yoriichi Tsugikuni returned to the town tavern carrying both Buggy and Shanks in each hand, all the Marines inside turned their eyes to the two young pirates dangling from his grip.
Although the Roger Pirates were infamous across the world as a legendary crew, the same couldn't be said for these two apprentice members. Shanks and Buggy were virtually unknown. Neither had a wanted poster to their name. Even Chopper, with his 50-berry bounty as a "pet," had more notoriety than them.
Most of the Marines present didn't recognize the two and had no idea why Yoriichi had brought them back.
Kuzan, however, immediately recognized them the moment he laid eyes on their faces. His expression twisted with surprise as he muttered:
"You went out just to take a leak, and came back dragging two of Roger's crew?"
"Your luck's really something, huh?"
At the time, Kuzan had been seated at the bar, drinking alone. Beside him sat a bottle of "Sherry" wine—Zephyr's favorite.
When he saw Yoriichi walk in with two scrawny kids in each hand, he called out in disbelief.
Hearing Kuzan's comment, the other Marines exchanged looks, then turned to gape at the two "chicks" Yoriichi had brought.
To them, the names Buggy and Shanks meant nothing. But everyone knew the Roger Pirates. That name carried weight.
In this world, who hadn't heard of the Pirate King?
"Roger's crew?! Those two brats?!"
"No way! That kind of pirate lets kids sail with him? What's his ship—a floating amusement park from Sabaody?!"
"Maybe they're just snacks. I heard Roger likes eating children."
A wave of jeers and speculation washed over the bar as the Marines whispered among themselves, eyeing Shanks and Buggy with disbelief and amusement. Most of them were new recruits under Kuzan and had never seen the Roger Pirates firsthand. All they knew were secondhand tales and rumors.
Their opinions were shaped entirely by imagination.
"Hey! Watch your mouths, Marines!" Buggy shouted, eyes blazing with fury. "I'm a great pirate, you hear me?! You dare underestimate me?!"
"Captain Roger doesn't eat kids, you idiots!" Shanks added, struggling against Yoriichi's grip. "Let me go, redhead! If Roger comes back and finds out, you'll regret this!"
Both boys were conscious and clearly aware of the ridicule. Buggy, especially, couldn't tolerate being looked down on. He thrashed around, attempting to reclaim his dignity. Shanks, too, boiled with rage at the mention of Roger eating children.
But no matter how hard they struggled, they couldn't break free from Yoriichi's iron grip. The strength difference was just too vast.
"Quiet down," Yoriichi said calmly.
He lowered his arms and casually dropped both of them onto the wooden floor with a thud. Then he walked over to the bar and ordered a glass of juice.
Buggy and Shanks hit the floor hard. Wincing, they glared up at Yoriichi. Shanks groaned, "You bastard, warn us next time before dropping us like that!"
"That hurt."
He clutched his side and slowly pushed himself up. To be fair, Yoriichi hadn't been rough when capturing them, so both had already recovered somewhat from earlier.
"Hey, Shanks," Buggy whispered, tugging his friend's sleeve.
Buggy couldn't help but feel timid. With so many heavily armed Marines staring at them, he shrank back instinctively. Ever since he accidentally ate a Devil Fruit, he had lost the boldness he once had. His confidence had plummeted.
"Damn it," Shanks muttered, still irritated, but he understood the situation better now.
He didn't recognize most of the Marines here, but he definitely recognized the tall man sitting beside Yoriichi—Kuzan, a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral at the time.
Shanks had seen him over a year ago. He knew Kuzan was a Logia Devil Fruit user, an exceptionally strong one at that.
And there was also this terrifying red-haired young officer, Yoriichi, whose power was beyond anything they could handle.
There was no way the two of them could escape.
"Hey, Navy guy," Shanks called out. "Why are you arresting us?"
"We're not even wanted criminals. You've got no right to lock us up!"
He had protested the same thing earlier, but Yoriichi had ignored him. Now that he saw Kuzan, he tried again.
Sure enough, the other Marines looked puzzled. One of them pulled out a stack of wanted posters for the Roger Pirates and flipped through them.
But after a while, he looked up, confused. "I don't see them listed anywhere."
Others began to murmur, casting glances at Yoriichi.
Before Yoriichi could speak, Kuzan chuckled and answered casually:
"You're right. We never issued any wanted posters for the two of you."
"But so what? We know you're part of the Roger Pirates. That's more than enough."
"There are too many pirates in this world. You think we issue bounties for every single one?"
"We don't bother giving rewards for weaklings. We just toss 'em straight into Impel Down."
With that, Kuzan turned away and resumed sipping his drink.
Yoriichi sipped his juice as well, ignoring the two boys completely.
As far as he was concerned, the only value they held now was as bait to lure the Roger Pirates.
Yoriichi simply wanted to witness, firsthand, what a battle between the strongest in this world truly looked like.
He had missed the chance to watch Garp fight Roger in the past. This time, he would not let it slip by.
Shanks and Buggy clenched their fists. They were boiling with frustration at being dismissed so completely, but even they knew not to act rashly.
So they said nothing more. They simply stood there, surrounded by Marines eating and drinking as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, while neither of them dared to run.
But just then, loud laughter echoed from outside the tavern.
"Fuhahahahahaha!!!"
"Roger Pirates' crew, huh? Where? Let me have a look!"
"I wanna see what kind of fools got captured by the Navy!"
The tavern doors were shoved open with a bang.
A tall, broad-shouldered man strode in, followed by a gang of imposing, burly men.
He wore a bright yellow striped cape, long golden hair draped over his back, and a matching golden beard on his chin. Most bizarre of all, a ship's helm was embedded right into the top of his skull.
At his waist hung two long swords, one on each side. A cigar dangled from his lips, and a dazzling smile lit up his face.
As he stepped into the room, he casually scanned the bar and locked eyes on Shanks and Buggy standing near the Marines.
His smile faded into a scowl.
"So it's these two little brats?"
"Roger's not running a daycare, is he? What's he doing with kids on board?"
"Let me help him clean up the dead weight."
Without waiting for a reply, the man drew one of his swords and stepped directly in front of Shanks and Buggy.
Without warning, he slashed down at them.
"Golden Lion Shiki?!"
Buggy barely had time to scream before the blade was upon him. The strike was so fast he couldn't even react.
But in that instant, a figure cloaked in white flashed between them.
Kuzan vanished from the bar counter and reappeared in front of Buggy in a blink. In his hand was a sword made of solid ice, which he used to block Shiki's attack.
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