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The pleasure boat sailed on, with waves crashing around it.
In the hazy night, a shadowy object was vaguely visible ahead.
It was an island.
Many people came out of their cabins, onto the deck, enjoying the cool night sea breeze.
Though the pleasure boat was nice, being cooped up at sea for so long made even the strongest men feel bored. Many were already planning to disembark here… If they stayed any longer, they’d spend all their money.
Unlike the men, the extravagant women watched the silhouette of the approaching island, their laughter and chatter fading.
“If possible, I’d like to live on the pleasure boat forever and never set foot on land again…”
Liam heard a nearby flower boat girl named Lily leaning against the railing, muttering to herself in the sea breeze.
Because her name was similar to that of the mother of his body’s original owner, Liam remembered her a little.
But that was all.
His current body couldn’t move much, so Liam wasn’t very interested.
As they approached the island, the pleasure boat circled around, looking for a suitable harbor to dock.
“Hmm?”
Liam squinted at a spot on the island, with his good eyesight he seemed to have seen something.
“Is there something there?” Shanks, adjusting his straw hat, also looked far into the distance, following Liam’s gaze.
On a certain shore of the island, a round object was anchored, seemingly a strangely shaped ship?
“A ship with an evil design,” Liam said.
On a certain part of the round ship, probably the bow, was a lifelike human mouth, with fiery red lips and a row of white teeth, eerily reflecting the faint moonlight.
Shanks stroked his chin, “I have a feeling I’ve seen a ship like this somewhere before…”
Liam said, “A guy with such bad taste can’t be a good person, can he?”
“If it looks familiar, it’s probably a pirate,” Shanks nodded. “You’re probably right about them not being good people!”
Soon, the pleasure boat found a small port to dock at and slowly came to a stop.
A gangplank was lowered, and the guests who wished to disembark grabbed their bags and luggage, exchanged heartfelt or fake kisses and waves with the flower boat girls, and laughed heartily as they turned toward the dimly lit city ahead.
In the world of fleeting pleasures, farewells were often casual.
Watching the pirate hunters laugh and joke as they left, Liam and Shanks also packed their belongings – especially Liam, who carried his heavy bag of clothes and Beli cash and tucked the green Den Den Mushi into his pocket.
They disembarked from the pleasure boat flying the Pleasure District flag. Shanks, being a minimalist, followed Liam with nothing but his prized straw hat and the famous blade Griffin at his waist, looking particularly carefree.
A breeze blew past, carrying a fragrant scent.
Liam saw the antelope Zoan woman leading a few flower boat girls towards the town in the night.
Were they going to buy supplies?
Liam wondered. If this Zoan woman was protecting these girls, then… He turned to look at the pleasure boat, which seemed dark in the night by the sea. Could there be other CP-0 experts on board?
“Let’s go! Haven’t you had enough of this boat?” Shanks called.
Liam briefly sensed the location and distance of the B.I.B.’s faceplate before quickly following Shanks.
…
After entering the city, they found an inn and Boss Liam paid for a room with a double bed.
“Ah!” Shanks sighed contentedly, lying down on one of the beds, using his hands as pillows, and crossing his legs. “What a surprise, we’ve been drifting at sea for quite a while this time!”
“Aren’t you a pirate? Don’t you like drifting at sea?” Liam said casually as he put down his heavy pack and sat down on the other bed.
“Dislike might be too strong a word…” Shanks turned on his side, resting his cheek on his hand and smiling. “It’s just that it’s never quite as comfortable when it’s not my own ship!”
Liam took out the sleepy green Den Den Mushi and played with it in his hand. He looked at Shanks, who wore a serene smile, and asked curiously, “Do pirates really get attached to their ships?”
“Heh!” Shanks grinned. “Try going to sea yourself and you’ll understand.”
“Tch!” Liam scoffed.
Spreading himself out on the bed and staring at the ceiling, Shanks said, “Without the noise of those guys, even eating and drinking seems a little less enjoyable!”
Liam shrugged, unable to relate at the moment.
“Have you been on someone else’s ship before, Shanks?” Liam asked. “If you’ve already been at sea, why become a captain and keep drifting?”
Shanks was silent for a moment.
Liam turned to look at him. Shanks was lying on the bed with one hand under his head and the other holding the straw hat Roger had given him, looking at it.
“A crewman and a captain are very different,” Shanks said, pulling the straw hat over his face. “Back when I followed the captain and everyone else, now I want to stand in the captain’s position and see the world from his perspective…”
“You really respect your former captain!”
“Yeah…” Shanks’ mouth curled up under the straw hat. “I wonder where everyone from the old ship went after we split up. The old guys must have retired! I’m really curious to see their reactions when they see my bounty poster! They must be so jealous! Hahaha…”
I really can’t believe that you don’t know where Crocus and Rayleigh are hiding… Liam thought to himself.
Speaking of which, hiding in plain sight, blending in with the fish-men and dragons of the Sabaody Archipelago like Rayleigh is one thing, but Crocus, the ship’s doctor who prolonged Pirate King Roger’s life despite his terminal illness, managed to retire peacefully at the entrance to the Grand Line at Twin Capes without any problems for over 20 years…
In contrast, Fish-Man Tom, who only built a ship for Roger, was immediately targeted by the World Government after Roger’s capture…
Tsk, Fish-Men really have no rights!
As night fell in the dimly lit room, Liam suddenly opened his eyes and sat up in bed. At the same time, a dark energy flowed out of his body and his faceless armor appeared.
Thump, thump, clang, clang…
Liam got out of bed and opened the door, making no effort to be quiet. In fact, the sounds were quite obvious. B.I.B.’ turned the knob and Liam looked back at Shanks, who still seemed to be asleep in bed…
After a while, Liam came back.
“I can’t believe you’re pretending not to hear…” Liam muttered, only to see Shanks sitting on the edge of the bed, meeting his gaze.
Shanks was speechless, “What are you doing up in the middle of the night?”
“Punishing the wicked and upholding justice!” Liam said.
Shanks looked at him but didn’t move.
Liam put on a sincere expression, “There’s a good fruit out there, brother. Let’s go pick it together, shall we?”
……
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