Chapter 312: Personal Secretary, Angewomon
The old voice coming from the Den Den Mushi instantly silenced the entire deck. All eyes were fixed on the snail as it slowly sprouted crescent-shaped hair.
"Hey, could that be…" Yasopp began, but Beckman clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Shh!" Beckman gestured, and the other officers immediately understood, freezing in place, not daring to make a sound.
"So it's you," Shanks's expression quickly returned to normal. "The sun must have risen in the west. To think I'd one day receive a personal call from one of the esteemed Five Elders."
"It's only been a few years, and you won't even call me 'Father' anymore?" the Den Den Mushi mimicked Garling's regretful sigh. "It seems you've been at sea for too long and have forgotten all basic etiquette."
"If you have something to say, say it," Shanks frowned. "I'm sure you've seen the newspaper. You're not calling at a time like this just to reminisce."
"Hmph! You have the nerve to mention the newspaper! If it weren't for you, you traitorous son, the honor of the Figarland family would never have…" Garling suppressed his anger and said coldly, "Never mind! There's no point in talking to you about this. You just need to know one thing. Because of all the hype in the newspaper, your daughter has been clamoring to leave the Holy Land to see you…"
"Uta?!" Shanks's face changed, a mixture of shock and anger in his voice. "What is she doing in the Holy Land?! When did this happen?! Uta is my adopted daughter! She has no Figarland blood! What right do you have to take her to the Holy Land!"
"Not that girl who likes to sing!" Garling interrupted coldly. "The other one. Your biological daughter."
"Biological daughter?" Shanks was stunned. Since when did I have a biological daughter?
"The banquet you held before you left the Holy Land, do you remember?"
"The banquet… what do you mean?!"
"The Figarland bloodline must continue. So at that banquet, I specifically instructed a maid to… have relations with you while you were heavily intoxicated," Garling's emotionless voice came through the receiver. "That maid has already been executed. All that's left is a little girl, a few years old."
CRACK!
The words were like a bolt from the blue. Shanks stumbled back, grabbing the ship's railing to steady himself. "You… you…" he growled, his voice low and filled with rage. "You really are a bunch of animals with no bottom line! How could you… how dare you do something like that!" Killing the mother and keeping the child! The Figarland family! Was what had happened in God Valley, what had happened to his mother, happening all over again?!
"Say what you will. I could have raised her properly, to be the next head of the family. But now, all she can think about is you, her father. If this continues, she'll end up just like you, a piece of scum on the sea, and all my efforts will have been for nothing."
"So," Garling said flatly, "to put an end to her delusions, you will meet. As for what you must do to make her give up on you, to make her forget you, you should know better than I."
"Three days from now, in the afternoon, on Raijin Island in the New World. I will have people waiting for you there. Remember, you must come alone. If a second person shows up, you will never see her again."
"Why should I listen to you?" Shanks laughed, a bitter, angry sound.
"Because if you don't, I will choose a second heir. And a failed experiment that has lost its value… you probably don't want to see what happens to it."
Click.
With that final, ruthless word, the call ended.
The deck was plunged into a dead silence.
"Captain, don't believe him! It's a trap!" Yasopp was the first to break the silence. "For that old geezer to contact you at a time like this, and to bring up a 'biological daughter'… it's too much of a coincidence! He's definitely up to no good!"
Lucky Roux also put down his meat and nodded seriously. "That's right, Captain. We need to think this through. We can't act rashly."
"Beckman, you have to talk some sense into him!"
But Beckman didn't immediately object. He lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and asked slowly, "Shanks, what do you think?" After so many years together, Beckman knew that whatever they could think of, their captain could too.
Shanks stared at the rising sun on the horizon, his expression complex. After a moment, he said slowly, "You're right. I agree with you. But… I have to go."
"Captain!" the crew cried out.
"I have no choice," Shanks said, holding up a hand to quiet them. He let out a laugh. "After all, it's not just anyone. It's my daughter, everyone!"
"Even if there's only a one percent chance that it's true, I have to see her with my own eyes. Even if it is a trap… I have to go. You all can understand that, right?"
Shanks… With his words, the ship fell silent. The new recruits had all run away, but the old-timers who remained all knew something of Shanks's past. A man who had lost his mother as an infant, who had survived the fires of war, would naturally yearn for family.
Beckman looked at him for a long moment, then crushed his cigarette on the ship's railing. "I understand." There was no point in saying they would go with him. Garling had made it clear: if a second person showed up, the meeting was off. And besides, with Garling's cautious nature, since he had chosen Raijin Island, which was close to the Red Line, he would undoubtedly have CP agents monitoring the entire area. They wouldn't be able to get close without being detected. They couldn't even have Shanks bring a Den Den Mushi for them to listen in, because Raijin Island was constantly shrouded in a violent thunderstorm that blocked all biological signals.
"Be prepared," was all Beckman said. "If things go south, don't hesitate. Run. We've done it plenty of times before. Don't think it's a disgrace to run just because you're a Yonko now."
It's true, we have. Shanks scratched his head and grinned. "Bwahahaha, don't worry. I'm not some hot-headed rookie who just charges in blindly!"
"Red nose?! Who are you calling red nose?!" Just then, a shrill, duck-like voice came from the ship's cabin. Everyone turned to see a disheveled clown with a big red nose stumble out, reeking of alcohol.
"Buggy?" Shanks's eyes widened. "You're still on the ship? You didn't run away?"
"Run away?" Buggy let out a drunken hiccup, looking confused. "Why would I run away? I ran out of booze last night, so I went to the storage room to get more, and I passed out. I've been sleeping all day… Hey, where are all the new recruits? I haven't seen them. Where'd they go?"
Buggy looked around, bewildered. Shanks and Beckman exchanged a strange look. —So this guy was just drunk and had no idea what had happened. They hadn't seen him all day and had assumed he had snuck off with the new recruits last night. After all, Buggy had been嚷嚷ing about leaving the ship for a while, saying he and Shanks were on different paths and that he was going to rebuild his own pirate crew. As for why Buggy was on their ship in the first place… that was another story they couldn't figure out. They still didn't understand why, after following the Vivre Card all the way to Impel Down last week, they had found this guy…
Beckman looked at Buggy, and an idea came to him. "Buggy," he said with a smile, "never mind the new recruits. By the way, your Chop-Chop Fruit, even if your body parts are far apart, your senses and control aren't affected, right?"
"Of course not!" Buggy, emboldened by the alcohol, puffed out his chest. "I may not have wanted to eat this fruit, and it's all that bastard Shanks's fault, but don't underestimate my development over the years! Even if you cut me in half and threw one half in the South Pole and the other in the North Pole, I could still… hmm? Why do you ask?"
Beckman and Shanks exchanged a look. Shanks clapped a hand on Buggy's shoulder and smiled brightly. "Hey, Buggy, since we did save you from Impel Down, how about you do us a favor…"
"Who asked you to save me!" Buggy immediately jumped back like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "I was doing just fine in there! I had food and drink! Who asked you to meddle!"
I wonder who it was who was clinging to my leg and wouldn't let go… Beckman thought, amused. This guy's attitude was actually pretty normal, but the moment Shanks was around, he would put on this tough-guy act.
"Alright, alright, forget I said that. I'm just asking for a favor," Shanks said, holding up his hands in surrender. He looked at Buggy seriously. "Buggy, this time, I really need your help. And you're the only one who can help me."
Buggy was taken aback by Shanks's sudden seriousness. The alcohol began to wear off. "If you put it that way, I guess I can listen. Wh-what is it? So serious…"
SWISH!
In the next instant, a flash of a blade. Buggy's ear was neatly sliced off. It floated in the air for a second before Shanks snatched it.
"You bastard, Shanks!" Buggy finally reacted, his face red with rage. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"Sorry, sorry, but this is the only way," Shanks laughed, holding Buggy's ear carefully in his palm. "We need to borrow your ear."
"A listening device," Beckman explained. "If we hide it in Shanks's clothes, we'll be able to hear what's happening on Raijin Island from outside. That way, we can ensure that only Shanks goes to the island, but we'll also know what's going on. If something happens, we can immediately go and provide support."
Buggy was stunned for a moment, and then he exploded with rage. "You two bastards! You want to use me as a bug?!"
"What a joke! My ability is not meant to be used like this! This is an insult to the great Captain Buggy—"
"Three treasure maps after this is over."
"Deal!"
Dawn Island.
In a remote mountain forest, surrounded by ancient trees, sunlight streamed through the leaves, dappling the ground. Shane, drenched in sweat, stood in the center of a clearing, his eyes closed in concentration, replaying the essence of the "Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist" in his mind.
"The complete opposite of the defensive circular motions of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist… everything is turned into the sharpest offense… I see!" Shane's eyes snapped open, and he casually swung his right hand forward!
WHOOSH—!
A terrifying gust of wind erupted, and in an instant, the hundred-odd ancient trees in its path were all sliced in half at the trunk and came crashing down! The cuts were neat and as smooth as a mirror. It was impossible to tell that it was the result of a martial art; it looked more like the slash of a great swordsman.
"Barely a beginner's level," Shane said, glancing at the result and then looking away. He wasn't impressed with this level of power, but it didn't matter. For him, the Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist was just a stepping stone. Once he had mastered it, he could combine it with the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist and begin to learn the two great killing moves, the Roaring Aura Sky Ripping Fist and the Cross Fang Dragon Slayer Fist!
"Master," a cold, holy voice came from behind. Angewomon, her eight wings spread, landed lightly on the ground and respectfully offered him a cup of water and a towel.
"Hmm, thanks," Shane said. He was thirsty. He took the cup and chugged it down, letting Angewomon wipe the sweat from his brow. "You've come at this time. Is there something to report?"
"Yes, Master," Angewomon said, continuing to wipe his sweat as she handed him a file. "It's an emergency. A merchant caravan under our flag, which regularly travels between Dressrosa and the Galaxy Sea, went missing on its way to Fish-Man Island to procure supplies. It's suspected they were attacked by pirates."
"Normally, this would be handled by the Garrison Corps' patrol teams and wouldn't have bothered you. But the Garrison Corps has already dispatched two patrol teams, and both have also gone missing. As a last resort, they have come to seek your help, hoping you will dispatch a strong officer to investigate."
"Oh?" Even the patrol teams went missing? Shane frowned and opened the file. "Let me see."
"Mmmhmm," Angewomon waited patiently. If an outsider were to see this, they would be stunned. This was hardly the majestic bearing of an eight-winged archangel. She was more like a personal secretary waiting for her boss's approval.
And that's what she was. Since Mochi had evolved from Gatomon to Angewomon, she had taken on the role of Shane's personal secretary. She wasn't capable of handling administrative work, but she could take care of his daily life and act as a messenger. After all, with her Rumble-Rumble Fruit, she was extremely fast and had a telepathic link with Shane. If there was an emergency, she could find him at top speed, no matter where he was. And since she was essentially a pet, she didn't need to train. She had a lot of free time. She couldn't just lie on the deck with Gin all day, yawning and sunbathing, could she? That would be a bit unseemly.
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