"Po, can you sense the strength of the people on that pirate ship?" Gustave asked as he and Tom approached Po.
"Very strong! Everyone on that pirate ship is powerful, and there's one presence among them... if I had to face him, I wouldn't be confident of victory," Po said gravely.
According to Po's Observation Haki perception, the approaching pirate ship carried eleven distinct auras. Except for one that was relatively weak, the other ten were all formidable. Two in particular were much stronger than the other eight, and Po felt uncertain about defeating the strongest one.
Ace was shocked hearing Po's assessment. Although Po hadn't taken action in the past year, through Gustave's explanations, Ace understood the approximate power classifications of this world's strongest fighters.
Moreover, Gustave had once boasted to Ace and Luffy that with Po's strength, he could be considered a master even in the New World, where powerful individuals were abundant.
Now even Po found this opponent challenging—just how powerful must they be!
Thinking this, Ace couldn't help but clench his fists.
Upon hearing Po's words, Tom had already changed into a swordsman's outfit.
Tom wore a red swordsman's uniform and a black top hat with a feather plume. The sword hanging at his waist was a heavy rapier used in fencing competitions.
Unlike the serious expressions of the other three, Gustave had already roughly identified the people aboard the opposing pirate ship. At this point in time, with such strength, who else could it be but the Red Hair Pirates?
On the other side, aboard the Red Hair Pirate Ship.
Yasopp, who possessed excellent Observation Haki and keen eyesight, clung to the mast and called down to Shanks below:
"Captain, there's a village up ahead, but the people seem panicked, as if they're hiding from pirates!"
Shanks, who had been resting on deck with his hat covering his face, suddenly sat up after hearing Yasopp's words. He looked around and asked:
"Pirates? Where are the pirates?"
Then came a burst of laughter as Shanks finally realized:
"Oh right, we're the pirates! Bwahahaha!"
Yasopp continued:
"Captain, there's a strong fighter on shore!"
Shanks became interested upon hearing this and asked:
"How strong?"
"Very strong. If I fought him one-on-one, I wouldn't necessarily win."
At this time, Yasopp's strength was far from the level he'd possess when Luffy set sail in the original timeline. He was definitely no match for Po, who had reached the strength of an elite Vice Admiral (or Admiral candidate) at Marine Headquarters.
"Oh?" Hearing this, Shanks became even more intrigued. After all, Yasopp wasn't particularly modest and usually enjoyed boasting. For him to admit he couldn't defeat an opponent suggested their strength was truly extraordinary.
Shanks extended his Observation Haki, and in his perception, there were four people on the opposing beach. One was a small child whose strength was impressive for his age, but posed no threat to Shanks currently.
Then there was Gustave's aura—he'd be considered a master in the East Blue, but insufficient for Shanks.
Next was Tom, whose strength wasn't clearly evident, but Shanks didn't take him seriously because the last one, Po, interested him greatly.
"I didn't expect to find such a master in a small East Blue village. How fascinating," Shanks smiled.
"Hey, you guys sail the ship over slowly. I'm going to meet this strong fighter first!" After saying this, Shanks leaped from the ship and headed toward shore.
Seeing the figure approaching him, Po covered his hands with Armament Haki and prepared for battle.
Gustave and the other two had already retreated the moment Shanks jumped from the ship. Tom was reluctant to leave and wanted to fight Shanks himself, but Gustave forcibly pulled him away.
Shanks drew his sword Gryphon, and Po blocked Shanks' attack with both hands. The moment the two clashed, the resulting wind and waves made Gustave and the others unsteady, while the buildings behind them vibrated with a buzzing sound.
"Hey, Po! Take him to the other side to fight—don't damage the village houses!" After stabilizing himself, Gustave shouted to Po.
Hearing this shout, Ace looked at Gustave in surprise. Why would the red-haired man follow Po to the other side just because you said so? What do you think he is? But what happened next astonished Ace.
After Po separated his hands from Shanks' sword Gryphon, he moved toward the uninhabited area to the right of the village. Shanks glanced at Gustave and followed Po.
"This..." Seeing this, Ace's mouth dropped open so wide you could stuff a watermelon in it. The red-haired man had actually followed Po to the uninhabited area!
At this moment, Gustave ruffled Ace's hair and said:
"Ace, remember when I told you there are bad people and corrupt deeds within the Marine?"
Hearing this, Ace looked at Gustave and nodded.
"Today I'm teaching you a second lesson: not all pirates are evil bastards."
Gustave smiled as he spoke.
"Is that guy over there a good person?" Ace asked.
"Good person? That guy can't be called a good person. Of course, he's not a bad person either. If I had to define him, he'd be the gray area between black and white!"
"Of course, when you join the Marine in the future, you absolutely must not let this guy go if you encounter him."
Gustave explained.
After hearing this, Ace began understanding that the world wasn't simply black and white, but mostly shades of gray.
At this time, Luffy, who had run to warn the villagers about the pirates, came running back.
"Hey, where are the pirates? Haven't they arrived yet?" Luffy looked at the deserted beach with a puzzled expression. Could it be the pirates hadn't landed yet? He wanted to save the village from these pirates and become a hero!
Seeing Luffy searching everywhere for pirates, Gustave and the others laughed. Then Gustave grabbed Luffy by the back of his collar and said:
"Come on, Luffy, I'll take you to watch Po fight the pirates!"
After saying this, he grabbed Ace with his other hand and took both children to where Po and Shanks were battling.
As for Tom, he had already reached the location, set up a beach chair, put on sunglasses, and held a glass of juice in his hand. He sipped his drink while watching the fight between Po and Shanks.
When Luffy reached the battle site and was set down by Gustave, he didn't immediately watch Po and Shanks fight. Instead, he ran to Tom and said:
"Tom, I want juice too! I want juice too!"
Tom looked at the demanding Luffy and reluctantly produced another glass of juice.
Luffy, having obtained his drink, took a deep gulp, exclaimed how delicious it was, and then turned his attention to the battle between Po and Shanks.