To Takero, the "Red Hair monster's" aura was incredibly strong, but he was a Saiyan. Overcoming the odds was just another Tuesday for him. Besides, he wasn't stupid enough to charge in blindly. The pirates had the numbers, and a direct challenge would only get him ganged up on. His goal was clear: a one-on-one fight with Red Hair.
When Shanks heard the demand for a duel, he was stunned for a second before bursting into laughter. It was the kind of laugh an adult gives a child who has no idea what they're talking about.
"A fight? Kid, you want to challenge me?" he chuckled. "Come back after you've trained for another ten years. With your current strength…" He shook his head, leaving the rest unsaid.
The intimidating scene at the training ground was now completely forgotten. All Shanks saw was a Mink kid who was a little stronger than average. In the eyes of a great pirate like him, that kind of strength was nothing. His laughter spread to his crew, and soon they were all laughing like it was the funniest show on earth.
Takero ignored them, keeping his eyes locked on Shanks. He calmly added more fuel to the fire. "What? Are you scared?"
The crew, loving every second of this, started to egg their captain on.
"Ooooh!"
"Go on, Captain! Don't be a chicken!"
"Yeah, a kid just called you out!"
"He's just a little guy, Boss! I'm sure you can take him!"
"Let's get a bet going! I'll bet a barrel of rum the captain finishes this in three seconds!"
"I'll bet five! We gotta give the kid a chance!"
"You damn bastards…" Shanks shot an annoyed glare at his crew before turning back to Takero, a relaxed smile still on his face. "Kid, you're no match for me. The gap between us is just too big. How about this? To show you I'm sorry about the rock…"
He stood up straight, patted his muscular stomach, and gave a confident grin. "I'll stand right here and let you hit me a few times. Let out all your anger. Come on, hit me as hard as you want."
"Are you… serious?" Takero's eyes filled with a strange light, as if he were looking at a complete idiot.
"Of course! I, Shanks, am a man of my word!" Shanks declared with a bold wave of his hand.
"If you say so…" A glint flashed in Takero's eyes, and he stopped wasting time with words. "Then don't mind if I do!"
Before he even finished speaking, the muscles in his right arm tightened like steel. He made a fist. There were no fancy moves, no wind-up, and no shout. All of his strength was focused into a single point, like a spring that had been compressed and suddenly released. With a sound like tearing air, his small fist shot forward like a cannonball, slamming with perfect precision into Shanks's wide-open stomach.
Thump—!
The dull, sickening sound of flesh being hit echoed across the beach.
Shanks, who had been smiling confidently just a second before, froze. An unimaginable, terrifying force crashed into him, feeling like an out-of-control Sea King ramming into his gut. A sharp, cramping pain instantly shot through his entire body.
"Urk—!"
A short, pained grunt escaped his throat as his body bent forward like a cooked shrimp. His face turned deathly pale, and beads of cold sweat popped out on his forehead. Then, to the absolute horror of everyone watching, a bright red trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his clenched teeth.
Dead silence. The loud, cheerful beach fell completely quiet.
All the top officers of the Red Hair Pirates—Yasopp, Lucky Roux, Benn Beckman—every single one of them was frozen in place. They stared with wide, unblinking eyes, their faces filled with the kind of shock that makes you question reality.
Their captain, "Red-Haired" Shanks, a man famous across the New World, who could fight an Admiral to a standstill, the invincible symbol of their crew, had just been punched by a ten-year-old in a grass skirt. And he had coughed up blood.
The sight was ten thousand times more unbelievable than seeing Kaido do the hula. If word of this got out, the entire Grand Line would go into an uproar.
After a moment of stunned silence, the quiet was shattered by a wave of laughter even louder than before.
"WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
"He's… he's bleeding?! Shanks, you actually coughed up blood from that?! Hahaha!!"
"I can't breathe! I'm dying! Boss, are you made of paper?!"
"Hey! Who was making bets?! I bet the captain would lose! Pay up! Pay up now! Hahaha!"
"Captain! Your reputation! It's completely ruined after one punch! Gehahahahaha!"
First Mate Benn Beckman covered his face with his hand and sighed, his shoulders shaking slightly. "This… idiotic captain…" He couldn't even bear to watch.
At that moment, Shanks's face had gone from pale to a deep shade of purple, partly from the pain, but mostly from pure humiliation. Listening to his crew's merciless mocking, he felt the wise and powerful image he had spent years building crumble into dust. He snapped his head up, glaring at his laughing crewmates.
"You bastards!!" he growled, baring his teeth. "If I hear a single word about this from any of you, I'll throw you in the sea to feed the Sea Kings!! You hear me?!"
After his outburst, he awkwardly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He gritted his teeth against the pain in his stomach and slowly straightened up. He looked down at the black-haired boy, who was staring back up at him with a look of pure "innocence," and his expression was incredibly complex.
He had been careless. Completely and utterly careless. But still… the power in that kid's punch was just insane. Was this kid even human? The only person he could remember having that kind of strength at such a young age was that old monster, Charlotte Linlin. He suddenly remembered hearing that Big Mom was having children with members of various races, including Minks. Could this kid be one of her descendants?
"Kid…" Shanks's voice was hoarse with a hint of pain. "Who… who are you, really?" He was now convinced the boy had been faking his innocence to trick him.
Facing Shanks's suspicious stare, Takero blinked his big, clear eyes, spread his hands, and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I'm a boxer."