Chapter 234: Red-Haired Shanks' Confrontation
"Welcome, Mr. Shanks."
Inside the spacious and bright Game Shop, all was quiet.
Incense burned in a refined brazier, emitting a calming scent that soothed the mind.
It was as if this place existed in another world—completely separate from the battle raging across the East Blue.
Shanks stared blankly at the intricately carved incense burner.
"A scent used to assist in inner cultivation—200 reward points."
The warm voice from behind the counter snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Good day to you, Mr. Fang Yi."
Though Shanks always appeared carefree, he was actually a man of clarity and depth—fully aware of how to act in different settings, always mindful of his decisions.
Even though he knew this Game Merchant had disrupted the seas and altered fate, he still chose to be respectful.
Fang Yi smiled politely and went straight to the point:
"No need to be formal. Any player who enters the Game Shop can pick whatever they're interested in. What kind of item are you looking for?"
"To be honest… I'm not really sure."
Shanks wore a smile—but it was a bitter one.
He had a strange feeling that in front of this mysterious Game Merchant, hiding his thoughts was meaningless. So he simply gave up the act.
Fang Yi asked knowingly,
"You're the only Yonko the Marines labeled as 'harmless' and allowed to operate freely. Isn't your greatest desire… freedom?"
"Freedom… what a luxury."
Shanks' gaze turned wistful, as if recalling his days journeying with Captain Roger.
Those days, in his memory, were probably the freest of his life.
Yet even then, they were hunted by the Marines, hated by the World Government.
They saw kingdoms oppressed, civilians starving, people enslaved simply for being unable to pay the Heavenly Tribute…
The whole world was shackled.
How could the Pirate King ever be free?
That's why—
Shanks had given up reaching the destination all pirates dreamed of: Laugh Tale.
He had inherited Captain Roger's final wish, choosing to wait patiently for someone who could bring freedom to the world.
After a long silence, Shanks asked:
"I want this sea to return to how it was before the Reincarnation Game appeared. Is that possible?"
Had any other player heard that—
especially those whose fates had been changed or dreams fulfilled by the Game—they would have been stunned or even outraged.
But Fang Yi, who understood Shanks' heart, wasn't surprised in the slightest.
"Return to the beginning, huh?"
He looked at Shanks and nodded.
"That kind of wish can certainly be granted… but you don't have the reward points for it."
A transparent, diamond-shaped crystal appeared on the counter.
[Philosopher's Stone – Demon King's Heart]:
A Philosopher's Stone blessed by the Healer Hero, capable of resetting a world's fate. Price: 5 million reward points.
"There's… really something like this?"
Shanks' eyes widened. He hadn't expected a response at all. It was just a desperate, offhand remark.
Resetting the world—how could that possibly be real?
"Of course it exists. The Healer Hero used one to change his fate,
reclassing into the Staff Hero and beginning a new life."
Fang Yi added regretfully,
"However, this stone can only reset a world where fate is still intact.
But because of my presence, the One Piece world's fate has already been broken.
The stone alone won't suffice."
"Unless you can cover the cost of every reward point spent by every player in the game."
In other words—
before using the Philosopher's Stone, Shanks would have to erase the total value of all powers exchanged by all players.
The reward points spent by everyone?
An astronomical figure.
Shanks didn't even need to consider it. He simply couldn't do it. That would mean standing against the entire world.
Gritting his teeth, he asked:
"Is there any other way?"
It had been a half-defeated question—
but now, faced with even a sliver of possibility, he clung to it like a drowning man to driftwood.
"There's a compromise—an easier method."
The Philosopher's Stone vanished.
In its place, several special tickets appeared on the counter.
[One Piece World Ticket – East Blue Arc], [One Piece World Ticket – Rocks Arc], [One Piece World Ticket – Void Century Arc]...
Fang Yi spread the tickets out.
"If you're willing, the Red-Haired Pirates' reward points should be enough to purchase a ticket to a different timeline in the One Piece world."
"Timeline?"
Shanks didn't understand.
Fang Yi saw his confusion and gently ran his palm across the counter.
A cosmic river of stars and flowing light appeared—the River of Time.
"Every world has a River of Time that flows from beginning to end."
As the view zoomed in,
the river reflected Shanks as a child aboard the Roger Pirates' ship.
Shanks' gaze hardened.
"A power that peers into history?"
No wonder the Game Merchant knew every faction in the world so clearly.
He had such terrifying insight.
"All fate flows slowly along this river of time."
As Fang Yi spoke,
the current surged. Countless images flashed past:
Buggy eating a Devil Fruit and falling into the sea,
Roger reaching Laugh Tale,
Roger's execution,
Shanks and Buggy parting ways,
meeting Mihawk,
rising to Yonko status…
Shanks held his breath.
The closer the images came to the present, the clearer they became.
If this river kept flowing, could it show the future too?
The thought shocked him to his core.
The Game Merchant wasn't showing vague visions like Madam Shyarly on Fish-Man Island—
this was clear, concrete, detailed.
Before he could speak,
Fang Yi pointed to one moment in the river—
the time when Buggy accidentally ate the Devil Fruit.
"Mr. Fang Yi, what are you doing…"
Shanks didn't understand.
Madam Shyarly's predictions were always accurate, but the River of Time was supposed to be untouchable. Just a reflection.
Was he trying to shatter the timeline and stop Shanks from seeing the future?
But then—
As Fang Yi's fingertip moved,
the sea within the river's reflection suddenly churned. The Oro Jackson rocked violently.
The Devil Fruit, originally hidden in Buggy's mouth due to Shanks calling out to him, slipped—
and ended up falling into Shanks' mouth instead.
"Hiss… Was that… a hallucination?"
Shanks couldn't believe what he saw.
But then he smiled wryly.
So the timeline could be changed.
Still, what was the point? That event had already happened—it was in the past.
He remembered now.
Back then, Buggy had secretly stashed the Devil Fruit to sell it. But because of Shanks' callout, he swallowed it by accident.
That was the root of his grudge.
And the Fruit was… the Chop-Chop Fruit, wasn't it?
Suddenly—
Shanks froze.
Because when he tried recalling the event again, his memory blurred.
The more he focused, the more it changed.
The memory in his mind became the version the Game Merchant had altered.
He had eaten the Devil Fruit?
Impossible!
Shanks had personally seen Buggy use the Chop-Chop Fruit—there was no mistaking it.
But…
His body felt… wrong.
His head suddenly popped off his neck—
and landed on the counter.
The Chop-Chop Fruit!
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