After wandering the noisy streets for a while, Takero started to feel a bit unnerved by Robin's worried gaze. He finally decided to give up his grand plan to attack Mary Geoise for now, figuring it was better to head back and think it through.
However, just as he was about to turn around, he froze.
A very faint, yet incredibly familiar, aura rippled through his senses like a stone tossed into a calm lake. Takero slowly closed his eyes, filtering out the tens of thousands of chaotic auras from the crowd around him. He focused his radar-like perception on that one specific energy signature moving through the streets.
After a few seconds, Takero's eyes snapped open. A smile that was equal parts nostalgic, mischievous, and malicious slowly spread across his face.
"Well, well," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Long time no see, old friend."
"Takero?" Robin asked softly, a little puzzled by his suddenly dangerous expression. "What did you say?"
"Nothing." The smile vanished, and Takero returned to his usual casual self. "I just remembered I have some personal business to take care of. You go find Monet and the others and head back to the villa. Don't wait for me for dinner."
Before Robin could ask another question, he vanished with a swish, melting into the air and leaving her standing there in bewilderment.
Meanwhile, the Red Hair Pirates, having just left the tournament arena, were carefully making their way through the bustling crowd. Uta was bouncing with excitement, like a little bird freed from its cage. She was chattering away like a machine gun, telling Shanks all about how amazing Tesoro's performance was.
"...Shanks! Did you hear him?! Mr. Tesoro's singing was incredible! He's my new idol!" Then, she tugged on Shanks's cloak. "Shanks~ Can we please stay on the island a little longer? I heard Mr. Tesoro is going to give an even bigger performance at the closing ceremony! I have to see it!"
"No," Shanks refused without a second thought.
"Aww, why not?!" Uta complained, pouting.
Shanks felt a headache coming on. He knew that every extra minute they spent on this island increased their chances of being discovered. But on the other hand… they had been here for a while now, and nothing bad had happened.
Maybe... a hopeful thought sprouted in his mind. ...maybe that little monster has already forgotten all about me.
And so, under Uta's expectant, puppy-dog eyes, Shanks's resolve began to soften. He was just about to agree when, at that very moment, a terrifying sense of crisis seized him. It felt as if he had been locked onto by some ancient, primal beast.
"This is bad!" His expression changed instantly.
Before Uta could even react, Shanks scooped her up into his arms and screamed at his crew, "Run! Scatter! Now! Go, go, go!"
With that, he took off running towards the edge of the city as if a demon were chasing him.
His first mate, Benn Beckman, was stunned for a second before a helpless, wry smile crossed his face. He calmly flicked away his cigar and started running after his captain. The rest of the crew did the same.
After running for a bit, Uta, held tightly in Shanks's arms, finally snapped out of her confusion. "Shanks? Why are we suddenly running?"
"Because…" Shanks said, his headache growing worse, "...a very, very troublesome guy is coming."
"A troublesome guy?" Uta's curiosity only grew. "Who is it?"
Shanks didn't answer. He just put his head down and ran even faster. Uta couldn't help but wonder. She knew how strong the Red Hair Pirates were. Who in the world could make them run like this? Logically, the situation should have been tense, but she noticed that besides Shanks, none of the other crew members looked particularly worried. In fact, they seemed to be laughing and joking, as if they were enjoying the show.
The pirates were incredibly fast. Within moments, they had left the city behind and reached the empty wilderness outside. Shanks checked his senses again and found that the suffocating feeling of being targeted was gone. He let out a small sigh of relief.
Could it… have just been my imagination?
He put Uta down and began to slow his pace. But then, a nostalgic, devilish whisper echoed right in his ear.
"...Why aren't you running anymore?"
Shanks's heart stopped. His body reacted instantly. He whipped his arm around, coating it in Armament Haki, and blocked in the direction of the voice.
BOOM!
A colossal force slammed into his arm, numbing it completely. A violent shockwave erupted from the point of impact, kicking up a storm of dust that forced Uta to shut her eyes. When she could finally see again, her jaw dropped in astonishment. The person Shanks was hiding from was the owner of the island, the legendary "Emperor of the North Blue"... Takero.
It was strange. She had never seen this man before, but for some reason, she felt a strange sense of familiarity, a feeling that made her want to get closer to him.
Shanks shook his numb arm, a smile on his face that was uglier than a grimace. "I… how did you find me? I couldn't sense your aura at all."
A malicious grin spread across Takero's face. "Did you forget? I was the one who taught you how to control your 'aura' in the first place. Hiding it from a half-baked student like you is easy."
"...I see." Shanks understood now. He immediately put on a fawning smile. "Well... Takero, long time no see. We're master and disciple, you know, so... can you just let me go?"
"Sure," Takero nodded, agreeing far too easily.
Shanks's face lit up with joy. But the next moment, the wicked smile on Takero's face made his heart leap back into his throat.
"...On one condition. Let me get 'satisfied' first."
Shanks's heart pounded in his chest as he watched Takero's hands slowly come together at his waist. A dazzling, blue-white light began to glow between his palms. That was… the starting stance for the Kamehameha!
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