"When did you get so bold? How dare you just show up here again?" Takero asked, stroking his chin as a dangerous smile spread across his face. "Could it be… you had a change of heart? Did you come all this way just to apologize for abandoning me all those years ago?"
"Do you think I wanted to come back?!"
At the question, Shanks's composure completely crumbled. He slumped to the ground, his face a mask of grievance and utter despair.
"If it wasn't for Uta, that girl, crying and begging to hear that Tesoro kid's concert with her own ears, I... I would rather die out at sea! I'd jump off my own ship before ever coming back to face a monster like you!"
"Uh…" Takero was left speechless by his outburst. He had never expected such an outrageous reason.
He glanced over at the girl with the red and white hair, who was now whistling innocently while turning her head to pretend she was admiring the scenery. Her face was a perfect picture of innocence, screaming, "I don't know anything."
But regardless of the reason, the anger Takero once felt over being "abandoned" had vanished long ago. Besides, the thrilling battle they just had was incredibly satisfying. He could even feel that his internal progress toward achieving Super Saiyan had increased by a small amount. He was in a very good mood.
After venting his frustrations, Shanks let out another long sigh. He looked up at his former crewmate, a man who had now grown so powerful he had to literally look up to him.
"Speaking of which, Takero, you've done pretty well for yourself these past few years," Shanks said. "The trouble you've been causing has gotten bigger and bigger. Defeating 'Black Arm' Zephyr, wiping out a Buster Call… you're basically just spitting in the World Government's face over and over again."
Suddenly, a gossipy glint appeared in his eyes. He nudged Takero with his elbow and winked.
"Oh, right! I saw it in the newspaper! It said you turned into a giant, black… gorilla? That… that has to be the Mink Tribe's Sulong form, right? Your Mink bloodline must be something special. Are you from some kind of hidden royal family?"
Shanks had seen Minks transform before, but he had never witnessed or heard of anything as massive and destructive as what the newspaper had described.
Takero shot him a disdainful look, as if he were staring at a complete idiot. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm a Saiyan! Not a member of the Mink Tribe!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Shanks replied with an indifferent shrug.
In his mind, however, he was thinking: He doesn't have a Devil Fruit power, he has an animal feature—a tail—and he can transform when he sees the full moon. All the evidence is there, and he still says he's not a Mink? So stubborn.
The two chatted casually for a few more minutes before Shanks seemed to remember something important, and his expression grew serious.
"Hey, Takero," he asked, "I read in the news that the 'Devil Child,' Nico Robin, is with you now. Are you… studying those Poneglyphs?"
"Yeah, that's right," Takero admitted freely with a nod. He then added, "Didn't I tell you about my dream before? I want to find the Dragon Balls. I discovered that a lot of crucial information about this world's history is hidden on those old stone tablets, so I have to find them."
Takero was determined to understand what had happened to this world, the former "Dragon Ball world," during the erased Void Century. He needed to know why its technology had regressed so completely. If he couldn't figure these things out, he felt he might be trapped on this small, backward planet forever.
Shanks listened carefully and then slowly nodded. "I see," he said. "To find the One Piece, you also have to… acquire all the Poneglyphs."
He, too, knew this truth. To reach Laugh Tale, the legendary final island, one had to gather the four special, red Road Poneglyphs that recorded its coordinates. It seemed that Takero's quest and his own would ultimately lead them to the same place.
A sharp glint flashed in Shanks's eyes. Takero was no longer just a former crewmate; he was now his strongest competitor on the path to becoming the Pirate King. But even so, Shanks would not give up.
"So, what are your plans now?" Takero asked. "Why don't you just stay here on Ambri Island? You don't have anything better to do. You could train with me every day."
"No, no, no!" Shanks waved his hands frantically, shaking his head like a drum. "I… I'm planning to travel around the four seas for a while longer. After that… I'm going to the East Blue. That's my captain's hometown. I want… to see it."
Seeing his resolve, Takero didn't press the issue.
Just then, Uta, who had been listening quietly to their conversation, finally spoke up in a timid voice. "Um… I want… to stay."
"What?!" Shanks looked at her in surprise. "Why?"
Uta looked up, and her amethyst eyes sparkled with a light he had never seen before—the light of a dream.
"I… I really admire Mr. Tesoro," she said, her voice growing stronger. "I want to be a singer just like him! I want to stay here and learn real music and singing techniques from him!"
"I see…" Shanks sighed, a small smile forming on his lips. "A dream." He then turned to Takero, his expression pleading. "What do you say, Takero? I'm entrusting this girl to you."
"Of course, no problem," Takero agreed without hesitation.
After all, this little girl was like a daughter to him, too. The thought that his own unfulfilled dream of becoming a rock star might be carried on by her filled him with a strange sense of excitement.
"Uta, you've made a very good decision!" He patted Uta's head encouragingly. "Following me is much more promising than sticking with Shanks, that penniless drunkard who only knows how to drink all day!"
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!" Shanks laughed helplessly.
Eventually, the Red Force, the flagship of the Red Hair Pirates, slowly sailed away from the port of Ambri Island. Shanks stood at the bow, waving vigorously at the two figures on the shore.
Once the ship was out of sight, only Takero and Uta remained, staring at each other in the sudden quiet. Uta secretly glanced up at her nominal "first adoptive father," who stood nearly two heads taller than her.
'From now on… I'm going to be living with this person?' she thought nervously. 'What… what should I call him? Takero? Or… Dad?'
Before her thoughts could wander any further, Takero grabbed her by the back of her collar.
"Let's go, little one," he said. "Time to head back."
With that, he launched himself into the sky, flying back toward the arena at an incredible speed. Left behind in the air was Uta's scream—a sound filled with panic and… a clear hint of excitement.
"Ah—! Slow… slow down—!!!"
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion