Chapter 59: An Echo of Fate
Sabaody Archipelago - Shakky's Rip-Off Bar - Late Night
The amber-colored liquor swirled in the glass. The wind outside slipped through the crack in the door, making the wind chime tinkle softly.
Shakky was calmly polishing a glass. Beside her, Rayleigh sat in silence, his silver hair catching the lamplight, his own whiskey untouched. He was waiting.
Creak—
The wooden door swung open, letting in a blast of cold, salty air.
A tall man stood in the doorway, his black cape billowing. The empty sleeve of his left arm swayed gently in the wind.
Rayleigh's gaze hardened. "...So it's true." His voice was low, his eyes fixed on the empty sleeve.
"Yo, Rayleigh-san, Shakky-san."
Shanks walked in, his smile as easy as ever, but his eyes held a deep, unreadable exhaustion. He sat at the bar, and Shakky poured him a drink. He downed it in one go.
"You're a long way from the New World, Shanks," Shakky said, her tone light but her eyes sharp. "What were you doing in the East Blue? And what happened to the arm?"
Shanks set the glass down, his eyes half-closed. "I just... made a decision."
Rayleigh frowned. "In a place like the East Blue? With your strength, there isn't a single person there who could have taken your arm. What happened?"
Shanks just shrugged. "Got old. A little slow on the uptake."
"Don't play games with me," Rayleigh said, his gaze fixed.
Shanks stopped smiling, idly swirling the ice in his glass. His gaze seemed to drift far away.
The bar was silent for a moment.
"Rayleigh-san," Shanks said suddenly, "do you know why I kept going back to the East Blue?"
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow. "I assumed it was because it was quiet."
Shanks shook his head, his expression turning serious. "It was a 'feeling.'"
"A feeling?"
"Mhm." Shanks tapped the glass. "I always felt... that I would meet someone there."
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed. "Someone specific?"
Shanks nodded. "But the strange thing is, in recent years... that feeling vanished."
Rayleigh's brow furrowed. As a fellow Conqueror's Haki user with powerful Observation, he knew that a strong premonition like that rarely disappeared for no reason.
Shanks continued, "Captain Roger's 'New Era' is almost here... but I feel like some... invisible hand... is messing with the era he gave his life to create."
Shakky put down her glass. "You mean... someone is intentionally interfering?"
Shanks didn't answer directly. "Until recently, I went back to the East Blue, and that feeling... it appeared again."
"I met a kid in the East Blue."
"He's the complete opposite of the Captain when he was young."
Rayleigh's expression changed. "The opposite? Then why bother?"
"But... he has the same tenacity," Shanks said, a distant look in his eye. "The same spirit... that same look in his eyes when he's standing up to the world. It reminded me of that legend..."
He sighed, leaning back. "So... I made a bet."
"With your arm?" Shakky asked, raising an eyebrow. "You'd bet your arm... on a kid?"
Shanks shook his head. "I didn't 'bet' it, Shakky. I 'shed' it."
A heavy silence fell over the bar.
Shakky leaned forward, her voice low. "So, this kid you found... is he the 'one' we've been waiting for?"
Shanks finally smiled, a real smile that seemed to light up his face.
"Who knows? I don't even know why I chose him," he said. "It was just... a pull. An instinct."
"It was the same feeling I got when Captain Roger stood in front of me. He didn't have to say a word... but I knew he was the one who would set the world on fire."
Rayleigh stared at him for a long time, then slowly raised his glass.
"To Roger's will."
Shanks raised his. "To the New Era."
Clink.
Satzl Kingdom - Dawn
Mist covered the seaside kingdom. On top of the clock tower, Roy stood, his coat and cap snapping in the wind.
His Observation Haki covered the entire island. "No anomalies. No Haki residue, no signs of a fight. This place is... quiet."
"Did Shanks really lose his arm here? This place is so peaceful... it's creepy."
In a tavern at the port:
Roy placed a folded photograph on the bar.
The bartender squinted at it. "The Red-Hair Pirates? Never heard of 'em." He paused. "Oh, wait, I remember this guy! Came in with his crew, bought out my entire stock of aged rum! Paid in cash and left!"
Roy frowned, sliding a few gold coins across the bar. "Did they do anything... unusual?"
"Unusual?" The bartender pocketed the coins. "They sang, they drank, they paid their bill. Left by noon. Didn't even break a single bottle. For 'pirates,' they were the most well-behaved crew I've ever seen."
In the Royal Archives:
A Marine Rear Admiral's uniform got him instant access.
"The Red-Hair Pirates' entry log?" The records keeper found the book. "Yes, right here. They registered their real names, and their cargo manifest was completely compliant."
Roy scanned the list: Ale, medical supplies, ship-repair materials, dried foodstuffs...
He frowned, tapping his finger.
At dusk, on the old docks where the Red Force had anchored.
Roy stood, his Observation Haki spread thin, sensing every inch of the ground.
"No bloodstains. No lingering sword-cuts. Not even a trace of Conqueror's Haki..."
He sighed and sat on the edge of the clock tower, looking at the stars.
"All the evidence points to a completely normal supply run. No fight, no conspiracy."
"So..." He rubbed his chin, a dry, ironic smile on his face. "Shanks... did you really just pick the most peaceful, boring place in the world... to do the most ruthless and decisive thing?"
Just as Roy vanished from the tower, at the foot of the hills outside the town...
An eight-year-old boy was hurrying down the stone path, his small basket overflowing with fruit, his face plump and his clothes simple.
"I promised I'd leave after that one..." he muttered to himself, "but then I saw an even redder one... Mom's gonna be so mad I'm this late."
It was his first time up the mountain alone. He had stood at the top, looking down at the town, at the big ships in the harbor, his face bright with curiosity.
No one knew... that in his small body, he was quietly sleeping, holding a heavy echo of fate.
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