The atmosphere at the harbor dropped to freezing point the moment Renzo's cold words fell.
The embarrassment and faint redness on Shanks' face hadn't fully faded before Renzo's merciless demand for "compensation" choked it right back down.
Shanks had roamed the seas for years, wherever he went, people gave him respect out of both strength and charisma.
Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku would maintain basic courtesy and caution when dealing with him.
But this young Admiral in a bathrobe, with messy hair, was looking at him like a delinquent tenant who hadn't paid maintenance fees, and the first thing out of his mouth was repair costs and medical bills?
This was… completely against all common sense!
"Admiral Renzo," Shanks took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the frustration from the misunderstanding and humiliation, trying to regain the composure of a Yonko.
"What happened earlier was indeed a misunderstanding. I acted rashly. For the damage to the harbor, and… Rehn's injuries, I am willing to compensate."
He tried to sound sincere, his deep gaze locking onto Renzo as if to convey both pressure and willingness to reconcile.
"However," his tone shifted, carrying the authority unique to a Yonko, "Uta is my daughter. My concern clouded my judgment; you can understand that. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared, and she is safe, and seems to be doing quite well here…"
He paused, choosing his words carefully, before saying the phrase that, in the New World, was almost a universal pass:
"Give me some face, and let this matter end here. I'll double the compensation, consider it the start of a friendship."
"Face?"
Before Renzo could respond, an exaggerated voice full of disbelief exploded into the air.
Rehn, who had just been blasted into rubble, was now dusting himself off, limping over.
His round face was full of astonishment, as if he had just heard something absurd.
He dug his pinky into his ear, blew on it dramatically, then tilted his head.
"Mr. Red Hair, what did you just say? Face?"
He widened his squinting eyes as much as possible, putting on an extremely "innocent" look.
"Forgive my ignorance, but this 'face' you're talking about… what exactly is it? Some new type of Beli? Can it get discounts at the shopping streets of Sabaody? Can it pay for our G-5 base expenses and the brothers' bonuses?"
With each question, the expressions of Shanks' crew darkened further.
"Oh! I get it!"
Rehn suddenly clapped his hands as if enlightened.
"Is it like bartering on some backward island? You give us a basket of 'face,' and we waive your bill? The problem is… our G-5 warehouses are already overflowing with gold, we really don't need this kind of… intangible local specialty."
"Pfft-"
Uta, hiding behind Renzo, couldn't hold back a laugh and quickly covered her mouth.
Shanks' lips twitched. His grip on Griffin tightened.
After years on the sea, this was the first time someone had so bluntly and humiliatingly questioned the value of his "face."
"Fat bastard!"
Yasopp, the sniper, was the first to snap. His temper was already fiery, and Rehn's attitude pushed him over the edge.
"The captain's face is a pass on these seas! No amount of Beli can buy it!"
"Exactly! What would you know, you pig!" Lucky Roux said while chewing meat. "Talk like that again, and I'll roast you whole!"
"Pig? Roast pig?"
Rehn wasn't angry at all; he proudly patted his belly.
"That just shows how good the G-5 food is! Under Lord Renzo's wise leadership, we've achieved common prosperity! Everyone's well-fed and… uh… strong and healthy!"
"Unlike certain pirate crews, your captain's so poor he can't even afford a full arm," he deliberately glanced at Shanks' empty sleeve, "and the rest of you probably survive on scraps. Truly tragic!"
"You-!" Yasopp nearly bent his rifle in rage.
"Enough!"
Ben Beckman exhaled a stream of smoke, his face dark.
"So this is how G-5 treats guests? Openly insulting a Yonko? Seems you've lived comfortably too long and forgotten how cruel the sea can be."
"Guest?" Rehn laughed like he'd heard the funniest joke ever. He pointed at the cracked ground, collapsed structures, and smoking ruins.
"You call this a 'visit'? Do your guests tear down your front gate when they arrive? We at G-5 don't entertain that kind of guest!"
He turned and bowed to Renzo, instantly switching to a sycophantic tone:
"Lord Renzo, as you see, they've damaged public property, assaulted your loyal butler, and are now attempting fraud with a so-called 'face currency.' Truly despicable!"
Renzo yawned and waved lazily without even opening his eyes.
"Rehn, stop wasting time. Just give them a price. Ten times market rate. Short even one Beli, seize their ship as collateral."
"Understood, my lord!"
Rehn perked up and somehow pulled out a solid gold calculator from his tattered tuxedo.
His fingers flew across the keys as he muttered:
"Harbor tiles, top-grade Wano granite. Market price 100,000 Beli each. 300 damaged. Times ten, that's 300 million…"
"Defensive structures, minor damage. Estimated repair 500 million. Times ten, 5 billion…"
"Mental distress, your Conqueror's Haki caused panic, lowering efficiency. 10 million per person, about 1,000 personnel… times ten, that's 10 billion…"
"My personal medical fees, lost work time, clothing damage, emotional trauma… considering Miss Uta's voice is indeed very 'moist,' I'll give a discount, let's say 5 billion."
With each number, the Red Hair crew's faces grew greener.
When Rehn finally hit the total, even Lucky Roux nearly choked.
"Preliminary total: 20.3 billion Beli."
Rehn looked up, smiling brightly at Shanks, whose face was now darker than a storm cloud.
"Mr. Red Hair, cash or card? We accept Beli, gold, Devil Fruits, or… your valuable 'face' on an installment plan, though the interest might be high."
Dead silence.
Only the wind howled through the ruins.
The Red Hair Pirates trembled with rage, killing intent nearly tangible.
Yasopp raised his rifle, aiming at Rehn.
"Fatty! You've pissed me off! If I'll smash that filthy mouth of yours."
"Come on then! You think I'm scared of you?!"
Lightning crackled around Rehn.
"Broke-ass pirates! Can't pay, so you resort to violence? Barbarians! Ever heard of civilization? Of contracts?!"
Ben Beckman slowly drew his sword.
"Captain. Words won't work anymore. Some people only learn respect through pain."
Shanks said nothing. He simply looked at Renzo.
Renzo remained as lazy as ever, even putting on an eye mask as if preparing for a nap.
Mihawk leaned casually against a broken pillar, clearly in "I'm just security" mode.
Shanks understood.
Renzo didn't care about "face" at all.
The message was simple: pay, or get beaten until you do.
Rehn was just the mouthpiece meant to force them into a fight.
If talking failed… Shanks' gaze sharpened.
"…Then we settle this by the rules of the sea."
He didn't stop his crew.
Partly because he was furious.
Partly because he wanted to test G-5's strength beyond Renzo and Mihawk.
Rehn, seeing their stance, grew excited instead of afraid.
"My lord! You see that? They started it! This is self-defense! Don't dock my bonus if things break!"
Renzo, already wearing his eye mask, replied lazily, "Mm… don't hit too hard. Leave them alive to pay."
With that decree, Rehn cracked his neck, his grin turning feral.
"Did you hear that, you broke bastards?!"
"Today, I'll show you…"
"What G-5's 'hospitality' really means!"