The sound of rustling footsteps startled Taro out of his contemplation, and he turned to look behind him.
Red Hair Shanks walked over, carrying a Barrel of Wine with one hand. His pace was neither hurried nor slow, and his demeanor was as composed as if he were taking a leisurely stroll in a courtyard, appearing very casual.
Taro narrowed his eyes slightly and turned to face Shanks directly.
Shanks came to a stop about ten meters in front of Taro, a gentle smile appearing on his face.
"So, are you interested in my ship?"
Taro shrugged and said easily, "You could say that!"
Shanks' smile widened as he offered a very sincere invitation.
"Want to come up and sit for a while?"
"I'd better not. The Old Man would be unhappy!" Taro thought about it and gently shook his head in refusal.
"Hahahaha!"
Shanks laughed heartily, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. He tilted his head back, raised the Barrel of Wine high, and took several deep gulps.
Then, he tossed the Barrel of Wine straight over.
"I heard from Makino that you rushed back to attend our wedding. I was quite surprised! Taro, that's very thoughtful of you!"
Taro reached out and caught the Barrel of Wine. Looking at the boisterous Shanks, his expression was unreadable.
"It was also quite a surprise to me that you're getting married at a time like this... but, congratulations! Shanks!"
After speaking, he also tilted his head back and took a drink.
Hearing this, Shanks' smile faded slightly, looking somewhat surprised.
"Oh? I thought you'd be quite dissatisfied, just like Garp!"
Taro sat cross-legged on the ground, took another gulp from the Barrel of Wine, and then said:
"Freedom of marriage, right? As long as you're happy!"
Then, his expression became more serious.
"Although I don't know exactly what you're planning, Makino has treated me well. I hope you..."
At this point, he cut off the rest of his words.
Sigh, these pirates—especially those with 'grand schemes'—are always ready to leave their families behind for the sake of what they pursue. How could any persuasion possibly work?
As the family members of these pirates with great ambitions, they really are 'unlucky'!
Taro hadn't finished his sentence, but Shanks understood. His eyes dimmed for just a moment before becoming resolute once again.
"Some things simply must be done by someone, and there will always be those who have to make sacrifices."
Taro sighed. As an ordinary person from his previous life, he couldn't understand—nor did he have—this kind of resolve to abandon everything for a 'dream'!
If he had to abandon the people he cared about, Taro would rather have no dreams at all!
The two fell silent for a while, with only the Barrel of Wine being passed back and forth between them.
After a good while, Taro's head felt a bit heavy from being plied with wine by Shanks' overly boisterous drinking style.
"Shanks, why didn't you eat a Devil Fruit?"
The Barrel of Wine Shanks was holding stopped. He clearly hadn't expected Taro to ask this.
But soon, he returned to his smiling face, his eyes curving with laughter.
"Taro, then why didn't you eat one?"
Taro was stunned for a moment and waved his hand.
"I actually thought about finding one to eat, but I just haven't encountered a suitable one yet!"
The corners of Shanks' mouth curled up in a mysterious smile.
"It's the same for me. Good Devil Fruits are too expensive; I can't afford them!"
Their eyes met, smiles plastered on their faces, but both were inwardly complaining.
Do you take me for a fool?
Do you think I'd believe such nonsense?
Taro felt helpless. He didn't have much of a relationship with Shanks to begin with, so trying to pry information from him really lacked a good entry point.
After thinking for a while, Taro decided to be more direct.
"What exactly do you want to do?"
"That's also what I want to ask you!"
Shanks gave a hearty laugh and tossed the Barrel of Wine over.
Taro rubbed his face, wanting to end this boring mutual probing, and proposed:
"Since we're both curious about each other, how about a one-for-one exchange of questions?"
Shanks raised an eyebrow, showing a look of contemplation.
After quite a while, he suddenly revealed a mischievous smile.
"I've suddenly lost interest in what you want to do, hahahaha!"
Taro's brow furrowed tightly, the corner of his eye twitching violently, and his breathing became heavier.
"Are you messing with me?"
Shanks placed the Barrel of Wine on the ground, his smile unfading as he waved his hand casually.
"Waha, are you angry? You can make a proposal, but I certainly have the right to refuse! Do you intend to force me to answer?"
Taro narrowed his eyes, staring at Shanks for a long time.
"So cautious, not letting a single word slip. The Old Man told me that you plan to die!"
"You have quite a grand scheme, Shanks! Are you planning to follow in the footsteps of your Captain Roger?"
When Shanks heard Taro mention Roger, his smile vanished instantly.
His Aura surged, and with a face full of seriousness and majesty, he stared at Taro.
"Do you know what you are saying?"
The atmosphere between the two suddenly became tense.
After a long standoff, Taro finally withdrew his gaze.
There was no way he was going to get any information out of Shanks!
He stood up and brushed off the dust.
"In this era, there is only one Roger!"
"You cannot be Roger, and the world doesn't need you to be Roger again!"
Shanks gave Taro a flat glance.
"For someone who knows nothing to say such things makes them seem quite laughable!"
The corner of Taro's mouth twitched, revealing a slight smile.
"Yes, it is indeed laughable!"
Hearing this, Shanks suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha, you really are young and aggressive!"
"Is one even young if they aren't aggressive?"
Taro scratched his hair and then waved his hand.
"Thanks for the wedding wine. Congratulations!"
With that, Taro started walking toward the village.
Shanks nodded with a smile, "You're welcome!"
Then, he also walked toward the pier.
The moment the two brushed past each other, both paused for a split second before continuing on their separate ways.
Shanks carried the half-Barrel of Wine as he slowly boarded the Red Force.
The cabin door opened gently, and Hawkeye Mihawk stepped out.
"Do you really not intend to reveal any information to him?"
Shanks gave a carefree laugh and tossed the Barrel of Wine to Mihawk.
"Only half a barrel left, make do with it!"
Then he said,
"Mihawk, you should know, the person I chose is Monkey D. Luffy!"
Mihawk caught the Barrel of Wine, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly.
"Until recently, I had no doubts about your judgment. However, I should have already told you that Taro is also a D!"
Shanks laughed even more happily upon hearing this, leaning in close to Hawkeye somewhat playfully.
"Haha, isn't that a good thing? With so many excellent D clan members emerging, Captain Roger's expectations..."
Hawkeye's gaze turned cold, stopping Shanks' approach before he spoke.
"I remember you telling me that your Captain Roger believed the person would be his son, Portgas D. Ace!"
The smile on Shanks' face gradually faded, and his eyes showed some sadness.
"Yes, it's just a pity that Ace now..."
Hawkeye's cold gaze returned to normal, and he said in a deep voice:
"Shanks, have you ever considered a possibility...?"
"Hmm?" Shanks raised an eyebrow.
"If Roger's judgment wasn't wrong back then, the person you are waiting for, even if it isn't Ace, should be around the same age as Ace!"
"And Dai D. Zhou Ze happens to be such a person!"
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.