Shanks stepped out of the cabin and immediately squinted as the morning sunlight hit his eyes.
The instant his vision adjusted, his entire body froze.
The Red Force wasn't docked at Windmill Village.
They were anchored in the circular bay beside the massive venue where Uta had held her concert.
"Why did you bring the ship here?"
Shanks turned toward the deck, only for the rest of his sentence to die in his throat.
"…And what the hell are all of you wearing?"
His crewmates, who normally went around with their shirts hanging open, coats thrown loosely over their shoulders, and buttons treated as a completely optional invention, were now standing in two neat rows.
Every single one of them wore a dark formal suit.
The tailoring was distinctly old-fashioned West Blue style, with subtle changes around the cuffs and lapels unique to the sea where Shanks had been born.
He recognized it immediately.
Even his own outfit was far too formal.
His usual sandals had vanished completely, replaced by an expensive pair of polished leather boots.
So what the hell was going on?
"Told you. Captain completely blacked out last night."
"Looks like he really doesn't remember anything."
Someone whispered from the side.
Shanks stared blankly at them.
His head was clear now, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember anything after drinking that glass yesterday.
"What exactly did I do last night?"
"No time to explain, boss."
One of the crewmen grinned.
"Just brace yourself."
Before Shanks could ask another question, several people brought over a basin of hot water and began fussing over his appearance.
They straightened his clothes, fixed his hair, wiped down anything that needed wiping, then immediately lowered the gangplank.
Finally, the entire crew stepped aside and gestured toward shore with exaggerated politeness.
Shanks only became more suspicious.
These bastards had sailed with him for years, through battles and disasters alike.
They had never treated him with this much ceremony.
Had Uta come up with some new prank?
Or Cain?
But neither of them was even aboard the ship.
The moment the gangplank touched the pier, Shanks saw the full scene waiting outside.
The villagers of Windmill Village stood in two perfectly arranged lines stretching all the way from the harbor to the entrance of the concert venue.
Men, women, children, elderly villagers—
everyone had dressed in their finest clothes and carried freshly picked flowers in their hands.
They stood quietly and waited.
The instant Shanks stepped onto land—
applause erupted.
Perfectly timed.
Loud and enthusiastic.
They had obviously practiced this more than once.
"This is…"
Shanks scratched the back of his head, half amused and half bewildered.
"…a little excessive, isn't it?"
He started walking forward.
That strange feeling in his chest grew stronger with every step.
One thing was certain.
This wasn't a victory celebration.
It wasn't a pirate gathering.
And it definitely wasn't some ordinary prank.
Every person he passed was smiling, but there was a seriousness beneath it too, as though they were waiting for him to do something incredibly important.
When Shanks reached the main entrance of the venue, Beckman and Mayor Woop Slap were waiting for him.
Beckman wore a completely black formal suit, his shirt buttoned all the way to the collar.
His usually relaxed eyes were unusually solemn.
At that moment, he looked more like the vice captain of the Red Hair Pirates than ever before.
"Beck, you're going along with this too?"
Shanks looked him up and down.
"What day is it?"
"Everyone's dressed like this, and honestly, it's making me uncomfortable."
Beckman flicked ash from his cigarette.
"Good."
His answer was as cryptic as ever.
"You're supposed to be uncomfortable."
"Just make sure your legs don't give out later."
That did nothing to reassure Shanks.
Beckman had followed him through some of the most dangerous battles imaginable.
Never once had the man warned Shanks that his knees might buckle.
What could possibly happen today that made him say something like that?
Even Mayor Woop Slap wore a serious expression.
"You damn pirate."
"Normally, I'd rather not have pirates hanging around here."
He paused.
"But from now on, you'd better come back more often."
Shanks' heart gave a strange little jolt.
Normally, the mayor was always telling him to stay away from the village because pirates only brought trouble.
Today, the old man was actually asking him to visit more often?
"So last night, did I—"
"You'll understand once you go inside."
Beckman gave him no opportunity to continue.
He wrapped an arm around Shanks' shoulder and shoved him through the entrance.
The light suddenly dimmed.
Shanks blinked several times before his eyes adjusted.
A long corridor stretched out before him.
Warm yellow lamps lined both walls all the way to the far end, where a heavy wooden door stood waiting.
The entire place felt quiet and enclosed.
Nothing like the concert, where entering the venue had immediately opened into a huge audience hall.
White flowers and ribbons decorated both sides of the corridor.
The warm scent of beeswax hung faintly in the air.
Every tiny detail had been arranged with extraordinary care.
There were no enormous crowds like there had been during Uta's concert.
Yet somehow, the seriousness hidden in every small detail felt even greater.
For no reason Shanks could explain, his heartbeat began to accelerate.
Questions piled up in his throat.
Still, he followed the lights step by step until he reached the large door.
Then he pushed it open.
There was no brightly illuminated hall waiting for him.
Beneath the enormous dome of the venue, both the stage and audience seating were submerged in darkness.
Only one pure white spotlight shone down at the very center.
The roof completely blocked out the daylight outside.
Morning might as well not have existed.
And Shanks realized that where he stood was level with the stage, directly facing the person beneath that single beam of light.
At the sound of the door opening, that person slowly turned around.
"Shanks?"
Makino.
She wore a simple but exquisitely made white wedding dress, with tiny jewels decorating the skirt and neckline.
The familiar bandanna she normally used to tie back her hair had been replaced by a white pearl-studded headpiece.
Her long hair fell softly down her back.
The moment she saw him standing at the entrance, the nervousness in her eyes faded.
She seemed to breathe easier.
Then she smiled.
"You finally made it."
Shanks stopped dead.
His mind went completely blank.
All he could see was the woman smiling at him beneath that beam of white light.
He had seen Makino countless times.
He had watched her working behind the bar.
Seen the serious look on her face when she lectured Luffy.
Seen her frustrated whenever life gave her trouble.
But he had never seen her like this.
Every question in his mind vanished.
All the scattered clues from earlier began fitting together.
"Makino… this is…"
Before he could finish, the ground beneath his feet suddenly felt lighter.
His body began sliding forward on its own.
Shanks looked down.
Bella was using her ability to support him, steadily carrying him toward Makino beneath the spotlight.
And the moment he began moving—
a familiar, crystal-clear voice drifted from the speakers around the stage.
Uta.
Her singing descended softly through the venue, warm and gentle.
Why does the scent of those days we played beside the sea
Fade away with seasons already left behind?
Shanks quickly steadied himself.
He even forgot to complain about Bella moving him.
His eyes remained fixed on Makino.
As Uta's voice reached him, his mind flashed back to that night beneath the moonlight.
The two of them sitting alone together on the roof.
Speaking honestly about everything buried in their hearts.
Confessing their feelings in their own awkward ways.
Drinking without restraint.
And finally, while both were drunk enough to stop overthinking everything, opening their hearts completely and taking that first step together.
When I sing that same old song again
I know it will bring those memories back to you
Warm lights along both sides of the stage began turning on one after another in time with the music.
Bella carried Shanks smoothly forward.
The distance between him and Makino grew shorter.
And then—
Shanks finally understood.
His crewmates dressed in suits.
The villagers who had come specifically for this.
Beckman's strange warning.
The mayor telling him to visit more often.
The flower-covered corridor.
Makino's wedding dress.
Uta's song.
Every piece locked together in an instant.
Today was his wedding.
His and Makino's wedding.
These bastards had secretly planned the entire thing behind his back.
Bella finally brought Shanks onto the stage.
Then she spoke.
"Grandpa, Bella's done."
"The rest is up to you."
Shanks came back to himself and planted his feet firmly on the stage.
Do you believe? Do you believe?
In the light of the stars and the endless sea
Do you believe? Can you still believe?
Uta's voice rose.
At the same moment, hidden lights in the ceiling ignited together.
Warm golden beams intertwined overhead and formed the complete shape of a heart above Shanks and Makino.
When dawn arrives, spread your wings
Chase the wind and dance across the sky
Shanks took a step forward.
Then another.
As layers of light spread across the venue, figures that had been hidden in the darkness gradually appeared.
Rayleigh leaned against the railing beside the stage, a glass of alcohol in his hand.
He raised it toward Shanks with a grin.
Beside him stood Shakky, arms folded, smiling warmly.
Crocus stood not far away with his usual stern expression and gave Shanks a slight nod.
And squeezed right at the very front—
Buggy.
He was clutching a pile of broadcast Den Den Mushi along with Roger's photograph and statue, bawling his eyes out while facing all their former seniors through the live feeds.
The Red Hair Pirates had gathered beneath the stage.
At the same time, villagers from Windmill Village poured in through the other entrances and began taking their seats.
The instant Uta's song came to an end, Shanks reached Makino.
He stopped directly in front of her.
By then, the entire stage had brightened.
The lighting adjusted until it was soft and comfortable rather than dazzling, bathing everything in a warm golden glow.
Shanks could clearly see the smile in Makino's eyes.
And the tenderness beneath it.
Makino held out her hand.
Shanks smiled.
He reached out and firmly took it.
"You look beautiful today."
Makino's smile deepened.
"You look pretty handsome yourself."
"I like the new look."
Shanks nodded, still sounding amazed.
"I can't believe I knew absolutely nothing about this."
"I only found out yesterday."
"That explains why Cain was acting so…"
Shanks paused.
"Actually, never mind that."
He looked at Makino again.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Then he lifted her hand and gently kissed it.
Thunderous applause immediately erupted from below the stage.
…
Backstage, Cain stared intently at the image of Shanks being shown on a monitor.
Then he turned toward Uta, who had just finished singing.
"Uta."
"Do you notice anything weird about Shanks?"
"Not really."
Uta gave him a suspicious look.
"But you've been acting weird since yesterday."
"You barely mentioned Shanks at all."
"So what exactly did he do to you?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"Or…"
"What did you do to him?"
"I-I…"
Cain immediately began stumbling over his words.
Shanks' hairstyle still looked mostly normal because his long hair covered the sides.
But if someone looked closely, they could definitely tell that both temples had been trimmed.
Because while Cain had been working blindfolded yesterday…
he had accidentally burned off one side.
And in order to keep things symmetrical—and prevent Shanks from noticing immediately—
Cain had simply gone all the way and burned the other side too.
Then he had been forced to adjust Shanks' hairstyle slightly to make everything look intentional.
To be fair, the finished result looked pretty damn good.
And Cain hadn't damaged the follicles, so the hair would grow back eventually.
But still.
Burned was burned.
He had burned the hair of Red-Haired Shanks.
That was practically the same level of sacrilege as destroying the Straw Hats' straw hat or shaving off Whitebeard's mustache.
Shanks had nearly killed him only a short while ago.
Then Cain had gone and burned his hair.
Cain was doomed.
All he could do was pray the bastard never noticed.
Otherwise, he might genuinely have to elope with Uta and flee somewhere without Emperors, pirates, or anyone else capable of bothering them.
After hearing the whole explanation, Uta sighed.
"So that's why you came back yesterday and immediately threw yourself at me begging for comfort."
She shook her head.
"I really don't think it's that serious."
"Knowing Shanks, he probably won't care about something like that…"