"Chiga-San! "
"Big Brother!"
Makino and Ace, who was standing beside her, looked at Chiga, who had suddenly appeared next to them, with pleasant surprise.
Makino, in particular, hadn't expected Chiga to arrive so soon after she used that kunai. The timing was perfect.
Earlier that day, Makino had been tending the bar when Ace rushed in, telling her that the pirate Shanks had returned to see Luffy again. He asked what they should do.
Naturally, she didn't want Luffy to have any more contact with Shanks. But she also knew Shanks was an extremely powerful pirate. There was no way she or Ace could stop him from meeting Luffy.
However, Makino was a calm and thoughtful woman. She immediately remembered what Chiga had told her before he left.
So, without hesitation, she took out the Flying Thunder God kunai, called out Chiga's name, and then ran into the forest with Ace.
As for Ace—
He had been training with Luffy in the forest when Shanks suddenly appeared and started trying to talk to Luffy. Ace had no interest in dealing with Shanks. He left right away to find Makino. These days, Ace couldn't stand pirates.
Ever since Chiga left last time, Ace had started paying close attention to news from the sea, reading the latest newspapers every day.
Although some of the reporting was exaggerated—especially in the way pirates were vilified—most of the crimes mentioned were real.
Seeing one shocking pirate crime after another tormented Ace.
Chiga had told him that this "grand spectacle" was largely the result of the actions of his father, Gol D. Roger. That made Ace feel even worse about the "evil blood" flowing in his veins.
He no longer dreamed of becoming a pirate. Instead, he wanted to hunt down those who committed evil, hoping to lessen the weight of his guilt.
More than anything, Ace wanted to become a Marine. But Chiga had strongly advised against it.
During this time, Ace also read a lot about Chiga in the newspapers. The more he learned, the more he admired this older brother—who wasn't even that much older than him.
Especially after learning that Chiga had defeated and killed the legendary pirate Golden Lion, Ace's admiration reached its peak.
Golden Lion! A man who once rivaled Roger himself. And Chiga killed him. Just how powerful was Chiga now?
If Chiga hadn't told him to avoid the Marines and look into the Revolutionary Army instead, Ace might've joined the Marines a long time ago, just to follow him.
Now, seeing Chiga appear so suddenly, Ace was overjoyed. He was even thinking of taking this chance to express his desire to become a Marine again.
---
Chiga, unaware that he had gained a young admirer, had his full attention on Shanks—specifically, Shanks' left arm.
Looking at Shanks' perfectly intact left arm, Chiga couldn't help blurting out,
"Why the hell do you have two arms?"
Everyone froze. Shanks blinked. Makino and Ace were dumbfounded.
"What kind of weird question is that?" they all thought. "Don't normal people have two arms?"
Shanks frowned, thinking Chiga might be mocking him. Was there something wrong with having both arms?
Makino hesitated and stepped forward to Chiga's side. She looked him over carefully from head to toe—but he had just come from a battle with Kaido and hadn't had time to put on a shirt.
As her eyes lingered on his upper body, her cheeks flushed slightly.
But remembering Chiga's strange comment, she composed herself, shifting her gaze to his face and asking softly,
"Mr. Chiga, is something wrong? Shanks has always had both arms…"
Chiga didn't reply immediately.
He remembered the Sea King he had seen the last time he went fishing from Cocoyasi Village. Its appearance and behavior… now it all made sense.
It was his doing. Again.
He sighed, resigned.
As he turned to Makino, he noticed her face was still a bit red. She glanced away and gestured at his bare chest, reminding him he had yet to put on a shirt.
Realizing his mistake, Chiga quickly opened a portal with the Door-Door Fruit and reached inside for a change of clothes.
But before he could pull anything out, Yamato burst out of the portal, followed by a helpless Kalifa.
As soon as she emerged, Yamato leaped at Chiga and hugged him tightly, shouting with excitement:
"Thank you for sparing my father's life!"
Chiga frowned and shoved her off casually. "I spared Kaido on a whim. Don't thank me."
Hearing this, Shanks' eyes widened in shock.
He had just learned two astonishing things: first, that this girl was Kaido's daughter—and second, that Kaido had been defeated… and spared.
He tried to reassure himself that this must be some other Kaido, maybe a pirate with the same name.
But when he saw the unmistakable horns on Yamato's head, and remembered the strength Chiga was known for, the denial faltered.
Shanks knew about Chiga. His intel came not just from newspapers but also from the Gorosei themselves.
He had secrets tied to the World Government—and those secrets told him Chiga was a serious threat.
With Chiga's strength, few pirates were even worth mentioning to him. The only one who truly qualified was Kaido, one of the Four Emperors.
And Kaido had lost to him.
Shanks' heart sank. He had come alone this time to avoid attracting unwanted attention—but now, he wasn't sure he could handle what he'd stumbled into.
His right hand drifted to the saber at his waist. He watched Chiga silently, preparing for the worst.
---
Meanwhile, Yamato stood in front of Chiga with her lips pursed, staring at him like a scolded child.
Chiga sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Alright, alright. You played a small part in it. Stop looking at me like that."
Hearing this, Yamato's face lit up like a child getting candy.
"Master is the best!"
"Master? Who's your master?"
"You are, Master Chiga!"
"Get lost."
"?"
Chiga ignored her. Shanks was still nearby, and for some reason, he hadn't said a word—just silently watching Yamato's antics.
Kalifa approached with Chiga's "Justice" coat in hand. Now that Yamato had quieted down, she stepped beside him and tried to help him into it.
She wasn't tall enough, so Chiga bent down to make it easier.
Once Kalifa was done, Chiga stood straight. The coat swayed in the wind, and the word "Justice" shimmered on his back in the sunlight.
Ace's eyes sparkled with admiration.
One more reason to become a Marine.
Everyone had different thoughts in their minds, but Luffy—leaning against a nearby tree—was completely blank.
---
Drop a Powerstone (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ
Unlock bonus chapters.