Pirate, I am the demon fox that brings disaster to the world!

East China Sea, Kingdom of Goa, Windmill Village.

Just as Garp solemnly accepted the fact that he was forced to challenge his old rival after a long absence, he was unaware that in his hometown of Windmill Village, a fateful handover had already been completed -

"Rubber...Rubber...Pistol!"

The power of the devil fruit allowed the boy's arms to extend several meters backwards. His powerful moves made people want to cheer for him. Under the interested gaze of everyone in the tavern, a boy who looked to be about six or seven years old rushed towards the red-haired man in front of him with great momentum, and the determination in his eyes was clearly visible.

However, it was obvious that the man in front of him had no intention of playing house with the child. He just turned slightly to the side and reached out to grasp the boy's confident fist. No matter how hard he tried, his rock-like palm could not be shaken at all.

"Ha ha ha ha!!!"

Seeing this scene, loud laughter suddenly filled the entire tavern, and at the same time, all kinds of teasing followed -

"Haha~ Shanks, as an adult you should at least give way to Luffy! You can't get angry just because he ate your fruit, right?"

"Luffy~! Use a little more strength! Take this opportunity to help me teach this captain a lesson! Hahaha!"

Luffy's cheeks suddenly turned red, perhaps because of the teasing from the people around him or because he exerted too much force. His pride got the better of him and he tried his best to pull his fist back. However, a female voice suddenly came from the side and instantly changed his mind.

"Luffy, if you really can't do it, forget it. After all, with your current strength, it's impossible to defeat Shanks."

The person who spoke was a cute and pretty girl. Surprisingly, she had long hair that was half red and half white. Her beige skirt was full of youthfulness. Her exposed calves were as white and slender as jade. The exquisite headphones showed the girl's preferences. On her slightly chubby face, she had a pair of big, lively eyes...

The girl's name is Uta, Shanks' adopted daughter, but for Luffy, she has another identity, that is, his opponent!

If you give in to your opponent, it is obviously a sign of cowardice. In Luffy's eyes, this kind of thing is certainly not allowed!

Luffy stopped trying to move backwards, his eyes flashed, and then, in front of everyone's surprised gazes, he did the opposite, directly supported by his arms, and rushed towards Shanks, accompanied by another shout -

"Rubber...Rubber...Headbutt!"

"Hello--!"

"boom--"

There was a sudden commotion in front of the bar in the tavern. Although Luffy's moves were not very powerful, but being able to create such a situation meant that Luffy's defeat was not ugly, at least he saved his face. Of course, in contrast, Shanks was immediately mercilessly ridiculed by the crew.

"Hahaha! Captain, you are too lame. You were actually knocked over by a little kid?"

"Hey, hey! How are we going to get to the Grand Line if we keep going like this? If not, how about we change the captain?"

"Support, support! I think Beckman is good!"

Shanks stretched out his hand to hold the bar and gradually stood up, with a look of not knowing whether to laugh or cry on his face. He turned a deaf ear to the mockery of the crew members, and just lifted up Luffy who was lying on him and pressed him steadily onto the stool beside him.

"You are so persistent, Luffy. I have already told you that I will not take you out to sea. You are still too weak now~"

"That's right! Luffy! You can't even beat me, so you should just concentrate on training for a few more years! The adult adventures are still too far away for you!"

Uta put her hands on her slender waist and gave serious advice with the look of a little adult.

Hearing this, Luffy, who had just recovered from his dizziness, suddenly widened his eyes and shouted anxiously,

"Huh? Why is this happening?"

"Haha~ Shanks is right, Luffy, even if you want to go out to sea, you have to become strong enough~ Otherwise, your grandfather won't agree, right?"

Behind the bar, the barmaid Makino said as she wiped the plates with a chuckle, her whole body exuding a gentle and kind aura.

"Haha! That's right! Luffy! Your grandpa is the navy hero Garp! If you want to become a pirate, it seems you can only wait until next life!"

Shanks pressed Luffy's head hard with one hand and spoke loudly. As for what he was thinking, only he knew. How could the boy chosen by fate be bound in the cage of the navy? Most of the truth of this world is not known by the navy, or forbidden to know. On the contrary, only by being on the opposite side can you see some things that are deliberately covered up...

Shanks thought silently, looking at the boy who was rebellious under his single-handed suppression, his heart was filled with emotion.

Should we say it was fate? This ordinary yet mysterious fruit was eventually eaten by the grandson of a naval hero, the vice admiral who once chased the captain around the world... I wonder what the captain's expression would be like when he found out.

(It is speculated that Shanks does not know the truth about the Rubber Fruit - this truth should only be known by the Five Elders and Im - but he understands through some channel that it is very important, and it is likely related to the new era in the future...)

Fortunately, this boy, who is actually a descendant of the navy, seems to have no interest in being a navy. Instead, he keeps shouting about becoming a pirate... Oh, no, under his influence, this dream has become "becoming the Pirate King"~

And in this way, the future that the captain mentioned might depend on him...

Thinking of this, Shanks was about to say something against Luffy's decision to go out to sea, but a particularly eye-catching aura suddenly caught his attention.

As his Observation Haki was activated to its maximum, Shanks also discovered that similar auras (although much weaker) were entering his perception one after another, and were getting closer and closer to him...

"??!!"

The tavern suddenly became extremely quiet. If you look closely, you will find that almost every member of the Red Hair Pirates stopped eating, drinking, or laughing, and glanced at the door of the tavern from the corner of their eyes, as if something incredible was gradually approaching -

"Wow--"

The wooden door was flung open, and the sunlight from outside the tavern poured in through the open door, causing many people to squint their eyes for a moment. As the light and shadow swayed, a figure that made everyone present suddenly calm down gradually became clear, and only a relaxed and wanton voice was heard -

"Hey everyone, it looks like a lively place, how about adding me?"