Takumi's challenge to Mihawk was purely to complete his progress mission. As for everything else, he hadn't really given it much thought.
However, when Shanks brought up the idea, it did seem to make a bit of sense. But even if it made sense, so what?
Regardless of who was stronger, Takumi just wasn't interested in Shanks' idea. The last thing he wanted was to humor Shanks with a duel.
Fight Shanks? Not happening!
With that thought, Takumi rejected Shanks yet again. "There's no fun in fighting you. I want to fight Mihawk."
"Huh?" Shanks chuckled, half-exasperated. "That's a harsh thing to say. What do you mean, there's no fun in fighting me? I think you're getting cheekier by the day."
Takumi ignored him and kept walking forward.
Enel, walking behind them, showed a look of admiration when Takumi said those words.
After all, Shanks was a Four Emperors—an incredibly powerful figure.
Yet, Takumi spoke to him so casually, and Shanks didn't even get angry. Considering how Whitebeard had treated Takumi with such respect earlier, what did this all mean?
It completely meant that even the Four Emperors had to give Takumi face!
Who knew? Takumi might even know the other two Emperors!
Enel thought about it, feeling more and more that he had made the right choice in following Takumi.
Soon, the three of them arrived in the main hall of the castle. By then, Shanks' crew and Kaku had already set up a simple arrangement, placing several long tables in the center, loaded with a variety of foods and drinks.
As soon as the crew saw Shanks, they immediately greeted him enthusiastically.
"Boss, you guys are way too slow! Even a snail would've gotten here faster."
"Hey, isn't that the little guy we met back in Windmill Village? Looks like he's still as small as ever, hahahaha…"
"Tch, hasn't changed a bit! Bet he shut the boss out again, huh?"
"Do you even need to ask? We all know the boss isn't slick enough to get Takumi to give him any respect, hahaha…"
Shanks scratched his head and laughed along. "Hahaha, you guys... Can't you at least cut me some slack while Takumi's right here? This makes me look really bad!"
The crew burst into laughter, and even the usually composed Benn Beckman couldn't help but crack a smile.
Enel, standing to the side, looked a bit stunned. "What's going on with these guys? Is Shanks really their captain? Is he really one of the Four Emperors? They act like they don't respect him at all…"
"That's just how they are," Kaku, who had appeared next to Enel, explained. "This is my first time seeing them up close, but their reputation precedes them. Don't be fooled by their carefree attitude. When it counts, they're incredibly united. And most importantly, Shanks' crew doesn't have a single Devil Fruit user."
"What?" Enel was shocked. "No Devil Fruit users, yet they still became one of the Four Emperors? How strong is Shanks then?"
Kaku shook his head. "I've never fought him, so I can't say for sure. But if he wanted to kill me, I probably wouldn't even last a second. And his crew is incredibly powerful as well. Even if we teamed up, we wouldn't be able to handle just his crew, let alone him."
Enel: "…"
"You don't have much faith in us, do you?" Enel muttered.
Kaku gave a wry smile. "It's not a matter of faith. The people we're dealing with are just way too strong."
"Hahaha, you guys are quick with the banquet prep!" Shanks laughed as he pushed Takumi toward the seat of honor at the table. Without hesitation, he plopped Takumi down in the main seat, then sat down next to him, grabbing a bottle of wine. He quickly poured two cups and handed one to Takumi. "Let's start with a drink!"
Takumi accepted the cup without a fuss, clinking it with Shanks' and downing the drink.
Everyone else also took their seats with laughter and banter.
With that, the lively banquet officially began, and Shanks' crew started taking turns performing little acts to keep the mood upbeat.
For Enel and Kaku, who had never been to a banquet before, it was an entirely new experience.
"Hey, you two just gonna stand there?" Yasopp waved at them. "There are open seats over here. Come on!"
The two hesitated for a moment before finally walking over.
As soon as they sat down, Yasopp poured them both a drink, clapping them on the shoulders and laughing. "These are some of the best drinks we picked up on the last island. The food's fresh too. Don't hold back—eat and drink to your heart's content!"
"Yasopp, you're really laying it on thick, huh?" one of Shanks' crew members teased. "What's this, seeing the long-nose kid making you miss your own son?"
Yasopp laughed heartily. "Hahaha, maybe a little."
"If your son decides to set sail one day, would you support him?" someone asked.
"Of course!" Yasopp said proudly. "If it's his decision, I'll back him all the way. A man's got to chase his dreams at least once, or life's just too boring. Hahaha! Anyway, enough about my kid. Everyone, raise your glasses! A toast to this reunion after five long years! To Takumi!"
Yasopp was the first to raise his glass, and everyone quickly followed suit.
Enel and Kaku weren't big drinkers, but given the atmosphere, it felt wrong not to join in.
And besides, there wasn't a single non-alcoholic drink in sight—it was all alcohol…
The two exchanged glances, debating whether to go along with it, when suddenly Takumi casually reached into his pocket, pulled out two bottles of juice from his system storage, and tossed them to Enel and Kaku.
The festive atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
Instinctively, Enel caught the bottles. One was apple juice, and the other looked like some sort of tea.
"Pfft, Takumi, what are you doing?" Yasopp laughed.
Takumi took a sip of his own drink, replying indifferently, "They don't drink alcohol."
"Hahaha," Shanks laughed loudly, giving Takumi a hearty slap on the back. "You're full of surprises. You always seem so cold, but I guess you really take care of your crewmates, huh?"
Enel and Kaku both felt a bit awkward, bracing for some kind of teasing from the crew. But to their surprise, no one seemed to care.
"Come on, you should've said so sooner!" Yasopp chuckled. "No big deal. Here, eat more meat instead!"
The banquet continued, lively as ever.
Meanwhile, a single small boat was slowly approaching Kuraigana Island, carrying a man dressed in a dark red patterned shirt, a black top hat lined with white fur, and a massive black sword strapped to his back.
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