On the Radiant Eclipse.
The crew was happily welcoming Makino as an official member.
Suddenly.
Shanks' voice echoed from the shore: "Kuke, are you awake?"
"What do you want?" Kuke asked, standing on the deck, looking down at Shanks.
Shanks took a deep breath, not daring to meet Kuke's gaze directly. He gathered his courage and asked, "Could you let Makino join my crew?"
Kuke's eyes turned cold.
Was he seriously trying to poach Makino?
"Huh?" Onboard, Makino, leaning over the railing, looked at Shanks in shock. "Why?"
Why did he want her to join his crew?
"This is the latest bounty poster. Makino, you've been given a bounty as well," Shanks said, waving the bounty poster in his hand. Then, cautiously, he glanced at Kuke and said, "Kuke, you must understand that the Navy and the World Government will stop at nothing to go after you. Makino doesn't have the strength to protect herself. She's in danger staying on your ship. It would be safer for her to join my crew."
Kuke smiled. "Are you worried I can't protect Makino?"
Shanks didn't answer, but that was exactly what he was thinking.
He had no doubts about Kuke's strength and growth. However, in Shanks' eyes, Kuke's situation was even more dangerous than Roger's had been.
"Perhaps Makino could stay on my ship for a few years. When the Radiant Eclipse becomes more stable, you can come back and get her," Shanks suggested, his voice growing quieter as he spoke. Even he realized how ridiculous he sounded.
Kuke narrowed his eyes.
"No! I've already joined the Radiant Eclipse. I'm not leaving," Makino said, shaking her head.
She couldn't understand why Shanks wanted her on his crew.
But Makino had no desire to leave.
"Kuke, maybe you should think about it a little more," Shanks said with a strained smile, trying to appear friendly as he looked up at Kuke.
Makino looked at Kuke nervously.
Was he really going to send her away?
Kuke walked over to Makino and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Once someone joins my crew, I never abandon my crewmates."
That strong sense of security filled Makino, easing the anxiety that had been gnawing at her.
...
Clang!
Kuke unsheathed his sword.
Pointing it at Shanks below, he said, "Trying to poach my crewmate—are you ready to pay the price?"
Kuke leaped into the air.
With sword in hand, he came crashing down with immense force.
His strike descended.
Shanks hastily raised his sword to block the attack.
"I know I was wrong for doing this, but shouldn't Makino be allowed to think carefully about her safety?" Shanks reasoned while fending off Kuke's blade.
At the same time, he looked toward Makino with a hopeful gaze.
Makino didn't hesitate, her voice steady as she said, "I'm staying here."
The light of hope in Shanks' eyes vanished, replaced by an expression of defeat.
As Kuke's strikes grew faster, Shanks could barely keep up. He looked like he was about to cry.
"If I apologize now, will it help?" Shanks asked in desperation.
"What do you think?" Kuke replied.
"Run!" Shanks shouted, scrambling back to his ship. "Hurry! Get the ship moving, fast!"
"Gion!"
"On it!"
Gion transformed into her phoenix form, spreading her wings as Kuke jumped onto her back. Together, they soared toward Shanks' pirate ship.
"You all stay here and wait," Kuke ordered his crew, leaving the Radiant Eclipse at the shore as he personally set off to chase down the Red-Haired Pirates.
...
...
"I knew this was going to happen. I should have expected a beating," Shanks muttered. "Hurry, run!" he shouted to his crew.
The Red-Haired Pirates scrambled in a panic, hurriedly setting sail.
But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't shake off the pursuing phoenix.
Standing on Gion's back, Kuke swung his sword, sending fierce sword strikes toward the Red-Haired Pirates' ship.
"I was wrong! I admit it!" Shanks pleaded, desperately trying to block the incoming attacks.
It was a miserable sight—Shanks was struggling not only to defend himself but also to protect his ship on the open sea.
"Serves him right," Scopper Gaban commented from the ship, enjoying the spectacle. Even Ben Beckman and the others didn't interfere, letting Shanks take the beating.
They chased after the Red-Haired Pirates for several dozen miles.
Finally, Ben Beckman and the rest of the crew couldn't stay silent any longer.
"If this keeps up, the ship's going to be wrecked," Beckman said.
"What do we do?"
"Maybe we should throw the captain overboard. If we do that, Kuke won't attack the ship anymore."
"Good idea."
"So, who's going to do it?"
Scopper Gaban stepped forward. "I'll handle it."
Taking advantage of Shanks' distraction, Scopper kicked him in the rear, sending him flying overboard and into the sea.
The pirate ship quickly veered away, distancing itself from where Shanks had fallen.
"Captain, we'll come back for you tomorrow!" someone shouted from the ship.
The ship sped away without looking back, and the sounds of laughter echoed across the deck.
Out in the ocean, Shanks was dumbfounded.
Before he could even curse his treacherous crewmates, he felt the scorching heat of a massive flying slash tearing through the sea behind him.
Shanks' face filled with despair as he frantically swam, diving deep into the water to avoid the attack.
The chase lasted for over a hundred miles.
Finally, Kuke, riding Gion in her phoenix form, turned back.
The shattered sea quickly began to calm.
The next day.
The Red Force, the Red-Haired Pirates' ship, slowly returned to the area.
"Is that... the captain?"
Everyone was left speechless at the sight of Shanks floating in the water.
His entire body was swollen, his once red hair nearly singed off, and his clothes were tattered beyond repair.
His stomach was bloated as if it might burst, and his eyes were lifeless, filled with utter despair.
"Serves him right," someone said with a smirk.
...