Chapter 157: Anxious Shanks!
Hearing this, Ryuunosuke imdiately understood the situation.
Still, he didn’t care who the man was or what background he had.
"I’ll call you Heracles," Ryuunosuke said, casually waving his hand. "Easier to say."
"From today on, you’re an official mber of the Dragon Hunter Pirates."
"That powerful energy you just sensed? That was us. My crew."
"And your job..." Ryuunosuke grinned, "is to keep researching this ’at-growing’ tech of yours."
"I’ll have people stationed here to learn the techniques and thods from you."
"Eventually, I want you to build a granary—a resource stronghold for my crew. Sothing permanent. A foundation we’ll never have to worry about again."
He issued the command with zero hesitation.
"Granary!?"
Heracles burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Captain, that’s exactly what I’ve always dread of!"
"The reason I kept researching all this was to spread the technology across the world.
"Starvation—every nation, every island—people die because they don’t have enough to eat."
"But if this knowledge becos accessible...
"If people everywhere can grow their own at, no one will ever go hungry again!"
"And that’s just the beginning..."
Heracles began to speak passionately about his dreams, his voice full of excitent and purpose.
Ryuunosuke, listening quietly, couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration.
This man had lived in complete isolation for who knows how many years, buried in his work, chasing a dream nobody asked for—but everyone needed.
That kind of determination? That kind of will?
No matter where you go, soone like him deserves respect.
---
After finalizing the Eternal Pose, Ryuunosuke and the Dragon Hunter Pirates set sail once more.
He left behind twenty crew mbers to assist Heracles with odd jobs and learn his thods.
Eventually, other captains would rotate in and out, bringing Heracles technology back to Dragon Hunter territory for developnt and expansion.
Of course, everything still hinged on Heracles help. Every island would need a different approach, a different solution. And he was the key.
Two Days Later
"Shanks, are you sure about this?"
Ben Beckman’s voice carried a hint of doubt. "It’s been nearly ten days since the Dragon Hunter Pirates left... and they haven’t shown up."
He wasn’t criticizing, not exactly. Just questioning.
Under the current circumstances, it was becoming clear: either their assumption had been wrong—or Ryuunosuke had deliberately misled them.
"Was attacking Impel Down just a smokescreen?" Beckman asked. "Did he fool the Marines—and us—at the sa ti?"
"If so, then he played this ga well."
Shanks frowned slightly but didn’t seem too bothered.
"Let’s wait," he said. "The Marines are already making their move. Whitebeard is moving, too."
"Ryuunosuke might be unpredictable, but I don’t think he’d trick his allies."
He glanced toward the horizon. "Still... Whitebeard’s temper isn’t sothing to ss with."
Despite the uncertainty, it was too late to change their current course.
Just then, footsteps approached.
"Captain."
Jesus Burgess passed by Ali, casually reporting, "The Dragon Hunter Pirates have appeared on the radar."
As the crew’s sniper and reconnaissance expert, Jesus rarely missed anything. He’d been keeping an eye on every movent at sea.
So it wasn’t surprising that he was the first to spot them.
"They’re here?"
Shanks chuckled. "Heh. Ti to et this little monster..."
"It’s been two years. Let’s see what kind of pirate he’s beco."
The Red-Haired Pirates quickly set sail to intercept.
---
On Ryuunosuke’s ship, he stood calmly at the bow.
"...I just sensed soone probing with Observation Haki," he said quietly.
"But it disappeared imdiately. I couldn’t even pinpoint the direction."
"Stay alert," he warned. "We’re about to run into soone strong."
"Captain," Najenda replied calmly. "No need to worry."
"They’ve already appeared."
She handed Ryuunosuke a telescope—Rayleigh’s old one, passed to her during their parting.
Built with top-tier parts, it was far more useful at sea than Haki.
Ryuunosuke adjusted the lens and focused.
"That ship... the Red-Haired Pirates."
He recognized it instantly.
He hadn’t seen them since going to sea, but he was quite familiar with Shanks’ crew.
So this was their Observation Haki earlier. Probably Jesus.
No wonder the scan disappeared so fast. That level of control...
Only soone from a Four Emperors’ crew could do that.
Their ships drew closer.
In terms of appearance, Ryuunosuke’s warship was massive and nacing. Shanks’ ship looked small by comparison.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
With a few steps, Ryuunosuke and a small group boarded Shanks’ ship directly.
No invitation. No formalities.
Just confidence.
Kuina and Hawkins tensed slightly, aware they were stepping into one of the most dangerous pirate ships on the sea.
But Aka and Najenda—unfamiliar with this world—stayed calm.
"Shanks!" Ryuunosuke greeted with a smirk. "What, ca all this way just to see ?"
"And Lakilu, still fat as ever. Didn’t you say you’d go on a diet?"
"Ben Beckman—man, why are you always so grumpy?"
He called them out one by one, teasing with a relaxed tone.
The tension in the air loosened.
Shanks couldn’t help but laugh. " I guess I should call you Captain Ryuunosuke now."
"You brat! You’ve built up this whole pirate crew without saying a damn word!"
"Co on, be honest. Where’d you find all these monsters for crewmates?"
He strode forward and threw an arm around Ryuunosuke’s shoulders, laughing loudly.
Kuina and Hawkins finally relaxed a bit.
So they knew each other.
That explained everything.
"Silent? ?" Ryuunosuke snorted. "Co on. You’re the one who ghosted ."
"I’ve been out at sea for two years now. You’re just now setting sail?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Shanks was always strange.
From the Sea King incident, to his etings with the Five Elders, to the fact that none of his crew had Devil Fruits—
Ryuunosuke had long thought Shanks was more than he appeared to be.
And his suspiciously strong obsession with Luffy? That wasn’t normal either.
So even though Ryuunosuke smiled and joked, he kept his guard up.
Shanks patted him on the back. "Alright, alright, I won’t keep ssing with you."
"Let’s have a feast!"
"I brought wine!"
Ryuunosuke shook his head. "Nah, I’ve got other business to take care of."
"You drunks? A ’banquet’ with you guys lasts for days."
"I’ll catch up with you later."
"Give a Den Den Mushi," he added, holding out his hand.
Shanks raised an eyebrow.
So, Ryuunosuke was serious.
He really did plan to attack Pangea Castle.
Maybe he’d gotten delayed by sothing unexpected.
But whatever it was—Shanks now understood.
This wasn’t just a coincidence. Ryuunosuke had a plan. And Shanks wanted to know exactly what that plan was.
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