Beckman quietly listened to Shanks, the cigar between his fingers sending a thin ribbon of smoke into the air. He exhaled slowly, the haze briefly obscuring his otherwise sharp gaze before he looked back at his captain.
"Then what about our original plan, Boss?" he asked. "We were going to the Eternal Divine Kingdom to make contact with Ron. Are we still doing that?"
Shanks fell silent for a moment before slowly shaking his head.
"Not for now."
His voice was low and measured, every word clearly considered before he spoke.
"The Eternal Divine Kingdom is like a volcano in the middle of an eruption right now. Getting too close would only drag us straight into the collision between them and the World Government. That part of the sea has become one of the most dangerous places in the world, with too many forces moving beneath the surface and too many unknowns waiting to explode."
His gaze shifted once more toward the direction of the East Blue, his expression gradually growing firmer.
"Besides, we have something more important to do."
Shanks straightened and looked out across the endless sea.
"Pass the word. We're changing course."
The crew immediately turned toward him.
"We'll stay near Luffy and his crew from the shadows."
Lucky Roux paused halfway through another bite of meat.
"Boss, you mean…"
He swallowed.
"…protect them?"
Yasopp stopped cleaning his rifle and raised an eyebrow.
Shanks shook his head.
"Not just protect them."
A complicated smile appeared on his face, carrying both genuine concern for Luffy and a much harsher expectation for what the boy would have to endure.
"We make sure they get enough training before that brat manages to get himself into trouble he genuinely can't survive."
His expression grew serious again.
"And while we're nearby, we watch."
"We see how they react when things go wrong, how much potential they can actually bring out when they're pushed, and whether they really have what it takes to carve their own path through this sea."
The wind tugged at Shanks's cloak as he stood on deck.
"If necessary, we'll interfere with their route ourselves."
His eyes sharpened.
"We can't keep standing back and watching everything unfold the way we have until now."
Beckman narrowed his eyes.
The meaning behind Shanks's words quickly became clear.
He lifted his cigar, then calmly extinguished it against the ship's railing.
"You're saying we should deliberately create crises for them."
His voice was quiet.
"Force them to grow."
"Exactly."
Shanks nodded.
His tone was heavy, but there was no hesitation in it.
"Ron and the World Government aren't going to be considerate enough to give us years to sit around and wait."
"This era is already moving."
"And it's moving faster every day."
If Luffy and the other young pirates were going to survive what was coming, their growth could no longer follow the leisurely rhythm of an ordinary adventure.
They had to keep pace with the changing world.
Better yet, they had to outpace it.
"Normal adventures can give them experience," Shanks continued. "They'll fight enemies, learn from mistakes, and gradually become stronger."
"But that won't be enough anymore."
His expression darkened.
"If we really want to force out everything they're capable of, then we may have to play the villain for a while."
Lucky Roux and Yasopp both fell quiet.
Shanks did not soften his words.
"They need pressure."
"Not just stronger enemies, either. I mean situations where they're forced to make decisions with something important on the line."
"Situations that push them mentally as well as physically."
He paused before adding in a lower voice,
"Maybe even situations where they think everything is hopeless."
Only at the edge of desperation would they discover how far they could truly go.
Only there could dormant strength, instinct, and determination be forced to the surface.
Shanks knew exactly how cruel that sounded.
But the world was not going to wait for Luffy to mature at his own pace.
If the boy was ever going to become someone capable of standing at the center of the coming era, then his growth had to accelerate dramatically.
And gentle encouragement would no longer be enough.
For a moment, Shanks's thoughts returned to Foosha Village.
He remembered Luffy as a child, staring at him with that impossibly straightforward determination.
The boy's faith in his dream.
His absolute trust in the people he called friends.
Even now, that memory made Shanks hesitate.
Part of him hated the idea of deliberately putting Luffy through suffering.
But the other part understood something far more important.
If Shanks protected him from every danger now, then someday Luffy would encounter a disaster Shanks could no longer shield him from.
And when that day came, kindness would have done him no favors.
...
The hesitation in Shanks's heart lasted only a moment before it was overwhelmed by something far heavier: his sense of responsibility for what lay ahead and the growing fear that the future might arrive before anyone was ready for it.
"For the sake of the final Dawn, some growing pains are unavoidable."
Shanks spoke quietly but firmly as his hand tightened around the hilt of Gryphon at his waist.
Then he looked across his crew.
"Pass the word, everyone. Our objective has changed."
His gaze hardened.
"From now on, we'll work from the shadows to clear the path for the 'sun' to rise."
He paused briefly before adding,
"Even if the methods we use aren't always so clean."
The Red Hair Pirates exchanged glances.
No lengthy discussion was necessary.
They all understood how significant their captain's decision was.
Until now, Shanks had largely acted as a guide from a distance, intervening only when necessary and otherwise allowing the younger generation to find its own way.
That approach was no longer enough.
The sudden rise of the Eternal Divine Kingdom had accelerated events far beyond what Shanks had anticipated. If they still wanted to preserve a chance for the future he believed in, then the Red Hair Pirates might have to become something harsher than gentle guides.
They would become catalysts.
They might have to create danger where none existed, force growth before it came naturally, and accept that their choices could hurt people or be misunderstood.
None of them took that lightly.
But neither did anyone object.
A new storm had already descended upon the world, and the Red Hair Pirates had no intention of standing aside while history moved without them.
They would enter the current in their own way.
And whatever awaited them ahead, they would see their choice through to the end.
...
Loguetown.
The town known throughout the world as the place of beginning and end had always possessed a unique place in history.
These days, however, an oppressive atmosphere hung over it.
Ever since the legendary flying pirate Golden Lion Shiki had descended upon Loguetown and taken up residence there, the town's former peace had disappeared.
Residents went about their lives cautiously beneath the invisible pressure created by his presence.
The streets were quieter.
Children played less freely.
Merchants kept their voices down.
Everyone knew that one of the most infamous pirates of the previous era was living right in the middle of their town, and no one wanted to become the person who accidentally attracted his attention.
At the center of Loguetown's main plaza stood a hastily constructed temporary "palace."
It was exactly as excessive as one might expect from Shiki.
Lavish decorations, extravagant furnishings, and absurdly theatrical designs filled the place, creating something that was simultaneously luxurious and ridiculous.
Inside, Shiki lounged comfortably in a chair with his legs stretched out before him, Kogarashi and Oto gleaming coldly where the swords replaced his missing legs.
In one hand, he casually held the latest issue of the World Economic News Paper.
His eyes moved lazily across the pages until the front-page headline finally caught his attention.
Then he saw the photographs.
Kaido's enormous Azure Dragon form looming over Marineford.
Bullet's colossal magma giant rampaging through the burning headquarters.
Shiki froze.
For a heartbeat, he simply stared at the newspaper.
Then—
"JIHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
His laughter erupted through the temporary palace with enough force to make the entire structure seem to shake.
"KAIDO! BULLET!"
Shiki slapped the armrest of his chair so hard it nearly cracked.
"You two bastards really haven't changed at all!"
His laughter only grew louder as he looked at the photographs again.
"You still can't resist doing something completely insane whenever you get the chance!"
He pointed at the front page.
"You actually went straight to Marineford and smashed the Marines' own headquarters?!"
"Jihahahahaha!"
Shiki wiped at the corner of one eye, laughing so hard that tears had begun to form.
"Now that's more like it!"
He slapped the chair again.
"Damn, that's exciting!"
For Shiki, the news was practically entertainment tailor-made for him.
He was the Golden Lion, a pirate who had once stood alongside Roger and Whitebeard at the summit of the previous era.
He had never possessed much affection for the Marines or their endless speeches about Justice.
As far as Shiki was concerned, all that righteous talk had always been little more than a convenient banner used to justify crushing whoever stood in their way.
So seeing Kaido and Bullet storm Marineford itself and leave the place in ruins?
That was exactly the kind of madness Shiki could appreciate.