Orochimaru waved dismissively at the group, who stood frozen in place. "Alright, you can all leave now. Hurry up," he said impatiently, frowning.
Red Hair, who hadn't yet had a chance to thank him, stared at the pale-skinned child across from him. He couldn't understand why Orochimaru had disliked him from the moment they met. Feeling slightly hurt, Red Hair thought, 'I'm Shanks, the user of the Face-Face Fruit! Don't I deserve some respect?'
"But why, Orochimaru-chan? Did I do something wrong? Why don't you like me?" Red Hair asked, feigning wounded innocence.
Orochimaru averted his gaze, finding the display distasteful. 'This old man is acting like a child throwing a tantrum', he thought.
Defeated, Shanks lowered his head dejectedly and turned to leave, his shoulders slumped. Beside him, Beckman covered his face, refusing to watch his embarrassing captain.
'I, Shanks, am definitely not disliked! Orochimaru is just socially awkward and shy. That's all', Shanks muttered to himself, trying to bolster his spirits.
As they parted, Shanks straightened up and thanked Orochimaru sincerely. "Thanks. And about Uta... I've decided to ask her opinion. I hope she'll forgive her presumptuous father."
His seriousness lasted all of three seconds.
"Orochimaru-chan... won't you really tell me why you hate me? I don't even mind your coldness anymore!"
*(╬ ̄皿 ̄)*
'Maybe I should have just crippled him after all. Asking was a mistake—a huge, massive mistake.'
Ignoring the man's childish act, I dragged Luffy away. I had no intention of becoming a Marine anyway; I'd most likely end up sailing with Luffy. His destiny was to become a pirate, even if it was just a plot device for a manga protagonist. But here, it felt real. The thought of Luffy being kidnapped still made my blood boil.
The main reason, though, was imagining Luffy shouting his usual line every day: "I'm going to be King of the Pirates!" I could practically see Garp's furious expression. If he started throwing punches, I'd probably get caught in the crossfire. The thought made my scalp tingle. 'Maybe I should just be on my best behavior around Garp from now on?'
That might work. Thinking about Luffy's other two brothers, Garp had never had a well-behaved grandson before. 'Perfect! Decision made! Limited-edition Well-behaved Orochimaru! I'm still a kid, after all! It's normal to be afraid of getting beaten up, right?'
Right! This is a disguise! Ninjas excel at disguises! *Absolutely not cowardice!*
'Should I try talking to Garp about this? Maybe he'll lay off the spanking... I don't need special treatment. A head-bump like Luffy gets would be fine...'
Orochimaru shook his head violently. 'No, no, it's best not to get hit at all. That stubborn old geezer does whatever he wants. If I keep my mouth shut, maybe I'll only get one beating. If I say something, he'll probably add another one.'
'I need to figure out how to get past the first hurdle... Maybe I'll try to sweet-talk him... And I'll have to drag Luffy along too.'
Shanks watched Orochimaru, who was lost in thought, his face dark and his expression shifting rapidly. He was confused. 'What did I do? Why is he mad at me again?'
"Captain! We're setting sail!" a sailor shouted.
Orochimaru snapped out of his thoughts, glared at Shanks, and muttered, "Good, I won't have to see you for the next ten years." He turned and dragged Luffy, who was waving reluctantly at Shanks, down the gangplank. Just before leaving, a mischievous thought struck him.
"Red-Haired Shanks," Orochimaru called out, his voice laced with spite, "make sure you stay alive. If things go as expected, Garp will be chasing you down to beat you senseless in the next few years."
Orochimaru gritted his teeth, a rare sight. "I'm going to tell Garp exactly how you lured his grandson into becoming a pirate."
Several days later in Windmill Village, Orochimaru was still helping out at the tavern, while Luffy continued to drink his orange juice, enthusiastically discussing Shanks with the patrons.
Caught up in the moment, Luffy jumped onto the table, grinning. "I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"
Just then, the tavern door swung open, and the room fell silent. Only Luffy remained oblivious, laughing proudly. Garp stood in the doorway, his face burning with fury. Having rushed back to Windmill Village upon hearing that Red-Haired Shanks was lingering nearby, Garp was livid to find his grandson shouting about becoming a pirate. His expression darkened.
"Luffy! You've got some explaining to do!" Garp grabbed Luffy, ready to strike, but Luffy suddenly slipped free, his arms stretching impossibly long.
Garp panicked, uncharacteristically flustered. "Luffy! Luffy! What happened to you?! Did Grandpa do this?! Why are you stretched out like that?!"
Clutching Luffy's arm, he roared at his adjutant, "Ship's doctor! Doctor! Get over here and examine my grandson immediately!"
The adjutant rubbed his forehead. "Vice Admiral Garp, calm down. Unless I'm mistaken, your grandson appears to have consumed a Devil Fruit."
Garp slapped his forehead. "Oh, right! A Devil Fruit! Well, that's nothing to worry about then."
"What?! A Devil Fruit?! Where did he even get one of those things?!"
To be continued...