When the battle between Shanks and Arthur finally ended, the Red-Haired Pirates began celebrating. Their laughter and music filled the small island as night settled in.
Shanks and Rayleigh led the drinking, both enjoying themselves with mugs in hand, their shared fondness for liquor showing clearly.
The mood was warm and loud, a mix of pride, respect, and exhaustion from the intense fight earlier that day.
Arthur, who had already regained some of his strength after resting, sat a short distance away beside Shakky. She was carefully tending to him, offering him food and a wet cloth for his forehead.
She knew how much effort Arthur had poured into that battle. For the first time in his young life, he had given his absolute best and still been defeated.
It was not a loss of humiliation but a moment of realization, and she could feel the quiet thoughts running through his mind.
"Don't worry," Shakky said softly, placing her hand on his shoulder. "You're still young. You have time. Next time, you'll be even stronger than Shanks. The future belongs to those who never stop growing."
She continued to talk gently, explaining the importance of patience, perseverance, and steady growth. Her voice was calm, and her words came not from sympathy but from belief in her son's potential. Arthur listened quietly without responding at first. The fire from the camp flickered across his face, showing a mix of exhaustion and reflection. After a few quiet minutes, he finally spoke.
"I'm not upset, Mother," Arthur said, looking up at her with clear eyes. "Actually, it's the opposite. I'm glad there's still someone stronger than me. It means there's something worth chasing, something ahead of me that I can keep striving toward."
Shakky looked at her son closely. His eyes carried a strange, determined shine, one that made her realize he truly meant what he said.
She smiled faintly, proud and relieved at the same time. Without another word, Arthur stood up and walked toward his father and Shanks, who were sitting near a large bonfire surrounded by barrels of alcohol and half-eaten plates of food.
Arthur joined them, laughing along with the crew, though he didn't drink any alcohol himself.
Instead, he focused on eating as much cooked meat as he could, his appetite matching that of any pirate around him.
The rest of the evening flowed easily. The island echoed with laughter and music as everyone sang, shared stories from their voyages, and competed in drinking contests that lasted until the stars dimmed.
Even Shakky eventually joined the celebration, setting aside her worries to sing along with the crew. The fire burned low, and the bottles gradually emptied.
By the time morning came, nearly everyone on the island was sprawled across the ground, groaning from heavy hangovers.
The moment the sunlight reached their faces, the collective sound of complaint filled the air. Only Rayleigh and Shakky were fully awake, their tolerance far above the rest.
They began preparing to return to Sabaody, moving quietly among the sleeping pirates.
However, when they looked around for Arthur, they noticed something unusual — he was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Arthur?" Shakky asked, her tone shifting slightly as she scanned the beach. "Did he drink last night?"
Rayleigh rubbed his temples, trying to recall the previous night's events. "I don't remember," he admitted. "I drank more than I have in a long time, and the rum they had was strong, even by my standards."
The two of them searched the nearby area, expecting to find Arthur sleeping somewhere under a tree or near the fire pit, but there was no trace of him. C
oncern slowly began to grow in both of them. Rayleigh closed his eyes for a moment and extended his Observation Haki across the island, his range covering everything from the forest to the far cliffs by the water.
He concentrated deeply, looking for even the faintest trace of Arthur's presence — his breathing, his heartbeat, or the subtle rhythm of his Haki.
Nothing.
"He's not on the island," Rayleigh said quietly after a long pause.
Shakky frowned, her worry now visible. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Rayleigh answered, opening his eyes. "I can usually sense him even when he's masking himself. But this time, there's nothing. Not even the smallest trace of his aura."
For a brief moment, silence lingered between them. Then Rayleigh spoke again, attempting to reassure her, though even he didn't fully believe his own words.
"Don't worry too much. He's strong. Maybe he left early to train somewhere nearby or decided to head back to Sabaody ahead of us."
Shakky nodded slightly, though her expression showed doubt. Together, they approached the rest of the Red-Haired Pirates, who were slowly waking up and nursing their hangovers.
Rayleigh and Shakky asked around, questioning each crew member one by one.
Every single answer was the same. None of them had seen Arthur since the celebration ended, and no one remembered him leaving.
Even Shanks, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly, looked puzzled.
"I could've sworn he was sitting near the fire when I passed out," Shanks said, frowning slightly. "Maybe he slipped away when no one was looking."
Rayleigh crossed his arms and exhaled. "It's possible."
The Red-Haired Pirates offered to help search the island and surrounding waters, but Rayleigh declined. "No need," he said firmly, though his eyes briefly shifted toward the sea.
"We'll head back to Sabaody first. If he's on his way there, we'll meet him soon enough."
Shanks nodded in agreement. "We'll take you back ourselves," he said, giving a reassuring grin, though there was still a hint of unease behind it.
And so, the Red-Haired Pirates began preparing their ship for departure.
The laughter of the previous night was gone, replaced by quiet murmurs and the faint creak of wood as the crew readied the sails. Neither Rayleigh nor Shakky spoke much as they boarded.
-----------------
Meanwhile, Arthur — the very subject of everyone's concern — was grinning from ear to ear, completely oblivious to the worry he had caused.
He was swimming across the stretch of the Calm Belt with not a single care in the world.
The sea around him was completely still, as calm as glass, and the faint reflection of the rising sun danced across the water's surface.
There was no wind to guide him, no current to push him forward, yet Arthur continued swimming with steady strokes, his movements smooth and powerful.
He had been swimming since long before sunrise, keeping a steady pace through the motionless sea.
The Calm Belt, known for its lack of wind and the sea kings that usually lurk beneath, was quiet that morning. Not a single creature approached him.
The reason was clear — the sword he carried at his side released a sharp, almost predatory aura that spread faintly through the water.
Even the massive beasts of the deep, who would normally devour any living thing that entered their domain, instinctively avoided him.
Arthur didn't mind the silence or the absence of life around him. If anything, he found it peaceful.
Every stroke he made sent small ripples across the surface, and as he swam faster, his excitement grew.
His body was already well-conditioned from years of intense training under Rayleigh, and swimming through the Calm Belt felt less like a challenge and more like a test of endurance that he was happy to take on.
"Hehe," Arthur muttered to himself between breaths, his grin widening even more. "They just said I can't leave with Shanks, but they never said I couldn't leave at all. I'm so smart!"
He laughed to himself, his voice echoing faintly over the water. The words carried a tone of childish mischief, but the confidence behind them was real.
As he floated for a moment to catch his breath, he chuckled again. "No wonder they let me convince the congress to go to war," he said proudly, remembering a quote from Peter Griffin that he had once heard and twisted to fit his own situation. The absurd thought made him laugh harder.
Arthur's excitement kept building the more he thought about what lay ahead. The world was wide, full of people stronger than him, islands he had never seen, and secrets waiting beneath the horizon. He wanted to see it all — the Grand Line, the New World, and everything in between.
The boy looked up at the clear morning sky and exhaled slowly. "The world of One Piece," he said with a bright grin, "I'm finally going to see it myself."