"Hey now—our Red Hair Pirates aren't just letting anyone aboard," Lucky Roux chuckled around a chicken drumstick.
Vice-captain Benn Beckman nodded, serious as ever. "That's right, Kaka. But the way you stood in front of us just now… everyone's already acknowledged you."
"Kaka, come adventure with us!" Lucky Roux held out a hand. Hongo, Monster the monkey, and the others chimed in with grins.
"You guys…"
The urge to cry came back. Kaka looked at Shanks's outstretched hand and nodded hard. "Okay!"
"Yee-hah! Back to the ship—banquet time to welcome Kaka to the Red Hair Pirates!"
"Party on!"
They whooped and crowded around her, escorting her back toward the Red Force. As for the handful of Hild Pirates still on their feet—well, the island Navy was already arriving, and after staring death—and Shanks—straight in the eye, none of them looked eager to go on pirating.
Under a night sky, the Red Force raised sail and a deck-top feast began. Kaka sipped the not-very-good yuzu wine and glanced at the cascade of system prompts.
[ Ding! Congrats on your choice: you've joined the Red Hair Pirates and are now a member of the Pirate faction! ]
[ Congrats! Pirate Faction Hall of Fame unlocked. ]
[ Pirate King ]
Gol D. Roger
Titles: Pirate King; The Most Daring Adventurer of the Seas; Founder of the Great Age of Sail…
Crew: Roger Pirates
Feats: To Be Unlocked…
[ Four Emperors ]
Whitebeard — Edward Newgate
Titles: The World's Strongest Man; One of the Sea Emperors
Crew: Whitebeard Pirates
Feats: To Be Unlocked…
Beasts — Kaido
Titles: The World's Strongest Creature; One of the Sea Emperors
Crew: Beasts Pirates
Feats: To Be Unlocked…
BIG MOM — Charlotte Linlin
Titles: Queen of Totto Land; One of the Sea Emperors
Crew: Big Mom Pirates
Feats: To Be Unlocked…
Kaka scrolled while nursing her drink; chat lit up alongside her.
[ Whoa, "World's Strongest Man"? Whitebeard sounds busted. ]
[ "Sea Emperor," too? That's top-tier pirate, right? ]
[ Look at "Beasts" Kaido—also a Sea Emperor. Terrifying vibes. ]
[ And Charlotte Linlin's a queen and a Sea Emperor?? ]
[ Kaka, what rank is the Red Hair crew? Ask them! ]
Curiosity tugged at her as well. Those surviving lackeys had muttered something earlier, but she and chat had been too shell-shocked to process it. Before she could go pester Shanks, the next entry popped up:
Red-Haired — Shanks
Titles: The Most Commanding Man on the Seas; One of the Sea Emperors
Crew: Red Hair Pirates
Feats: To Be Unlocked…
[ Warlords of the Sea: Locked ]
[ Supernovas: Locked ]
Kaka froze. So did the chat—right before it exploded in HOLY—.
[ Red Hair Pirates are one of the Four Emperors?! ]
[ Bruh. Four Emperors = second only to Roger, the Pirate King! ]
[ She just started and joined a top-dog crew?! ]
[ No wonder they didn't even blink at Hild. ]
[ Exactly. Outside of another Yonko, Shanks doesn't have to care about anyone. ]
[ Kaka, what is that luck stat?! ]
The barrage became a blizzard. Kaka gave up trying to read it and, with a head full of questions, trotted over to the group.
"Shanks… are you that Red-Haired Shanks from the legends? And the Red Hair Pirates are that Four Emperors crew?"
The banquet stilled for a heartbeat—then Lucky Roux and the others doubled over laughing.
"Hahaha—Kaka, you only just figured it out?"
She laughed with them despite herself. Shanks stood, came to her, and met her eyes.
"Kaka, if you've got nowhere to go, then stick with us. From now on—pirates, Navy, even the World Government—no one lays a hand on you. You're our crewmate."
His palm landed warm on her head. Tears threatened again—until she caught the teasing curve of his smile.
"Hahaha, little country mouse."
"You're the country mouse!" she huffed, stomping once and fleeing to the cabin.
Game time ran opposite real time; night here meant daytime out there. She needed sleep and would log back in later.
But after she quit, she didn't end the stream right away. Pulling off the VR visor, she watched the chat pour in and couldn't help smiling.
[ Guys, Kaka's luck is unreal. ]
[ For real. The start was rough—Hild pirates, overboard escape— ]
[ Then the Red Hair Pirates saved her and we all thought she'd jumped from wolf den to tiger's maw— ]
[ Joke's on us. ]
[ Red-Haired Shanks: one of the Four Emperors. Top of the top. ]
[ Outside of Roger himself, who's above them? ]
[ So what's Kaka's secret? Innate "Lying-Flat" Physique? ]
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