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Captain Frugal and Vice Captain Natch knelt before Sterling, their heads lowered in complete submission.
The duel had ended so quickly, so effortlessly, that even Shanks looked offended by it.
Shanks clicked his tongue, raising the Den Den Mushi.
"This footage is not entertaining at all. Could you two not have made the fight at least a little bit more entertaining?"
Captain Frugal's eyelid twitched violently.
Entertaining?
We never stood a chance from the start!!
But he swallowed the shout and kept his head down.
Sterling scratched the side of his head and sighed.
"Okay, okay, stand up already. Don't kneel like that at me. It's weird."
Frugal immediately stood and bowed his head. "My apologies."
Sterling waved him off and continued.
"Well then, as per the rules of the duel… you and your pirates will, from today, be under Yami's command. Your number one job being to protect this village."
Yami, standing slightly behind Sterling, frowned.
"I still don't like this."
Sterling turned toward him lazily.
"Yami, you're the prime candidate to become the next mayor of this village. Treat this as training for your leadership. If you can turn this band of misfits into protectors, being mayor will be much easier later."
Yami's eyes widened.
"Huh!? Sensei, If I remember clearly. Mayor Dean made it very clear he wants you as the next mayor. Since when is that me!?"
Sterling casually dug his nose with his pinky.
"Come on, Yami. You already know I'll never take that kind of role. its too much trouble and it'll cut into my booze and girls time."
Yami clenched his fists.
"Sensei! You always dump anything you find too troublesome onto me! Do you think I enjoy doing all the things you don't want to do!?"
Sterling yawned.
"You shouldn't shout so much, Yami. I'm right next to you."
Captain Frugal cleared his throat nervously.
"Ah, so who exactly are we supposed to work for?"
Sterling pointed at Yami with his thumb.
"Yami. This boy right here."
Yami exhaled sharply, giving in.
Then he stepped forward and extended a hand.
"…I'm looking forward to working with you."
Captain Frugal took his hand respectfully.
"Likewise."
He then looked back at Sterling.
"But Sterling… isn't he too young? He doesn't look older than thirteen."
"He's fourteen," Sterling replied. "And it doesn't matter. He could probably beat everyone in your crew one-on-one anyway. And you'll be there to support him, right?"
Frugal immediately nodded.
"You're absolutely right, Sterling."
"Good."
Sterling turned around, stretching casually.
"Then we'll leave you three to discuss your arrangements. Shanks, Benn Beckman let's take a walk."
Shanks stood and flashed a grin. "Of course."
Benn followed, a small smile forming as he trailed behind them.
Yami watched the three walk away, shoulders slumping.
"…Really. Sensei is so lazy."
---
The three of them walked along the snowy path in silence—at least until Sterling finally exhaled and spoke up.
"Look, you two," he said, glancing between them awkwardly, "I'm not going to say something weird like 'I had this, I didn't need your help' or anything like that. Truly… I thank you for your help."
Shanks let out a soft chuckle.
"Sterling. Are we not friends?"
Sterling blinked, caught off guard.
"Friends…?"
He thought about it for a moment, then a small smile formed on his lips.
"I guess… we are friends, aren't we?"
Friends with a future Yonko. What a crazy life I'm living right now Sterling thought.
Shanks grinned.
"Yes, we are. And there's no need for thanks between friends. Besides, you probably didn't need our help anyway. It would've taken longer yes, but eventually you could have won that battle." He nudged him with his elbow. "So technically, you aren't wrong to say you didn't need me. I just couldn't pass up a chance to earn a favor, you know?"
Sterling chuckled.
"That's very sneaky, Captain Shanks. And by the way… you didn't tell me you had Conqueror's Haki as well."
Shanks laughed lightly.
"Well, you didn't ask."
Sterling nodded.
"I did, in fact, not ask." He turned to Benn. "What about you, Benn? Do you also have Conqueror's Haki?"
Benn Beckman nodded calmly.
"I, along with Shanks, have advanced forms of it."
Sterling kept his expression perfectly clueless, even though he already knew this. If he acted too informed, they'd start questioning him. And Benn saying he and Shanks had advanced forms of Haki didn't surprise him in the slightest.
Shanks had already awakened advanced Haki at fifteen. At seventeen, he was probably better at it than most adults.
And Benn… the man was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old right now. If he didn't have advanced Haki at that age, Sterling genuinely wouldn't know what to say.
Sure, Nico Robin had no Haki even at thirty and Brooke at freaken 80 years old, but those two had broken Devil Fruit's. Benn however had no Devil Fruit. So of course Haki was his main focus and where all his power came from.
So Sterling played dumb.
"Advanced Haki…?" he repeated.
Shanks smiled patiently.
"You see, Sterling. Each Haki has two forms, the normal version, and an advanced version. The strongest people on the seas have the advanced forms."
"That's so cool…" Sterling muttered. "Man, I wish I had that strength."
Then he added, "Shanks, I'm sure your crew will be crazy strong. I mean, two advanced Conqueror's Haki users in a single crew? That's insanely unfair."
Shanks blinked.
"Two?"
Sterling frowned back with the same confusion.
"Yes, two. Why? Do you have another crew member with advanced Conqueror's Haki?"
Shanks stared at him.
"Sterling… do you not have Conqueror's Haki?"
"Well, I do," Sterling said, "but I don't have advanced Conqueror's Haki. Hell, I can't even use mine at will."
He paused.
"Wait! what does this have to do with me?"
Shanks grinned.
"Obviously because you're in my crew. Besides, Benn and I can teach you Haki. It'll be easier for you to reach the advanced forms."
Sterling stopped walking.
"Huh!? Part of your crew? But I already refused your offer!"
Shanks shrugged casually.
"And I refuse your refusal."
Sterling's brain glitched.
"Luffy!?" he blurted.
Shanks blinked.
"Huh?"
Sterling snapped back to reality instantly.
"Oh, nothing. Forget it."
He exhaled. "Look, Shanks… I won't lie to you. I really do want to go out to sea with you. But… there are things are keeping me here in the village."
Shanks smiled knowingly.
"It's your mother, isn't it?"
"Huh—? Ah… yes." Sterling blinked. "Wait… you know my mother?"
Benn answered from behind.
"We just came from her place. One of the nicest and kindest women I've met."
Shanks nodded firmly.
"And she probably makes the best cookies in the entire world."
Sterling froze.
"Oh my god… you actually met my mom."
He covered his face. "Knowing her, she's probably going to force me to leave the village now."
Shanks burst into laughter.
"That was the plan. We also need to go back to them, she was very worried about you."
Then, as if remembering something amusing, he added:
"Oh, and she showed us your wanted list collection. Man, it's cool."
Sterling's face shifted into the universal expression of parent-induced embarrassment.
His voice rose.
"What did you say, Shanks…?"
Shanks smiled innocently.
"Oh, I said she just let us see your wanted poster collection."
"There is no way my mother let you into my room without my permission… right?" Sterling asked.
Benn responded casually,
"Oh, I'm pretty sure she did. She also told us Rocks D. Xebec is your favorite pirate. A really Interesting choice."
Sterling's soul left his body.
"MOOOOOOOM!!!"
He sprinted down the path toward his house at full speed.
Shanks and Benn burst out laughing and ran after him.
"Wait up, Sterling!" Shanks yelled, chasing him with that same carefree grin.