"Shanks, just let us stay on the ship! We want to be pirates with you!"
The girl had a head of cherry-colored curly hair, fair skin, and a dusting of freckles across her cheeks. She looked like she had been cast from the same mold as Rouge.
Beside her stood a dark-haired boy bearing a fifty-percent resemblance to her, glaring stubbornly at Shanks with unwavering eyes.
The combined stares of these two pirates were almost too much for Shanks to bear.
Not far away, Lucky Roux, sunglasses perched on his nose, leaned toward Beckman and whispered, "Hey, Beckman — you've known Shanks the longest. Did you know he had two kids?"
"Are you an idiot? I met Shanks when he was sixteen. Where would he get kids that old?" Beckman rolled his eyes. His gaze drifted back to Shanks and the two children.
If anything, they were probably his younger brother and sister, or something like that.
The crew was still pondering this when they heard Shanks say in exasperation, "No way! If Rouge found out you two ran off to become pirates, I'd be killed!"
He protested loudly.
Being killed was probably an overstatement, but Shanks could already imagine the mortification of facing Rouge. He hadn't expected that during his brief absence from the Grand Line, these two brats would track him down.
Even though they were in the Four Seas, the fact that An and Ace had found him meant they had certainly faced their share of hardships.
Shanks could also imagine Rouge's worry.
"Stop talking about going to sea with me!" Shanks pulled his hat down a bit and called out to Beckman, "Beckman, prep a small boat for me. I'll send these two back tomorrow and rejoin you then."
"I'm not going back! Right, Ace?" An said stubbornly.
Ace, standing beside her, nodded vigorously. "Mom wants us to join the Marines. We're not doing it!"
"What's wrong with being a Marine?" Shanks sighed. Looking at these two kids, he felt genuinely exhausted. Sending An and Ace to the Marines had been something he and Rouge had discussed after Roger's surrender.
If they became pirates and their identities were discovered by the World Government and the Marines, An and Ace would absolutely be marked for death.
On the other hand, if An and Ace could join the Marines, Shanks was confident that with his influence, he could convince the Five Elders to turn a blind eye to their lineage.
So what if they were descendants of the Pirate King?
As long as they posed no threat to the World Government, there was nothing to worry about.
Although the Marines had executed Roger, that had been the inevitable result of his lifespan running out. And knowing Rouge's personality, she would prioritize the safety of her two children above all else.
If she found out that An and Ace wanted to become pirates — and were on his ship, no less — that would be a disaster.
"No! The Marines killed Dad! I'm not joining the Marines!" An said fiercely.
Ace had no memory of Gol D. Roger's surrender, but An was different. She had already started forming memories at the time, and her feelings for the loving father in her mind ran deep.
As for Ace…
He simply agreed with whatever his sister said!
"I'm telling you now, Shanks — even if you send us back, we'll just run away again! If you won't take us, we'll form our own pirate crew and beat you!"
An had clearly made up her mind. A few words from Shanks weren't going to change that.
Shanks clutched his head, feeling a migraine coming on.
These brats were insufferable!
How did he not remember being this troublesome as a kid?
But with An saying things like that, he really didn't dare send them back just like that. The sea was far too dangerous. These two kids, whose combined age didn't even reach twenty, would almost certainly die if they entered the Grand Line on their own.
"Fine, fine. Can't you two just behave for once?"
Shanks felt more speechless than he had in his entire life. He was a full-fledged Yonko now — where couldn't he get some respect?
Today, he was being handled by two children.
"Awesome!" An and Ace clapped their hands together in celebration the moment Shanks relented.
Over the years, news of Shanks from across the seas had reached their ears, filling these two kids with dreams of pirate adventures.
And because Ace now had both a sister and a mother, his upbringing was completely different from the original story. He didn't harbor any real hatred toward Roger.
"I'm making one thing clear — I haven't agreed to let you join my crew." Shanks picked up a Den Den Mushi and said gravely, "I'll relay your current situation to Rouge. If she firmly objects to you becoming pirates, I'll still send you back!"
With that, he dialed the Den Den Mushi he had never once used.
This was the emergency Den Den Mushi he had left with Rouge before setting sail. If nothing went wrong, he might never have dialed it at all.
"Burubu — baga!"
The Den Den Mushi was answered the instant it rang. Rouge's voice came through the pink shell.
"Shanks? An and Ace should be on your ship right now, right?"
"Sis Rouge, you already know?" Shanks scratched his head awkwardly. "These two insist on becoming pirates with me. I can't do anything with them, but don't worry — I'll send them back right now. I'll drop them straight at a Marine training camp this time."
"Hey! Shanks, that's cheating! That's not what we agreed on!"
An bared her teeth and shouted the moment she heard what Shanks told Rouge.
"Shut up, kid!" Shanks had already begun to display the oily, cunning big-bull personality of an older man. Manipulating children was second nature to him.
But on the other end of the line, Rouge fell briefly silent.
"…Never mind, Shanks. An and Ace… if they really insist on becoming pirates, I don't want to force them anymore."
"He always said people are born to be free… so maybe I shouldn't keep forcing them to stay by my side. I can't choose the path their futures should take."
Shanks also fell silent.
The Den Den Mushi's expression seemed calm, but he could feel the weight of a mother's love for her children at that moment.
After a moment, Rouge spoke again.
"…This might be selfish, but, Shanks — could I ask you to take care of An and Ace?"
"Leave them to me, Rouge. I won't let them come to any harm!"
"Thank you."
[
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