The next day at noon, the sun was vicious, baking the stone-paved road of Foosha Village's dock until it turned pale white.
Aren followed the familiar route and pushed open the wooden door of Makino's Bar.
Inside, it was much cooler than outside. The air held a faint scent of lemon, mixed with the old, mellow smell of oak barrels.
He nimbly climbed onto his usual high stool. Before he could say a word, a glass of golden orange juice with clinking ice cubes was gently slid in front of him by Makino.
"The usual, took out the bitter peel," Makino said with a warm smile as she wiped away a few splashes of water on the counter with a cloth. "You look like you're in a good mood today?"
Aren wrapped his fingers around the cold glass. The chill stung his fingertips slightly red.
He nodded, took a small sip of the sweet and sour juice, and just then, a burst of noisy footsteps sounded outside, like a herd of wild bulls charging toward the bar.
With a loud bang, the twin doors flew open at the same time.
"It's so hot, I'm dying here! Makino, bring out the booze, today we're drinking till we drop!"
With that boisterous shout, red-haired Shanks led his crew into the bar in a long, noisy line.
The once quiet little tavern was instantly filled with the stench of sweat and the salty tang of the sea. A moment later, raucous laughter and shouting nearly shook the ceiling.
Wherever this pirate crew went, peace did not last long.
Shanks dropped into the stool next to Aren. The red hair under his straw hat was a mess, as if he had just gone a few rounds with the sea breeze itself.
He grabbed the rum Makino handed over, ignored the empty glass, and raised the bottle straight to his mouth. He took a huge swig; the overflowing liquor ran down his stubbled chin and along his neck.
"Ha... that hits the spot!" Shanks wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then turned his head. His single eye, filled with mischief, leaned closer to Aren. "So, kid, did you think through what I said yesterday? My ship still needs a trainee. You'd be in charge of scrubbing the deck and such."
Lucky Roux, who was gnawing on a hunk of meat with the bone still attached, paused mid-bite. Yasopp, who had been polishing his beloved rifle, also looked over. For the past few days, the captain had been inviting this ten-year-old like a man possessed; it had already become the crew's favorite joke over drinks.
Aren kept his gaze straight, eyes fixed on the ice cubes bobbing in his glass. His voice was steady. "I'm not going."
"Hahahahaha! Told you, Captain!" Yasopp slapped his thigh and burst out laughing. "He doesn't think much of your old tub at all!"
The entire bar erupted into loud, roaring laughter.
Shanks was not annoyed. He simply propped his elbow on the counter, resting his chin on his hand. His carefree grin gradually faded, and his eye suddenly turned serious.
"Then tell me, Aren, what is it you actually want?" Shanks asked quietly. "Do you plan to stay in this little corner of the weakest sea for your whole life, polishing Makino's glasses?"
"I want to be a traveler," Aren answered without the slightest hesitation. "I want to walk through every corner of this ocean and record every landscape I see."
"A traveler?" Shanks repeated the word as if he had just heard an incredible joke. Then his sharp eye narrowed a little, and his voice dropped so low that only the two of them could hear. "Don't kid around. For someone like you, that kind of job is a waste."
Aren's grip on the glass tightened slightly.
"Don't think that level of disguise can fool everyone." Shanks tapped his fingers lightly on the counter, producing a rhythmic knock, knock, knock. "That day in the back hills, when you faced that wild boar, the aura you unconsciously released... that was the sprout of Haki. And it wasn't just Observation and Armament. There was even..."
He did not say the last word, but Aren's heart skipped a beat.
His training in the back mountain over these last few days had been seen?
He had gone out of his way to avoid everyone, even confirmed there were no eyes on him before he started.
Was it Observation Haki?
For a powerhouse on this level, the range of their perception really was beyond imagination.
Aren slowly turned his head and met Shanks' gaze, that eye that seemed able to pierce straight through a person's soul.
"You're a born warrior, Aren." Shanks' tone was unusually serious now. An oppressive aura silently spread from him. He did not release his power on purpose, yet the air around them felt thick and heavy. "Come to sea with me. My ship can take you to the end of the world. There, you'll find comrades you can entrust your back to, and every scenery you want to see. Only on that kind of stage will your talent not wither away."
For a heartbeat, the noise of the bar seemed to fade into the distance.
Aren admitted, for one fleeting second, he could feel his blood racing.
To board the ship of a future Emperor of the Sea meant safety and glory. It was a shortcut straight toward the summit of the world.
But he quickly remembered the system that had come with him, and the purpose he had when he first crossed into this world.
Once he boarded that ship, he would become Aren of the Red Hair Pirates. He would have to obey his captain, draw his blade for the sake of the crew's interests, and be bound by the word "comrades," locked into a set route across the ocean.
That was not the freedom he wanted.
Aren took a deep breath and swallowed the last mouthful of orange juice. The icy liquid cooled his overheated mind.
"Shanks." Aren hopped down from the stool. His small, childish frame stood straight in front of the booze-soaked king among pirates. "Your ship is great, and your comrades are great. But I refuse."
The light in Shanks' eye flickered. "Your reason?"
"Because the direction I'm heading in doesn't need a captain, and it doesn't need a camp," Aren said, looking straight at him. "Pirates will always fight for territory on the sea. Marines will always draw a line around 'justice' and lock themselves inside it. But the traveler I want to be must stay completely neutral and completely free. Even a Yonko's ship is too cramped for me."