One Piece: Surrounded at Marineford? Just kidding!

Chapter 289: Shanks' Invitation to the Banquet!

And at an altitude of 10,000 meters.

Chenye floated in the sky.

He raised his right hand.

A wisp of gray, chaotic energy wanders on the fingertips.

This is the product of the forced fusion of light and darkness.

call.

Chen Ye exhaled a breath of stale air.

The data on the system panel was still refreshing rapidly, but he didn't have time to check it.

He looked down, his gaze piercing through the clouds, locking onto a red sailboat on the sea below.

The Red Fosse.

"Red hair..."

Chenye whispered.

He had seen Shanks' performance in that battle.

It was a mess.

It was suppressed by the Demon King Uta.

But this man never revealed his true colors.

The surname "Figaland".

He smiled, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

"Let's go down and take a look."

The thought just popped into my head.

He fell vertically.

……

below.

Deck of the Red Fosse.

"They're here."

Ben Beckman, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, spoke in a chillingly deep voice.

He kept his head tilted back, his eyes fixed on the black dot in the sky that was growing larger.

There was no sound at all, but in his Observation Haki, it appeared as a falling sun.

Click click.

Yasopp's finger was locked on the trigger, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Even when facing a naval admiral, this "sniper" had never been this nervous.

"Hey, boss..."

The meat with bone in Raki Lu's hand was cold, but he didn't touch it, his small eyes filled with seriousness.

"Who... came down?"

All the crew members, officers and trainees alike, gripped their weapons tightly.

My nerves were taut like a string.

The battle is about to begin.

Nearly.

closer.

Chenye's figure passed through the last layer of air.

There was no loud noise.

The deck was not broken.

His feet touched the wooden deck, like a fallen leaf returning to its roots.

silent.

No breath.

This control over power is even more chilling than the devastating destruction we just witnessed.

Ben Beckman's pupils shrank to pinpoints.

monster.

A real monster.

But after that attack, he instantly reduced his power to a level where it wouldn't even touch a speck of dust...

This can only prove one thing.

The attack that instantly killed the Demon King was nothing to him.

It might even just be a warm-up.

The deck was deathly silent.

Chen Ye had his hands in his pockets, his black trench coat hanging down.

Scan the area.

No one dared to meet his gaze.

Finally, my gaze settled on the red-haired man at the very front of the crowd.

Shanks.

This new world overlord is holding the famous sword "Griffin" at his waist with one hand.

There was no smile on his face.

The scar on his left eye looked particularly menacing in the sunlight.

The two looked at each other.

The air freezes.

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

Everyone was prepared to die.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

A burst of hearty laughter suddenly broke the deathly silence.

Shanks loosened his grip on the knife.

The seriousness on his face melted away instantly, replaced by a carefree, bright smile.

"What are you all doing? Don't be so nervous!"

Shanks strode forward and shoved aside Lucky Luke and Yasopp, who were blocking his way.

"This is our benefactor! Put away your weapons! Don't embarrass the Red-Haired Pirates!"

The crew members looked at each other, hesitant, but out of trust, they lowered their guns and knives.

Shanks walked a few steps to Chenye.

He was completely unprepared, as if he were welcoming an old friend.

"Yo! Chenye!"

Shanks raised his right hand, naturally intending to pat Chenye on the shoulder.

His movements were bold and unrestrained.

Enthusiastic.

hum.

A soft chime.

A ring of transparent ripples spread through the air.

Shanks' hand stopped.

It was blocked by an invisible repulsive barrier.

His hand hung in mid-air, the air beneath his palm distorted and deformed, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move forward an inch.

"..."

Shanks' smile froze for a moment.

But he reacted extremely quickly.

Since we can't take a picture, we won't.

He smoothly withdrew his hand, drawing an arc in the air to form a "please" gesture.

"Since you're here, why don't you stay on my boat as a guest?"

Shanks blinked, his eyes brimming with pride and enthusiasm.

"This place has the best wine from the New World! We've been fighting so hard, how can we not have a drink to soothe our throats?"

Chen Ye looked at him.

A golden light flickered in his eyes.

That invisible barrier quietly dissipated.

"Aren't you afraid I'll dismantle your ship too?"

Chen Ye's voice was very calm.

These seemingly innocuous words sent the pirates' hearts leaping into their throats again, just as they had been relaxing.

Ship dismantling?

If someone else said that, they would laugh their heads off.

But the person in front of me…

He just demolished a demon king the size of an island.

Shanks paused for a moment.

Then, he raised his hand to scratch his messy red hair and burst into laughter again.

"Hahaha! If you wanted to dismantle us, we would have already sunk the moment we landed!"

Shanks was laughing so hard he almost cried.

He pointed to the deck beneath his feet, then pointed to Chen Ye.

"The fact that you can control your power so perfectly shows that you're a person of principle. A person of principle wouldn't just demolish someone else's house, right?"

Chen Ye's eyebrows twitched.

A man who can move between the World Government and pirates.

That emotional intelligence and courage are truly top-notch.

"and……"

Shanks suppressed his exaggerated smile.

His eyes became serious, and his voice lowered so that only he and Chen Ye could hear it.

I know your current situation.

You need a place.

"A quiet, undisturbed place where you can organize those... 'new forces'."

Shanks glanced at Chenye's palm.

The lingering chaotic aura there made even him, the possessor of the strongest Conqueror's Haki, tremble with fear.

Chen Ye didn't speak.

indeed.

His body reached a new peak, but his understanding of divine authority was too complex.

He needs time to process this.

The Red-Haired Pirates are a good temporary base.

It has sufficient deterrence, and also sufficient freedom.

"I'll contact that old man with the white beard."

Shanks seized the opportunity and threw out his chips.

"Have him send someone to pick you up. After all, you're still nominally 'on his ship,' right?"

"And, regarding those 'old guys' you just mentioned, I might have some information here that you'd be interested in."

Chen Ye's eyes flickered.

"A good suggestion."

Chen Ye finally nodded.

"Perfect timing, I also have some questions for you."

Chen Ye looked at Shanks with a deep gaze.

"About your background, about... Valley of the Gods."

Upon hearing those two words, a flicker of shock crossed the depths of Shanks's eyes.

But he concealed it very well.

In an instant, he reverted to his usual carefree self.

"Sure! Sure! After we've had a drink, anything is negotiable!"

Shanks suddenly turned around.

He shouted at the top of his lungs at the group of stunned crew members behind him:

"Men! What are you all standing there for?!"

"Bring me the Den Den Mushi! Call that old man with the white beard!"

"Tell him a very important person is visiting me, and he should send his best boat to pick him up immediately! If he's late, I'll pluck his beard and use it as a mop!"

"And another thing! Bring out all the best wines from the cellar!"

"A banquet! A banquet is starting!!"

That shout was like breaking the spell.

The deathly silent deck came alive in an instant.

"Oh, oh, oh! A banquet!"

"Great! We don't need to fight anymore!"

"Quickly! Bring the meat out!"

"Hey you, bring me my guitar!"

The pirates cheered and jumped for joy. The tense atmosphere finally melted away as Chenye restrained his aura and Shanks laughed.

Ben Beckman stood at the back of the crowd.

He looked at Shanks, who was trying to put his arm around Chenye's shoulder, and sighed helplessly.

He took another cigarette out of his pocket and lit it.

The taste of nicotine soothed my tense nerves.

"What a... reckless captain."

Beckman exhaled a smoke ring, but his gaze never left Chen Ye's retreating figure.

The crisis has been temporarily averted.

But he knew very well.

Inviting such a great deity onto the ship is like lighting a bonfire in a gunpowder depot.

One wrong move and you're crushed to pieces.

嗏

That's just the Red-Haired Pirates' style, isn't it?

Beckman gave a self-deprecating smile and turned to walk towards the communications room.

The captain had made up his mind, and as the first mate, he had to clean up the mess.