Beckman exhaled a slow ring of smoke that drifted toward the lantern-lit ceiling. "Captain, let us go with you. Just the two of you heading out is too risky. Our strength may not match yours, but we can at least clear out the small fry."
Lucky Roux took a monstrous bite from his chicken leg, speaking with his mouth full. "Yeah. A place like Mary Geoise isn't somewhere you should walk into alone."
Yasopp wiped down his long rifle, a confident grin stretching across his face. "I've never taken a Celestial Dragon's head before. Kinda curious what that would feel like."
But Shanks only shook his head. The smile on his face was as bright as ever, yet his eyes were resolute. "No. This time, you all stay here."
"Why?!" the entire crew shouted together.
Shanks rose to his feet and placed a hand on Beckman's shoulder. "Because there's something more important than following me."
His gaze shifted to the distance where Rouge was bustling around the kitchen with the children. Their laughter drifted into the hall like warm sunlight.
"You need to protect them. I can't guarantee your safety if you come with me."
Beckman fell silent for a long moment before sighing. "I understand."
Lucky Roux scratched his head helplessly. "Fine, fine. Can't win against you anyway."
Yasopp holstered his rifle and shrugged. "Alright. You're the captain."
Ritter observed the exchange with a faint smirk. "Relax. As long as I'm here, no one is laying a finger on your captain."
Shanks clapped his hands once, brightening the mood. "Alright, boys, let's start the feast!"
But Shanks noticed something unusual. Ever since their earlier discussion, Ritter's attitude toward Yasopp had shifted sharply. Every time Yasopp tried to speak, Ritter either ignored him entirely or glanced at him with a freezing, disdainful calm. Something coiled beneath Ritter's demeanor, like a tide of blood-red mist waiting to flood the room.
During the banquet, Yasopp attempted to lighten the mood with a laugh. "Speaking of which, my son Usopp should be grown by now. That kid must be "
Bang.
Ritter slammed his cup on the table so hard it rattled every plate. A thin aura of crimson mist shimmered around him. "Your son? You have a son?"
The room fell silent at once.
Shanks frowned. "Big bro?"
Yasopp scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Yeah… when I left the village he was barely two years old. By now he should be a brave youn "
"Brave?" Ritter's cold laugh sliced through the air. "A father who didn't even dare show his face at home has no right to talk about bravery."
A vein pulsed on Yasopp's forehead. "I left to chase my dream. The sea was calling me. The pirate flag "
"Bullshit." Ritter stood up slowly. His voice dripped with venom. "Using dreams to excuse abandoning your responsibilities. You're worse than slavers. At least they admit they're scum."
Shanks moved quickly, blocking Ritter with an outstretched arm. "Big bro, Yasopp isn't "
"Little Shanks." Ritter's voice was frigid. "Do you know why men like him disgust me?"
He pointed at Yasopp. "This type of man. Cowardly, spineless. One look and I feel like hitting him. If he weren't one of your crew, I already would've beaten him to the floor. Actually, I'm still tempted."
Yasopp clenched his fists. "I'm not "
"Not what?" Ritter leaned forward, his tone razor-sharp. "Did you ever go home? Even once? Do you know how tall your son is? What he likes? What scares him? What keeps him up at night?"
Yasopp's mouth moved, but no words came out.
Ritter sneered. "You must be proud, huh? Imagining your son becoming some great warrior of the sea. But even if he does…"
Ritter stepped right up to Yasopp and spoke each word slowly.
"What. Does. That. Have. Anything. To. Do. With. You?"
Shanks drew in a long breath. "Big bro… you saw something, didn't you?"
Shanks knew better than anyone that Ritter could glimpse fragments of the future. If Ritter despised Yasopp this much, there had to be a reason.
The salty night breeze blew through the open windows, stirring the tension. Ritter's expression softened only in its seriousness. "You know he has a son."
Shanks blinked. "Usopp, right? But that's "
"Something he abandoned for his so-called dream." Ritter's laugh was sharp and humorless. "What a noble excuse."
Under the moonlight, Shanks saw something swirling in Ritter's eyes. Not the cold, unstoppable might of a sea emperor. Something far more personal and wounded. A bitterness carved deep.
Ritter cared fiercely about family. Shanks knew that.
"I visited Syrup Village once," Ritter said quietly. "I saw that town. I saw a boy waiting every day by the shoreline for a father who never returned. I saw a mother bedridden, still defending her husband until her last breath."
His voice deepened.
"And I saw that child praying that his father would come home with a miracle cure for his mother."
Yasopp's body trembled. "Is… is that true? Is Banchina sick?"
Ritter glanced at him with so much contempt that Yasopp flinched.
Shanks swallowed hard. "Big bro, I…"
"You're guilty too," Ritter cut him off. His crimson eyes locked onto Shanks. "You talk about pirate dreams. But what kind of dream lets a father turn his back on a dying wife and a child begging for his return? You knew he had a family, yet you let him chase your banners across the sea. You got yourself a brilliant sniper. But because of that decision, a child grew up fatherless. A mother died without seeing her husband's face one last time. All because of your stupid dream of adventure."
Shanks froze like ice. His face drained of color. His mouth opened but no sound escaped.
Yasopp suddenly collapsed to his knees. His shoulders shook violently. "Banchina… she… she was that sick?"
Ritter stared down at him. "Now you care?"
Shanks stepped forward and helped Yasopp stand. "We leave for Syrup Village tomorrow."
Yasopp looked up, stunned. "Captain… but the Mary Geoise mission… I can go alone. I can "
Ritter snapped. "I swear to "
A blade of blood-mist erupted from Ritter's hand and sliced toward Shanks. Ritter would not strike Yasopp, but Shanks was a different story. He could take the hit.
Shanks drew his blade in a flash, splitting the blood blade apart. For once, his calm façade cracked. "Forget Mary Geoise! Family comes first!"
He faced Ritter and bowed deeply. "Big bro… I'm sorry. I truly… I truly wasn't worthy of being a captain."
Ritter finally sighed. The fury in his aura loosened at last. "Little Shanks. Do you still remember what Captain Roger told us before stepping off his ship for the last time?"
Shanks lifted his head. Tears shimmered in his eyes. "He said… 'Never let your dreams make you forget the people who matter most.'"
Ritter nodded.
Shanks clenched his fists. "I won't forget again."
And in that quiet moment, surrounded by lantern light and the hushed fear of his crew, Shanks made a vow that would shape the course of every man in that room.