4: Chapter 4 Gum-Gum FruitJust as Wang Luffy was bewildered, Makino solved his problem by bringing him a glass of wine and placing it in front of Shanks, saying:
"Alright.Don't make things difficult for the kid.If you want a drink, this one is on me as a thank you for your continued patronage of my shop."
Shanks smiled and accepted the drink, clinking glasses with Luffy's milk, then said, "It's always nice to have someone treat you to a drink."
Hey buddy, bottoms up!That's right!That's how a man drinks, because only that shows his masculinity.And after we clink glasses and finish, we're friends—that's the rule of pirates.Hahahaha!
Wang Luffy was about to obey him and drink it all down, but when he heard what he said next, he spat it out.He didn't want to be a pirate in this life.He only wanted to get his hands on Shanks' Gum-Gum (Nika) Fruit for free.
And Shanks is way too outgoing, is that a characteristic of the One Piece world?
"Hey, hey.Dude, you're such a loser!You can't even finish a glass of milk in one go.How are you supposed to be a pirate?" Shanks said helplessly, rubbing his clothes which were covered in milk.
Yasopp grinned mischievously, "Don't make things difficult for this young man.He looks only 5 or 6 years old.It's already quite good that he's here at the tavern for a drink.I wonder how my son is doing."
And what about the captain who got sprayed with milk?That's even worse!Hahahaha!
The other crew members joined in the commotion.
"That's lame, Captain.Whew."
"Yeah, that captain who made things difficult for the kids was such a loser!"
"Captain, let me do it, hahaha!"
Shanks, unfazed by the teasing, joked back, "You bastard!I'm your captain!How can you mock your own captain like that?Hahahaha!"
But one of Shanks' crew members didn't join in the commotion and instead frowned in thought."Shanks is acting so strangely today."
Even if it's just playing around, it should just be a little teasing of the kid and then it's over.But Shanks seems to want this kid to fit in with us?Why is that?Is there anything special about him?
He then pulled Shanks aside, turned him away, and whispered, "What's going on?Is this kid special?Is there anything I can do for him?"
Shanks' expression turned serious as he said, "Beckman, I see Captain Roger's shadow in this guy.And according to Captain Roger's instructions, and considering the timing, this guy meets the requirements.It's time to bring that out."
You mean that one?
Yes.That's the one.
Beckman smashed Shanks' head open with the butt of his rifle, saying, "Which one is it?Can you stop being a riddle-maker?"
Shanks covered his head in discomfort and said, "It's the Gum-Gum Fruit.Take it out and help me think of a way to get the boy to eat it."
Wang Lufei stared at the two people less than three meters away, a few black lines appearing on his forehead.Did these two think he was deaf?And why were they talking so loudly, on purpose?
But looking into Shanks' wise eyes, Wang Luffy understood.Beckman thought of him as a simpleton like Shanks, and Shanks had indeed become simpleton after being hit with a gun butt.
The two then separated, and Shanks came over and said, "Hey buddy, sorry to keep you waiting.We've known each other for so long, we're practically friends now.I'll give you a gift!Every pirate dreams of owning a treasure of the sea—a Devil Fruit, worth at least 100 million Berries."
"Devil Fruit?Does eating it make you super powerful?Is it really okay to just give it to me like this?" Wang Luffy continued Shanks's question.
Seeing what Wang Luffy said, Shanks couldn't help but think that children are really easy to coax.He decided to give him a very expensive gift to build a closer relationship.
Then, tell him about the passion and epic adventures of being a pirate, and then, taking advantage of the child's strong sense of emotion, suggest that he become a pirate like himself.
If he still hesitates, then he should create some danger and rescue him, get hurt for him, and use the excuse of entrusting his ideals to him.Wouldn't that make the child wholeheartedly determined to fulfill his captain's will?
But Wang Lufei is not a child.How could his inner soul, which has experienced the information explosion of society, be deceived by such a thing?
Okay, this scheme is too sophisticated.He couldn't grasp it.If he didn't know what would happen next, he might have actually fallen into the trap.
"Let me tell you!Being a pirate is really great.You're free every day, you can eat meat when you're hungry, drink alcohol when you're thirsty, you don't have to worry about money, and you can see all the beauty of this world."
"Come on, let's become pirates together, bro.Uh.I don't even know your name yet.That's a bit rude of me.May I ask your name?" Shanks didn't care how Luffy answered and spoke up again.
Wang Luffy smiled at Shanks's "you have to believe me" look, then casually put his hand in his pocket and touched something that looked like a snail.At the same time, he said:
"I am Luffy, Monkey D.Luffy.And let me tell you, I've accepted the Devil Fruit, but becoming a pirate is impossible for me, I will never become a pirate in this lifetime."
"Because I'm destined to become the King of the Revolutionary Army.After all, my father is Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, so it's a case of sons following in their fathers' footsteps.Of course, if you don't want to be a pirate, you can join me; consider this Devil Fruit your membership fee."
Wang Lufei knew that mentioning his connections would make it easier to get something for free, and he was happy just being cheeky.
"Dragon?You mean Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army?That's really something." Shanks was also impressed with his own judgment; he could randomly choose the son of the world's most heinous criminal as the successor to his will.
Although the Dragon Revolutionary Army has only just begun in recent years, it has spread as fast as a plague, and is even trending towards being dubbed the world's most vicious man.
This is a title even Captain Roger didn't have.Therefore, this strengthened Shanks' resolve to make Luffy his successor.He inherited the idea.
Beckman brought over the box containing the Devil Fruits and placed it in front of Wang Luffy, saying, "Come on, buddy, open it and take a look.This is our gift to you."
Wang Lufei happily took his hand out of his pocket, intending to open the box.
Furthermore, because Beckman, who possesses the strongest Observation Haki in the Shanks Pirates, went to the ship to retrieve the Devil Fruit, he didn't notice that Luffy had a sneaky yellow Den Den Mushi in his pocket that had already been connected, and when he dialed it, he also sent a string of Morse code for help.
(The Morse code will be explained in the next chapter, so don't worry about it too much.)
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