"I did not mean to interrupt—but wouldn't it be better if we moved this somewhere else?" Shanks gestured toward the corpse lying in the puddle of blood; making Makino snap back to her senses as she quickly ushered them back into the bar without second glance.
Shanks on other hand immediately ordered his crew to clean up the mess, Makino tried to calm the mayor and the villagers while ushering them away and discussing the next directions with them.
The two sides moved swiftly, not wanting to waste time as Benn stood nearby, directing things to the other's with only a few words while carrying Lucas in his arms.
Lucas quietly watched without any desire to interfere, his small fingers playing with Benn's hair as he occasionally glanced at Luffy, who was being held by Benn after Shanks entrusted him to the man.
Luffy looked up when he felt Lucas staring and flashed a peace sign with his free hand, instantly drawing a faint smile onto Lucas's face. Glad that Luffy didn't seem troubled by what he just did.
Time passed quickly before anyone realized it, and it did not take long before they returned to the now-closed bar. Luffy and Lucas sat side by side facing Shanks, Benn, Makino, and Mayor Woop Slap with innocent expressions devoid of guilt.
"...."
"...."
"...."
No one spoke for a long time that cause the atmosphere—which should have been serious—to become awkward instead.
Finally, Benn let out a long sigh and crouched down in front of the two children.
The cigarette that was usually always hanging from his lips was nowhere to be seen, already showing just how serious this situation was. Benn offered them a reassuring smile before speaking gently.
"Now then, how about you two explain why something like this happened?" he asked while carefully observing their expressions for any trace of deceit.
Lucas looked at Luffy, who stared back at him. The two seemed to communicate silently over who would speak first. After a few moments of telepathical discussion and dragged each other back and forth which or where to start—Lucas then nodded and began to explain.
"Those bandits came this morning and acting as they pleased. They ordering a sake and spoke badly about all of you. At first, Luffy wanted to confront them, but I stopped him. We stayed quiet and listened, until—" Lucas was cut off when Luffy interrupted loudly with fiery indignation.
"They insulted Lucas! They said Lucas was disgusting, that he was a monster because of his red eyes! But me, Grandpa, Makino, and everyone in the village think Lucas's eyes are really beautiful! They even called him a Devil! I got angry, really angry!" Luffy's voice unconsciously rose until it was almost a shout.
Lucas winced slightly hearing those words. He had not even had time to process the insults the bandits hurled at him because everything afterward happened so quickly that all he could think about was saving his brother—yet somehow he became the victim first because he let his guard down.
"Ahem," Lucas coughed up to take the steering wheel and trying to shift the conversation—"And then Luffy punched their leader. After seeing how strong Luffy was, one of the men took me hostage," Lucas explained, though he knew the more accurate word would probably be terrifying when recalling the expressions on everyone's faces earlier.
However, Lucas glanced sideways and saw Luffy's expression shifting from pride to anger again as he remembered Lucas being taken hostage. Letting out a sigh, he continued. "He used me to threaten Luffy, and when things started failing, he ran away while using me as a shield. Luffy chased after him recklessly. Then everything continued the way you all saw earlier." Lucas looked down at his arm and touched the bandages wrapped around his neck.
Because his attention was elsewhere, Lucas failed to notice the change of expression on three of the four adults present. Mayor Wood Slap looked worried at first, but after seeing the reactions of the others beside him, he gulped and quickly calmed down.
'It seems there's no need to worry too much. This matter will likely be settled soon enough.'
He cleared his throat softly to break the silence hanging in the room.
"Alright, we understand now. Luffy, Lucas. You two can head back to your room. Leave the rest of the matter to the adults, understood?" Mayor Woop Slap said gently.
The twins looked at the elder man, then at one another, before nodding in unison.
Benn straightened up and offered his hand to help the children down from their chairs, they thanked him before turned around and quickly leaving; hand in hand.
The four adults watched the two children disappear from sight. Once they were gone, Mayor Woop Slap turned toward Shanks and spoke in the tone of an elder giving advice.
"After what happened this morning, the villagers have begun fearing and wary of your crew. Whether you like it or not, all of you will have to leave this place soon. Gather whatever supplies you need and settle any business you still have here as quickly as possible," he said with an understanding expression toward Shanks and Benn before turning and walking out.
Makino promptly escorted the elder outside politely, while elsewhere, the red-haired captain and his first mate exchanged glances, silent understanding passing naturally between them.
The two bid farewell to Makino before returning to the ship, obeying the mayor's wishes, the Red Hair Pirates busied themselves gathering supplies so they could set sail immediately.
The day passed swiftly as the sun slowly descended in the west, painting the sky in beautiful shades of orange. The Red Hair Pirates continued working tirelessly at the harbor, hauling supplies onto the ship.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, the red-haired captain and his chain-smoking first mate stood expressionlessly inside the underground room beneath the ship, staring at the unconscious pile of men imprisoned behind bars.
The iron prison door slammed open violently. Shanks stepped inside with a blank face, cold eyes fixed sharply upon the sleeping men. He raised a hand, signaling the man behind him. Benn immediately stepped forward and brutally kicked one of the captured bandits in the face hard enough to twist his head sideways.
"AGH!"
The scream successfully jolted the other bandits awake from unconsciousness, without giving them time to react, Benn launched another kick at the next man. His face showed nothing but coldness, his sharp gaze gleaming with killing intent.
Benn inhaled from his cigarette and casually stomped down on the hand that trying to stop him; sound of cracking bones echoed alongside agonized screams. He exhaled smoke slowly and increased the pressure on the crushed hand until blood splattered across the floor.
"So, you're finally awake. Did you sleep well?" Benn asked Higuma, the bandit leader, who had finally regained consciousness.
Hearing footsteps from behind him, Benn withdrew his foot and stepped aside, allowing his captain to move forward. Shanks stared directly at Higuma, a smile on his face that failed to hide the murderous aura slowly seeping out from him.
"Welcome aboard the Red Hair Pirates' ship," he greeted with a clear false friendliness in both expression and tone.
"What do you think? Beautiful, isn't it?" The question sounded more like mockery to Higuma, the reaction instantaneous, he erupted angrily.
"You! What the hell did you do to us!? Let us go right now! Sea rats! Damn bastards! Scum!" insults poured endlessly from Higuma's mouth, unable to hide the fear laced beneath them.
Shanks listened expressionly, patiently. He's accepted every insult and curse thrown his way. Seeing Higuma continue—and with the other bandits also waking up and shouting obscenities—Shanks merely looked bored.
Feeling humiliated by the reactions of the two men, Higuma suppressed his fear and charged forward barehanded after realizing his weapon had already been confiscated.
Shanks regarded him with disdain. He did not even need Observation Haki to read such childish fighting movements. Simply taking one step to the side was enough to evade the attack before countering with a swift blow coated in Armament Haki.
"AAAAAGHHHH!!!"
Higuma's back arched forward from the impact, his eyes bulging as blood sprayed from his mouth, proof of the damage he had suffered. Shanks stared coldly as he walked closer and stopped directly in front of him.
"I'm angry, furious even. I don't care if you insult or mock me, but do you know what?"
He lowered himself and crouching down before Higuma, then his hand shot and grabbed the man hair. His gray eyes narrowed sharply as he looked down at the man sprawled before him as though he staring at filth.
Beside them, Benn removed the cigarette from his lips and exhaled smoke. Was he not angry? No—he was perhaps even angrier than Shanks, especially whenever he remembered Lucas's condition earlier. But for now, he allowed his captain to take control first, waiting for the order to deal with them in his own way afterward.