"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
Hurried footsteps echoed from outside the dojo.
Just as Rowan and Koushirou were about to enjoy a cup of tea before Rowan returned to the G-5 Base, the two exchanged puzzled looks and turned toward the sound.
The door burst open.
One of the dojo's students rushed in.
"Huff... Huff... Master... there... there are pirates!"
Koushirou remained completely calm.
"So... you were defeated?"
The student caught his breath before replying,
"They're incredibly strong."
"We tried to drive them away but just one of them defeated all of us."
They hadn't killed anyone.
Nor did they seem willing to leave.
Over the years, pirates occasionally visited Shimotsuki Village.
However, thanks to the reputation of Shimotsuki Dojo, very few pirate crews dared to openly land at the village harbor.
Most of those who did ended up being beaten back by the dojo's students.
In recent years, Koushirou had almost never needed to fight personally.
Instead, Rowan, who came every morning to practice swordsmanship, would occasionally deal with the pirates himself...
Usually by killing them on the spot.
"Then let's go have a look."
Koushirou stood up as he spoke.
But Rowan interrupted him.
"They're already here."
"And..."
"They're indeed quite strong."
The two walked outside together.
Standing beyond the dojo gates, the Red Hair Pirates were observing the dojo with interest.
"Boss."
"They're swordsmen."
"Looks like the captain can finally have a proper match."
"But is the master of this dojo really that strong?"
"Yasopp, do you know anything?"
After being teased all the way here aboard the ship, Yasopp reluctantly came ashore with everyone else.
He nodded.
"At first the captain only pointed out the direction, so I didn't realize it."
"But this dojo is very famous throughout the East Blue."
"Most pirate crews deliberately avoid making this island a target."
"Still i never imagined that terrifying force that split the clouds would come from this place."
Shanks still wore his carefree smile.
Walking forward, he addressed the dojo students surrounding him, all of whom had just been beaten.
"Could someone please inform the master of the dojo?"
"Just tell him a visitor has arrived."
Unfortunately.
Not a single student responded politely.
"You filthy pirates!"
"When our master gets here, you're finished!"
"You'd better leave this island while you still can!"
"Those pirates actually forced Master to come out himself..."
"Damn pirates!"
"Leave this island!"
"This isn't a place you can plunder!"
Shanks scratched the back of his head helplessly.
Just as he was about to knock on the door himself.
The dojo gates slowly opened.
"Uh..."
"Hello?"
Rowan looked at the red-haired man standing before him.
Compared to the year of Roger's execution.
Shanks had clearly matured.
At the very least he'd started growing a beard.
"This island doesn't welcome pirates."
"So what exactly do you want?"
Shanks maintained his easygoing grin.
"Well... aside from Whisky Peak on Cactus Island..."
"...I doubt there are many places that welcome pirates."
"But..."
"I had to come here."
"No need to keep testing me."
Rowan replied calmly.
"I really did come here from another sea."
"I'm only visiting an old friend the master of this dojo."
As he spoke, Rowan stepped aside, revealing Koushirou behind him.
And so a smiling, perpetually squinting man.
Found himself face to face with another smiling man whose eyes were almost squinting just as much.
"Ahahaha... looks like I misunderstood."
Shanks scratched the back of his head and laughed before taking two steps back and bowing apologetically.
"My sincerest apologies."
"We were worried that a powerful pirate had appeared in the East Blue, so we came here to find out what was happening."
"My name is Shanks, captain of the Red Hair Pirates."
As he spoke, Shanks turned his gaze toward Rowan.
Clearly he was waiting for Rowan to introduce himself.
However the face Rowan wore through the Transformation Technique was nothing more than a disguise he used for practicing swordsmanship here every day without wearing a mask.
Everyone simply called him "Sir."
He had never even bothered to come up with an alias.
So should he make one up on the spot?
The problem was he was genuinely terrible at naming things.
But the moment he hesitated.
Rowan caught the trace of suspicion hidden beneath Shanks' ever-present smile.
"I am Koushirou, the instructor of Shimotsuki Dojo."
Koushirou introduced himself.
Shanks paid him almost no attention.
His eyes remained fixed on Rowan.
The next instant...
"Buzz..."
A deep humming sound swept across the dojo entrance.
Centered on Rowan and Shanks.
A violent shockwave erupted.
Bang!
One of the dojo students collapsed unconscious.
Then another.
And another.
Students dropped one after another.
Thud!
Guina and Zoro, who had rushed over after hearing the commotion, both fell onto the ground.
"W-What's happening?"
Zoro raised an arm as if trying to block something.
His violently pounding heart nearly caused him to black out.
Beside him, Guina was also gasping for breath, one hand pressed tightly against her chest.
"I... I don't know..."
"But this pressure it's like standing before an unimaginably terrifying monster."
Shing.
The famous sword Gryphon slid slightly from its sheath.
In an instant Shanks' Conqueror's Haki intensified dramatically.
The smile gradually disappeared from his face.
Yet he discovered the man standing opposite him still looked completely relaxed.
Smack.
Zoro slapped himself across the forehead before falling backward.
He passed out cleanly.
Guina glanced at him.
Moments later.
She too could no longer hold on and lost consciousness.
At that moment, Benn Beckman spoke from behind Shanks.
"New guy."
"Get farther back."
"Unless you want to pass out."
Yasopp immediately retreated.
Even so his sniper rifle subtly shifted toward Koushirou beside Rowan.
A captain's duel couldn't be interrupted.
But neither could anyone be allowed to interfere with his captain's battle.
That was the duty of a sniper.
Soon the area around the two men was completely cleared.
The only people still standing were Koushirou and on the Red Hair Pirates' side.
Benn Beckman and Lucky Roux.
Boom!
Two waves of Conqueror's Haki collided.
Crimson-black lightning flashed through the air.
After fully releasing his Haki Shanks realized something unsettling.
His opponent still looked as though he wasn't even taking this seriously.
How could someone like this Remain completely unknown?
"We're both swordsmen."
"How about a match?"
Rowan found the situation troublesome.
After thinking for a moment, he spoke calmly.
"You've improved quickly since forming your own pirate crew."
A smile spread across Shanks' lips.
"So..."
"We really do know each other."
"But why is it that I have absolutely no memory of your face?"
At that moment a black mark silently slithered across the ground.
Just as it reached Shanks his Observation Haki suddenly flared with warning.
Without hesitation, he leapt to the right.
"Your Observation Haki is pretty good."
Rowan's voice suddenly came from directly behind him.
The unreleased Asauchi in his hand was already poised to slash.
No Flying Thunder God marker had ever been placed on Shanks.
But the instant Shanks sensed something.
Rowan had already activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
A powerful sense of impending death washed over him.
Every hair on Shanks' body stood on end.
It was the warning from his Observation Haki.
Retreat!
He instantly leaped backward.
At the same time, Gryphon was drawn from its sheath and raised in front of him defensively.
Two seconds later.
The Conqueror's Haki clashing between the two finally subsided.
Shanks' breathing was uneven.
For that brief instant he had truly felt as though he was about to be cut clean in half.
That overwhelming sense of death made him realize just how enormous the gap between them really was.
But it was also obvious even though the other man knew his past.
He had never truly intended to kill him.
Wait that ability just now the way he vanished and reappeared.
That absolutely wasn't speed.
It was teleportation.
In an instant Shanks understood Rowan's identity.
Of course.
Only the Revolutionary Army's mysterious executive, the Cloaked Man, who could change his appearance, could possess such terrifying strength while remaining virtually unknown.
Unlike ordinary pirates.
Shanks' intelligence network wasn't limited to newspapers delivered by News Coo.
He knew what had happened at Sabaody Archipelago.
The Cloaked Man had killed three Celestial Dragons.
The last time, he had even killed one of CP's top agents.
And forced the Marine candidate admiral with the Glint-Glint Fruit.
To not even dare touch the ground.
According to the intelligence he possessed.
The two of them also shared a personal grudge tied to their backgrounds.
The only question was.
Whether the Cloaked Man himself knew that.
Those thoughts flashed through Shanks' mind in an instant.
He slowly sheathed Gryphon again.
Then he smiled openly and admitted,
"I lost."
Rowan remained silent.
He simply continued looking at him.
By now all of the dojo students had been carried inside by Koushirou and laid on beds.
Meanwhile.
Aside from one or two new recruits who had fainted, the rest of the Red Hair Pirates had gathered around.
This time no one teased their captain.
Instead every one of them looked at Rowan with extreme caution.
Not far away Yasopp, who had already found a sniping position, swallowed hard.
What... was that?
How could anyone move that fast?
Even he hadn't seen it clearly.
In a single instant the man had appeared behind the captain.
While the dojo master had been carrying away the unconscious students.
Yasopp's attention had never once left Rowan.
How exactly did he do it?
Unlike the newly joined Yasopp Benn Beckman stepped to Shanks' side.
His expression was equally solemn.
Having witnessed that ability firsthand he too had deduced Rowan's true identity as the Cloaked Man.
"I was just wondering whether I should leave all of you here."
The moment Rowan spoke.
The atmosphere at the dojo entrance froze.
Only Shanks forced an awkward smile.
"But you didn't have any killing intent just now, did you?"
"And my crew isn't the type to spread rumors."
Beckman spoke in a deep voice,
"The reason we came to this island was because we also don't want anything major happening in the East Blue."
"..."
Rowan let out a slow breath.
Clearly Shanks was smart.
And his first mate, Beckman, was just as intelligent.
Both of them had understood exactly what Rowan meant.
Shimotsuki Village was where Koushirou's dojo stood.
Ever since Shimotsuki Kozaburo had settled here after leaving Wano many years ago...
There was no reason the dojo should have to move because of Rowan.
If the World Government ever discovered Rowan's relationship with Shimotsuki Dojo...
This place would become the perfect trap.
In order to eliminate him those five old bastards in Mary Geoise whom he'd cursed out a year ago.
Might very well decide to erase this place entirely.
After thinking for a moment.
Rowan looked at Shanks.
"If this place is ever exposed you'll be the first people I suspect."
Shanks immediately raised both hands with a carefree smile.
"Don't worry, don't worry."
"We're pirates."
"Why would we ever have anything to do with the World Government?"
Meeting his grin Rowan slowly spread an exaggerated smile of his own.
"That's not necessarily true, Shanks."
"Come to think of it we should be the same age, shouldn't we?"
"(O_O)"
With just that one sentence shanks froze.
He knows.
He really knows!
How is that possible?!
Everything that happened at God Valley.
Even Shanks himself had only learned about it because Captain Roger told him afterward.
At the time, he had merely been an infant.
How could anyone possibly retain memories from then?
His moment of shock lasted only an instant.
Then Shanks scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.
"Although I know a little about you from your bounty poster, I really didn't know we were the same age."
"Since we've got that in common..."
"How about we throw a banquet?"
He laughed it off, trying to brush the topic aside.
Seeing the tension disappear, the Red Hair Pirates immediately began cheering.
Watching the atmosphere grow lively again, Yasopp finally ran back over.
He nudged Lucky Roux.
"So what happened?"
"You guys became friends after fighting?"
Lucky Roux took another bite from the meat on his bone before answering quietly,
"The boss backed down."
"It's the first time I've ever seen that."
"But against this guy there's no shame in it."
Yasopp looked completely confused.
"Who exactly is this guy?"
"I didn't notice that movement at all just now."
Lucky Roux simply continued chewing his meat.
Reading the situation perfectly he raised the bone in his hand and joined the others in shouting for a banquet.
As for Yasopp's question those who had guessed Rowan's identity didn't say a single word.
That was part of the promise their captain had just made.
Besides with the Red Hair Pirates' current strength...
It was still far too early to clash head-on with someone who possessed such terrifying achievements.
And the man standing opposite them wasn't fighting alone.
The force behind him wasn't something a single pirate crew could compare with.
"Banquet!"
"Banquet!"
Just then Koushirou, who had finished settling all the unconscious students, walked back outside.
Still wearing his usual squinting smile, he asked Rowan,
"So..."
"You ended up becoming friends?"
"I thought you'd already finished dealing with them."
Rowan turned toward him.
"There are too many of them."
"If a fight really broke out by the time my people arrived your dojo probably wouldn't exist anymore."
Koushirou shook his head slightly.
"The dojo being destroyed is certainly possible."
"But you wouldn't even need to call for reinforcements."
"Ever since more than a year ago your growth has simply been too incredible."
"That terrifying level of raw physical strength..."
"Even an ordinary sword swing from you can create flying slashes."
"Sometimes..."
"I honestly don't think you're even human."
Rowan's expression immediately darkened.
"If you don't know how to compliment someone, then keep your mouth shut."
"How does admiration turn into an insult the moment it comes out of your mouth?"
"Believe it or not..."
"I'll talk your daughter into joining the Revolutionary Army."
"Then you'll be left alone to grow old with this dojo."
Those words made Koushirou wisely decide to remain silent.
The exchange finally allowed Shanks to breathe a sigh of relief.
Soon afterward.
The Red Hair Pirates headed into town to buy meat and alcohol.
Koushirou was equally generous.
He contributed another seven or eight barrels of sake.
However he politely declined Shanks' invitation to join the banquet.
Shimotsuki Village was just an ordinary village.
It couldn't afford to become associated with pirates.
But maintaining secret ties with the Revolutionary Army was another matter entirely.
Note:
Yasopp joined the Red Hair Pirates when Usopp was around two years old. Usopp and Luffy are the same age.
Uta is two years older than Luffy. She was still an infant when Shanks found her in the treasure chest. In that scene, Lucky Roux and Benn Beckman are present, and there's a wavy-haired figure shown from behind who is suspected to be Yasopp, but that doesn't match the timeline of his recruitment.
Another interpretation says Yasopp joined a few years after Roger's execution, but that contradicts Usopp's age.
Therefore, this point in the story is not when Shanks stays in Foosha Village in the original timeline. However, considering Yasopp's recruitment period and that the Red Hair Pirates are active in the East Blue at this time, it's most likely they simply came to have a look around.
Shanks also has not yet become one of the Four Emperors. That won't happen for another six years relative to the original timeline. While Conqueror's Haki is an innate talent, in terms of overall combat strength, the current Shanks is probably still weaker than the current Kaido.
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