One Piece: The Silver Sovereign

The door that was kicked flew through the window and landed outside.

With such a loud commotion, even unrelated people could be woken up, let alone the actual targets of the incident, Buggy and Shanks.

"What's going on?"

Buggy sat up in a panic. Even the usually carefree Shanks instantly sobered up, thinking they were under attack.

"Oh, it's just you, Shirakawa. What the hell, you scared me."

Once they saw it was Shirakawa, the two lay back down again, covering themselves with the blanket, tuning the world out.

"Alright, enough. Get up already, the sun's practically roasting your butts."

Shirakawa walked over to the window and yanked off their blanket.

"What are you doing? Let us sleep a little longer…"

Buggy muttered as he rolled over and scratched his behind.

"Yeah, we didn't go to bed until after midnight last night."

"Explain yourselves, what were you two up to?"

Shirakawa didn't believe that the two of them had stayed up all night just lying in the room.

"We went to a bar, of course," Shanks mumbled sleepily.

"A bar? And you didn't invite me?"

Shirakawa was visibly annoyed; he had missed out on a good night's entertainment.

He immediately grabbed them both and gave them a hard shake.

"Awake now?"

He let go, and thud, the two of them fell onto the floor.

"Let's go eat, and then we'll head out. Time to experience what a battlefield feels like."

"…Fine."

Still groggy, the two scratched their heads, got dressed, and followed Shirakawa out.

But just as they reached the entrance, they were suddenly surrounded. Guests from other rooms had even opened their doors to watch the scene unfold.

"What do you guys want?"

Shirakawa asked coldly. These people didn't come with good intentions.

"Guests, we should be the ones asking you that. Why did you damage our door for no reason and break the glass while you were at it?"

"Haha, sorry about that."

Shirakawa immediately realized he was at fault.

"That was our mistake; we'll pay for the damages."

Hearing that they'd be compensated, the other party's expression softened, and the tense atmosphere slowly eased.

"Good. The door, the window, and part of the damaged wall, let's call it 100,000 Berries total. Please pay up."

The leader of the group stretched out his hand.

"No problem. We'll pay. Buggy, get the money."

"Why me? You're the one who broke everything!"

Buggy protested, clearly unwilling.

"Stop whining. I'm broke. If I had money, I'd pay myself."

"Well, I don't have any either!"

"Don't be stingy, Buggy. I'll pay you back double when I have the money."

"Triple. Quadruple. Five times."

Seeing Buggy still hesitate, Shirakawa kept raising the offer.

"…Deal."

At five times the amount, Buggy finally agreed.

"Nice. Spend 100,000 to earn 500,000. That's a 400,000 profit, worth it."

Buggy thought smugly to himself.

As for whether Shirakawa would repay him? That was Shirakawa's problem. Maybe he would if he were in a good mood, or maybe he'd just forget about it. Maybe even the author would forget.

With the money paid, the group of staff left happily. Luckily, these weren't the kind to start fights; otherwise, the medical bills would've piled up too.

"What's going on?"

Just then, Kather·Lynn walked over and asked with concern.

"Nothing. Let's go eat. After that, we'll take you back home."

"Okay."

Nothing particularly interesting happened during breakfast. They just ran into a few members of the Roger Pirates and exchanged brief greetings.

But from the looks of them, it was clear they had enjoyed themselves a little too much last night, completely drained.

Yesterday, they had all looked full of energy, but now they seemed barely alive.

"Sigh… Just goes to show, older folks just can't keep up anymore."

Shirakawa remarked with a smug tone.

"You'll be just like them when you're old."

Kather·Lynn said sharply, cutting him down a notch.

"Don't worry. I won't grow old."

Shirakawa replied confidently with a grin.

"Yeah, right. Liar."

Nobody took him seriously; everyone assumed he was joking.

But over the next ten, twenty years, when Shirakawa's appearance remained the same, Shanks and Buggy would finally realize he had been telling the truth.

He didn't age. And that fact alone would eventually make him one of the most mysterious people in the world.

Not for his looks, nor his name, but for his abilities.

They hadn't even left the city yet, and Kather·Lynn had already wrapped herself up tightly again. It was uncomfortable, but to avoid being recognized, she had no choice.

"Hey, why aren't you three covering yourselves? I'm the only one stuck like this, it's so unfair!"

She glared at the others, feeling frustrated.

"Well, that's because we're not wanted criminals,"

Shirakawa said smugly. They had assumed that, after causing so much trouble the day before, they'd surely be wanted by now. But their faces weren't on any wanted posters, so they had happily ditched their disguises.

"Tch, so unfair."

Kather·Lynn grumbled again.

"I'm so pleased with myself~"

Shirakawa grinned and flashed a set of perfect white teeth.

But the smugness didn't last long. They were quickly being hunted again.

"That's them! The ones from yesterday! Even though that princess from the Mol Kingdom is disguised, the others haven't changed at all, not even their clothes."

Not far behind them, several people watched and whispered.

It had all been a trap. If they were with the princess, they'd likely travel together again and be disguised. But if they thought they weren't wanted, they'd let their guard down.

Sure enough, Shirakawa and the others had walked right into the trap.

"Shirakawa, I think we're being followed."

Shanks quietly said as he walked beside him, eyes sharp.

"I know. Pretty impressive of them, to recognize us even with Kather·Lynn disguised."

"Yeah, really sharp."

"Alright, I'll take Kather·Lynn and draw their attention. You two slip out of the city while they're distracted."

"…Got it."

Shanks looked at Shirakawa in surprise. He hadn't expected Shirakawa to be so selfless. Had they misjudged him all this time?

Shirakawa walked behind Kather·Lynn and suddenly scooped her up in a princess carry.

"What are you doing!?"

Kather·Lynn blushed furiously, caught off guard.

"No time to explain. Just hold on tight. I'm taking you on a fun ride."

Though confused, Kather·Lynn followed his instructions.

Suddenly, a white light burst from Shirakawa's body, enveloping both of them.

"What is this? Ahhh!"

Kather·Lynn screamed.

Because Shirakawa… was flying.

"Buggy, Shanks, we'll go ahead! You two catch up!"

Shirakawa shouted back.

"Shirakawa, you scoundrel! You shameless bastard!!"

Shanks and Buggy yelled in unison, cursing him loudly.

But Shirakawa ignored them completely; he had already mentally blocked it out.