Chapter 38: Red Hair Pirates
"It's a pity I haven't mastered it yet. But if I had fought my father for another year or two, I think I could've learned Conqueror's Haki Entanglement!"
As he said this, Yamato patted his chest confidently.
Ayaan actually believed Yamato. After all, in the original timeline, she did manage to learn the entanglement of Conqueror Haki. But now that she didn't have her father pushing her to the edge in battle, her pace of progress was likely to be slower. For combat geniuses on the sea, real, life-or-death battle experience was often the best teacher.
Take Ace, for example. Yamato's mastery of advanced Armament Haki caught him off guard initially, but after just a few fights, Ace quickly picked up Ryūō (Flowing Armament), external release, and even internal destruction.
In comparison, Ayaan lagged behind in Haki. Even though his physique had improved after eating the Baku Baku no Mi and his body's reconstruction, his cautious nature—honed by years of survival in the ninja world—kept him from taking the same kinds of wild risks as Ace or Yamato. That caution slowed his Haki growth, and he hadn't even awakened Conqueror Haki yet.
But Ayaan wasn't bothered. Chakra, after all, was much more versatile and powerful in many respects compared to Haki. Besides, in the world of One Piece, reckless idiots always seemed to get lucky and survive anyway. As a time traveler, Ayaan couldn't rely on plot armor.
If he ever dared to emulate Luffy and Ace—setting off on a tiny boat with no plan—he'd probably just become food for Sea Kings.
So, between awakening Conqueror Haki and using his head, Ayaan chose the latter. Also, not like he could unlock Conqueror by smashing his own head anyway...
"I heard Red-Haired Shanks is the most 'Haki-intense' man in the world. So it makes sense to ask him for guidance," Ayaan continued. "You both already know Armament haki, so it's worth asking him about Conqueror's techniques too."
Ace looked hesitant. Because of his complicated relationship with his father, he didn't like the idea of approaching the old crewmates of Gol D. Roger. Back when they were at Sabaody Archipelago, Ayaan had told him about Silvers Rayleigh. But Ace pretended not to care and avoided meeting Rayleigh altogether.
Still, after fighting in the New World, Ace had felt the pressure from the Four Emperors—despite not seeing them in action. He wasn't afraid of death, but he had a crew now, and that meant thinking beyond just himself.
Seeing Ace's hesitation, Deuce said practically, "Let's worry about learning Haki later. First, let's just meet the Red Hair Pirates."
Ace sighed deeply. "Alright. Let's head toward Shanks' crew. We'll see what happens from there."
---
Somewhere on a remote island...
"We found the treasure, Captain! We actually found it!"
A fat man with sunglasses yelled excitedly, tearing meat from a bone as he ran.
"Hahahaha! I knew that treasure map was real!" Red-Haired Shanks bolted up from his hammock, excitement all over his face. "Where? Show me the treasure!"
He rushed forward with a giant grin, not noticing the strange look on Lucky Roux's face. Roux, while chewing, pointed ahead. "Jesus Burgess is already guarding it."
"I told you, Beckman," Shanks bragged, slapping his First Mate's shoulder. "That treasure map wasn't fake!"
Beckman shoved Shanks' hand off with an annoyed sigh. "You've said the same thing seven times now. Remember how the last six turned out?"
"That was beginner's bad luck. But now I'm a seasoned treasure hunter—huh?"
As they reached the dig site, Jesus Burgess gestured toward the opened boxes. Shanks' expression turned sour.
Inside were piles of paper bills—but none were Berries. Not even close.
Beckman crouched to inspect them. "These are notes from the Kingdom of Cleland. It was a major nation here a hundred years ago... but it collapsed. These bills are worthless now."
"Wha—WHAT?! What kind of idiot buries paper money as a treasure?! Where's the gold?! Where are the jewels?!"
Beckman glanced around. "Judging by the dig marks, someone else got here first. They probably took the good stuff and reburied the rest for fun."
"WHY?! Why would they even do that?!" Shanks yelled in frustration.
"Maybe... just to mess with treasure hunters like you," Beckman offered dryly.
With that, Shanks fell dramatically to the ground, his whole body shaded gray like a defeated manga character.
---
"Captain, there's a ship coming our way!" Jesus Burgess reported. "Looks like the Spade Pirates!"
"Let Beckman handle it," Shanks mumbled, still sulking. "I just want to lie here in peace and pretend I'm not a captain anymore."
"Wait—wait! They're firing something!"
Shanks bolted upright. "Firing?! Do they not know who we are? Has no one warned them about the Yonko?!"
It wasn't that Shanks thought no one would dare challenge them, but cannons? That's not how you take on an Emperor!
"If you want to pick a fight with a Yonko, at least use a flying slash or a giant beam or something," he muttered.
Jesus Burgess squinted at the incoming fireball. "Wait a minute... that's not a cannonball…"
"That's—!"
"It's a person!"