“Huff… huff…”
Hailan and Shanks lay on the sands of Alabasta’s coast, gasping for breath. Exercising in water is already more exhausting than when they have been fighting to the death.
Not until the sun had set entirely over the horizon did their bodies finally come back under their brain’s control, no longer feeling like they were falling apart.
“Hahahaha… What a thrill, what a thrill!”
At first, when Hailan heard Shanks’ unabashed laughter, he thought the guy had gone mad and was about to come at him again. But after hearing Shanks’ following words, Hailan couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled. This guy sounded genuinely happy.
“Straw Hat kid, what are you laughing about?” Hailan asked, struggling to catch his breath and frowning.
Shanks tenderly adjusted his straw hat, placing it back on his head. His clothes were torn to shreds during the battle, but he had managed to protect his straw hat intact, much like Zhao Zilong protecting A’Dou with his life at Changbanpo in the tales. If it weren’t for this straw hat, he might not have been beaten so severely by Hailan.
“I was just thinking it’s been a long time since I’ve had such an exhilarating fight. It was truly refreshing!”
Shanks’ voice was hearty, sounding completely devoid of resentment as if he had already forgotten the grudge from Hailan’s attempt to gouge his eyes out underwater.
Hailan, lacking the energy to continue fighting, talked to Shanks instead: “Red-Haired Shanks, Buggy told me you never kill without reason and even often help others. I don’t understand why someone like you would become a pirate. Even if you don’t want to be a Marine, you could just be a regular adventurer.”
“Hey there, Mr. Marine, don’t let Buggy’s nonsense fool you. I’ve killed my fair share.”
Shanks seemed to let his guard down, chatting freely with Hailan: “After Pirate King Gol D. Roger initiated the Great Pirate Era, countless heroes emerged on the seas, along with numerous scoundrels. Those scoundrels always disgust me, so even I have lost count of how many I’ve killed.”
If it were just himself, Shanks wouldn’t have feared revealing that he was once a crew member of Gol D. Roger, and he might even take pride in it. But considering Buggy had become a Marine, he kept this information hidden.
Hailan frowned: “If that’s the case, shouldn’t you be a Marine or a bounty hunter instead?”
Shanks laughed heartily and explained: “But only as a pirate can you have true freedom, drink heartily, and eat to your heart’s content. I defeat those scoundrels not to become some damned hero, but simply to follow my heart and do what I want! Can you have such freedom as a Marine?”
A hero? That’s a magical word. In childhood, countless people idolized heroes, dreaming of becoming one someday. But as people age, many no longer want to be heroes; some even resent and despise heroes.
Hailan wasn’t a hero and had never aspired to be one. Heroes are always symbols, not living people. But this didn’t mean Hailan agreed with Shanks: “Absolute freedom? Straw Hat kid, your thinking is a bit dangerous.”
There can be no order without rules. And the military is the state’s means of maintaining order through force. Even though Shanks might not commit evil deeds, he still sailed the seas as a “pirate.” Ignoring this would have worse consequences than dealing with a genuinely evil pirate.
“Is that so? Then, Mr. Marine, are you planning to arrest me?”
Seeing Hailan staring at him, Shanks flashed a radiant smile, looking like a cheerful young man.
Hailan shook his head: “Of course I’ll continue to try to arrest you, but next time.”
In their underwater battle, both had exhausted most of their energy. At full strength, neither could guarantee dominance over the other. In their weakened states, they couldn’t defeat each other either. Once they recovered, they would still be locked in a futile struggle.
Moreover, earlier, Shanks had mistakenly thought Hailan was a Devil Fruit user, dragging him underwater, leading to their fierce life-and-death fight. Now back on land, if Shanks decided to flee, Hailan couldn’t possibly catch him.
“Next time? It’d be best if we never meet again.”
Shanks got up from the beach, dusted off the sand, adjusted his straw hat, and slowly walked out of Hailan’s sight.
Shanks worried that this Marine might become like “Iron Fist” Garp, relentlessly pursuing him as he had done to Roger. But in reality, he was overthinking it.
Garp became a Marine hero because, long ago, he played a crucial role in the Navy’s battle against the Rocks Pirates. Later, after Gol D. Roger surrendered, the World Government falsely claimed Garp had captured Roger, spreading the “Marine Hero” title far and wide.
In other words, Garp’s accomplishments stemmed from repeatedly battling the Rocks Pirates, Whitebeard Pirates, Roger Pirates, and Golden Lion’s fleet, not from being Roger’s shadow.
In the Navy, there is no merit for effort alone, only for achievements. Chasing but never capturing the Red-Haired Pirates wouldn’t count as an achievement. Naturally, if Hailan reencountered the Red-Haired Pirates, he would try to arrest them, but he wouldn’t waste his time relentlessly pursuing them.
After all, chasing from the Grand Line to the West Blue could take a month. That time could be better spent training soldiers, capturing other pirates, or improving his skills.
Hailan wouldn’t waste his youth chasing this red-haired, straw-hatted pirate, especially since Shanks wasn’t an utterly evil villain.
After collecting his thoughts, Hailan also left the beach.
“That Crocodile messed up everything. I guess Lieutenant Gion probably had no luck either. But Captain Wagner shouldn’t disappoint me, right?”
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