“Ahahaha! Are you joking with me?
Higuma couldn’t help but laugh heartily, “You guys, floating around on the sea, seem to be living too comfortably.”
He stared at Shanks firmly, his smile gradually replaced by a bloodthirsty fierceness.
“Brothers, attack, let these inexperienced guys see the cruelty of this world!”
With his command, the bandits immediately erupted with intense fighting spirit, laughing wildly as they brandished their weapons.
The chilling glare flickered, causing the surrounding villagers to retreat.
Inadvertently caught in the crossfire between bandits and pirates would be a gruesome death!
However, what neither they nor the bandits expected was that among the surging crowd of pirates, only one man stepped forward.
“These ignorant fools, leave them to me.”
Red-haired pirate vice-captain Beckman stepped forward, throwing his flintlock rifle into the air and gripping the barrel like a baseball bat.
“Arrogant pirates, perish!”
This contemptuous gesture completely ignited The bandits’ anger, mercilessly wielding their weapons and launching a ferocious attack, regardless of numbers.
Beckman remained calm, leisurely facing them with his flintlock rifle.
Like a wolf among sheep, his movements were unbelievably fast, dodging dense blades while launching counterattacks methodically.
Almost every second, a bandit screamed in pain, falling to the ground.
In just a minute, dozens of strong bandits were all knocked down, lying lifeless on the ground!
“Don’t underestimate us. If you want to oppose us, at least bring a warship!”
Having dealt with their opponents successfully, Beckman hoisted his flintlock rifle on his shoulder, calmly lit a cigarette, and put on a convincing act.
“Impressive…”
Witnessing the entire scene, Aqua was stunned.
Her impression of these pirates led by the redhead was still stuck in the “weak” category from their time at the tavern.
Seeing it firsthand, she did not doubt Icey’s earlier statement that they were strong.
Because of this, Aqua was even more puzzled by Shanks’ earlier remark of “laughing it off.”
For the water goddess who valued her dignity more than life, getting beaten up meant striking back fiercely!
Unless they really couldn’t win…
Icey observed Aqua’s puzzled expression beside her and immediately guessed her thoughts.
Although reluctant to admit he shared the same idea as this foolish goddess and understood Shanks’ attitude of not arguing with the weak, if someone dared hit him with a bottle and spit at him, he wouldn’t be able to just laugh it off.
No matter what, he would knock them down before speaking!
“No, impossible, you cowardly bastards, how could you be this strong?!”
On the other side, Sieg, now a commander in an instant, broke out in a cold sweat, looking at Shanks and Beckman with terror, his arrogant demeanour gone.
After all, being a seasoned bandit for many years, he realized he was no match, vigorously brandishing his long knife, adopting a fierce posture, ready to fight to the death.
Then he feigned a thrust, swiftly pulling out a smoke bomb from his waist and quickly throwing it to the ground, grabbing the struggling Luffy and turning to run.
While Shanks pondered how to deal with Sieg, in a moment of distraction, the billowing white smoke filled the entire street.
“Huh?! Wasn’t he about to fight us to the death?!”
Shanks exclaimed, hands on his head, shocked and disbelieving; his demeanour as a strongman he had just established vanished.
Now, he was still just a newcomer in his twenties, his actions far from as steady and reliable as ten years later.
“Don’t be careless just because the enemy is weak, you foolish captain!”
Angry, Laki, gnawing on a chicken leg, couldn’t help but complain to Shanks.
The surrounding pirates also began to grumble.
When the smoke cleared, the bandit Sieg had already disappeared with Luffy.
A mere insignificant bandit running away wasn’t a big deal, but Luffy’s safety definitely couldn’t be taken lightly.
Under Beckman’s command, the pirates and volunteers began to search for Sieg and Luffy in Windmill Village and the surrounding areas.
Soon, the bustling and noisy streets became empty, with only Icey and Aqua standing at the restaurant door without moving.
“Icey, let’s go find Luffy quickly. That bandit doesn’t seem like a good person.”
Aqua frowned, looking worriedly at Luffy’s abandoned slippers on the ground.
“I don’t quite agree with your statement. How does he not look like a good person? He clearly looks like walking eight million berries!”
Icey chuckled lightly, his gaze passing over the chaotic street, looking towards the coastline at the end of Windmill Village.
Compared to Aqua’s anxiety, he seemed calm, knowing exactly where Sieg had fled.
After waiting a long time, it was finally the best time to cast the net.
Thinking of Sieg’s head, worth eight million berries, Icey couldn’t help but show a hint of excitement on his face.
“Next, it’s the grand moment for the protagonist to shine!”
Luffy accidentally ate the Rubber Fruit, and today’s conflict between bandits and pirates has already proven that the world’s development trajectory followed the original storyline. Luffy, who was captured, would be rescued by Shanks in the end.
At least before he crossed over here, this was an undeniable fact.
Based on this key point, a lot of usable information would be available for entering the Grand Line and even the New World.
Facing strong individuals like Tyrant Bear and Empress Hancock, with special pasts, he would have absolute initiative!
So the only thing left was Shanks losing an arm in the East Blue.
Was he careless and eager to save someone, or, as later said to Whitebeard, did he gamble on Luffy in the new era?
Compared to watching anime on screen, Icey had a more comprehensive and realistic understanding of Shanks in the year spent in Windmill Village.
Therefore, he preferred to believe the latter!
So he was curious: What would Shanks have done if he had saved Luffy before Sieg fled to the sea?
“Don’t say ‘the protagonist shines’ only after everyone’s gone. It’s shameless.”
Aqua scoffed at Icey, her face full of disdain, then asked seriously, “So where did Luffy end up?”
Icey didn’t answer directly; he just slowly raised his arm and pointed toward the sea at the end of the street.
“The beach? Are you saying that arrogant jerk would take Luffy and leave Windmill Village by boat?!”
This possibility left Aqua’s mind spinning.
According to common sense, when a bandit escapes for their life, they would choose the forests they are more familiar with.
How could they head for the sea, something only pirates would do?
“So don’t underestimate Sieg. He’s a very cunning little man!”
Icey indirectly affirmed Aqua’s question.
Like you, praising cunning as commendable, what qualifications do you have to condemn others?
Aqua wanted to sarcastically retort, but the situation was urgent now, and she didn’t have the leisure of her usual carelessness.
“So let’s hurry over. If we’re late, Luffy will be taken away!”
Icey nodded and set off with Aqua towards the coastline.
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