One Piece: Signing In as a Pirate Begins with Roger's Execution

A man with flaming red hair and a straw hat appeared before Karl.

Behind him stood a crowd of supporters, all ready to back him up.

Karl narrowed his eyes at the sight of this man.

"Well, well, if it isn't Shanks. Long time no see. Never thought you'd make it to the East Blue. What a coincidence, huh?" Karl said with a slight smirk.

Shanks focused his gaze, finally recognizing the man standing before him after more than five years—Karl!

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Shanks immediately drew Gryphon, preparing for battle.

His crewmates, observing their captain's seriousness, quickly understood that the Marine before them was no ordinary opponent and readied themselves for the worst.

"Are you here just to capture me?" Shanks asked, puzzled. "That doesn't make sense. I didn't even use my own ship to get here. How could the Marines have tracked me?"

Karl didn't answer. Instead, he turned toward the villagers and shouted:

"Everyone, evacuate immediately!"

"Dadan, take Makino and leave now! The man standing here is a pirate from the Grand Line—a Great Pirate! He's powerful enough to escape even from Whitebeard's grasp. If a fight breaks out here, you're all at risk!"

"What?! He's that strong?!"

Dadan gasped at Karl's warning.

Although she had never ventured out to sea, even she knew the terror of Whitebeard's might.

Without hesitation, she dashed into the tavern, grabbing a confused Makino, and swiftly retreated.

In no time, the villagers had fled to a safe distance, over a kilometer away.

Karl and Shanks faced each other, releasing waves of Conqueror's Haki.

The clash of their Haki sent shockwaves through the air, shaking the earth and sky.

The battle was on the verge of breaking out. All it would take was one of them to make the first move, and a fierce fight would be inevitable.

But just then—

Out of nowhere, a small, soaking-wet child appeared in the sky above them.

The child, completely unnoticed until now, plummeted straight into a nearby sandpile.

Both Karl and Shanks were stunned.

The boy climbed out of the sand, looked at Shanks, then at Karl, and grinned with a big, goofy smile, revealing a mouthful of shiny white teeth.

"Heh-heh, are you guys about to fight? Don't mind me; I'm just passing through. Go ahead!"

With that, the boy ran straight into the tavern.

His sudden appearance created an awkward tension in the air.

Karl and Shanks, who had been on the brink of unleashing their full strength, both retracted their Conqueror's Haki to avoid harming the boy.

Shanks, not recognizing the child, stopped purely out of concern for his safety. His nature wouldn't allow him to harm an innocent child, let alone one so young.

Karl, however, knew exactly who this boy was.

The child who had fallen from the sky was none other than Monkey D. Luffy, the biological grandson of Garp—and Karl's nephew.

"What a relief. If he got hurt, it'd be a disaster…" Karl sighed, baffled at how Luffy managed to appear out of nowhere, soaking wet as if swept in by a wave.

『Detected: Monkey D. Luffy. Sign-in available.』

Luffy's unexpected arrival was so stunning that even Karl's system had lagged before triggering a notification.

Karl and Shanks locked eyes once more, their Conqueror's Haki flaring up again—

Only for another child to fall from the sky, completely disrupting the intense atmosphere.

"Ah! That hurts!"

A second boy suddenly landed between Karl and Shanks, leaving Shanks utterly bewildered.

He even began to suspect that all the children in this village might be crazy.

Karl, however, immediately recognized the newcomer.

"Ace! What are you doing? Get out of here—I've got business to handle!" Karl scolded.

Ace, realizing it was Karl, instinctively snapped to attention, saluting with military precision.

"Uncle Karl! Good day, sir!"

Karl: …

"Get out of here already!"

Seeing Karl's dark expression, Ace bolted for the tavern.

At that moment, another figure stumbled out of the tavern, vomiting violently onto the side of the road.

"Blegh! That was disgusting! Why did Makino-nee buy such horrible fruit? It's the worst thing I've ever tasted! I can't take it anymore… Blegh!"

Luffy, pale and retching, was quickly approached by Ace, who dashed into the tavern to fetch water—only to return with a bottle of liquor.

This only made Luffy vomit harder.

Karl covered his face in embarrassment, realizing that Luffy must have eaten something he shouldn't have, while Ace, as usual, remained utterly oblivious.

Shanks, however, turned pale. He rushed into the tavern and returned moments later with an empty box, looking devastated.

"It's gone! The Devil Fruit is gone!"

"That was a Devil Fruit worth tens of billions of Berries! And now it's gone! What are we supposed to do for money now?!"

Shanks lamented, utterly crushed.

Although the Red-Haired Pirates were formidable, even capable of escaping Whitebeard's grasp, they were still in the early stages of their journey. That Devil Fruit had been a crucial part of their plans.

"Damn it, kid! That was my Gum-Gum Fruit!" Shanks yelled at Luffy, though he didn't actually attack him.

Even though he was furious, he wouldn't harm a child over something like this.

Luffy tilted his head, blinking innocently. "That gross fruit was yours? But I already ate it. How can I give it back?"

"I… You… Argh!"

Shanks pointed at Luffy, at Karl, and then at nothing in particular, before finally collapsing into a state of impotent rage.

Seeing Karl smirking at his misfortune, Shanks snapped.

"What are you laughing at? Never seen a pirate down on his luck?!"

"It's not that," Karl replied with a grin. "It's just rare to see someone down on their luck and shameless enough to announce it."

Shanks, thoroughly exasperated, drew Gryphon and charged at Karl to vent his frustration.

Before he could close the distance, a sharp thwack echoed as Ben Beckman landed a chop on Shanks' head, forcing him to crouch down and clutch his skull.

Any semblance of authority Shanks had was instantly obliterated.

In truth, Shanks didn't have much authority to begin with…

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