I'm Not Interested in Devil Fruits

The bottle grazed Shanks' straw hat before shattering on the ice and bouncing into the sea.

The drunken pirates laughed crudely from the ship's railing, hurling insults at the two stranded figures below.

"Damn..." Liam squinted up at the shadowy figures of the pirates leaning over the ten-meter-high railing in the dim night.

To him, their heads were already turning into stacks of belly bills.

But Liam noticed that Shanks was completely unfazed, not reacting at all to the drunken pirates' taunts.

"Too bad, they don't seem to want to take us with them," Shanks sighed.

"Aren't you angry?" Liam asked curiously. "You could cut this ship in half with one swing of your sword, right?"

Shanks just smiled at the question.

Liam suddenly understood the subtlety of the smile: these lowly thugs weren't worth Shanks getting angry at, let alone drawing his sword.

Shanks was about to impart some wisdom on how to handle such situations like a true gentleman when he noticed Liam take a few steps back to the edge of the floating debris and assume a runner's stance.

"Hey, what's that kid up to?" Slurred one of the drunken pirates on the ship.

Another pirate, reeking of alcohol, sneered, "Is he going to jump? Ha ha, what an idiot..."

Ready... set... go!

Liam dashed across the floating wood and, much to Shanks' surprise, leaped with all his might toward the pirate ship. The shadowy "B.I.B." followed close behind.

"No way!" The two drunken pirates at the railing widened their eyes as they watched Liam fall short of the side of the ship, clearly on the verge of missing it entirely. "Ha ha, idiot!!"

Just before hitting the water, Liam reached out for the ship's hull.

"B.I.B." hovered behind him, grabbing his arm and pushing him toward the ship.

Liam's hands made contact with the side of the ship, instantly creating a round hole in the wooden hull. With a quick movement, he dove through the hole.

Thud! Roll, roll, roll... Liam tumbled to the lower deck of the ship and rolled gracefully to his feet.

He realized that the "lily exercise" he had been doing just to relax had actually improved his body's coordination.

The round hole in the hull closed as 『B.I.B.』 phased through the ship like a ghost and joined him.

"Hey, why didn't we hear a splash?" The drunken pirates at the railing rubbed their eyes in utter bewilderment.

Meanwhile, Shanks sighed, lifted his straw hat, and scratched his red hair.

"Really..."

He walked over, picked up Liam's backpack, and stuffed the slumbering green den mushi into it, grumbling, "Mind your own business!"

Shanks slung the bag over his shoulder, put one hand on his sword hilt and the other on his straw hat, then crouched down.

"What's he gonna do..." One of the pirates hiccupped.

Under the straw hat, Shanks smiled slightly, then kicked off his legs. Boom!

The ice and wood shattered as Shanks leapt high into the air and landed lightly on the deck of the pirate ship. The drunken pirates on the railing nearly popped their eyes out, rubbing them frantically, thinking they saw something.

Below deck, Liam dusted himself off and groped his way to the door. Clank, clank, it didn't move. It was locked.

"B.I.B." phased through the door, confirming that the lock was indeed in place.

Liam pressed his hand against the door.

A circular hole appeared, and he stepped through it into the foul-smelling, dimly lit corridor of the ship, filled with the stench of sweat, feet, and body odor.

"Ugh..."

The stench hit Liam like a brick wall, nearly knocking him out.

"Help me out here, please..."

Holding his breath, Liam covered his nose and mouth and signaled to "B.I.B." with his eyes.

Understanding, ¨B.I.B.¨ clasped his hands together, giving Liam a foothold.

Liam stepped onto "B.I.B.'s" hands, ready to make his next move.

Liam pushed off with all his might, launching himself upward.

The cabin's low ceiling meant he reached it quickly, creating a hole with his Pipe-Pipe Fruit. Grabbing the edge, he pulled himself through effortlessly.

He found himself face to face with a bald pirate who was hastily dressing.

"Who the hell are you?" The bald pirate's eyes darted between Liam and the now-closed hole in the ceiling. Furious, he lunged for a weapon on a nearby crate.

Before he could reach it, the shadowy armor of "B.I.B." floated up from the floor, snatched the gun, and threw it at Liam.

Catching the gun with ease, Liam grabbed an apple from another box and tossed it to "B.I.B.".

In Liam's hands, his Pipe Fruit abilities transformed the weapon into a thick, hollow tube with gun-like patterns. He aimed the makeshift cannon at the stunned pirate.

"B.I.B." caught the apple and threw it into the tube.

Whizz-!!

The apple shot through the tube like a cannonball and smashed into the bald pirate's face, sending him reeling with a gush of blood and broken teeth.

The weapon in Liam's hand returned to its original form. He twirled it nonchalantly and let it fall to the ground.

"Damn..."

He picked up another apple, bit into it, and with the help of 『B.I.B.』, launched himself back up.

Repeating his previous technique, he created another hole in the ceiling and used it as a passageway to the deck above.

Emerging from the hole, Liam sat on the edge and finally reached the deck of the pirate ship.

On the deck, a group of pirates were gathered, shouting and arguing. In the center of their circle, sitting casually, was Shanks.

Liam chewed his apple and watched the scene in disbelief. The pirates were furious, but Shanks seemed completely unfazed, sitting calmly in the middle of the chaos.

"B.I.B.," the gun-toting man floated up through the hole and handed the weapon back to Liam.

"How dare you mess with the Gale Pirates! You must have a death wish!"

"Who is this guy? Captain, let's kill him!"

"Let me bash his head in with a bottle. Damn, he scared me..."

The pirates' shouting was relentless, but Shanks sat on the deck and ignored them.

"We just want a ride. No need to get angry!" Shanks said cheerfully.

The pirate captain, a burly man with a bloodstained sword, sneered cruelly, "Is it a ride to hell?"

One of his crew started to point out the bad omen in the captain's words but was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot.

Bang!

The pirates turned to see Liam emerge from the shadows, his gun pointed at the sky, smoke billowing from the barrel. He took another bite out of his apple.

"Everyone, how about doing me a favor? Accompany me to a Marine base to collect your bounties?" Liam suggested, his tone casual.

...

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