One Piece: Starting by Refusing Shanks

The voices of the two men were loud enough that Takumi heard every word clearly...

Initially, Takumi intended to ignore these foolish individuals.

But there are always those who don't know when to back off, stubborn to the point of idiocy.

The scruffy man's companion laughed just as loudly at his joke. "Oh, really? Haha, I can't believe it. Selling slippers for a living, huh? That sounds pretty fitting! Hey, kid, how much for a pair? Maybe I'll pity you enough to buy one and help you make a sale today. Haha!"

"Hey, why aren't you saying anything? I'm offering to do business with you, aren't I? Haha!" The scruffy man chuckled, walking closer to Takumi.

As he reached out to pat Takumi on the shoulder...

Takumi's hand moved to the hilt of the Sandai Kitetsu.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck from a distance, fast and precise, directly hitting the scruffy man.

The man didn't even have time to scream before he fell dead on the spot.

His companion's smile froze, his mind going blank from shock.

"What's going on here? I leave you alone for a second, and you let these fools bully you?" Enel's voice came from the distance, growing louder as he spoke. Within moments, he appeared beside Takumi, scolding like an adult reprimanding a child, clearly displeased. "Aren't you capable enough to deal with this? You're the captain of the Thunder God, and yet you let yourself get pushed around by these nobodies? Where's all that strength you use against me?"

Takumi: "…"

As Enel spoke, the scruffy man's companion snapped out of his stupor, swallowing nervously. Glancing at Enel still talking to Takumi, he chose to abandon his friend, attempting to sneak away quietly.

Without even looking, Enel flicked his hand, sending another bolt of lightning that instantly charred the escaping man.

"Are you even listening to me?" Enel asked in a dissatisfied tone.

Takumi paused for a moment, just about to respond when Enel cut him off. "Forget it. Talking to you is useless—you're stubborn as a mule. No one can change your mind. Guess it's up to me to deal with idiots like this for you."

Takumi: "…"

Stubborn, am I...

Does this guy really think he has any right to call others that?

Enel's gaze shifted to the large bag of slippers Takumi was holding, almost making him burst out laughing. "What's with all the slippers?"

Takumi: "To wear..."

"You must be crazy. Buying so many... Do I get a pair?"

"Yes."

"That's more like it."

Right after saying that, Takumi handed the entire bag of slippers to Enel, clearly expecting him to carry them.

Enel was about to refuse, but after a moment's thought, he took the bag with his free right hand while still holding two bags of coffee in his left.

"Cathy bought us all coffee. Want yours now?" Enel suggested casually.

Takumi refused immediately. "No."

Puzzled, Enel asked, "Is it that bad? Why are you so against it?"

"Yeah." Takumi nodded. "I don't like bitter things."

"Huh?" Enel looked surprised. "It's bitter? Really bitter?"

Takumi nodded silently.

To Enel, who loved sweet things, this was definitely bad news.

"Good thing I asked," Enel muttered, visibly disgusted. "I hate bitter stuff too. If neither of us wants it, we might as well toss two cups away."

"Wasteful." Takumi shot him a disdainful glance. "Take it all back for Kaku."

Speaking of Kaku, Enel grinned. "If Long Nose finds out you bought all these slippers, he's going to complain again."

"Let's go." Takumi didn't want to waste time on idle chatter.

Enel walked alongside him, asking as they moved, "Did you buy any booze?"

"Not yet."

"Is there a bar around here?"

"There is."

"Oh, do they have juice?"

"They should."

The two chatted idly as they walked away.

After they left, a group of merfolk and fish-men gathered around the bodies of the two fallen men.

Several female mermaids screamed in horror, and some merfolk children even started crying.

"Those two... they were killed..." a male fish-man said gravely.

"Should we report this to the King's Army?"

"It's just humans killing each other—what's it got to do with us? As long as they're not harming us, why bother?"

"True. If they want to kill each other, let them. They had it coming."

"But what about their bodies? We can't just leave them here—eventually, they'll start to rot. We come by here often; it'll be disgusting."

"Yeah, maybe we should inform the King's Army..."

After some discussion, they reached a consensus and decided to send someone to report to the King's Army.

Half an hour later.

Takumi carried a crate of liquor as he and Enel left a merfolk tavern.

"Lousy place. Juice is so expensive..." Enel grumbled as they walked.

Takumi chuckled lightly. "Fruit is a luxury down here. It makes sense for it to be pricey."

Enel glanced at the crate of liquor, noticing a single bottle of juice among the bottles of alcohol. "You're stingy, though. Just one bottle?"

Takumi smirked. "One bottle of juice costs as much as five bottles of alcohol. If you don't want it, I'll let Kaku have it."

"No way, that's mine! Long Nose doesn't deserve it. Let him drink the coffee instead."

The two continued their banter until they reached the Fish Bus stop that Cathy had mentioned.

From a distance, they could already see Cathy standing at the station, carrying several bags of groceries.

"Enel, Takumi, did you get everything you needed?" Cathy greeted them cheerfully as they approached.

When they got closer, Enel eyed the bags filled with nothing but sea vegetables, clearly displeased. "Not even a bit of meat, huh..."

Cathy smiled apologetically. "We merfolk don't eat the same kinds of meat you humans do, and we don't eat fish either. But I do have some scallops and clams back at the apartment. There's not much, but it should be enough for you two."

As she spoke, Cathy noticed the large bag of slippers Enel was carrying and asked curiously, "Why did you buy so many slippers?"

Enel snorted. "What we buy, how much we buy—none of your business."

Cathy smiled awkwardly. "I was just asking. Anyway, since we're all here, let's get on the Fish Bus and head back."

She took out three tickets she had bought in advance and led Takumi and Enel onto the Fish Bus.

On the way back, Cathy glanced at the slippers in the bag, particularly noticing a few pairs in colors she liked. Unable to resist, she asked, "Since you bought so many, can I have a pair?"

Takumi and Enel, for once in agreement, answered in unison, "No."