One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

Red-Haired Shanks…

One of the Four Emperors, ruling over the New World like a monarch.

No matter how hard Maude racked his brain, he couldn't fathom why such a towering figure would show up in this run-down shop.

So much so that he couldn't immediately respond to Shanks' words.

Shanks, accustomed to reactions like Maude's, paid it no mind. Instead, he turned to Sunny behind the counter, raising a hand in greeting.

"Yo, Little Sunny, it's been a while."

"Y-Yes, it has been a while."

"Why'd you cut your hair?"

"Well, um… Sol said my hair was too long and that washing it wasted water, so he told me to cut it."

Sunny lowered her gaze, her heart beating faster as she fumbled for an excuse.

[At this moment, Sol, who was carrying leftovers in a bag, was ambling leisurely through the street. Suddenly, he sneezed hard, wiped his nose thoughtfully, and was struck with an ominous premonition. Instinctively, he quickened his pace.]

Inside the shop, Shanks chuckled helplessly. "Sol is as thrifty as ever, huh?"

"Uh… So what brings you here this time?"

Sunny tactfully changed the subject, steering the conversation toward Shanks' purpose.

"Same as always—came to buy some hometown liquor."

Shanks laughed heartily, bypassing Maude to walk up to the counter.

It was only then that Maude snapped out of his daze and looked at Shanks' back.

I've been rude, haven't I?

Fortunately, Shanks' personality was unlike that of the other Emperors…

The curly-haired Yasopp glanced subtly at Maude, then casually followed Shanks, munching on a drumstick alongside Lucky Roux.

Maude watched their retreating backs in silence, gathering his composure as he lightly closed the shop door. He stepped aside, observing the conversation between Shanks and Sunny.

Judging from their exchange, Shanks seemed to be a regular customer here.

What left Maude speechless was the reason for Shanks' visit—not for weapons, but for alcohol.

Wait, does this shop even sell alcohol?

A thought suddenly struck him, and Maude glanced at the basement entrance.

Could that be a wine cellar down there…?

Behind the counter, Sunny seemed uncharacteristically nervous.

However, as soon as Shanks mentioned alcohol, she remembered Sol's firm and pained instructions from before. Her stance as a member of Sol's weapon shop immediately solidified.

She raised her head to meet Shanks' gaze and said solemnly, "After you cleaned out all the liquor last time, Sol ordered that we can sell it to anyone but you."

"What?"

Shanks was taken aback and turned to Lucky Roux. "We didn't pay last time, did we?"

"We did pay. It's just… we might've also taken two barrels that the boss had set aside."

"…."

Shanks was silent for a moment, then sighed. "So that's what happened."

After his sigh, he leaned closer to Sunny, lowering his voice. "Is Sol home?"

Sunny replied bluntly, "He's not."

"Great."

Shanks looked entirely serious.

"Y-You…!"

Sunny widened her eyes.

Before she could say more, Lucky Roux placed money on the counter and casually headed toward the stairs.

Watching Lucky Roux approach the wine cellar, Sunny instinctively stepped out from behind the counter to stop him.

Thud.

A light sound came from the counter.

Sunny turned toward it, only to see Yasopp, who had retrieved two flintlock pistols—one musket and one short-barreled—from a shelf. He placed them on the counter with care, causing the sound.

"Little Sunny, how much for these two guns?"

Leaning forward slightly, Yasopp rested his hands on the counter, his timing so impeccable it was almost suspicious. Yet his expression was sincere—he genuinely intended to buy the guns.

Sunny glanced at Lucky Roux's back, then at the guns on the counter. Sighing inwardly, she reluctantly quoted the price. "The musket is 1.2 million Berries, and the short-barreled one is 3.8 million Berries."

By now, Lucky Roux had disappeared from sight, presumably already in the wine cellar.

"Whistle—"

Yasopp let out an impressed whistle at the price but didn't object. Without hesitation, he pulled out the money.

Shanks glanced at the musket Yasopp had slung over his shoulder and asked, "That's it? Sol might be able to fix it."

Yasopp smirked. "Captain, you want to wait here for Sol to come back?"

"Haha."

Shanks laughed nonchalantly. "Why not? We can move the booze first and come back later."

"…."

Yasopp shook his head after a brief silence. "Forget it. Let's leave it at that. As an old companion, it's done its best."

Saying this, Yasopp unslung the musket from his back and placed it on the counter.

This was the gun he had brought from his village—a faithful partner from the start. But after countless journeys, it could no longer withstand the ravages of time.

Even though he had tried nurturing it with Armament Haki, it was akin to a futile repair job.

As a sniper, Yasopp specialized in Observation Haki, not Armament Haki.

Moreover, it wasn't until years after setting sail that he even learned Armament Haki—by then, it was too late to salvage his trusty weapon.

Over time, it had been relegated to a backup gun.

Now, its aging condition rendered it barely serviceable, even as a spare.

Sunny glanced at the worn musket on the counter and said flatly, "Sorry, we don't accept second-hand guns, especially broken ones."

She emphasized the word broken with a sharp tone.

"It's not broken, just aged."

Sensing her disdain, Yasopp sighed.

"Aged or not, we don't take it!"

"…."

"Haha."

Shanks' hearty laughter filled the room.

Yasopp shook his head, saying, "If I leave it here, just tell Sol it was from me."

"Can't you just throw it away? It's no good anymore anyway."

"No way!"

Yasopp's face turned serious. "If Sol keeps it, maybe one day he'll feel inspired to transplant its mechanism into another gun. That way, it can live on in some form."

"Actually, you have another option," interjected Maude, who had been silently observing.

Everyone turned to look at him.

Meeting their gazes, Maude remained composed and spoke with earnest seriousness.

"Give it to me. I'll carry it for another journey."

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