After the Chosen One Arrived on the Grand Line

Shanks had been through plenty of battles over the years, and he had his share of defeats. But the ones he could never forget, apart from the three scars over his left eye that still ached from time to time, were three dreams from his youth that had left an indelible mark on him.

The first time he dreamed about that child, he was eight years old, and she was only three.

By then, he had been learning swordsmanship from Rayleigh for three years, and the captain had praised his talent. When he heard the child had only just started learning swordsmanship, he eagerly offered to spar with her.

He lost in a single move.

Then he kept losing all night,

until he began to question his entire existence.

When he woke at dawn, his face flushed with embarrassment. He trained even harder, making Buggy wonder if he had taken the wrong medicine.

The adults noticed, too.

Rayleigh asked curiously, "Shanks, you've been training especially hard lately. Did something happen?"

Shanks gritted his teeth. "No! I just think I'm still a long way behind you, Rayleigh, and you, Jabra, so I want to work even harder!"

Watching how relentlessly he trained, Rayleigh looked thoughtful.

Nearby, Roger burst out laughing. "Shanks wants to surpass us? Then you'd better work hard!"

After training day after day, year after year, Shanks made tremendous progress. But he never dreamed of the child who had beaten him all night again. He was happily adventuring with the captain and gradually forgot all about it. Then he dreamed of that child once more.

The moment he saw her, he challenged her without hesitation.

"This time, I won't lose!"

He lost again.

Just like that night before, he lost all night after a single move.

He was fourteen that year, and the child was eight.

The last time he dreamed of her, he was fifteen. It was the night Captain Roger was executed.

This time, the child challenged him first.

"Your heart is crying. What about your sword? Is it as defeated as you are right now?"

That night, for the first time in a dream, a child made him cry. Then, like a sore loser, he forced her to make a promise with him.

"If you make me cry, you have to take responsibility for me!"

"When I have my own pirate crew, you have to join my ship!"

The still tiny child stroked the red-haired boy's head as he clung to her and sobbed, and nodded very seriously. "Okay."

After that, Shanks never dreamed of the child again.

"So, where is this swordswoman who can beat you so easily?" Beckman asked casually, a cigarette between his teeth.

Shanks burped and answered with a regretful look. "I don't know. I looked for her for a long time, but I couldn't find her. But..."

"My instincts tell me we'll meet again soon." Leaning on the ship's railing, he grinned again. "Then you'll see I wasn't making any of it up."

Content warnings:

1. As usual, characters may be out of character. There is no Uta storyline.

2. The heroine is a true genius and powerhouse, clear-minded, pure-hearted, kind, exceptionally gifted, and extraordinarily lucky. That's right, she's the legendary child of Heaven's Will, so she's very powerful. After fulfilling her duty to save the world, she wants to experience an ordinary life. You could also say she entered the world to temper herself.

3. The male lead is still my beloved red-haired big dog.

Theme: Shall we experience life together?