16 The smile on his face grew even more radiant.

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“So you knew I was once a member of the Pirate King’s crew,” Shanks lowered his voice as he spoke to Salia.

A fleeting look of nostalgia crossed his face before he quickly reverted to his usual playful grin.

Shanks’s striking red hair leaned in once more, close enough for Salia to catch the faint scent of alcohol on him.

“My swordsmanship isn’t too bad either. Want to spar with me?” Shanks acted as if they were old friends, casually draping his arm over Salia’s shoulder with a cheerful smile. “As long as you buy the drinks.”

“By the way, who are you?” Salia controlled her Judith avatar, expressionless as she brushed Shanks’s arm away.

“Just call me Lisa,” Salia said coldly, abandoning her previous respectful tone toward Shanks. “I can buy you and the entire Red Hair Pirates a round of drinks, but—”

“Huh?” Shanks was surprised at how easily she agreed and happily patted her shoulder. “Haha, Lisa, you’re really something.”

Salia slapped his hand away fiercely. “Listen to me before you get cocky, you idiot!”

“There’s a condition! Fail it, and you’ll be drinking air!”

Determined to get a drink, Shanks leaned in persistently. “What’s the condition?”

After a pause, Salia fixed him with a steady gaze. “First, you have to promise not to kill me.”

“Hahaha, of course not,” Shanks scratched the back of his head. “I’m not one of those brutal pirates, Lisa, don’t worry.”

Salia: “Because I want to humiliate you.”

For such a popular redhead like Shanks, it would be a shame not to have a little fun with him.

“Hm?” Shanks suddenly froze, clearly not expecting such a surprising reply.

Mihawk was equally shocked, turning his curious gaze toward Salia.

Salia then stood up and slowly stepped back until she was behind Mihawk.

Mihawk: “...”

He glanced at Salia but said nothing.

Once assured she was in a safe spot, Salia’s voice trembled slightly. “I want to humiliate you, Shanks, then after that, buy your entire pirate crew a round. Do you agree?”

Shanks’s smile remained, but the warmth didn’t reach his eyes.

He narrowed them slightly, maintaining his casual demeanor. “How do you want to humiliate me?”

Unconsciously, his hand rested on Griffin.

For a pirate crew, reputation was of utmost importance.

Sometimes, pirates would even risk their lives to protect their honor.

For example, the Whitebeard Pirates would fight to the death if someone insulted their captain.

At that moment, Salia deeply felt the pressure radiating from Shanks.

She gritted her teeth and firmly said, “I want to see you dressed in women’s clothes.”

Shanks: “???”

He never expected such a... perverse answer.

Shanks was stunned, then fell silent.

For most men with pride, cross-dressing would indeed be humiliating.

But if it meant free drinks, Shanks began weighing the pros and cons. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea?

Mihawk gave a complicated look toward the woman behind him.

Knowing Shanks as he did, Mihawk believed he would agree.

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The tavern owner, Verie, appeared holding an aged bottle of red wine, nearly bursting into laughter.

He handed the bottle to Salia.

With practiced ease, Salia opened the wine single-handedly and poured a glass for Mihawk. “Want to taste it?”

“Thanks,” Mihawk said, lifting the glass for a sip.

The tavern owner took a drag of his cigarette and gestured toward Shanks in a coaxing tone. “You’re such a poor pirate, it’s only your face that’s worth looking at. This rich customer here, you’d be better off following her.”

That way, you’d never be short on drinks again.

To the owner, the female guest’s tastes might be odd, but she was both beautiful and wealthy.

If he were twenty years younger, he’d jump at the chance to be with such a rich woman.

The quiet whispers about Roger between Salia and Shanks were low enough that most patrons, though occasionally curious about the wealthy lady and her two handsome companions, remained focused on their own lively conversations, unaware.

Had the owner known that this penniless pirate before him was once Roger’s crew member, his attitude would have instantly shifted to respectful.

Before Shanks could respond, Salia shook her head in mock fear. “Uncle Verie, don’t say such scary things!”

She just didn’t like Shanks, and the young version of him was too handsome.

She simply wanted to tease Shanks and satisfy herself a bit.

Supporting a deep-thinking, possibly Celestial Dragon future Emperor of the Sea was just terrifying to imagine.

Salia shivered, then quickly composed herself. “Red-Haired Shanks, I won’t humiliate you. I’ll buy you and your entire crew drinks.”

“These are gold earrings. Just soak off the dye with vinegar,” she said, removing the earrings from her ears and tossing them to the tavern owner. “Uncle, bring out all the wine you have.”

Verie’s smile grew even wider. “Right away, ma’am! Just a moment!”

He then called for his staff to bring out the wine.

Mihawk took a small sip of wine, feeling somewhat regretful.

He had wanted to see Shanks in women’s clothes.

Shanks had been torn about whether to dress up for free drinks but now suddenly didn’t have to.

He leaned toward Salia once more.

The young man’s sharp brow, defined features, and deep, inscrutable eyes made it hard to read his true feelings.

His voice, tinged with some dissatisfaction, said, “Hey, hey, do you really despise me that much?”

“I heard from some gossip that the Red Hair Pirates’ finances are bleak,” Salia said softly. “That’s because their captain is a two-legged money gobbler who loves parties and drinks.”

“It’s not dislike — just avoiding any risk that might bankrupt me,” she said matter-of-factly.

Mihawk thought to himself, well, she does despise him.

“Haha, is that so... but drinking Lisa’s wine for free doesn’t seem quite right,” Shanks said, narrowing his eyes and leaning in closer.

The faint scent of alcohol came again.

His deep, pleasant voice carried near her ear, teasing, “In return, I’ll dress in women’s clothes for you?”

Mihawk raised a brow.

Sipping his wine, he watched the interaction between the two with amusement.

Salia smiled shyly, her eyes burning with intensity as she fixed her gaze on Shanks. “Actually, I have another request that’s even more outrageous.”

Shanks laughed heartily, resting his chin on his hand. “Oh? Do tell.”

Salia took a deep breath, leaned close to Shanks’s ear, and shouted, “Teacher, please teach me Haki!”

That was her fundamental reason for seeking out Red-Haired Shanks!

To learn, and to grow stronger!

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Shanks: “...”

Salia’s thunderous voice really made Shanks’s eardrums ache.

This was yet another reply he hadn’t expected.

He helplessly rubbed his ear, then looked at Salia with a complex expression.

Salia cheerfully asked the tavern owner for a glass of milk, then returned to her seat and began drinking.

By contrast, Mihawk appeared much more cheerful, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

Shanks himself possessed a unique charisma, effortlessly leading others to follow his will and become loyal allies.

When Mihawk first met Shanks, he found himself unknowingly being led around several times.

Now seeing Shanks being outmaneuvered and completely dominated by this woman, Mihawk found it quite rare.

He looked forward to the upcoming sparring match between them.

“My Haki has reached a bottleneck. It’s very difficult to break through on my own,” Salia said calmly to Shanks, raising one finger.

“But if you’re willing to guide me in Haki training, in return I can guarantee the Red Hair Pirates receive at least ten million Beli annually.” Her tone was detached, like negotiating a business deal.

To Salia, this was like paying tuition — fair, reasonable, and worthwhile.

Shanks’s emotions were exceptionally complicated, hard to put into words.

Their interactions seemed entirely controlled by her.

A little frightening, he thought, though his smile grew even brighter.

In this woman called Lisa, he saw a part of himself.

“Are you really Lisa?” Shanks asked, smiling warmly, eyes fixed on hers.

Salia opened another beer, poured a glass, and pushed it toward Shanks.

She met his gaze without flinching and said softly, “Judith, some call me the ‘Telekinetic.’”

That was true.

“Drunken idiot redhead, drink up, drink yourself silly.”

Salia couldn’t tell whether Shanks or Aokiji, whom she had just sparred with, was stronger.

But with Mihawk here, she wasn’t worried that Shanks would kill her.

Mihawk was someone who looked reliable and truly was.

And, of course, Mihawk was handsome.

“You’re the Telekinetic?” Mihawk’s hand paused on his glass, surprise on his face. “The famous bounty hunter from the West Blue?”

The “Telekinetic” was quite well-known in the West Blue.

It was said wherever the Telekinetic went, pirates and even corrupt nobles would be wiped out.

Pirates called her the “Butcher.”

“Not exactly,” Salia smiled sincerely at Mihawk. “I might switch careers from bounty hunter to pirate at any time.”

If Judith’s avatar ever angered the wrong people, say the Celestial Dragons,

she would definitely become a pirate first, then take down the Celestial Dragons, and finally head to Mariejois to self-destruct and discard this avatar identity.