How could that not be considered a surprise?

Watching the battle from a distance, Shanks noticed that the fight between Shariya and Mihawk had concluded and quickly called out to his ship's doctor, Hongo.

"Hey, Hongo! You’d better go take a look at our future crewmate. We absolutely cannot let her die."

Not far away, a man with long hair tied back and a scar on his left forehead—Hongo, the ship's doctor—approached. He had been drinking, but unlike the other crew members, he was not dead drunk; he was only slightly tipsy. Carrying a bandage roll and a medical kit, he walked over and teased with a smile, "Captain, are you that concerned about this girl?"

"Haha, she’s a crewmate I’ve set my sights on, after all," Shanks replied with a laugh. "It would be a real shame if she died."

The surrounding pirates immediately began to jeer, followed by a chorus of laughter.

"Oh, so if we die, Captain, you won’t be sad?"

"Looks like there’s going to be a new addition to the ship, judging by the boss’s reaction."

"Cheers to the new recruit!"

Shanks waved his hand to dismiss the crew and brought Hongo over, intending to have Judith—as Shariya was known—treated. Although he was certain she wouldn't be the type to die under Mihawk's blade, Shanks still felt it necessary for Hongo to check on her. After all, she had treated them to drinks.

Once Shanks and Hongo reached her, Shanks crouched down beside Shariya’s head. His handsome, refined face suddenly loomed large in her field of vision.

"Your injuries look quite serious," Shanks said, staring at the spot where she had been pierced by the sword, sounding slightly like he was fishing for credit. "But don't worry, I brought Hongo to treat you. He’s our ship's doctor, and he’s excellent at his job."

The weather on the island was bitter, with temperatures well below freezing. The blood around Shariya's wound had already frozen in the cold, forming a layer of ice across her chest. For an ordinary person, such a severe piercing wound in the chest, combined with the freezing environment, would have been fatal long ago.

However, Shariya was fine. Aside from a cold, aching sensation at the wound site, she felt acceptable. After all, this was just a clone; her main body was perfectly safe, and a little pain was easy enough to endure. Bolstered by her Devil Fruit abilities, her stamina and regenerative powers were rapidly mending the puncture in her clone's chest. Without the ocean or Seastone to dampen her powers, her Devil Fruit was absolute.

By the time Shanks and the doctor arrived, the damage from Mihawk's strike had mostly mended, leaving only the surface wound looking somewhat gruesome. Lying on the soft snow wasn't particularly comfortable, but it saved energy after being injured. As Shariya looked up, she saw Shanks' face and his signature, sun-bright red hair. Chasing after handsome people was human nature, and Shariya was certainly an admirer of beauty. She had to admit, Shanks was undeniably good-looking.

As he leaned in closer, she caught the scent of alcohol on him, mixed with the unique charm of a young man and the briny tang of the sea. Shariya’s thoughts couldn't help but wander: Does this man drink so much every day that he hasn't ruined his brain yet? Will his kidneys still be okay when he gets older? She then realized with a flash of insight that it was probably because Shanks was so strong and physically fit that the alcohol hadn't affected his mind.

She needed to strive to become stronger herself.

"Shanks, to be honest—" Shariya struggled to shift her gaze from his lips to his eyes, meeting his look with frankness, "you really are very handsome."

If she had the chance later, she wanted to see Shanks in a maid outfit. It would be even better if she had the opportunity to take a photo.

Upon hearing this, a smile bloomed in Shanks' eyes, though he feigned exaggeration, "Eh? Do you really think so? You aren't just flattering me, are you?" He lowered his head, inching even closer.

The distance was so slight that their breaths began to mingle. Shariya raised a hand and pushed his face away from hers with a gentle force. With her internal wounds mostly healed by her Devil Fruit, she sat up, her face expressionless as she recited in a monotone voice, "Yes, your handsomeness is like the brightest star in the night sky; it always stands out in a crowd."

She shifted her hips, moving slightly further away on the snow. She then reached out toward Hongo, the Red Hair Pirates' doctor standing behind Shanks, and asked with great politeness, "Doctor, could you spare me some bandages?"

Her internal injuries were gone, but the external ones still needed dressing.

"Wait, you’re the one the Captain was talking about?" Hongo, seeing the patient sit up so casually, reacted with professional concern. He quickly stepped forward, pressed his hands on Shariya's shoulders, and scolded, "If you're injured, don't move around so recklessly!" He felt a premonition that there was going to be another crew member who wouldn't listen to doctor's orders. "Stay still now and let me examine your wounds."

"Thank you, Doctor," Shariya said, pointing to the injury on her chest. "My Devil Fruit powers can heal my own injuries; my wound is already mostly closed." She tapped his medical kit and asked again, "Could I just have some bandages?"

"You mean to say your injury is already healed?" Hongo was skeptical. He checked the patient over from top to bottom, and upon confirming that she was indeed in no serious trouble, he handed over the medical kit and bandages.

Thanks to her past combat experience, Shariya had a basic understanding of medicine and trauma care. She found a spot away from the prying eyes of the pirate men and performed a simple cleaning and dressing of her wounds. When she returned, Hongo looked at the professional bandage job the new recruit had managed on herself. He seemed to have discovered something remarkable and immediately extended an invitation:

"Little sister, would you like to help me out once you're on board? I'm not like the others; my infirmary is the cleanest place on the Red Force!"

He was pleasantly surprised that the Captain’s new recruit knew how to treat her own wounds without letting them worsen. He could already imagine how much easier his work would be if she were willing to assist him.

Lucky Roux, wearing his small sunglasses, joined in as well. "If that's the case, kid, why don't you work with me?" He took a bite of the large meat leg in his hand, chewed, and laughed heartily. "You can eat whatever you want, you definitely won't go hungry."

Shariya routinely read newspapers and bounty posters—in an ocean where information was blocked, this was the primary way to keep up with current events. The members of the Red Hair Pirates were all formidable, and every one of them had a bounty, so she recognized their faces. However, the ones who left the deepest impression were the handsome members of the crew.

At this moment, the crew members of the Red Hair Pirates were gathering one by one, curiously eyeing the new girl who would soon be joining their ranks. The point was—it was a girl! Even though she looked like a young girl, the Red Force was about to have a female crewmate!

They crowded around Shariya, cheering with excitement, effectively pushing their captain, Shanks, aside. Shanks grumbled a few words of protest, but he was completely ignored. Still, seeing how quickly Judith was accepted by the crew made him happy.

Beckman stood to the side, smoking, watching the scene with a calm gaze. If he remembered correctly, their captain hadn't yet told the crew that their new member was the infamous "Telekinetic" bounty hunter from the West Blue. Her Devil Fruit powers were not to be underestimated. And, most importantly, she hadn't actually agreed to join them yet.

Mihawk, seemingly accustomed to such scenes, walked a few steps away. Leaning against a bare, leafless tree, he stood alone, meticulously and carefully wiping his sword, Yoru.

Shanks didn't try to squeeze back in toward Shariya. Seeing Mihawk by himself, he picked up his wine cup and went over to pester him with a grin.

With the passionate, boisterous cheers of the pirates ringing in her ears, Shariya felt like her head was about to explode. Unused to the warmth of the Red Hair Pirates, she stood in the center of the crowd, eyes downcast, remaining silent while letting the pirates tease and inspect her. When someone asked her a question, she replied with whatever came to mind, though her answers were often nonsensical. The pirates, most of whom were already drunk and incredibly enthusiastic, began telling her stories of their adventures on the high seas.

Shariya listened with a surface-level docility, occasionally smiling and offering a polite "Mhm" or a perfunctory "And then what?" In reality, she had secretly expanded the range of her telekinetic field to its maximum!

A small snowball began to roll across the ground. Gradually, it took on a round shape, collecting small stones, sand, dirt, and twigs along the way. Propelled by her invisible, formless telekinesis, it rolled faster and faster. The snowball grew larger and larger, eventually becoming a behemoth-sized sphere.

At this point, Shariya looked up and offered the pirates beside her a sweet, genuine smile. "Brothers, I've prepared a surprise for everyone."

"Oh my god, I, a girl, was called 'brother'!" one of them clutched his chest, completely shocked by the title, tears of emotion welling up in his eyes.

"She even prepared a surprise for us! How thoughtful!" The others wore similarly ecstatic expressions.

And Shariya's telekinesis, controlling the giant snowball, lifted it into the air, where it began to drift slowly toward them.