26 Interactions within the Red Group

Shanks watched his comrades suffer the snowball attack, then turned toward Saria with a grin, raising his eyebrows playfully.

Saria, standing beside Beckman, noticed Shanks’ gaze fixed upon her. She glared back with unyielding confidence, her lips moving in a silent, defiant challenge: "Well?"

Shanks adjusted his straw hat, returned to the side of his hapless, snowball-covered crewmates, and burst into unrestrained laughter. "Hahaha! You guys are just pathetic."

Lucky Roux’s resilient belly bounced as he shook off the snow piled upon him. He spat out a mouthful of slush and let out a mournful wail, "Where’s my meat?"

Yasopp and the others climbed out of the snow as well, looking thoroughly disheveled. Their bodies were plastered with snow, dead twigs, and even sand. Having been caught off guard by their captain’s ruthless mockery—combined with the fact that their previous drunken state had made them far too trusting of this newcomer—the pirates suddenly sobered up.

Yasopp glared at Saria, seething with frustration. "Hey, hey! Little sister, is this the 'gift' you said you had prepared for us?"

Hongo, who was particular about cleanliness, brushed the grime off his clothes and complained, "Boss, the newcomer you’ve taken a liking to this time is a bit too much."

Originally, seeing that she was a young woman, no one had intended to fight back. Now, faced with such a massive "surprise," it seemed likely the newcomer would get a severe thrashing before she ever stepped foot on the ship.

Monster, the monkey beside Bonk Punch, let out a few indignant cries in protest.

Limejuice, his weapon slung over his shoulder, let his mouth droop into a scowl as he began to close in on Saria. "Little sister, didn't the boss tell you? You have to respect your seniors."

It looked as though a fight with the newcomer was inevitable. The crew cleared a space, starting to jeer and cheer.

"Go for it, Limejuice! Let the girl see what you’re really made of!"

"Heh, actually, I’m more interested in seeing what the girl can do."

There were no weaklings on the Red Hair Pirates' ship. Now that they had a pretext, they were eager to test the newcomer’s strength.

Shanks seized the opportunity to step in, blocking the path between them and Saria, grinning as he defended her. "Don't be so petty, guys. Judith didn't do it on purpose."

Limejuice grumbled indignantly, "Boss, she isn't even on the ship yet and you're already playing favorites?"

Yasopp sighed. "Looks like our days are going to be tough from now on."

Beckman relit his cigarette, arms folded, and cast a cold, mocking look at his dramatic crewmates. "Don't speak too soon. She hasn't even accepted the boss's invitation yet, so she’s hardly a 'newcomer'."

Besides, it was clear the Telekinetic wouldn't be accepting their captain’s invitation to join the crew. Shanks’ plans were bound to fail. However, having secured ten million berries, Beckman felt they hadn't just broken even—they had made a killing.

"She is the famous bounty hunter from the West Blue, the Telekinetic, Judith," Beckman said, biting his cigarette and glancing at Saria as he introduced her to his crew.

"A-a bounty hunter?!" The members of the Red Hair Pirates widened their eyes, staring at the young woman in disbelief, before collectively turning their gaze toward their captain.

The ship was full of rough men; they had expected a pretty girl to join them, but now that they realized she hadn't even agreed to sign on, the crew members felt a sudden wave of awkwardness.

Shanks laughed sheepishly, looking a bit guilty. "I suppose I did forget to mention that she’s a bounty hunter."

"Boss, how could you forget something so important!" Lucky Roux protested indignantly.

"Bounty hunters can become pirates, too," Shanks said with unshakeable conviction, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Saria. "Isn't that right?"

Saria had shown no outward aversion to interacting with the crew, and Shanks still held out hope that she would be moved by the friendly atmosphere on the ship and accept his invitation.

Saria glanced at Beckman and said calmly, "I hope you can keep your silence."

Invisible telekinetic force scooped up a massive mound of snow and slammed it into Shanks.

The Red Hair Pirates went silent for a moment before erupting into merciless laughter. "Hahaha! Boss, you really are pathetic!"

Shanks didn't dodge, letting the snow hit him square in the head. The snow was soft; it didn't hurt when it touched him, just felt cool.

"Oh my, I'm wounded," Shanks cried out dramatically, collapsing into the snow. He clutched his forehead, acting as if he were severely injured, then looked up at Saria with a pitiful expression.

Saria remained unmoved. She gave a cold laugh. "Do you have any proof that I did it?"

"We’re the witnesses," Limejuice said, stepping forward with a menacing air.

Seeing this, the others began shouting, demanding that their captain be avenged.

"Why don't you just accept the boss's invitation, little sister?" Yasopp suggested, trying to smooth things over. "We’ll all be partners soon enough, and we certainly won't hold a grudge over something this small."

"Yeah, yeah! You've already hurt the boss this badly; it wouldn't be right if you didn't join us."

It was rare for the boss to take an interest in a new member who was a girl, and everyone was eager for her to come aboard.

"Huh?" Saria tilted her head innocently and asked Beckman, "Did you see who hit Shanks just now?"

Instantly, the eyes of the Red Hair Pirates converged on their reliable first mate.

A lock of black hair fell naturally against the side of his face as Beckman exhaled a cloud of smoke and said, expressionless, "Didn't see a thing."

"Eh?!!" The crew members stared at Beckman in disbelief. Even Shanks sat up in shock. "No way, Beck? You've been won over by her that quickly?"

He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed in Beckman. Shanks had been counting on his clever and reliable first mate to bring her aboard.

Facing the suspicious and shocked gazes of his comrades, Beckman explained calmly, "She gave me ten million berries."

"Ten million berries?!!" The members of the Red Hair Pirates stared at Saria, completely stunned.

Once Beckman said that, they understood immediately why their usually protective first mate was now lying through his teeth.