Chapter 127: Refusing to Give Face

Although pirates are not the primary enemy of the Revolutionary Army, the organization has always held a poor opinion of them. In the eyes of the revolutionaries, the vast majority of pirates are lawless villains. Whenever they encounter pirates committing atrocities, they never show mercy. This is why Sabo’s insistence on following them caused such confusion among his comrades on the ship. Traveling alongside pirates—especially the Red Hair Pirates—was something they found almost surreal.

Only Koala and Morley could guess the reason for Sabo’s persistence: he wanted to invite Maude and Sunny to join their ranks. Sabo was not one to beat around the bush; he went straight to the point and extended an olive branch to Maude. But to his surprise, just as he issued the invitation, Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, stepped in to join the fray. It immediately felt as if they were competing for the same recruits. On one side was the Revolutionary Army, and on the other, a crew of the Four Emperors. This unexpected olive branch caught Maude completely off guard, and he fell silent for a moment.

Around the bonfire, everyone turned their eyes toward Maude. Bailey, a crafty little soul, took advantage of Lafitte’s diverted attention to tip-toed quietly away. Lafitte watched Maude, who was cloaked in the flickering firelight, with a calm expression. It was hard for anyone to refuse an olive branch extended personally by Red Hair Shanks. In the pirate world, such an event would be enough to earn someone significant prestige. However, if Maude were to accept, there would be no reason for Lafitte to remain.

After a few moments, the laughter under the night sky gradually subsided. The crew of the Red Hair Pirates turned their gaze toward their captain. They had witnessed this familiar scene many times as bystanders. The difference was that most people who wanted to join usually offered themselves up. Even then, the Red Hair Pirates did not accept just anyone. Therefore, they rarely saw their captain personally invite someone to join—especially a mere teenager.

In truth, this had been orchestrated by Yasopp. Which pirate crew would let such a promising, fresh talent like Maude slip through their fingers? Yasopp had simply made a suggestion to Shanks, and Shanks had come over without hesitation. They had met Maude a few months prior, and they had witnessed his astonishing marksmanship on Mad Hatter Island three days ago. For Shanks to come and invite him personally showed both great sincerity and immense respect. Under such circumstances, who would hesitate?

Yet, to outsiders, Maude’s silence looked like hesitation—or, more accurately, the faint sign of a rejection. Seeing that something was amiss, Yasopp stepped to Maude’s side and lowered his voice. "I was the one who suggested this, kid. Don't you dare refuse."

Maude gave a slight shake of his head at Yasopp. Yasopp raised an eyebrow, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You little brat, who do you think spent all that effort scouring the streets to find that Seastone bullet for you? Besides, you can take your time considering this; don't rush into a decision."

"I’ve already decided," Maude said seriously.

"Huh?" A look of helplessness appeared in Yasopp’s eyes; he seemed to have already anticipated the answer.

Shanks looked at Maude. Like Yasopp, he had roughly guessed the outcome. On the other side, Sabo and the others waited in eager anticipation. Morley and Koala were fully supportive of Sabo’s attempt to recruit Maude.

However, Maude had made up his mind. He would neither join the Red Hair Pirates nor the Revolutionary Army. Looking first at Shanks, Maude said solemnly, "For now, I do not wish to join any pirate crew."

Upon hearing this, a hint of a smile appeared on Shanks' face. He said earnestly, "Under my flag, you can do whatever you wish. So, why not reconsider?"

"I know, but the world you inhabit is still too early for me."

"Haha!" Shanks laughed heartily, then pressed, "Is that the only reason?"

Maude shook his head and turned his gaze to Sunny beside him. Sunny met his eyes and immediately smiled. She knew the reason. Shanks looked at the two youngsters, and he, too, could roughly guess. It was likely because of Thor...

"Rejected, it seems," Shanks said with a helpless shrug. Yasopp rubbed his temples, feeling it was a great pity. The other members of the Red Hair Pirates burst into loud laughter.

"The boss actually got turned down by a kid! Haha!"

"How embarrassing!"

"Hahaha!"

The crew mocked Shanks without restraint. Listening to them, Shanks couldn't help but laugh as well. For a moment, the night was filled with laughter once again. Seeing Maude reject Shanks, hope flared in Sabo’s heart.

However—

"I don't intend to join the Revolutionary Army either."

Maude’s follow-up sentence extinguished the flame of hope that had just ignited in Sabo. Sabo’s face fell with disappointment, and the reaction from Morley and Koala was identical.

"What a pity," Sabo sighed softly, then turned to look at Sunny. "Sunny, what about you?"

"I want to join the Revolutionary Army, but not now."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sabo and Koala looked confused.

Sunny explained, "I have to look after Thor in his old age, so I can't get away for the time being."

"..." Sabo and the others were speechless.

At this moment, Shanks suddenly intervened, sitting cross-legged between Maude and Sunny. "Maude, you kid, you dared to make me lose face in front of everyone; that deserves a penalty drink!"

"Uh..." Maude dared not refuse now and downed the cup in one gulp.

"Good!" Shanks grinned, grabbed a barrel of ale with one hand, and immediately refilled Maude’s cup. Seeing this, Yasopp realized his captain intended to drink Maude under the table, so he sat down as well. With the two of them seated, the other crew members followed suit.

Soon, the drinking contest began again. Maude took the brunt of it, and amidst the cheers, he was forced to down a dozen more cups in an instant. He considered himself a decent drinker, but in front of this group of top-tier alcoholics from the Red Hair Pirates, he was nothing. Within ten minutes, Maude was dizzy and lightheaded.

The atmosphere in the area was boisterous, yet Lafitte remained out of place. He quietly withdrew, sitting alone in a corner, drinking in silence. The night grew deeper, but the bonfire burned ever brighter.

Inside a room on the *Red Force* out at sea, Thor suddenly opened his eyes and sat up. Once awake, he didn't pay attention to his severely fractured right arm or his broken leg. Instead, he immediately reached down to check his pants with one hand, looking down.

"Phew..." After confirming his precious asset was unharmed, Thor let out a sigh of relief. "Looks like Shanks saved me."

Thor threw off the blanket, got out of bed, hopped on one leg out of the room, and reached the deck. The crew of the Red Hair Pirates left on guard duty knew Thor’s identity, so they did not disturb him. Thor made his way to the ship's rail unimpeded. Through the bright moonlight, he saw the familiar island and the bonfire upon it.

"My little darling..." In an instant, he understood everything.

"SHANKS!!!"