"Shanks? Seems I remember someone like that on the ship back then, but he wasn't that strong at the time. Amazing how time changes things. Captain Roger is gone, but his crew have started making names for themselves," Douglas Barrett sighed.
"Let's go. I want to meet him and borrow his ship. This warship is too cramped," Qin Chuan said, laughing.
"Haha, I thought the same. Since that guy was once part of Roger's crew, I want to see if he still remembers me," Barrett laughed loudly.
He immediately steered the small warship toward the Red Force ahead.
"Captain Shanks, a small warship is approaching fast. Should we dodge it?" asked a round man on deck, wearing tiny sunglasses, a green-and-white striped hat and shirt, a yellow coat, blue belt, beige pants, and red sneakers. He munched on a slab of meat as he spoke. This was Lucky Roux, one of the Red-Haired Pirates' core fighters.
"Let's see who they are. If it's a Marine Admiral or something, forget it," said a red-haired man in a long black cloak, patterned brown capris, flip-flops, and a long sword named Griffin at his waist. His left sleeve hung empty—Shanks, the captain of the Red-Haired Pirates.
"There are only two men on board. They're not wearing Marine uniforms, so probably not Navy," Lucky Roux observed.
"Captain, it seems they may be pirates like us. Judging from their approach, they may have hijacked that warship," said a composed man standing beside Shanks, with gray hair, a long face, defined features, and a rifle at his waist. Wearing a black three-quarter sleeve shirt and a patterned cloak, this was Ben Beckman, the sharp-minded vice-captain of the Red-Haired Pirates.
"Interesting. Two pirates daring to approach us? Let's meet them," Shanks grinned as he watched the fast-approaching vessel.
Within moments, the warship drew close, and Qin Chuan and Douglas Barrett leapt aboard the Red Force.
Dozens of pirates gathered immediately. At the center stood the red-haired captain himself.
"Hey, what are you two doing?" Ben Beckman asked coolly, exhaling a smoke ring.
"It's simple. You saw our ship—too small, not comfortable. Yours is spacious. We came to see if you'd be open to swapping ships," Qin Chuan replied with a grin.
Everyone on deck burst into laughter.
"Kid, do you know who we are? Or which crew this is?" sneered a man in a collared shirt and trousers, an iron rod at his waist and a long rifle strapped to his back.
"Jesus Burgess, your son Usopp is just as dumb as you," Qin Chuan said with a casual glance.
The moment he spoke, the mood shifted. Pirates tensed, weapons drawn. Even Ben Beckman crushed out his cigarette.
Qin Chuan's words had detonated like a bomb.
"You know my son?" Jesus Burgess asked coldly.
"I do. But he's too foolish to ever be one of my crew," Qin Chuan said flatly.
"Seems you know a lot about us. Yet you still came here. That means you're very confident," Shanks said quietly, gripping the hilt of his sword Griffin.
"If your arm's already gone, you might as well stay in the East Blue and enjoy retirement. Leave the ship behind," Qin Chuan said coldly.
Before Shanks could move, Ben Beckman reacted.
In the blink of an eye, the rifle at his waist rose—boom! A shot rang out.
The bullet streaked toward Qin Chuan, but before it could land, a powerful palm shimmered with dark Haki and intercepted it effortlessly.
The bullet was stopped cold.
Gasps echoed from the Red-Haired Pirates. Even Ben Beckman frowned slightly.
"Sir, have we met before?" Shanks asked, narrowing his eyes. The man beside Qin Chuan had responded with incredible speed and control, instantly coating his hand with Armament Haki to block a bullet fired at point-blank range by Ben Beckman. That level of skill was monstrous.
But the young man doing all the talking? He hadn't moved at all. Suspicion turned to Douglas Barrett.
"Hah. Time really flies. The floor-mopping kid doesn't recognize me anymore. Guess I really have gotten old," Douglas Barrett said with a sigh after hearing Shanks' question.
"Haha, times have changed, old man. That's why I said I'd bring you out to see the world. Otherwise, people might think you rotted away in Impel Down," Qin Chuan joked.