"One Piece: I, the Strongest Intern of the Roger Pirates"

In a certain sea area of the New World…

A pirate ship was engaged in battle with a merchant vessel.

Gulp gulp…

"Huh? Where did Fang Yi and those two brats run off to?"

Yamon asked as he guzzled from a jug of wine, gripping a long spear in his other hand. He glanced around, confused.

Around him, the deck was littered with knocked-out henchmen dressed as servants.

"No idea. I haven't seen them. Maybe they stayed on the ship?"

Replied Max, a large, muscular man with a thick black beard and crescent moon tattoos on his left neck and arm. He was one of the ship's top fighters.

"That shouldn't be. That brat Fang Yi told me earlier he planned to take Shanks and Buggy along to gain some experience,"

Yamon scratched the back of his head, puzzled.

"Wait… you mean you lost those three kids?"

Max looked at him in shock.

Yamon's face darkened.

"Lost? Those three aren't exactly easy to lose! They probably just went off somewhere to fool around. No need to worry—Fang Yi's more than capable of handling this kind of situation."

Meanwhile, inside the merchant ship's cabin, Fang Yi and the others were standing wide-eyed, staring at the treasure chest before them.

"We've struck gold… We're rich… All this… It's all mine!"

Buggy's eyes were glued to the golden glow from the treasure chest, completely entranced.

Bang!

Fang Yi slammed the chest shut and turned to Buggy.

"Idiot! There's no way all this gold belongs to us! Don't get greedy. If you like something, pick a few pieces—but the rest has to go to the captain."

"But… we went through so much to find this treasure!"

Buggy grumbled reluctantly.

"If the captain and the others hadn't been fighting outside, do you think you'd have gotten this chance? Quit whining. The fact you get first pick at all is already generous enough,"

Fang Yi rolled his eyes.

Shanks nodded in agreement. In his view, all of this should be handed over to the captain. How it got divided later would also be up to the captain, not for them to squabble over.

"Yi, earlier we heard noises below, right? Should we go check it out?"

Shanks asked, seeing Buggy still fussing over the treasure.

"Not bad—you're at least focused on the real task, unlike someone."

Fang Yi shot Buggy a glance, shaking his head.

"But this room is important too. Here's the plan: Buggy, you stay here and guard the treasure. Shanks and I will go down to check it out. Sound fair?"

"Really? Wahahaha! Fair enough! You guys go! With me here, this treasure isn't going anywhere! Yi, from now on, I'm sticking with you!"

Buggy, who had never fully accepted Fang Yi's authority before, was now totally won over by the glittering gold, leaving Fang Yi amused and speechless.

But Fang Yi couldn't be bothered to argue with him right now. After exchanging a glance with Shanks, the two quietly left the room.

"Yi, are you sure leaving Buggy here is safe?"

Shanks asked uneasily as they stepped out.

"Don't worry. We've already cleared this level, haven't we? There's only one way down. If we both go below, leaving Buggy here gives us a fallback plan. And as for the treasure… how much could he sneak away?"

Fang Yi chuckled,

"Once the captain and Mr. Rayleigh get here, with their eyes and skills, Buggy won't be able to pocket a single coin."

Shanks was stunned. He hadn't expected Fang Yi to be thinking so far ahead—but now reassured, he felt much more at ease.

Cautiously, the two made their way down the passage to the rear of the ship, where they had earlier discovered a hidden hatch leading to the lowest level.

"Let me go first,"

Shanks offered as Fang Yi opened the hatch,

"You can fight better from behind."

Fang Yi was surprised by Shanks' suggestion. After all, they had no idea what awaited them below. Going first meant facing the greatest danger.

Before Fang Yi could object, Shanks had already gone down, leaving him no choice but to quickly follow through the hidden hatch.

But as soon as Fang Yi climbed down, he spotted Shanks crouched near the entrance.

"What's going on?"

With Shanks blocking the way, Fang Yi couldn't see ahead.

"It… looks like a prison down here,"

Shanks whispered,

"I see two guards."

"Step back and let me take a look."

Fang Yi replied after a moment of thought.

"Alright."

Shanks knew that in this situation, having Fang Yi, an archer, take the lead from behind cover was much safer than charging in himself.

They slowly swapped places. Once Fang Yi took his position, he finally saw the situation.

The lower level wasn't large, but there were four cage-like cells, holding several imprisoned men and women.

At the far end, a table sat against the wall, with all sorts of torture tools hanging nearby. Two men, clearly guards, were sitting there drinking and chatting. However, they were far enough that Fang Yi couldn't hear what they were saying.

"They look like… slaves,"

Fang Yi whispered to Shanks behind him.

"Slaves?"

Shanks froze, then his expression darkened.

"This isn't a regular merchant ship… It's a slave ship!?"

"Seems like it. I'll take out those two guards first. After that, we'll ask the captain what to do next."

Fang Yi began quietly drawing his bow. Although the two guards weren't far, the prison cages in between made it tricky to fire two arrows at once. One slip-up, and they'd be in trouble.

His plan was simple: take out one guard first. The distance was enough that the other wouldn't be able to react in time to stop them.

"Wait!"

Just as Fang Yi was about to shoot, Shanks suddenly grabbed his shoulder and whispered,

"Look over there!"

Shanks had unknowingly crept up beside Fang Yi. From his angle, he'd spotted another guard sitting in the corner—asleep.

Fang Yi thought for a moment, then adjusted his aim toward the sleeping guard, hoping to eliminate him first without alerting the others.

But just then, Shanks quietly said,

"Leave that one to me."

Fang Yi frowned,

"If you go now, the prisoners will see you. They might not help us."

"No, you take out one of those two first. If this guy wakes up, I'll deal with him."

Shanks shook his head firmly.

"…Fine."

After a brief hesitation, Fang Yi nodded.

"Get ready—I'm about to strike."

Swish~

Once Shanks signaled readiness, Fang Yi fired his first arrow at one of the drinking guards.

Thud!

The man collapsed instantly.

But the other guard, startled by the sudden death, shot to his feet, shouting,

"Who's there!?"

The shout woke the sleeping guard as well, though the groggy man had no clue what was happening.

Swish!

Before they could react further, Fang Yi's second arrow flew out, dropping the standing guard in an instant.

Meanwhile, Shanks had already slipped toward the just-awakened guard. By the time Fang Yi had dealt with the others, Shanks was locked in close combat with him.

Fang Yi didn't interfere. Instead, he remained at the ready, covering Shanks from a distance with his drawn bow.

Huff… huff!

"Thanks, Yi!"

Though still just a kid, Shanks managed to defeat his opponent after a brief scuffle, without injury, only slightly winded.

He understood why Fang Yi hadn't helped. This was meant as training, giving him a chance to gain real combat experience. That's why he offered his thanks afterward.

"You okay?"

Fang Yi smiled and asked.

"I'm fine. But… what about them?"

Shanks glanced toward the imprisoned slaves, unable to hide his pity.

Their sudden attack had drawn the prisoners' attention; all of them were watching silently.

"This isn't something we can handle."

Fang Yi shook his head,

"Let's search the area quickly, then report to the captain."

He understood Shanks' compassion, but they were just kids. This wasn't something they could solve.

"Understood, Yi."

After this string of battles, Shanks realized the gap between himself and Fang Yi had only grown wider, not just in combat, but in mindset and decision-making as well.

Soon, they finished searching the room. Shanks found nothing of note, but Fang Yi emerged holding a bow that looked extremely powerful.

"This is my prize. Seems like luck's on my side today,"

Fang Yi grinned.

"Congratulations, Yi!"

Shanks offered his genuine congratulations.

Unique finds like this usually didn't need to be turned over, especially since Fang Yi was an archer. Capturing a suitable weapon on an enemy ship naturally meant he had first claim.

The two returned upstairs, retrieved Buggy from the treasure room, and headed for the deck, where the battle had already ended.

Fang Yi briefly explained what had happened below, then sent Shanks and Buggy to lead Roger and Rayleigh down to investigate further, while he went looking for Yamon.

"Master Yamon! Look what I found!"

Fang Yi presented the bow proudly, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hm?"

At first, Yamon wasn't interested. But after examining the Sun Piercer Bow more closely, his expression completely changed. He grabbed the bow, testing its draw strength, then asked Fang Yi,

"Where did you find this?"

"In the lowest level—a place that looked like a prison. Why, Master? Is there something wrong with it?"

Fang Yi asked, puzzled.

"No, no problem. I just didn't expect to find such a treasure on a mere slave ship,"

Yamon replied, shaking his head in astonishment.