One Piece: It All Started When I Found Shanks' Arm

Chapter 50: I Won't Change My Name or My Surname!

The top-floor office gradually fell silent.

Nezumi's body was tossed aside by Shane like a rag doll, landing sprawled on the desk, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, unable to rest in peace.

Perhaps he had never imagined that the safe he treasured so much, the one he practically had to caress and wipe down every day, would be the very weapon that ended his life.

"..."

The Den Den Mushi was silent, just continuing to puff on its cigar.

"Good, good, good."

After a long while, the low, magnetic voice finally spoke. "It seems Nezumi's worries were right after all. There really is a pirate hiding his strength in the East Blue. How audacious, to dare break into a Marine base and murder a Base Commander!"

He's assuming I'm a pirate? Or is he trying to bait me?

Shane glanced at it, too lazy to bother.

He quickly gathered the money from the safe and prepared to leave, saying casually, "Can't be helped. This guy was just too rich. Let's see, there must be at least four or five hundred million Belli in this safe. Tsk tsk tsk, what a fortune."

In reality, there wasn't nearly that much, just over a hundred million in total. He was just messing with the fool.

"Four or five hundred million Belli?!!"

The Den Den Mushi's eyes bulged as expected, and it jumped up in a rage. "Damn it! I knew that Nezumi was unreliable! He even dared to embezzle my money!"

It then gritted its teeth. "Hey! Kid! If you've got the guts, then tell me what your real identity is! Don't tell me you have the courage to come here, kill someone, and provoke the Marines, but don't have the guts to announce your own name?"

"Of course, of course."

Shane mimicked the tone of a storyteller from a traditional play and said with a grin, "Your grandpa here won't change his name or his surname! It is I, Buggy the Clown! I was a crewmate on the Roger Pirates' ship for a few years and have traveled all over the New World. I just don't know if you have the guts to come and hunt this great man yourself!"

A crewmate of the Roger Pirates?!

The person on the other end of the line sucked in a cold breath. No wonder Nezumi was so timid before, yet so certain that the other party was a hidden powerhouse... His identity is that terrifying? The East Blue was hiding such a great god, and not a single piece of news has leaked out all these years. He's hidden himself far too well!

Just as he was about to say something, Shane had already hung up with a click.

The money was all stored in his backpack. Shane then casually sacrificed the safe. 200 points were credited to his account. Considering Nezumi's character weight and strength, getting this much was already unexpected. It seemed Nezumi really did love his safe.

Before leaving, Shane remembered something else. He took out a few red bean buns from his backpack, ate the outer bread, and scooped out the red bean paste inside. He then rolled it into a small red ball and, with a smack, stuck it onto the dead Nezumi's nose.

"All done. If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way."

Only then did he nod with satisfaction. He climbed out the window, got onto the roof, and with a few leaps, disappeared into the night.

And at the entrance of the building below, the two Marines on guard duty were completely oblivious, one even stretching and letting out a bored yawn...

—SWISH!

Under the light of dawn, Shane landed on the deck with a Moonwalk.

Manba and the others, who had been waiting for a long time, hurriedly opened the bottom hatch of the "Orange Grove" and retracted the speedboat into the ship's hold.

"Is everything finished at Branch 77?" Shane asked, tossing his backpack on the ground.

"Yes, Boss. The bounty has all been handed over to us," Manba nodded eagerly. "82 million Belli, not a single cent missing. That Captain Nezumi is a shameless liar, saying that most of the bounty would be taken away. By the way, that guy now..."

Shane glanced at his two sisters who were approaching, raised an eyebrow, and said nothing.

Manba immediately understood and didn't press the matter, but he couldn't help but be amazed. It's been less than two days, and he's already finished his business and come back. The Boss's efficiency is just too high...

"What's this? It's just money again?"

A dissatisfied voice came from behind. Shane turned his head. Nami had, at some point, snuck a look inside his backpack. Her little face immediately fell. She grabbed a handful of bills and threw them back in.

"So boring. I thought you brought back some special snacks, Bro. Money, money, money, I'm sick of looking at these bills."

Money is the last thing our family needs!

Shane was speechless and couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to tweak her nose. "Don't be in such a hurry. We're going to Shimotsuki Village now. That amazing chef I told you about is in that village. When we get there, you can ask for whatever you want to eat, and I'll have him make it all for you, okay?"

"Really!"

Nami's eyes lit up, and she started counting on her fingers. "Then I want seven dishes! Four... no, five desserts! For the main course, I'll have omurice with orange sauce..."

"I want squid tempura and a super deluxe tamagoyaki!" Nojiko also raised her hand excitedly.

"You'll have it all, you'll have it all."

Shane laughed loudly, ruffled his two sisters' heads, and, full of spirit, waved his hand and gave the order. "Let's go! Full starboard rudder! Next stop, Shimotsuki Village!"

In the few days that the "Orange Grove" was sailing towards Shimotsuki Village, two pieces of news spread one after another, shaking the entire East Blue.

First, the Arlong Pirates, who had recently stormed into the East Blue from the Grand Line and caused widespread panic, had been single-handedly annihilated by a single swordsman. Reporters had already confirmed with Marine Branch 77 that this swordsman was none other than Shane, the former champion of the Cherry Blossom Island kendo tournament.

This immediately awakened the memories of many people in the East Blue. They had a strong impression of the handsome, clean-cut, black-haired young man from the photos back then. They never expected that in just one year, his swordsmanship had reached such a level that even pirates from the Grand Line were no match for him!

For a time, Shane's deeds once again became a hot topic in the East Blue.

And as public opinion gradually fermented, the title he carried unconsciously changed from "The Strongest Swordsman of the Younger Generation," which was recognized by some, to the publicly acknowledged "Strongest Swordsman in the East Blue."

The other piece of news was equally shocking.

Captain Nezumi of Branch 16 was found dead in his office in broad daylight, his nose molded into the shape of a circus clown's as a sign of provocation. The person who killed him was identified as Buggy the Clown, with a bounty of 15 million Belli. This normally wouldn't be a huge deal, but Buggy the Clown himself had voluntarily revealed that he was once a crewmate of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!

When this identity was revealed, public opinion in the East Blue was in an uproar. If Shane brought the people a sense of security and pride, then Buggy brought the exact opposite: extreme panic.

—What on earth are the Marines doing?! How could they allow such a prominent pirate to operate in the East Blue?!

Several kingdoms, including the Goa Kingdom, jointly put pressure on Marine Headquarters. The Marines were also caught off guard, having never expected that such a big shark was hiding in the small pond of the East Blue.

They immediately responded by issuing a new bounty, raising Buggy the Clown's bounty to a staggering 80 million Belli! They also formally announced that they would be dispatching a fleet led by a Vice Admiral from Headquarters to carry out a special operation to eliminate the Buggy Pirates, who were entrenched in the East Blue!