One Piece: Surrounded at Marineford? Just kidding!

Chapter 354: Shanks' Worries and Achilles' Heel!

"Mother, please come with us."

These words shocked everyone present.

"What?!"

The cigarette butt in Ben Beckman's mouth trembled violently, sparks flying wildly in the wind.

The first mate's brows were furrowed into a tight knot.

He then immediately stepped forward.

"Shanks, stop messing around."

Beckman's voice was low and deep.

"That's not a battlefield."

"It's not a vacation."

"Our destination is Future Island, and our opponents are the Five Elders and the Navy Admirals."

"The battle will be even fiercer than the Marineford War, and even more devastating."

"Yeah, boss!"

"Boss, this is no time for jokes!"

Other cadres also gathered around, their faces filled with anxiety and confusion.

"It's too dangerous on the ship!"

"What would you do, Auntie, if a stray bullet from that level of artillery fire hits you, or if a general's attack sweeps through?"

"Leaving your aunt here is the safest option!"

"This place has fortifications; it's our base, a million times safer than being on the ship in the eye of the storm!"

The attempts to dissuade them were in complete chaos.

They were pirates, outlaws.

I've long been used to living on the edge.

But Shanks' mother wasn't.

Sending her to the center of the most terrifying whirlpool in the ocean would be pure madness to anyone.

Shanks didn't laugh.

His carefree, drunken demeanor was gone.

Those who are standing still at this moment.

He is one of the "Four Emperors" who reign over the new world, and a man with the strongest Conqueror's Haki.

Shanks raised his one-armed arm.

He made a gesture to silence everyone.

Then all the noise disappeared instantly.

Shanks glanced at his worried companions, his gaze clear and firm, his voice soft yet penetrating the wind and snow.

"There's no need to persuade me anymore; my mind is made up."

Eight words, nailed to the snow.

Beckman wanted to speak again.

A soft footstep came from the tent behind.

The curtain was lifted.

Shanks' mother came out.

She was wearing a thick, tweed coat, which Shanks had specially made with a unique material.

Shanks' mother had clearly overheard the argument.

She then walked over to Shanks, reached out her hands, and gently grasped her son's empty left sleeve.

She has no fighting ability whatsoever.

But at this moment, the light in her eyes was strikingly similar to Shanks'.

That's something in your blood.

It is the unyielding spirit that never bows its head in the face of towering waves.

"No matter what."

"I want to be with my son."

Shanks' mother's voice was a little soft.

But every word reached everyone's ears.

"I missed too much of his past."

"I don't want to miss out on his future."

"I don't want to stay alone in this cold place anymore, waiting for an outcome I don't know whether I'll live or die."

She looked up at her son, who was much taller than her, tears welling in her eyes, but a smile playing on her lips.

Even if it means death.

"I also want to watch my son fight."

This scene silenced even the toughest men.

Raki Lu sniffed, picked up the meat from the ground, but had no appetite for taking another bite.

Yasopp turned his head away, pretending to wipe his gun, but his eyes were red.

Everyone swallowed back the words that were on the tip of their tongues, turning them into sighs.

Shanks grasped his mother's hand in return, the warmth of his palm passing over to her.

He turned to the crowd and gave the order, his tone softening.

"Go and prepare the supplies."

"Clear out the room on the lowest level of the main ship and reinforce it with three layers of steel plates."

"Yes, Captain."

The officials didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

Soon, only Chenye, Shanks, Beckman, and the mother who was helped back to the tent to rest but then returned were left in the snowstorm.

After settling his mother in, Shanks stepped out of the tent.

Only the three of them remained at the scene.

Chen Ye remained leaning against the snow rock with his arms crossed, observing coldly from the sidelines.

Only then did he speak, his brows furrowed.

"Is it really necessary, Shanks?"

Chen Ye's gaze was like a knife, piercing straight into Shanks' eyes.

"You know what Future Island will become."

"The meat grinder is hell."

"The Five Elders, Saint Satan, are present, along with Kizaru, Seraphim, and a Buster Call of one hundred warships."

"That kind of energy collision could sink even an island."

Chen Ye pointed to the gloomy sky, golden light dancing at his fingertips.

"Your mother only needs to stay on the Red Fosse, but there's no guarantee that a stray bullet, or the aftershocks of Satan's strange abilities, won't land on the ship."

"That's an impact that an ordinary person absolutely couldn't withstand."

"If something unexpected happens, you'll be distracted."

"In that level of combat, a moment's distraction can mean life or death."

"You're not only risking your mother's life, but also the lives of all your crew members."

That's a very strong statement.

That's also correct.

As someone who returned from the future, Chen Ye knew better than anyone how brutal the upcoming war would be.

Ben Beckman exhaled a puff of grayish-white smoke, said nothing, and simply looked at his captain.

He was waiting for an explanation.

An explanation that could convince Chen Ye, and also convince himself.

Shanks did not answer immediately.

He walked to the edge of the cliff and watched the surging black waves crashing against the rocks below, creating thousands of piles of snow.

long time.

His voice, carried on the wind, sounded particularly desolate.

"Chen Ye, you don't know."

Shanks turned around.

Those eyes, which always seemed to be smiling, were now like bottomless, icy pools.

"I'm even more worried about leaving my mother here alone."

Chen Ye raised an eyebrow.

"This is your base camp. It's well-defended and has troops, so it's relatively safe."

"Although the base camp is indeed relatively safer."

Shanks shook his head, his red hair dancing wildly in the wind.

The chill in his eyes coalesced into a bone-chilling killing intent, causing the surrounding snowflakes to freeze for a moment.

"But...those guys from the Knights of God."

Upon hearing this name, Beckman's fingers, which were holding a cigarette, paused.

Chen Ye's eyes sharpened instantly.

"You know what kind of people the Figarand family are capable of."

Shanks gritted his teeth, squeezing out each word through clenched teeth.

"Those guys who call themselves 'gods' will do anything despicable to maintain their so-called pure bloodline and erase any 'stains'."

Shanks raised his hand and touched his empty left arm, which seemed to be in pain.

"This time, our entire team went to Future Island. The commotion was too big to keep quiet."

"Once that beast Garin finds out I've left the base, leaving our rear vulnerable..."

His voice was hoarse.

"If they take advantage of my absence and send the Knights of God to raid our rear and kidnap Mother."

"Use her to threaten me, or just... execute her."

"That's the real dead end."

Shanks suddenly looked up, and a terrifying Conqueror's Haki burst forth from his single eye.

Dark red lightning crackled around him, shattering the snow beneath his feet and revealing black frozen earth.

"I can't gamble."

"I can't afford to gamble."

"Rather than leaving her here, living in fear where I can't see her."

"Why not bring your mother with you?"

Shanks took a step forward, his aura like that of a dragon whose scales had been touched.

"It's right on my ship!"

"Right behind me!"

"Within the range of my domineering aura!"

He clenched his fist, and the air exploded with a loud bang.

"I feel safer there! Because I know that as long as I'm still standing, no one can touch a hair on her head."

"Anyone who wants to touch her will have to step over my dead body first!"

silence.

A deathly silence.

Only the wind and snow continued to howl.

Ben Beckman, who had been smoking, threw the burnt-out cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it out with his toe.

He raised his head, his half-open eyes filled with a sharp light.

"Shanks is right."

Beckman looked at Chen Ye, his voice deep.

"The World Government's bottom line is even lower than that of pirates. Since we've decided to go to war, we can't leave the enemy any opportunity to exploit. Rather than leaving them at our base to be raided, we'd rather keep them with us."

Beckman reached out and patted the musket at his waist, a sinister smirk spreading across his face.

"We will defend the main ship with our lives."

"If you want to board the Red Fosse, you'll have to ask my gun first."

Chen Ye looked at the pair of partners in front of him.

One with a domineering and fiery aura.

A person as reserved as the sea.

The resolute look in their eyes told Chen Ye that there was no room for negotiation.

Shanks' concerns were not unfounded.

The Knights of God, that violent machine of the Celestial Dragons, are indeed a group of madmen who will stop at nothing.

If that old bastard Garin really takes advantage of the situation, the consequences will be more serious than if he were taken to the battlefield.

"call……"

Chen Ye exhaled a long breath of white air.

He looked at the stubborn pair and remained silent for a moment.

In the end, only a sigh remained.