One Piece: Peace Shattered By Roger (Completed)

"Cheers, brother!"

"Haha! Another round, friend!"

The island was alive with celebrations. Pirates and villagers alike drank and laughed under the open sky, immersed in the spirit of camaraderie. For pirates, the world was an ever-shifting balance of alliances, enmities, and the pure joy of being at sea. Yet that didn't stop them from enjoying a good party.

"Whitebeard-san, let me raise a glass to you," Shanks said, his cheeks flushed from drink. Whitebeard, sitting with a giant mug of beer in hand, raised his brow, humored by the young pirate's determination.

"Kid, you're not even close to being worthy enough to toast our captain!" teased one of Whitebeard's crew.

"I'll be the future King of the Pirates!" Shanks declared loudly. The gathering fell silent, each pirate turning to stare at the red-haired youth.

The men erupted into laughter. "You? The King of the Pirates?" someone chortled. "Just because you sailed with Roger, you think you can take on that title?"

Whitebeard leaned forward, his intense gaze fixed on Shanks. "Becoming the King of the Pirates requires an unbreakable resolve. Do you have that, Shanks?"

Shanks took a deep breath, summoning all his courage. "I might not have it yet," he admitted, "but I'll find it. And to do that, I'll be disembarking here, Whitebeard-san. I need to find my own crew and build my own path. One day, I'll return and challenge you for supremacy on these seas!"

The air thickened, silence blanketing the gathering. Whitebeard's gaze hardened, his expression turning cold. "Kid, those who leave my crew are nothing but traitors. Do you know what I do to traitors? I make them pay... with their lives."

One of Whitebeard's men hissed a warning, "Shanks, you're drunk! Don't provoke the Captain any further!"

But Shanks stood tall, his fists clenched, his gaze unwavering. "If I can't brave the sea on my own, what's the point of living? Go ahead and do it, Whitebeard-san!"

The tension was palpable. Then, Whitebeard burst out laughing. "You've got some guts, kid. I had a feeling you wouldn't stay long on this crew. Go on, take whatever you need and get out there."

A collective sigh of relief swept through the crew. Shanks, emboldened, asked for a simple boat. "Nothing more," he added with a resolute nod.

Whitebeard, amused, toasted him. "To the brat with the big dreams!" he laughed. Shanks raised his own cup, drank deeply, then threw it to the ground before heading for the boat.

As he boarded, Shanks looked back over the crowd, searching for Kaizen. But he didn't see him among the others. Instead, Teach watched him, arms crossed and aloof.

Kaizen, unseen among the crowd, watched his friend depart. He wasn't one for farewells; parting was something he loathed, a painful reminder of the inevitable goodbyes that life forced upon you. So he hid, letting Shanks leave without a word, knowing that parting would only reopen old wounds.

In the years to come, Shanks would indeed walk the path he declared today, and Kaizen would witness it from afar. Raising his cup in silent tribute to the friend who'd vanished over the waves, Kaizen whispered softly, "Goodbye, Shanks."

The sun rose, the light filtering through the trees as Kaizen took a final look at the blue sky above.

This wasn't an end but a new beginning, and he could only hope their paths would cross again someday.