One Piece: The Strongest Female Pirate Crews

Red-haired Shanks stood there in silence, staring at the broken flagpole.

No flag fluttered in the wind.

The pirate flag that once represented the Red-Haired Pirates was no longer there.

The flag had been taken.

It wasn't as simple as just painting another flag with the same emblem to replace it.

Doing so would only deceive themselves.

The honor they had lost would never return.

"Captain..." Yasopp and the others looked at Shanks with concern.

"Hahaha! Why are you all looking so glum?" Shanks reached out, pulling a smile onto Lucky Roux's face. "Smile! We're still alive, aren't we?"

"Yeah, that's true. We're still alive."

"But man, this was a total loss."

"Hahaha, Captain, you really embarrassed yourself this time."

The Red-Haired Pirates burst into laughter, laughing until tears filled their eyes.

They laughed hard, laughed until they couldn't anymore.

Finally, Shanks raised his only arm, as if gripping the sky itself, and declared with unshakable resolve, "This is the last time I'll ever lose!"

"Shanks, Kuke hasn't left yet," Benn Beckman interjected, calmly reminding him.

Shanks froze.

Quietly, he lowered his arm again. "What I just said doesn't count. I'll say it again later."

The others, including Yasopp, burst out laughing again, slapping their thighs in amusement.

After the laughter subsided, Shanks turned his gaze to the Radiant Eclipse, which was preparing to set sail.

"Kuke, are you heading to claim the title of Pirate King?"

Kuke turned, his calm eyes meeting Shanks'. What are you trying to say?

"Don't go," Shanks said, his tone unusually serious. "I'm not doubting your ability to become the Pirate King. Maybe you've already found all the Road Poneglyphs, and you've defeated all the monsters of the New World. The empty throne is within your grasp, but don't go."

For once, the usually playful Shanks was dead serious.

The women aboard the Radiant Eclipse furrowed their brows.

They had come to understand Shanks' eccentric personality to some extent, and they knew that when he got serious, it usually meant something significant.

And as a former member of Roger's crew, Shanks might know more about the secrets of Laugh Tale than anyone else.

"Now is too soon to claim the title of Pirate King," Shanks continued, his words cryptic.

"Why is it too soon?"

Kuke's curiosity was piqued.

He recalled that in the original story, Roger had expressed regret after reaching Laugh Tale, lamenting that he had come too early.

Was the timing wrong?

Even if one reached Laugh Tale, would they fail to achieve their true desires?

Roger had willingly turned himself in, his death sparking the Great Pirate Era.

There had to be some deeper secret involved.

"I don't know the specifics. I've never been to Laugh Tale myself," Shanks admitted. He had stayed behind to care for the ill Buggy and hadn't joined Roger and the others on that final stretch of their journey.

"Claiming the title of Pirate King now will only lead to disaster," Shanks cautioned.

While others might be oblivious, Shanks understood all too well.

The World Government would undoubtedly make a significant move.

And it wouldn't just be any move—it would be unprecedented in scale.

They would stop at nothing to prevent Kuke from becoming the Pirate King.

In fact, the Five Elders had already contacted Shanks in secret, attempting to persuade him to join forces with the World Government. They wanted him to play the role Roger's crew had once played, teaming up with the Navy and the World Government to eliminate the Rocks Pirates—only this time, the target was the Sun and Moon Pirates.

"Shanks, your identity isn't simple, is it?"

Kuke's eyes gleamed with amusement as he looked at Shanks.

Others might not understand your words, but I do.

Having knowledge of the original story, Kuke knew of Shanks' mysterious ties to the World Government.

Shanks' pupils dilated.

Could he have uncovered my deepest secret?

This was the one thing he had never shared with his crew.

How is that possible?

Luckily, none of Shanks' crew members appeared suspicious or shocked by Kuke's words. They all assumed he was referring to Shanks' past as a trainee aboard Roger's ship.

Only Benn Beckman, ever the sharp observer, sensed something was amiss.

His eyes darted back and forth between Shanks and Kuke, filled with questions.

This is only Shanks' second time meeting Kuke. Why does it feel like there's something more here?

Shanks' scalp prickled, a deep unease washing over him as he stared at Kuke.

The humiliation of his recent defeat paled in comparison to the terror he felt now.

With a look of unease and perhaps even a hint of pleading, Shanks gazed at Kuke.

Kuke chuckled, understanding exactly what Shanks was worried about—his secret being exposed.

"If you haven't done anything, I'll act like I don't know," Kuke said as he turned and walked deeper into the Radiant Eclipse.

Shanks exhaled deeply, relief washing over him.

But the relief was short-lived.

What truly unsettled him wasn't just the risk of his identity being exposed—it was the thought of what might have happened if he had really joined forces with the World Government.

If he had taken that path, the outcome would have been far worse.

It wouldn't have ended with something as simple as losing a flag.

"Terrifying," Shanks murmured, watching the Radiant Eclipse vanish into the horizon. The fear in his voice came from deep within his soul.

"Captain, everyone knows Kuke is terrifying. That's been common knowledge for ages," Lucky Roux teased, giving Shanks a playful nudge.

Shanks shook his head.

What frightened him wasn't just Kuke's power.

It was something more.

"Shanks, what's the danger if Kuke becomes the Pirate King?" Benn Beckman asked, piecing together some of the puzzle.

"Does it have to do with the World Government and the Navy?"

Shanks nodded silently.

"I warned him. He probably won't go after the title of Pirate King now, right?" Shanks said, gazing toward the horizon where the Radiant Eclipse had disappeared.

I gave him the warning, and he understood it.

Surely he wouldn't walk into the trap now, would he?

"But sooner or later, he'll aim for the title. This era..." Shanks' brows furrowed deeply.

Unbidden, the image of Luffy came to mind.

Is there still time?

"Forget it. I'm just Red-Haired Shanks, a pitiful pirate who lost his flag. If I can't even win a two-on-one fight, why bother worrying about grand schemes? I must be overthinking things."

Shanks let out a carefree laugh.

"Time for a feast!"

"Yeah!"

The Red-Haired Pirates erupted in cheers.

"Shanks, what are you going to do about the flag?" Benn Beckman asked, playing his usual role as the practical-minded second-in-command.

To get it back, they would have to take it from Kuke himself.

"The flag's gone. So be it," Shanks replied, his focus already on the upcoming celebration.

Benn Beckman sighed, watching Shanks joke and laugh with his crewmates.

Today's loss must have hit him hard.

He was never this demotivated before.

"Then again," Benn Beckman thought as he turned to look at the fading silhouette of the Radiant Eclipse, puffing on his cigarette, "it's hard for anyone to keep their fighting spirit against someone like Kuke."

Exhaling a long plume of smoke, Benn muttered, "In this era, we're all just side characters. Even Shanks."

There was both bitterness and acceptance in his tone.

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DONT FORGET POWER STONE 

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up 40+ chapters at patreon.com/Emik01.

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