Chapter 52 Red Hair

For fish-men, crossing the Calm Belt was far easier than it was for other races. Their ability to sense schools of fish allowed them to avoid many dangers.

It was not as simple or effective as having the Navy inlay the bottoms of its warships with Sea-Prism Stone, but it was enough to ensure their safety.

The news that Chu Yang was about to leave still caused quite a stir aboard the ship. After fighting side by side for several months, most of the fish-men on board had come to regard him as one of their own.

Even the more extreme fish-men, led by Arlong, had stopped openly opposing Chu Yang. In addition to their awe of his strength, they also felt a measure of gratitude toward him.

After all, people were not made of stone.

Everyone knew perfectly well that without Chu Yang, many of the fish-men aboard this ship would have been killed or wounded under the Navy’s relentless pursuit.

Some might not say it aloud, but in their hearts, they still remembered Chu Yang’s kindness.

An inexplicable melancholy began to spread across the ship.

Apart from Arlong, every fish-man wore a solemn expression.

“They really do like you,” Jinbe said, still unwilling to give up on persuading Chu Yang to stay.

“I’ll come back to see everyone within three years!” Chu Yang declared with absolute conviction. He made that promise because he knew Fisher Tiger would meet with disaster three years later—and he intended to change that tragedy.

The Sun Pirates took three days to cross the Calm Belt.

They encountered several sudden crises along the way, but overall, the dangers remained under control.

After reaching the East Blue, Fisher Tiger waited for nightfall before leaving Chu Yang on a small island. He left him a little boat, then hurried away with the rest of his people.

Chu Yang spent the night by the shore. Early the next morning, he asked the local residents for the exact direction of the Kingdom of Goa, then bought an expensive sea chart.

The small boat was packed with supplies left behind by Fisher Tiger and the others, saving Chu Yang the trouble of purchasing provisions. Once he had gathered the information he needed, he immediately set off for Windmill Village.

Sailing through the Four Blues was virtually effortless. Aside from taking care around the islands they passed, the open sea was actually the safest place to be.

That was precisely the opposite of the Grand Line.

Having learned a number of steering techniques from Jinbe, Chu Yang handled the little boat with ease. The vessel, only a few meters long, raced toward its destination on the wind.

About another day later, Chu Yang successfully found the only port town in the Kingdom of Goa.

Windmill Village!

This place concealed more remarkable figures than anyone would expect. It was not only the hometown of the Navy hero Garp, but also the hometown of Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, and the future home of the Pirate King.

It was where the son of the Pirate King Roger and the future second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army grew up. It was even where one of the Four Emperors, Shanks, left an arm.

Looking back over the entire history of anime, was there ever a more famous starting village than this?

These people had elevated the Kingdom of Goa to heights it had never earned!

Before he even drew near the harbor, Chu Yang spotted a massive pirate ship floating offshore. A pirate flag bearing a skull fluttered in the wind.

The design was very simple: at its center was a skull with three red claw marks across one eye socket, backed by two crossed swords.

“The Red Force!”

The instant he saw the flag, Chu Yang’s heart jolted. Before coming, he had worried that he might miss the period when Shanks was staying in Windmill Village. Now, every one of his concerns vanished.

No other ship dared approach the Red Force.

Chu Yang did not recklessly steer his little boat toward it either. Instead, he slowly brought his vessel ashore nearby.

He swept the Red Force with his Observation Haki and discovered that only a small number of crewmen remained on deck. He then headed straight for the only tavern in Windmill Village.

Windmill Village was not large. After casually asking the villagers for directions, Chu Yang easily found the tavern run by Makino.

“Where did this little boy come from? He’s so young, yet he’s already out drinking?”

“Boy, where are your parents? You can’t go play in a tavern by yourself.”

“There are pirates over there. You’d better keep your distance, little one!”

Chu Yang ignored all their well-meant warnings and plunged straight into the tavern occupied by the Red Hair Pirates, where laughter and merriment filled the air.

That was simply how the Red Hair Pirates lived: a small feast every three days, a grand feast every five, and in between, they were either fighting or on their way to a fight.

Fight—feast—fight—feast...

An endless cycle.

The tradition had been inherited from the ship of the Pirate King, Roger. Luffy’s Straw Hat Pirates would later carry it on in the same fashion, though nearly every fight Luffy entered became a matter of life and death.

The tavern was alive with singing and dancing, its atmosphere at a fever pitch. Little Luffy was clowning around, provoking peals of laughter from the Red Hair Pirates.

Most of them failed to notice the young boy who had just entered—everyone except the proprietress, Makino.

“Little one, are you sure you came to the right place? This isn’t a restaurant,” Makino kindly reminded him. Although she believed the pirates before her were not bad people, she still hoped Chu Yang would leave as soon as possible.

“Give me a glass of rum.” Chu Yang sat calmly at the bar, his every movement revealing a maturity far beyond his years.

Makino froze for a moment, then firmly shook her head. Her tone became unusually stern.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t serve rum to a child, even if it has the lowest alcohol content.”

At that moment, one of the crewmen noticed Chu Yang. Someone immediately began calling out from the side.

“Boss, give him a drink. Put it on my tab. A little man is still a man, and what kind of man doesn’t drink?”

“How can you offer alcohol to a child?” Makino glared angrily at the pirate. “Keep talking nonsense and none of you will get anything to drink today!”

The man could only sit down sheepishly, drawing loud laughter from his companions.

Had they belonged to another pirate crew, Makino’s attitude might have cost her head. Among the Red Hair Pirates, however, it merely became another source of amusement.

As the laughter around him grew louder and the pirates’ teasing gazes turned toward him, Chu Yang helplessly lied, “I’m already an adult. I just had an illness when I was younger, and I stopped growing afterward.”

It was a clumsy lie. Most people would never have believed it, but the innocent Makino did.

“Really?” Makino covered her mouth in surprise, then hurriedly apologized to Chu Yang. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken so hastily.”

Chu Yang smiled. “If you put my rum on the table soon, I’ll forgive you.”

“Just a moment.”

Makino turned and began searching for the liquor in the cabinet behind her.

“Hey... kid. Lying to adults isn’t a good habit.”

A red-haired man with a conspicuous scar over his left eye suddenly leaned close to Chu Yang. Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, he said, “I was curious about alcohol at your age too, so I understand. But don’t deceive people again next time.”

Chu Yang said nothing. He turned his face away in distaste, though it was unclear whether he disliked the man’s lecturing tone or simply the heavy smell of alcohol clinging to him.