章 30: Chapter 29 - That Time of the Month
"We're now wanted criminals in this country," Shirakawa announced grimly. Killing a general had made them enemies of the state.
'My first bounty isn't even from the Marines,' Shirakawa thought, feeling a bit disappointed. 'But 50 million berries is a decent amount. This country must be wealthy.'
Ten days had passed since Dagmar's death. They were still at least half a month away from the border, and being wanted meant they couldn't risk entering any towns. They had to take the long way around.
Detours not only wasted time but were also dangerous. While passing through a forest, they encountered a five-meter-tall black bear. Buggy and Catherine panicked, but Shirakawa and Shanks remained calm. They let Shanks handle the beast, and after a fierce struggle, they emerged victorious, unscathed.
That night, they had black bear meat for dinner, though it wasn't very tasty.
Shirakawa was still puzzled by Buggy's personality. He had sailed with Roger for so long and faced countless dangers, yet he still panicked over minor inconveniences. Even after encountering Sea Kings multiple times, Buggy was still terrified of them.
"Buggy, tell me about yourself. You're an apprentice crew member, just like Shanks. Why are you two so close?" Shirakawa asked, hoping to have a heart-to-heart talk with Buggy and motivate him.
"Hmph. Maybe I'm just not meant to be strong," Buggy mumbled, turning away.
'Why bring up your own weaknesses?' Shirakawa thought. He knew Buggy was insecure about his strength, especially compared to Shanks, who had grown significantly stronger in the past few months.
"Buggy, you can't keep going like this. What will you do when you leave the crew? Without strength, you can't protect yourself," Shirakawa said earnestly.
He knew Buggy would become one of the weakest members of the Roger Pirates. In the original story, Buggy had only dared to stay in the East Blue, searching for treasure. If he hadn't met Luffy, he might never have ventured into the Grand Line again. Even his later status as a Warlord was due to luck, not strength. If the Warlord system were abolished, Buggy would be in danger.
"Don't worry. I'll never leave the Captain," Buggy said.
Shirakawa sighed. 'It's not up to you whether you leave or not.'
He wanted to say more, but Buggy started snoring.
'He's doing this on purpose,' Shirakawa thought, kicking Buggy lightly. 'Wasting my time. Whatever. I'm going to sleep.'
He turned over, unaware that Buggy had opened his eyes, a determined look flashing across his face before disappearing.
Shirakawa's words had planted a seed in Buggy's heart. Maybe, at the right time, it would sprout. Or maybe it would wither away.
Shanks, lying on the other side of the campfire, had also heard their conversation. His eyes were thoughtful. Perhaps he was thinking about how to help Buggy improve.
Catherine, oblivious to their concerns, slept soundly, a peaceful smile on her face.
The next morning, Shirakawa woke up early. The others were still asleep. 'Good thing we're not near any towns,' he thought. 'They'd be easy targets in this state.'
"Hey, wake up, sleepyheads! We need to get going!" He felt like a warden waking up prisoners for execution.
He had gotten used to waking them up and making sure they ate. Thankfully, he was patient. Otherwise, he might have lost his temper with them by now.
"Ugh, what time is it?" Catherine was the first to wake up, her words echoing her greeting from the previous morning.
"It's early," Shirakawa said. He didn't know the exact time and couldn't tell time by the sun.
Shanks and Buggy finally woke up as well.
"Why does it feel like I barely slept?" Buggy complained, rubbing his eyes.
"If you die, you'll be sleeping for a long, long time. Want to try it?" Shirakawa teased.
"No!" Buggy said, instantly wide awake.
'Why is he so grumpy this morning? Did I do something to annoy him?' Buggy wondered, confused.
Although Buggy didn't know what he had done, he decided to be cautious for his own safety.
"What's for breakfast?" Shanks asked.
"Leftover bear meat from yesterday. That's all we have," Shirakawa said. He hadn't been feeling very hungry lately, perhaps because he hadn't been fighting and his stamina was always full.
"Ugh, that stuff was awful," Shanks complained.
"Then deal with it," Shirakawa retorted.
Shanks fell silent, knowing he had no choice but to eat it.
"Hey, Buggy, what's up with Shirakawa? Did he eat some gunpowder or something? Why's he so irritable?" Shanks whispered to Buggy.
"I don't know. Maybe it's..."
"It's what?"
"That time of the month."
"Oh. Will she be joining us too?" Shanks asked, seemingly understanding.
"Probably. Otherwise, why would Shirakawa be acting like this?"
"I see."
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