One Piece: Surrounded at Marineford? Just kidding!

Chapter 290: A Sudden Change in Style, A Pirate's Feast!

Ben Beckman shoves a Den Den Mushi into Shanks' hand.

Shanks took the microphone, dialed a number, and entered it.

Polulu Polulu...

The Den Den Mushi's mouth opened and closed, its sound exploding across the deathly silent deck.

All the crew members of the Red-Haired Pirates held their breath. They were usually laughing and joking, but on the other end of the phone was the man who reigned over the sea like an emperor, Edward Newgate the Whitebeard.

Click.

The phone is on.

The Den Den Mushi's dull eyes slumped down halfway, its mouth was turned into the iconic pineapple head shape, and even its tone of voice was imitated perfectly.

"Feed? Redhead?"

Marco's lazy voice drifted out, accompanied by the sound of waves lapping against the ship's side.

"If you're just here to cause trouble, then forget it. Dad's on an IV drip, he doesn't have time to listen to your nonsense."

Shanks grinned and joked into the microphone.

"Hey, Pineapple Head, don't be so cold. I've been keeping an eye on a huge problem for you guys."

"Big trouble?"

Marco paused for a moment.

"Chen Ye, you're a guest here now."

Shanks glanced at Chen Ye, who was dressed in black and standing not far away, his words full of amusement and a desire to see more drama unfold.

"Hurry up and send a ship to pick me up. I can't afford to keep this guy around. If he's in a bad mood and dismantles my Red Fox for firewood, I'll have to go mooch a meal off the Moby Dick."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Immediately afterwards, a violent commotion erupted, as if someone had snatched the microphone away.

"Gurarararara!"

A burst of bold and domineering laughter nearly shattered the receiver.

Whitebeard.

Even through the telephone line, the aura of the world's strongest man still emanates from him.

"Which brat, Chenye, is with you? Redhead!"

The white-bearded man's voice was full of energy, showing no sign of illness.

"Tell him to wipe his ass clean and wait! I'll be there in a minute! If he's missing a single hair, I'll pluck all his red hairs out!"

Shanks moved the microphone further away and picked at his ear.

"Okay, okay, you're such a protective old man... Bye."

Click.

The phone hangs up.

Shanks turned around.

He raised his hands high, like a homeless man who had just won the lottery, and roared excitedly.

"My men! Did you all hear that?!"

"And we have another distinguished guest, that old man with the white beard is coming too, so—"

Shanks suddenly swung his fist.

He uttered the most beautiful incantation in the world of One Piece.

"Make the banquet even bigger!"

That shout once again switched the scene style.

"Oh, oh, oh! A grand banquet! A grand banquet!"

"marvelous!!"

"Meat! Where's the meat?!"

Lucky Lu, that fat guy, moved as nimbly as a ball, and magically produced huge barrels of rum from who-knows-where.

boom! boom! boom!

The barrel lid was roughly pried open, and the rich aroma of the wine instantly overwhelmed the lingering smoke and blood of the battlefield.

"Music! Play the music!"

Yasopp tossed the long gun, capable of sniping enemies a kilometer away, behind his back, and pulled an old guitar from a wooden box. His fingers plucked the strings, and a cheerful rhythm flowed out.

Several menacing-looking pirates nearby pulled out violins, accordions, and even maracas from their crotches and hats.

A pirate crew that struck fear into the hearts of the New World has transformed into a country heavy metal rock band in the blink of an eye.

A bonfire was lit in the center of the deck.

God knows where they got the firewood from; they might have actually dismantled the hull.

Huge pieces of meat with bones sat on the fire, dripping oil and sizzling, their irresistible aroma filling everyone's nostrils.

Chen Ye stood still, his hands still in his trench coat pockets.

He looked at the scene before him, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

This extreme contrast.

One second ago, a top-tier pirate crew.

The next second, party animals.

Is this what pirates are like?

This is... freedom?

"Hey! Chen Ye! Don't just stand there like an idiot!"

A large hand had already wrapped around his shoulder without him saying a word.

Shanks had taken off his black cloak at some point, and three buttons of his white shirt were undone, revealing his muscular chest. He was carrying two wooden goblets that were bigger than his face.

He didn't care whether Chen Ye wanted to or not, and pulled him towards the main seat in the center of the deck, where he plopped down on the largest wine barrel.

"Come on! Catch!"

Shanks shoved a huge glass into Chenye's hand, the rum sloshing around and spilling some onto the back of Chenye's hand.

"This is to celebrate Uta's safety!"

Shanks raised his glass, his face, marked by three scars, beaming with genuine joy, the wrinkles around his eyes revealing happiness.

"This is also to celebrate that satisfying fight! Although you stole the spotlight in the end, I must say, well done!"

"Cheers!"

The surrounding pirates also raised their wine cups, bowls, and even barrels, shouting in unison.

"Cheers!"

Chen Ye looked at the cloudy, foamy rum in his hand.

But he did not refuse.

He raised his glass and clinked it heavily against Shanks' large, calloused, and scarred hand.

boom!

Wood chips flew everywhere, and wine spilled all over the place.

Chen Ye tilted his head back and took a bite.

"How about it? The brewing method of the West Sea's specialty, pretty impressive, right?"

Shanks wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth and smiled like a child who had stolen candy.

"good."

Chen Ye put down his wine glass and gave a brief, indifferent comment.

"The tea here tastes better than the tea from Wulaoxing."

"Hahaha! You've got a really sharp tongue!"

Shanks laughed and slapped his thigh.

The music became more urgent and cheerful.

The pirates started dancing with their arms around each other's shoulders, which was actually just a bunch of grown men bumping into each other, spinning around, and kicking.

Shanks couldn't sit still any longer. He threw down his glass and mingled into the crowd.

He put his arm around Raki Luke's shoulder, drank with Yasopp, and even snatched the monkey's accordion, pulling it haphazardly and making a jarring noise, then laughing uproariously.

He doesn't have the slightest air of a Yonko (Emperor of the Sea).

He's just a heartless bastard.

Chen Ye sat on the barrel in the main seat, swirling the glass of strong liquor in his hand, his eyes gradually deepening.

He sipped his wine, coldly observing the red-haired man acting erratically in the crowd.

This man.

He carries Roger's straw hat on his back, has the blood of the Celestial Dragon Figarand family flowing through his veins, and maneuvers between the Five Elders and pirates.

Which side is the real him?

Is he the emperor who just exuded domineering aura on the battlefield and forced a general to retreat with a single sword?

Or is it this drunkard in front of me, who's completely intoxicated and trying to steal a banana from a monkey?

Both?

"Stop looking."

A deep, hoarse voice sounded beside him.

Chen Ye turned his head.

Ben Beckman was sitting in the shadows in the corner, meticulously wiping the rifle with a gun-cleaning cloth.

It's the one that was pointing at Chen Ye's head just now.

He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, the smoke obscuring half his face.

But those sharp, hawk-like eyes never left Chen Ye.

Although he was smiling and holding a wine glass, Chen Ye could sense that Beckman still maintained a subtle wariness.