Chapter 234: Shanks's Questioning

"Welcome, Mr. Shanks."

The spacious, bright Game House was very quiet, with incense burning in the censer that could soothe the heart and mind.

It was as if this place were another world, utterly unrelated to the slaughter and battles happening in the East Blue.

Shanks stared blankly at the exquisitely shaped censer,

"A type of incense that aids Internal Kung Fu cultivation — two hundred Reward Points."

From behind the counter, a gentle voice interrupted his wandering thoughts.

"Hello, esteemed Mr. Fang Yi."

Although Shanks appeared carefree, inwardly he was very perceptive, clearly aware that his demeanor should change with the occasion, and understood every decision he made.

Therefore, even though he knew it was because of the Game Merchant that the seas had been stirred up and fates changed, he still maintained his respect.

Fang Yi wore a polite smile and got straight to the point: "Don't be so formal. Any player who comes to the Game House can pick out goods that interest them. What kind of merchandise are you looking for?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure either."

Shanks' face was full of smiles, but they were bitter ones,

He had an inexplicable feeling that he simply couldn't hide his thoughts from the mysterious Game Merchant, so he decided to throw caution to the wind.

Fang Yi asked knowingly: "Internally rated by Marine Headquarters as the most harmless of the Four Emperors, the only one who can be left alone — surely what you desire most isn't freedom?"

"Freedom... what a luxury of a thought."

Shanks' gaze grew wistful, as if recalling the days of traveling with Captain Roger.

In his memory, that period should have been the freest, right?

But they were still pursued by the Navy, hated by the World Government; he could see countless kingdoms being oppressed, civilians starving by the roadside, people who couldn't pay the Heavenly Tribute being captured and enslaved...

The entire world wasn't free — how could the Pirate King possibly be free?

Therefore,

Shanks gave up on reaching the destination that every Pirate dreams of — Laugh Tale.

Inheriting Captain Roger's dying wish, he willingly became a successor, waiting for the person who could make the world free to appear.

After a moment of silence, Shanks asked: "I want this sea to return to the way it was before the Samsara Game appeared — is that possible?"

If other players heard this,

Especially those whose fates had already been changed by the Samsara Game, players whose wishes had been granted, they would absolutely be shocked and furious.

But Fang Yi, who knew Shanks' inner thoughts, was not surprised in the slightest.

"Return to the starting point?"

Fang Yi looked at Shanks and nodded: "Of course, a wish like this can also be granted — you simply don't have the Reward Points to fulfill it."

A transparent crystal, shaped like a rhombus and a cone, appeared on the counter.

【Xianzhizhishi (Demon King's Heart)】: A Xianzhizhishi blessed by the 【Healing Hero】, possessing the power to restart the world. Price: 5,000,000 Reward Points.

"There really is such a thing?"

Shanks' eyes widened — he hadn't actually expected the Game Merchant to respond; he'd only spoken off the cuff.

How could something like restarting the world possibly exist?

"Of course it exists. That very Healing Hero used the Xianzhizhishi to change his fate, class-changed into the Staff Hero, and began a new life."

Fang Yi said regretfully: "However, this stone can only restart worlds bound by destiny. Because of my arrival, the Pirate World has already broken free of its destined fate, so the Xianzhizhishi alone cannot accomplish it."

"Unless you can produce enough Reward Points to cancel out everything every player has redeemed."

In other words, he would first have to produce all the Reward Points consumed by every player redeeming game abilities, and only then purchase the Xianzhizhishi to activate it.

All the Reward Points every player had redeemed for game abilities?

An astronomical sum.

Shanks didn't need to consider it at all — with his abilities, it was absolutely impossible. It would be tantamount to making an enemy of the entire world.

He gritted his teeth and asked: "Is there any other way?"

It had originally been a question asked in despair, but he hadn't expected there really would be a way to restart the world. He was like a drowning man clutching at a lifeline.

"A second-best method — very easy."

The Xianzhizhishi vanished, replaced by a stack of special tickets newly appearing on the counter.

【Pirate World Ticket (East Blue Arc)】, 【Pirate World Ticket (Rocks Arc)】, 【Pirate World Ticket (Blank 100 Years Arc)】...

Fang Yi spread out the tickets and said: "As long as you're willing, the Reward Points of the entire Red Hair Pirates should be enough to buy one ticket to another timeline of the Pirate World."

"Timeline?"

Red Hair couldn't comprehend those words.

Fang Yi looked at his puzzled gaze, gently swept his palm across the counter, and a river of time filled with countless stars appeared.

"Every world has a river of time that runs from beginning to end."

The view zoomed in, and the river of time reflected a young Shanks, still aboard the Roger Pirates' ship.

Shanks' gaze grew solemn, and he thought: "The ability to peek into and know history?"

No wonder the Game Merchant could clearly know all the forces of the Pirate World — he possessed such a terrifying ability.

"Everyone's fate advances slowly along this river of time."

As the words fell,

The river of time grew turbulent, countless images flickering continuously.

Buggy accidentally eating a Devil Fruit and falling into the water, Captain Roger reaching Lafute Lu, Captain Roger's execution, his parting ways with Buggy, his meeting with Hawkeye, ascending to become one of the Four Emperors...

Shanks held his breath, watching the increasingly familiar history,

If the river of time continued forward, perhaps even the future could be glimpsed?

Thinking of this,

Shanks was deeply shaken inside.

The ability the Game Merchant displayed was nothing like the vague, unfathomable fragments of the future from Fish-Man Island — it was a real and detailed future.

Before he could speak,

Fang Yi extended his index finger and touched a certain spot on the river of time,

precisely the stretch of time when Buggy accidentally ate the Devil Fruit.

"Mr. Fang Yi, what are you trying to do…"

Shanks could not understand the Game Merchant's actions,

Madame Xiali of Fish-Man Island possessed extremely powerful divination abilities; the futures she foresaw would absolutely come to pass, without error.

But no matter how formidable, the river of time was still only an illusory projection.

Was he now trying to shatter the river of time, to prevent himself from learning the future?

As Shanks thought this,

he saw that, following the sway of the Game Merchant's index finger,

within the scene reflected in the river of time, the previously calm and still sea surface suddenly surged into waves, causing the Gold Jackson to rock left and right.

Buggy, who should have hidden the Devil Fruit in his mouth because of Shanks's greeting, failed to grip the fruit firmly and was knocked by the waves directly into Shanks's mouth.

"Hiss… an illusion?"

Shanks had not expected that the scenes in the river of time could actually be altered,

but then he felt rather torn between laughter and tears,

although the scenes could be altered, they had long since departed from that stretch of history — those were things that had already happened.

He recalled now: back then Buggy had wanted to sell that Devil Fruit for money, so he had secretly hidden it away, but in the end he ended up becoming a Devil Fruit user.

No wonder Buggy resented him so — it was because his greeting back then had caused the other to accidentally eat the Devil Fruit.

Shanks still remembered — it should be the 【Fenwuliefu】 ability, right?

Suddenly,

his expression froze, because when he recalled it a second time, this memory suddenly began to grow blurry.

Then, as he recalled it further, the memory in his mind actually transformed into the state after the Game Merchant's alteration.

He had eaten the Devil Fruit?

Impossible!

Shanks had personally witnessed his good friend Buggy's Fenwuliefu fruit ability — there was no way it could be wrong.

But…

He felt his body becoming strange, and his head suddenly separated from his neck.

It landed on the counter.

The Fenwuliefu Fruit!

(End of chapter)