Chapter 177 - Chapter 179

On a snowy mountain path, Amell was walking while his dark blue coat fluttered in the freezing winds passing by this mountain path. It had been five months since Ace's training with him finished. After they were done training, Ace and his crew went after Whitebeard again despite how much his crew begged him not to do so.

Amell's thoughts were quite chaotic, and not for some reason like fear of the World Government and their power. No, Sylvia's due date was coming up and it was messing with his mind more than expected. Fear of something going wrong, or worry about his role as a father despite him being a father and a grandfather to multiple people. Whenever it came to people you care about, irrational fears begin to surface no matter how you have mastered your emotions.

As he walked up the path the snow around him all past him instead of touching him, it was quite literally like he had a protective barrier around him that pushed all the snow away. 'If it wasn't so important I would never come to this snowy hell.' Amell complained mostly at nothing since the snow did nothing to hinder his vision, and he could not feel the cold, nor could it affect him, his complaining came mostly from the fact that he wasn't at home with Sylvia and his baby that was only one or two weeks away from popping out into the world.

Near the top of this mountain, there was a cave that right now housed a very famous redhead. This was one of the rest stop islands Shanks crew protected. Amell came upon the cave a lot quicker then Ace's crew did when they visited this place. The snow couldn't do anything to delay him. He looked into the cave and saw the entire crew unconscious, presumably from too much partying. Amell erased his presence entirely and walked into the cave. He walked all the way over to Shanks that was sleeping while leaning against a wooden log. He sat down on the log and glanced at his disciple. 'Gaddamn drunks! Nothing good ever comes from alcohol... Except for Gildarts of course' Amell chuckled to himself.

'Amell, my friend, why not wake them up?' Vaatu's voice appeared inside his head and Amell turned his focus inwards. 'Because, if you wake up Shanks during one of his blackouts, you will have to deal with a baby. So, when it comes to him it's better to just let him sleep it off, no matter how annoying it is that he can never seem to stay sober.'

'Sounds exhausting! And speaking of annoyance, do you know how irritating it is to be in here and never get out? When can I get out to let loose?" Vaatu always sounded creepy and evil in his tone even if the context of the conversation was a positive one.

'Soon, my friend, soon!'

'Alright, I at least hope it's within the next decade.' Vaatu wasn't really one to bicker on a subject. He couldn't overpower Amell, he would never be able to, so when his host said no, he accepted it and only hoped for the best. That was all he could do.

Amell sat in the lotus position for a couple of hours and meditated. When finally there was a movement among the crew. It only took seven hours, but Shanks finally started to wake up. First to show life, was his eyes, they slowly opened and for several seconds he just sat there staring out into the blizzard going on outside.

"Welcome back to the world of the living!" Amell's voice was powerful and sharp, and he intentionally spoke a lot louder than he needed to so his words were like nails through the skull of Shanks and his crew. Beckman's eyes fluttered open wildly and he gripped his gun tightly, "Who the hell is the shithead speaking so loudly!?" He instinctively pointed the gun in the direction of the voice.

"Take a good long look who you're pointing that at, Son!" Amell said with a smile that wasn't a smile. It took a few seconds, but Beckman finally connected Amell's face with reality and he realized who he was pointing at. "Master Amell!?" He lowered his gun in a panic, but it was a few seconds too late. Amell tapped the ground and the earth opened up and swallowed up Beckman until only his head was visible over the surface of the ground.

"I ain't your master, boy. I am his!" Amell said and knocked Shanks on the head.

"MASTER!?" Shanks woke up and yelled out loud. He fell down on the ground as his own screaming aggravated his headache. !W-What are you doing here? And how long have you been here?" He asked while crawling on the ground rubbing his head trying to mend the pain.

*Sigh* "You are one hopeless disciple," Amell reached out and touched Shanks on the forehead. Suddenly all pain seemed to have disappeared. Shanks stood up and cracks his neck, "That's better, thanks!" He said to Amell with a bright smile.

"So, when did you arrive?" Shanks sat down, grabbed a mug with some alcohol in it and downed it all in one go. Amell arrived in front of him like a ghost and grabbed his whole head with his big hand. "I arrived seven hours ago when you all were blackout drunk. And the first thing you do is to drink more, I am disappointed!" Amell knocked Shanks on the head slamming his head down on the ground.

"Are you saying i have a drinking problem or something?" Shanks roes up with almost no injuries anywhere on him. He got right up into Amell's face and stared straight into his eyes. "Master, you never did understand the wonders of my alcohol!" He was close to spitting but managed to refrain.

"Your alcohol?" Amell's voice turned evil. Beckman's eyes went wide and he swallowed with very much difficulty, "Oh no..." His words were the catalyst Amell needed to unleash a barrage of assault on his student.

"Who here is the one funding your alcoholic ass? Me! Who here made you the strongest pirate alive? Me! Who here is doing your job for you? Me! Who here can kill you with a snap of his finger? ME!" Amell punched Shanks in the face making him crash into the cave wall. His yelling finally awoke the rest of the crew. They all took a second to readjust themselves to the light before one of them asked loudly, "What's going on?"

"Master Amell is back!" Beckman answered quietly to his mates.

"That explains why the captain is losing a fight, and why you are where you are." Yasopp chuckled while observing Amell beating the life out of Shanks. No one inside the crew was present during Shanks and Amell's training session, so no one knew what Shanks went through, but what they did know was that ever since that time Shanks had never lost a single battle, even Mihawk stopped challenging him to fights. Whatever Amell did to him, it created their current captain, the strongest pirate alive known only to this crew and the Gotei.

Amell slapped Shanks two more times across the face and threw him over to his crew. "I took time away from my pregnant wife to come here and discuss our plan, Shanks. So, speak one more time of alcohol and I will wipe you and your crew off the face of this earth!" Amell let out his aura and knocked out most members of the crew instantly.

"Shit, the master is angry!" Beckman had sweat running down the side of his face. Amell glared at him, making him sweat more," Beckman, for the millionth time, I ain't your master." He turned away from the obsessed gunman and focused on Shanks.

"Master, you're having another kid? This requires a party!" Shanks got another slap across the face but his smile still persisted. "Kid, it's starting soon! Your era is approaching, you better be ready for it." Amell's tone transformed from playful to serious in a matter of seconds.

"I was born for this." Shanks wiped some blood away from his lips while smiling with confidence. His aura had changed and now you could finally see the aura of an emperor on him.

"After so many years, it would seem the master deems you ready to do this, captain!" Beckman said to Shanks. Lucky Roo nodded along, "It would seem so." He said.

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