One Piece: The Avengers

"Girl, Shanks really did mark this thoroughly. Not only did he mark the location of the Historical Text, but he even indicated where the Historical Text isn't located," Shanter said, looking at the world map that Shanks had handed him. "There are even notes—he really went all out!"

Of course, it's only natural. As anyone who's seen One Piece knows, Shanks is absolutely devoted to protecting his friends. Even though Shanter and Robin didn't travel with Shanks, when it came to fulfilling small requests for those he had already recognized as his companions, Shanks wouldn't hold back.

"What a shame though, this world map is a bit rough," Robin lamented.

"Let's make do with it!" Shanter's finger traced from one point on the map to another. "We're here now, and our destination is here. That's where Shanks marked the fourth Historical Text. Come on, girl, take a look at the notes."

"Uninhabited island… Historical Text is located in the center of the island's forest… The island has sufficient food and fresh water… Watch out for gorillas?" Robin read the last line of the notes, slightly surprised.

"Gorillas? What does that mean?" Shanter was just as confused.

"I don't know either," Robin shrugged, "that's exactly what it says."

"Forget it, it doesn't matter," Shanter waved his hand dismissively. "We're going to that island anyway."

What Shanter didn't know was that it actually mattered a great deal. By the time he found out, it was already too late.

---

On the Uninhabited Island.

"Damn it, Shanks! What kind of note is this? A 'gorilla'? This thing's a damn King Kong! Why didn't he make it clearer?!" Shanter was pulling Robin along, running at full speed.

Indeed, these were giant gorillas, just not the kind Shanter had imagined. Three massive gorillas, each around fifteen meters tall, with rippling muscles and thick fur, were relentlessly chasing Shanter and Robin.

After encountering them in the center of the island, these three gorillas had taken a strong interest in seeing them as food. They pursued them all the way to the coast, without showing any signs of giving up. Fortunately, both Shanter and Robin were swift on their feet, or they might have been caught and turned into dinner.

"This is the West Sea, right? Why are creatures like this showing up here? Aren't they supposed to be on the Grand Line?" Shanter was starting to lose his temper. In truth, if Shanter had really fought these three gorillas, he'd have dealt with them with relative ease and would have probably escaped unscathed. But who knew how many other gorillas there were? If there were big tigers or bears around, he wouldn't stand a chance!

Robin, on the other hand, was laughing with glee. "Brother, they're really cute!" (On Zombie Island, Robin even thought the three hell hounds were cute—looks like Robin has a very broad sense of affection…)

"Cute?" Shanter was even more horrified now. "Girl, were you deprived of love in your childhood? I swear, I treated you well when you were little! Or are you saying I didn't buy you enough stuffed animals in Ohara?"

"…." Robin was speechless: stuffed animals…

"These guys are 'cute'? Girl, I think your sense of aesthetics is seriously flawed!" Shanter kept ranting, but his legs didn't stop moving.

To be honest, Shanter was the type of person with an exceedingly optimistic outlook on life. Despite having such a tragic childhood, he was able to develop into a bit of a troublemaker, which wasn't easy. If it weren't for his less-than-ideal past, he might have even turned out like Luffy—unrelentingly cheerful. (Though not as single-minded as Luffy.)

"Girl, I think I should find you a teacher to fix your taste in aesthetics. If this keeps up, it's only going to get worse," Shanter said, pulling Robin faster as he didn't notice her exasperated look.

"Oh, we finally made it to the ship! Now, we're safe!"

"Quick, set sail! They're still chasing us!"

"Are they really that eager to eat us?" Shanter kicked a giant rock thrown at them by one of the gorillas. "No way… they even jumped into the water?"

"Girl! Hurry! Quick! Steer left! Don't head toward the reef!"

"Damn it! You really think I'm afraid of you? I'm not some soft clay! You think you can chase me like this? Even clay figures have some backbone! Let's see if I don't take you down!" Finally, Shanter retaliated in anger.

In an instant, curses, crashes, and roars filled the air.

"Phew—done for!" Shanter stood on the back of one of the fallen gorillas. "They're really ferocious!" He then struck a pose that showed off a smug expression, kicking one of the gorillas, "What's wrong? Not screaming anymore?"

At that moment, Robin, who had been watching the whole spectacle from the ship, walked over to Shanter.

"Brother, they're really cute! Let's keep them as pets!" Robin suggested, dreaming.

"Not possible! You can forget about that idea. As long as I'm here, that kind of thing will never happen!" Normally, Shanter was quite the radical, but in this case, he sounded much more conservative.

Robin didn't argue further, as it seemed she had only said it out of whimsy.

"We need to focus on finding the Historical Text. Let's go!" Shanter urged.

"Brother, why are you in such a hurry? Aren't you more eager than me?" Robin seemed less in a rush to find the Historical Text.

"Why wouldn't I be? What's there to hurry about?" Shanter sounded a little helpless. "As for history… I'm not personally interested at all!"

"That's right! But you're still accompanying me to find the Historical Text. Once we do, I'll be the only one excited. You, on the other hand, won't care!" Robin said, thinking ahead.

Seeing Shanter about to speak, Robin continued, "Don't say that just because I'm happy, you're happy too. Even if that's true, we can't just sail aimlessly, right? We need some fun along the way!"

Shanter deliberately misunderstood Robin's words. "Girl, are you saying that if we find the Historical Text, you'll 'reward' me?" As he said this, he pressed down lightly on Robin's shoulder, his breath teasingly brushing against her face, causing her to blush deeply.

"That's not it! I meant, we should explore a little while we're at it!" Robin quickly corrected herself, dodging Shanter's mischievous actions.

"Alright! We'll do it your way!" Seeing Robin's flushed face, Shanter relented and stopped teasing her, instead wrapping his arm around hers.

The scenery on this uninhabited island was actually quite beautiful. The mountains were lush, the waters clear, birds chirped, and flowers bloomed. The streams were clean, and the wild fruits were delicious. Of course, it would have been perfect if it weren't for those pesky gorillas getting in the way.

Robin was in high spirits because she was about to see the Historical Text. Shanter, who had gotten away with teasing Robin without consequences, was whistling a tune. (His awareness as a brother complex and loli complex was seriously underdeveloped.)

"Bang!" Another gorilla collapsed with a thud. Including the three by the sea, this was already the seventh clueless gorilla to fall. Shanter hadn't gotten so violent as to harm the animals, he had only knocked them unconscious.

"We're here." The pair, a young man and woman, finally reached their destination and saw the towering, giant stone tablet—the Historical Text.