168 The sendoff

Throughout his life on the seas, he had had to bid farewell to many crewmates. It never got easier.

At least, he could take joy in the final moments of parting. After all, there were still things to be done. Barnie the old man, was one of the few members of his crew still without a bounty, so there was not much reason to worry.

The town below was infested with activity, the chattering of people all around raising the young pirate from his thoughts. The town was preparing for a celebration. In fact, the celebration was to do with the old pirate and his newborn son.

The enclosed town was more than happy to celebrate it, after all it was not every day that a child was born here, in addition when one was to consider the fact that it would be the new born child to the Mayor's family the people felt that there was all the more reason to party.

Shanks' crew was more than willing to cooperate. The bunch of scallywags had deserted their captain the first chance that they got, dumping the hungover man on a small sack of potatoes on deck before they ran into town.

He could see Lucky Roux in the side, alongside a particularly scandalized couple as he roasted a pair of fish over a makeshift barbecue, his hands dripping grease and a arsonist's smile on his face. His glasses gleamed with a particular spark of malcontent as he roasted the food.

The crew's cook had taken it upon himself to take control of the food facet of the celebration, taking great joy in the scene of the various pastry chef and otherwise running around town looking for the most exotic of ingredients like headless chickens.

It was safe to say, that nothing was safe from the ambitious fat man's outstretched and vile fingers. Shanks could not help but retch at the times that Roux had fed the entire crew a horrible dish because one of his experiments had run awry.

To the other side with the decorations, Yasopp stood a pistol in hand as he attempted to peg the massive banner into the temporary wooden beams that Ben Beckman had helped erect. Of course, he had failed, and the only thing stopping the blacksmith from chewing out the hazel haired sniper was the dangerous looking weapon in his hands.

With a small burp and groan the red-haired pirate rose to his feet. He nursed his head with one hand as he ran another down the side of the gangplank. As the captain of the crew he could not be seen moping. The least he could do for Barnie was a good send off.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, and as it went by the New World hot shot could feel himself getting happier and more carefree. The first thing that came to his mind was no longer battles on territory that had to be fought, but more how a pink banner would suit the rosy atmosphere of the baby's welcome party. God! Shanks had become a party planner!

In fact, at the end of the day when the man that had been sent with Barnie and his wife to the doctors in the next town returned, shanks found himself in a clown's apparel. Full with white face paint, red fake nose (that eerily resembled another pirate that he knew) and all.

The real kicker was, that he enjoyed it! Over the course of the day, the little regality that he had as an empyrean candidate had all but drained away. What was left was a mere husk of joy and relaxation that he had left the grand line to find.

His crew stood around him, mingling with the rest of the townsfolk all up to their own hijinks. Then, a small procession was formed at the very entrance of the town. Leading in the delirious couple alongside a baby in the very pink of health.

The mayor had already begun to recover a little color on her face, though she still rested on the palanquin that she was brought on. Her husband was one of the pall bearers, smiling proudly at anyone close by as he cooed in unintelligible terms how beautiful his child looked.

He had gotten a daughter, and had gotten to boasting about how strong and beautiful she would grow up to be, so much so that it looked as if the rest of the pall bearers (the mayor's brothers) had begun to feel their ears rot off.

Still they smiled, for as Barnie was giving the rights to parenthood, they too were given the rights to uncle-hood (if that was even a word). They could almost imagine themselves giving the little girl a piggyback ride as they told her of her mother's embarrassing moments.

Shanks grinned as he received Lucky's subtle signal from the side.

With a smirk he advanced forward a colorful set of balls in hand with a crudely made tricycle between his feet.

He waded through the people in front before stopping shy of the palanquin's entrance. Barnie's wife gave him a thankful smile as she slowly moved her cooing daughter into the line of his sight.

Instantly the terror of the New world began to dance, juggling the balls around him as he rode his tricycle weirdly. It was a competition that his crew had hatched, behind the back of their leaving member who was giving them a startled look.

Their aim was to get the child to laugh, and that is what they did.

When Shanks was removed from the forefront, he was replaced with Lucky who smiled as he attempted to belly dance his way into winning. Then came Yasopp who attempted to crack a joke, instantly going down when one of the blacksmiths he was harassing told him that the girl was too young to understand what he said. His only saving grace was the angelic smile the baby had on her face through his performance.

In the end it was surprisingly Ben Beckman who won, he had been too embarrassed to do much, so he simply walked forward and attempted to mimic Barnie's gruff voice. Somehow that had been enough to spiral the young child into a jingle of laughter, and as the laughter continued the townsfolk found themselves laughing along, and with them the pirates laughed too.